"The location of Gui Zi Fang is quite good, if you don't plan to operate it for the time being, why not rent it out and collect rent?"

  Luo Sheng looked at Xie Wan, who was sitting behind the desk playing with two walnuts in her hand, and said so. This basket of walnuts was brought over by Wang Anmei during the day, and he had just taken it back to the mansion when he remembered that shop in Gui Zi Fang, so he took the opportunity to mention it casually.

  The two shops in Qingyuan State were Yang's dowry, and the original tenant had moved out at the beginning of September. Luo Sheng thought Xie Zhuang would operate them as quickly as the previous two shops, but unexpectedly, nearly two months have passed, and there is still no movement.

  Xie Wan rolled the walnut on the table, playing silently for a long time. Luo Sheng thought she was just being childish and planned to get up and leave, but at this moment, she spoke up: "That shop, besides making silk fabrics, what else can it do?"

  Luo's body stiffened and he stopped in his tracks, "What does that girl want to do?"

  She thought for a moment and said: "What do you think about opening a rice shop?"

  "Open a rice shop?" Luo Cheng's voice was high-pitched and strange, as if he had heard something unbelievable.

  Luo Ju coughed on the side. Luo Sheng came back to his senses and saw Xie Wan's serious face, which didn't look like she was joking at all, and only then did he regain some consciousness, asking: "Miss wants to open a rice shop, selling southern grain in the north?"

  Xie Wan nodded and said, "These days I've been thinking, the northern climate is dry and the winter is long. Moreover, many nobles have risen in the capital, and garden construction has increased. Many farmlands have changed to mulberry, hemp, and fruit trees. In recent years, grain from the south has occupied a large part of the market in the north. Even the rice produced by our own farm can only supply food for our own family, and there's not much surplus. Therefore, opening a rice shop should be more profitable than the silk business."

  Of course. The idea mainly came from her memory of the fourth year of Qingping, which is next year. In February, an important edict was issued in the imperial court to expand the windbreak forest around the capital. Although this decree did not directly affect what Xie Zhuo wanted to do, expanding the windbreak forest would result in less arable land, so opening a rice shop would definitely be profitable.

  Luo Sheng was stunned for half a day, and then said: "Although the profit is great, but the risk and investment are also great. Moreover, there is the matter of transporting goods by water, which is the common path for north-south grain transportation. Not to mention that our second house has never been in contact with people who have suffered from transportation, nor has the government ever been in contact with them. The people in the transportation guild are not easy to deal with."

  He really wanted to say that this little girl was being spoiled by them and her courage was getting bigger and bigger. The business that others were not daring to get involved in, she actually had the idea. This gang said that it was allowed by the imperial court, but in fact, it was just a black gang that was supported by the government. Their gang was so big and their water was so deep that ordinary people could not imagine it at all.

  "I know." Xie Wan was relatively calm about his concerns, "I've thought of all these, the main river for grain transportation is to the capital. The inner grain transportation can reach Hejian Prefecture. But what I lack now is someone to pull the strings."

  She had met people from the dockworkers' union in Beijing before, and those people were all skilled in martial arts and agile in their movements. They couldn't be compared to the guards in her household who only knew a few tricks with their sticks. Not only did they look down on some low-ranking officials, but ordinary scholars were also not worthy of their attention. So if you wanted to get in touch with them, you could only find someone from their own circle, or rather, fellow travelers in the jianghu.

  The rivers and lakes have their own rules. Although there are many martial artists in Hejian and Baoding, she is a woman from a boudoir. Even if they meet face to face, it's impossible for them to get acquainted with her. They're not Wang Anmei, who can achieve their goals by using some small tricks.

  "Then let's just sell silk for now. I'll think of something else later."

  She tossed the walnut into the basket and said with a wave of her hand.

  With her words, Luo Sheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He knew her temperament too well and was really worried that she would stubbornly insist on dealing with those thugs at this time. Although it's unlikely that she would give up now, let's take things one step at a time and talk about the future later!

  The silk shop in Gui Zi Fang opened on the first day of winter month.

  As it was not far from the provincial government office, Qi Song also took his colleagues to set off firecrackers. Xie Liang made his first formal public appearance as the head of the Dong family and properly entertained the guests who came to congratulate him, and also distributed melons, fruits, and betel nuts to the surrounding neighbors who came to congratulate him.

  The big shopkeeper, Du Hu, was also recommended by Qi Song. He had been a shopkeeper in another silk store in the state for over ten years. The apprentices were hired locally and personally selected by Xie Wan. They seemed quite agile and quick-witted. When they saw Xie Cang approaching, they busily poured tea and water. Seeing that he was holding Xie Wan's hand, they smiled and offered her sweets.

  As long as the shopkeeper does things steadily, even if the people below him are a bit unruly, he won't be afraid of them.

  Luo Ji not only helped Xie Wan with personal matters every day, but also had to go to the five shops at the end of each month to collect accounts. Luo Sheng was delighted to see him being heavily relied on by Xie Wan, but on the other hand, he was worried that Luo Ji would not handle things properly, so whenever he saw him, he would sternly remind him a few words.

  Shen Tian has become more mature and stable after a year of training, and Xie Wan starts to let him follow Zhang Zhuanggui to run errands.

  Luo Yi is still honest and simple-minded, but his brain has become more agile. Xie Wan instructs Luo Sheng to teach him to recognize characters and keep accounts.

  Wang Anmei's side is going smoothly, and Luo Sheng brings another small flower cat. Xie Wan decides to meet her. She asks Luo Sheng to invite her to Li Zihutong on the ninth day of the first month.

  Wang Anmei arrived as scheduled. On the attic, Xie Wan stepped up the stairs with a steady pace, her face flushed, her hands clasped together under her abdomen, revealing a few hints of joy and a few hints of tension.

  Xie Wan took the two garments that Yu Xue had folded and handed them over to everyone, telling them to go down. Then she smiled at Wang Anmei and said: "I've had someone make two new garments for my sister, come try them on to see if they fit."

  She pushed the clothes over, unfolded them and took a look. It was a set of delicate needlework embroidered camisole and skirt. The fabric of the clothes was a soft, smoky-colored Shang silk, and the skirt was a light yellow moonlight skirt, both with pearl satin lining, just right for wearing at this time.

  Wang Anmei's face turned red as she said: "How can I accept such a valuable gift from my sister? It's too expensive. I just came to see you."

  Xie Wan insisted on persuading her, and she finally agreed.

  She turned her back and took off her outer garment, revealing two scarlet scars on the back of her neck.

  Xie Wan rushed up and stroked the scar with her big eyes. She asked, "Sister, what's wrong with you?"

  Wang Anmei's face turned bright red as she hastily turned around and hid behind the desk.

  Xie Wan stared at her steadily. Gradually, tears began to flow from her eyes.

  "Sister..."

  Wang Anmei also cried.

  She never said these things in front of her. Because she didn't want to let her know how big the gap between them was. The gaze of Xie Wan in front of her was like a knife stabbing into her heart, and her tears were like two hands that brutally pushed down the last layer of defense in her heart.

  She put on her own clothes and rushed up the stairs. Xie Wan tightly held her back. Finally, the two fell to the ground, crying together in a heap.

  After crying for a long time, I finally got tired of it.

  Xie Wan wiped away her tears and said, "I've heard a bit about your situation, that's why I said those words to you. Your experience is already very pitiful, if you don't tell me everything today, I absolutely won't let you go."

  Wang Anmei heard this and lay on the tea table crying again, only gradually stopping.

  "You know I'm an unlucky person, why must you come near me?"

  Xie Wan grabbed her hand and said softly, "Sister, why are you talking like this? Whether it's auspicious or not, it's not what you want. Tell me, how did your uncle and aunt treat you? Was this wound inflicted by him?"

  Wang Anmei bit her lip and shed tears, staring at Cheng Fen in silence for a moment before speaking slowly: "This is nothing. From the time I was eight years old and fell and hurt my leg, after seeing a doctor. He either hit me or scolded me, at first I didn't know, I just thought it was because I did something wrong. But later I found out, no matter how careful I was, no matter how obedient I was, he still wouldn't stop hitting and scolding me.

  I also suspected that he was bullying me because I wasn't a boy, but I found out that he didn't treat my sister Si like that. Although he didn't particularly like my sister Si either, he had never hit her. So I went to ask my mother. My mother said... it was only then that I realized. In their eyes, I was an unlucky person, and the reason he hated me was because of this.

  "It's not just him. Including my grandparents, uncles and aunts, and everyone in the family has never shown me any kindness in private. My mother is the only one who cares about me. I've had suicidal thoughts since I was eight years old, but when my mother found out, she said that if I died, she would die with me too, so I didn't dare to do it."

  "All these years, he has been thinking of me disappearing from the Wang family. I have seen wolf-like glances in his eyes several times, and I know he especially wants me to die. However, because if I don't die, he can only beat me mercilessly and has no other way to deal with me. Because this matter cannot be made public, so on the surface, I am still the dignified eldest daughter of the Wang family."

  "There are scars on my back, some from many years ago and some from just a few days ago. He didn't dare to leave any marks on my face or hands, afraid that people would ask questions and he'd lose face, so all the injuries were inflicted on my waist, back, chest and abdomen. I can no longer tell which ones are new and which ones are old."

  As she spoke, she slowly rolled up her sleeves, revealing two slender arms with numerous red scars. Even though Xie Wan had mentally prepared herself, the sight still shocked her.

  Wang Anmei and Xie Lang were the same age, both 14 years old, but Wang Anmei looked no taller than Xie Lang's shoulder. Even with the height difference between boys and girls, if they developed normally, it wouldn't be such a huge disparity.

  A person has endured so much hardship since childhood, no wonder they get excited over a little bit of kindness from others.

  I fell into such a miserable state in my previous life, but I was lucky enough to be reborn. Someone like Wang Anmei, no matter how many times she is reborn, it's all useless anyway?

  "Am I really that unbearable?"

  Wang Anmei lifted her tearful eyes and gazed at her with a wounded spirit.

  She shook her head, silently pulled up her hand and said: "If someone says you are not worthy, then this person must be terribly dirty themselves."

  Wang Anmei smiled and two tears rolled down again.

  "Sister," Xie Wan sighed, "don't you want to leave the Wang family and live your own life? Spend a lifetime in peace and stability, without worrying about food or drink, not being blamed or scolded. Your parents-in-law are kind, your younger sister-in-law and brother-in-law treat you with great respect and love, and from now on, they won't let your mother worry anymore?"

  PS: Thanks for the pink votes from Xiaoxi, Bingxue Qingxi, and Mo Nv Hanhan!!! Thanks to all my dear friends!!! Still seeking votes~~~~