Even so, Du Yiyi, who carried half of the Yu family's bloodline, was extremely talented.
One could tell from the way she wielded her whip with such vigor.
After the meal, the sky began to darken, nearing nightfall.
Du Yiyi had to return before the curfew, but she was very worried about Su Xiaoqi, so she urged her to go back with her.
Su Xiaoqi politely declined, and at the same time, told her that those two strong men actually couldn't do anything to her.
Du Yiyi burst into laughter, "Hahaha, I knew it. You're so clever. You realized someone had snuck in, yet you calmly opened the door. How about this, sometime you come to my family's training grounds, and we can spar?"
Du Yiyi found Su Xiaoqi more and more to her liking. She utterly disdained the pampered young ladies of the current era. They needed to be supported when they went out, as if a gust of wind could blow them away.
Su Xiaoqi was not one to shy away from trouble. She responded with gusto, "Okay, I'll definitely come if I have the chance." Although she had some skills, they were only the wrestling and combat techniques she had learned in modern times. It would be good to experience the fighting styles of this era.
Su Xiaoqi escorted Du Yiyi downstairs. They happened to encounter Shopkeeper Zhou leading the constables to apprehend the culprits. The two constables, surprised to see their young lady there, quickly stepped forward to pay their respects.
Du Yiyi tilted her chin up and emphasized the charges against the two strong men. She particularly instructed them to investigate if the men had committed any wicked deeds in their hometown. In her opinion, such scumbags should have their crimes thoroughly investigated, and they should be punished as severely as possible.
"Especially investigate the instigator behind them. If you dare to let them off lightly, I will not forgive you." Du Yiyi put on the airs of an official's daughter, which was quite intimidating.
The two constables accepted the order, their minds already formulating a plan. Meanwhile, Shopkeeper Zhou stood frozen on the spot. Well, he only knew that Madam Shen was friends with the Prefect's daughter, but he hadn't expected that the one who had been whipping people earlier was she herself. He had been guessing her identity all along… He quickly reviewed the events that had transpired and, finding no instance of disrespect, finally put his mind at ease.
Du Yiyi glanced at him, her expression somewhat displeased. She gave him a few instructions, telling him to secure the doors and windows at night, lest a few more rats sneak in from somewhere. If that happened, he wouldn't have to keep this inn open anymore.
Shopkeeper Zhou broke out in a sweat and hastily agreed.
The moon was high in the sky. Su Xiaoqi lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She had been tossing and turning from the first watch to the third. She felt she would likely continue doing so. Without Shen Yun, she truly couldn't sleep. She wondered how he was faring in his small compartment in the examination compound.
In the examination booths of the Gongyuan, Shen Yun had already placed two boards together to form a bed. He took out the string Su Xiaoqi had given him, caressed it meticulously, and brought it to his lips to sniff. His thin lips curved slightly, and his eyes were full of tenderness. With it accompanying him, it felt as if Xiaoqi was by his side. Especially, nestled close to his body, he had a pill emitting a faint fragrance. That fragrance was exactly like Xiaoqi's scent. It brought immense peace to his heart. After thinking of Su Xiaoqi for a while, he drifted off to sleep with a calm heart amidst that faint fragrance.
August ninth, the official start of the examinations.
Su Xiaoqi only managed to fall asleep at the fifth watch after tossing and turning. When she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. Du Yiyi had knocked on her door for quite some time before she answered. The two had agreed to go to a nearby grain shop to assess the situation.
"Yesterday, we gave away two thousand jin of corn and potatoes for free. We also sold three thousand jin of each." "Tongchuan County is not large, and the populace is only tens of thousands. It should be about the limit." If they continued selling at this rate every day, Su Xiaoqi's inventory might not be able to keep up.
"Mm, my mother said that my father knew about what we were doing and immediately sent people to Tongchuan County. They will be responsible for the subsequent disaster relief efforts. They will ensure the basic needs of the people for the next three months."
Su Xiaoqi nodded. In fact, she had also heard about it at the inn. Many Tongchuan residents who had received grain seeds, upon hearing of Prefect Du's actions and appeals, had rushed back home with their families who were also fleeing. Of course, there were also some who were lazy and, after receiving the corn and potato seeds, didn't think about planting them but simply cooked and ate them to get by. With a large forest comes all sorts of birds; it's normal.
"Sister Xiaoqi, I've told my parents about you, and they both want to meet you." Du Yiyi extended the invitation again. This time, it was different from the previous invitations. This was an invitation from elders, and Su Xiaoqi had to go. She nodded in agreement, but she needed to prepare some gifts before going. Fortunately, she still had several boxes of mooncakes and other preserved pastries from Chen Jin Ji in her spatial storage. Su Xiaoqi didn't know if Prefect Du would like them, but based on Du Yiyi's description, her mother certainly would.
After agreeing to this, Du Yiyi was in high spirits throughout. She took Su Xiaoqi to see the grain shop. She heard Shopkeeper Hu tell her that since half of the clothing shop was converted into a grain shop, its popularity had surged. Even the clothing that had been difficult to sell for a long time had sold quite a bit. Therefore, even though their shops had been giving away grain seeds to the people of Tongchuan for free for the past two days, the shops were still operating at a profit. Du Yiyi became happy, attributing all of this to Su Xiaoqi's credit. Her father had taken over the clothing shop, but it had either broken even, operated sluggishly, or suffered continuous losses. It rarely made money. If not for her help this time, she might not have been able to keep the clothing shop going much longer.
"Alas, my mother is right. I'm always thinking about wielding swords and fighting, which is suitable for killing Liao people in the northern borders, but not for doing business." Su Xiaoqi covered her mouth and chuckled. She had to admit that Du Yiyi's mother's assessment of her was quite objective. She saw that Du Yiyi's skills were much better than her business acumen.
As they chatted, they arrived at the pastry shop. At the entrance, Su Xiaoqi saw the words "Chen Jin Ji" in large characters. This was Du Yiyi's idea. She wanted Su Xiaoqi and the others to open this shop. She didn't want to be involved, saying her constitution didn't bring wealth and would ruin their luck.
After inspecting it, Su Xiaoqi disagreed, saying, "You should still have a share. How about this: Chen Jin Niang gets three shares, and you, my sister, and I each get two shares?"
Du Yiyi blinked her bright eyes and asked, "Then what do I need to do?" Without waiting for Su Xiaoqi's answer, she added, "I really can't do anything. I'm useless at kneading dough, but I can use a whip to discipline people, is that okay?" Moreover, she didn't understand business or selling things. She could only barely manage to greet customers. However, she had a short temper. If the customer was easygoing, she could restrain herself and pretend to be gentle. But if she encountered a difficult customer, she would definitely be even more difficult than the customer.
Su Xiaoqi chuckled, "Niang and my sister will handle the pastries, and I'll manage the operations. You, you don't have to worry about anything, just be responsible for whipping people." Of course, that was a bit of an exaggeration. But Du Yiyi understood. After all, she wasn't entirely clueless. Su Xiaoqi's words meant she wanted to leverage her family's influence in the prefectural city for protection.
Du Yiyi patted her chest and guaranteed, "No problem. Didn't I tell you, my shop's business isn't great, but very few people dare to cause trouble." Su Xiaoqi laughed heartily at her words, "Who would be so blind as to dare to cause trouble for the Prefect's daughter here?"
As they chatted merrily, Su Xiaoqi happened to look up and see someone. Her expression immediately turned cold.