The next day, Lin Zhiqing went to the West Courtyard early in the morning.
The Lin family estate was very large, and the various courtyards were clearly distinct.
The East Courtyard, being the largest, housed Lin Congli's faction, plus Lin Zhiqing.
The West Courtyard was where Lin Zhiqing's second granduncle resided.
This was also her target for today.
However, Lin Zhiqing was met with a closed door first thing in the morning.
"Miss Zhiqing, our Old Master inspected the shops yesterday and is truly exhausted," the young servant's smile was impeccable, giving nothing away.
"You didn't even go in to announce her, so how do you know the Old Master won't see our young miss?" Aunt Mu stood with her hands on her hips, her voice loud.
The young servant didn't budge. "Granny, the Old Master already gave orders yesterday that no one is to disturb him."
Aunt Mu wanted to say more but was interrupted by Lin Zhiqing. "Never mind. Since Second Granduncle is exhausted, Zhiqing won't disturb him."
"Little brother, please trouble yourself to pass on a message. Zhiqing will come to pay her respects another day."
After speaking, Lin Zhiqing left with Aunt Mu.
The expression on the face of the young servant guarding the door was a colorful spectacle. "Has Miss Zhiqing really changed her temperament?"
He patted the shoulder of another young servant. "Speaking of which, can you remember the last time she came to pay respects?"
The other young servant thought for a moment and decisively shook his head.
...
"Miss, the Old Master has a peculiar temperament. Don't take it to heart," Aunt Mu comforted her somewhat anxiously.
But after spending these few days together, Lin Zhiqing already understood her quite well. When she said these words, it was clearly with some reluctance.
However, Lin Zhiqing didn't make a fuss. There must be a reason for Second Granduncle's attitude towards her.
But that wasn't important right now. There were quite a few people in the Lin family who had issues with her; there was no need to go asking each one.
The most urgent task was to make money!
Lin Zhiqing had hit a wall with her Second Granduncle; the path of offering advice and suggestions was clearly unworkable.
Since she didn't have a chance to speak, she would definitely have to rely on her own actions.
She had long considered the possibility that the Lin family wouldn't support her, but she hadn't forgotten the medical clinic Lu Nanyue and Lu Huai had mentioned.
According to Lu Nanyue, she also had a share in that clinic, but apart from the Lu siblings, no one else seemed to know about it.
This was likely related to the strict rules of the Lin family.
Lin Zhiqing wanted to first understand the situation regarding best-selling goods in Shengjing City, and also to check on how the clinic's business was doing.
But to go out, she had to get past Lin Congli.
Perhaps it was because she had performed passably when investigating the truth, but when Lin Congli learned she wanted to go out, he didn't obstruct her much, only giving a few stern admonishments.
His attitude had softened considerably.
Lin Zhiqing readily agreed and finally breathed the fresh air outside the Lin family estate.
After boarding the carriage, she put on her veiled hat and frequently looked out the window.
Shengjing City was indeed Shengjing City. Although it was still early, the streets were already filled with all sorts of goods, exuding a very lively, down-to-earth atmosphere.
Moreover, those small vendors all sat on the ground, needing only to spread a piece of cloth in front of them to do business.
Lin Zhiqing was just about to call for the carriage to stop when Aunt Mu stopped her. "Miss, this is the West Market. We cannot get out here."
"Why?" Lin Zhiqing didn't understand.
"The West Market is the 'broken tiles and cold kilns' of Shengjing City; it doesn't suit our status," Aunt Mu replied.
Lin Zhiqing quickly understood. The West Market was equivalent to the slum area of Shengjing City, and people from prominent families generally wouldn't set foot there.
Yet, as she looked along the way, she felt that this West Market hadn't quite reached the level of "broken tiles and cold kilns." While not bustling, it was clearly well-ordered.
Thus, it seemed the national strength of Dasheng should be relatively strong.
This made her even more curious about what the East Market would look like.
As the carriage picked up speed, Lin Zhiqing noticed that the surrounding streets became wider.
And on both sides of the streets, there were no "people sitting on the ground."
Red lanterns hung in front of every shop, with the shop's name written on them. Apart from people queuing, there were no small stalls in front of the shops.
"Miss, let's go eat something first." Aunt Mu pointed to a noodle shop. "You used to love the clear broth noodles from this place the most. It's rare for you to come out, so you can try them."
Lin Zhiqing nodded. These past two days, her heart had been on edge, and she indeed hadn't eaten properly. She was actually a bit hungry now.
As soon as Lin Zhiqing alighted from the carriage, the Lin family's coachman drove the carriage towards the "hitching posts."
After Lin Zhiqing carefully savored it, she found that the clear broth noodles were indeed delicious.
After observing for a while, she completely dismissed the idea of going into the food business.
Take this noodle shop, for example. Besides clear broth noodles, there were over forty other types of noodles with different soup bases.
Chicken, beef, fatty intestines, and so on, were too numerous to count.
And these noodles all smelled delicious. Lin Zhiqing's own bowl of clear broth noodles was also endlessly flavorful.
She herself couldn't replicate this taste.
It was just that... the price was a bit steep.
She had initially thought this place would be like those in farming novels, where things like salt, oil, and soy sauce were scarce, and the food tasted terrible.
But after seeing it in person, Lin Zhiqing just wanted to say, she would never believe novels again.
Not only noodles, but also items that frequently appeared in novels like "soap," "clothing," and "tofu" were readily available everywhere in Shengjing City.
Even newfangled things like hot pot and milk tea could find some sort of substitute here.
Hmm... there were fewer and fewer skills left for the transmigrated female leads of novels.
As her thoughts churned, Lin Zhiqing saw a bookstore.
Being new here, Lin Zhiqing wanted to understand the cultural structure of this world and also see if the path of selling illustrated storybooks was viable.
Thus, she started walking towards the bookstore. But before she had taken two steps, her sleeve was forcefully pulled by Aunt Mu.
"Miss, we cannot enter here." Her face was full of terror.
"Why can't we enter?" Lin Zhiqing frowned.
Before Aunt Mu could answer, a young assistant from the bookstore, seeing Lin Zhiqing approach, trotted out the door. "Miss, please leave as soon as possible."
His expression was stern, as if he was about to roll up his sleeves and hit someone in the next moment.
Lin Zhiqing's face was full of question marks. Aunt Mu pulled her a few steps further away. "Miss, women cannot enter bookstores! If word gets out, your reputation will be ruined!"
"Huh?" Lin Zhiqing was so surprised that she failed to manage her expression. "Why?"
Aunt Mu was taken aback; she couldn't explain why either.
She had already accepted this as an ironclad rule and hadn't thought about the actual reason.
While Aunt Mu was stunned, the young assistant from the bookstore actually brought out a basin of water and splashed it all over the spot where Lin Zhiqing had just stood, vigorously cleaning it.
So exaggerated? Lin Zhiqing couldn't help but look at the soles of her own shoes.
Anyone who didn't know better would think she had stepped in dog poop. How utterly ridiculous.
"I don't believe it! Is there no bookstore in this Shengjing City that women can go to?" Lin Zhiqing turned, wanting to demand an explanation, but Aunt Mu held her back tightly. "Miss, have you forgotten how the Old Master died?"
As she finished speaking, her expression dimmed. The young miss indeed had forgotten.
She had only briefly mentioned some things about the Old Master, avoiding more sensitive topics.
Once, Lin Congrong had several bookstores under his name that women could enter, but now they were all sealed.
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