This item could definitely become the treasured centerpiece of Renhetang.

Lately, no matter which shop she visited, she had noticed that every store had its own signature item.

Even Yuexiang Restaurant had a signature dish that set them apart.

Thinking this way, the golden-threaded bird’s nest was indeed worth the price.

“Alright, three hundred and fifty taels it is!”

“Hahaha… I just love doing business with such straightforward people like Miss Jian! Hahaha…”

With that, Qin Xuancheng couldn’t help but laugh heartily, a clear sign of his good mood.

Jian Xiu, however, remained composed, feeling no particular excitement—at least not at this moment.

After all, she hadn’t yet received the silver.

It wasn’t until Qin Xuancheng asked whether she wanted silver or a banknote that she felt like she had struck gold.

“Miss Jian?” Qin Xuancheng prompted again.

“Ah? Oh, silver would be best!” Jian Xiu suppressed her excitement and replied.

She knew that banknotes were more convenient compared to physical silver.

But in times like these, banknotes weren’t necessarily the safest option.

Others might find silver cumbersome, but not Jian Xiu—because she had a supermarket!

Besides, who could say for certain what would happen to the Da Shun Dynasty in the future?

If something went wrong, all those banknotes in her hands could turn into worthless scraps of paper.

For someone like Jian Xiu, who always planned ahead, falling for such a trap was unacceptable.

“Silver works too. Wait a moment,” Qin Xuancheng said. “Including the Smilax glabra from earlier, the total comes to five hundred twenty-five taels and forty copper coins. Does that match your calculations, Miss Jian?”

“Yes, yes, that’s exactly right!” Jian Xiu replied without hesitation.

She had already calculated the total in her mind the moment Qin Xuancheng announced the price.

It wasn’t until she held the heavy silver in her hands that she finally realized this was all real.

But who was Jian Xiu?

Without hesitation, she stored the silver in her supermarket and headed toward Yuexiang Restaurant.

Aside from selling medicinal herbs, she had also brought along a wild boar. In her carriage, there were two wheelchairs as well.

Shopkeeper Wu must have been anxiously waiting for those wheelchairs.

The wild boar had been in her space all along. Only after dropping the others off at the academy did she retrieve it.

After several days, she returned to Yuexiang Restaurant and immediately noticed the change in Wu Mingtang’s expression—he seemed much more cheerful.

“Yo, Shopkeeper Wu, what’s the good news?” Jian Xiu teased with a grin as soon as she walked in.

“Indeed, it is good news. How did you figure it out?”

“You’re smiling so much—how could I not notice?” Jian Xiu rolled her eyes playfully.

She had grown familiar with Wu Mingtang and now treated him like an elder.

“Let me guess what has made you so happy.” She casually found a seat and sat down.

Wu Mingtang, focused on his ledger, didn’t respond, but the slight curve of his lips revealed his excellent mood.

“My guess is that you’ve finally recovered all the silver you were owed, right?” Jian Xiu asked confidently.

“Hahaha… I can’t hide anything from you!”

“You got it all back?”

“Yes, yes. Su Erqiang did return the money, but he didn’t dare spend it. Aside from using a dozen taels to build a house, the rest of the silver is untouched.”

“So you just let him go?” Jian Xiu raised an eyebrow, clearly disappointed.

“What? Do you think I’m too soft-hearted?”

“Oh? Then what happened next? Tell me!” Jian Xiu was very interested in the details.

She wanted to say that if Wu Mingtang had let him off so easily, that wouldn’t be kindness—it would be like setting a tiger free to cause more harm.

People like Su Erqiang didn’t deserve sympathy.

Altogether, we were talking about hundreds of taels—an amount some families couldn’t earn in several lifetimes.

And yet, what had he done?

Such a person couldn’t be allowed to continue unchecked.

Hearing Jian Xiu’s words, Wu Mingtang shook his head helplessly and then explained everything that had happened over the past two days.

After listening, Jian Xiu immediately asked,

“Wait, I told you before that Su Erqiang might be colluding with those rice shop workers. Did you investigate that?”

“Of course. But guess what we found out?”

“What?” Jian Xiu asked curiously.

“Turns out, Su Erqiang wasn’t working with the rice shop workers—he was having an affair with the owner’s wife!”

Jian Xiu: “…”

What a scandal!

“And then what?” she pressed.

“Then, naturally, he had to compensate Yuexiang Restaurant for the losses,” Wu Mingtang said matter-of-factly.

“No wonder! I was wondering why you suddenly got such a large sum of silver.” Jian Xiu shook her head in amusement.

After saying that, Wu Mingtang finally looked up from his ledger and asked,

“I haven’t asked you yet—what brings you here today? Not busy anymore? You have time to gossip now?”

“Come on, Shopkeeper Wu, listen to yourself! I brought you something good.”

“Oh? The wheelchairs are ready?”

“Not just that. I also have a wild boar.”

“Really?”

“Have I ever gone back on my word?” Jian Xiu raised an eyebrow.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Wu Mingtang immediately headed outside to check.

Lifting the carriage curtain, he saw the items inside and burst into laughter.

“As expected from you…”

“Well? What are you waiting for? Get some people to carry that wild boar down!” Jian Xiu called after him.

She was too busy to waste time.

There was a lot to do back home—like teaching her people how to cut and dry Smilax glabra.

Luckily, their courtyard had expanded; otherwise, these tasks would have been much harder.

She also had to handle the production of soy sauce…

And the matter of purchasing land…

Thinking about it, there was so much to do.

Most importantly, she still hadn’t figured out Zhang Zixuan’s true identity, which left her feeling uneasy.

Oh, and she also had to recruit maids and establish her organization…

But that could wait until she bought land and built a house.

After all, with her current courtyard at the village’s edge, even if she bought people now, there would be no place for them to stay.

After collecting the silver, Jian Xiu didn’t linger. She headed straight for the door, ready to leave.

Just as she stepped out, a middle-aged man walked in.

Seeing Wu Mingtang, the man smiled and asked,

“Shopkeeper Wu, have you made a decision?”