Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

It was already early July when the second branch of the Shen family returned to the capital.

As they walked from south to north, they felt it was getting hotter and hotter.

Relying on the memories of her previous life, Shen Chuning purchased a large amount of saltpeter in Jinling City.

She placed a wooden barrel filled with water in the carriage. As long as she added saltpeter into the barrel, the water in the barrel would quickly solidify into ice, thus effectively lowering the temperature inside the carriage.

Even Shen Qinghe, Shen Chengshan and Shen Chengwu chose to give up riding and hide in their respective carriages to cool off.

Shen Chengliu was leisurely eating melon seeds in Shen Chuning's carriage and said to Shen Chuning, "Xiaojiu, why didn't you come up with this idea earlier? This way, we don't have to store ice in the winter."

Shen Chuning shook her head and replied, "Sixth Brother, you really don't know how expensive firewood and rice are until you manage the household. Storing ice in the winter and using it in the summer, each block of ice only costs a certain amount of silver. But do you know how much it costs to make a block of ice with saltpeter? This method can only be used on the road."

After hearing this, Shen Chengliu spat out the melon seed shells in her mouth and sighed, "I never thought that a small rich woman like you would care about such a small amount of money."

Shen Chuning glanced at Shen Chengliu and said jokingly, "Sixth brother, do you know why you are so poor? You don't know how to increase income or save money, so naturally you will become poorer and poorer."

After hearing this, Shen Chengliu scratched his head in embarrassment and muttered, "Just talk if you want to, why are you attacking me personally? I'm also confused. Why is it that every time I have a little money on me, Fifth Brother seems to be able to smell it and always finds an opportunity to cheat me out of it."

When Shen Chuning heard this, she showed an expression of disappointment. She clasped her hands together and kept muttering, "Buddha bless me, please don't let me become as stupid as Sixth Brother!"

……

When Shen Chuning returned to Ningfengzhai, Birui had already placed the ice basin in her bedroom.

Shen Chuning soaked comfortably in the tub filled with warm water and couldn't help but sigh, "It really is most comfortable at home!"

At this time, Birui was carefully washing her hair with soap nuts. Hearing her sigh, she smiled and replied, "Yes, Miss, you have worked hard on this journey."

Then, Shen Chuning thought about the ice again and asked casually, "Has our ice started selling? How are the sales?"

"The ice stored in each household has basically been used up. The current price has doubled compared to the beginning of June and tripled since you left. According to the young lady's instructions, the supply is still limited every day." Birui answered respectfully.

Shen Chuning nodded slightly, expressing satisfaction: "That's good. If we release all of them at once, the price will definitely be difficult to maintain. What's going on with Shen Jingwan?"

Bi Rui reported truthfully, "Miss Wan seems to know that we are selling ice. She started a frozen fruit business in mid-May. It's those small porcelain jars filled with ice and various fruits in the middle. Because the price is lower than in the restaurant, it sells quite well."

Shen Chuning sneered, "Have you ever asked a doctor to check the ingredients?"

"I've checked it. As you expected, it contains a lot of saltpeter."

Shen Chuning snorted lightly, her tone revealing disdain: "I'm afraid her ice fruit business won't last long."

Bi Rui smiled and replied, "It's only been running for three days. Although the ice fruit is delicious, consuming too much saltpeter can cause headaches and nausea. I simply arranged for someone to send a few extra cans to the patrolling officers and soldiers, and naturally, someone helped to destroy Miss Wan's stall."

Shen Chuning emerged from the tub, dried herself, and changed into pajamas. She combed her wet hair with her hands as she spoke, "Shen Jingwan was really stupid. She could have just put the jars in the barrel and added saltpeter. The water in the jars would have naturally frozen into ice. She chose to add saltpeter directly to the jars. Adding too much is like poisoning."

Bi Rui, who was twisting Shen Chuning's hair with a dry towel, echoed this, "Who says it's not true? Miss Wan rented a farm in the suburbs of Beijing, and there's a large amount of saltpeter stored there."

"Rented a farm? Did Shen Jingwan rent it herself?" Shen Chuning suddenly turned her head and looked at Birui.

Birui shook her head. "It was rented by a man named He Er. I heard from Fuzi that Miss Wan calls him uncle."

Uncle? Shen Chuning fell into deep thought. She remembered that when she was reborn and saw Shen Jingwan for the first time at Wanbaoxuan, she had heard her mention her uncle, but she had never found out at that time.

"Have you checked this He Er?" Shen Chuning asked.

"I've checked. He Er is from the capital. He comes from a poor family. He once lost all his family fortune in gambling. He also ran some small businesses, but they were not very successful. He Er hasn't been in contact with Miss Wan, Concubine Xue, for a long time. It was only recently that Miss Wan contacted He Er because she didn't want to rent the farm in her own name." Birui told Shen Chuning the information she had found.

After listening to this, Shen Chuning frowned slightly. "It seems that this He Er is a bit suspicious. Keep sending people to keep an eye on him to see if he makes any other moves. Also, check the relationship between him and Shen Jingwan, and whether they have common interests or goals."

Birui responded.

"Has the saltpeter on Shen Jingwan's farm been dealt with?" Shen Chuning asked.

Bi Rui pondered, "This is what's strange. Miss Wan not only didn't dispose of the saltpeter, but she even sent several carts of saltpeter from the south the other day. Could it be that she still wants to do the ice fruit business?"

Shen Chuning thought for a moment and sneered, "I'm not thinking about starting a frozen fruit business. I'm thinking about waiting for the price of ice to go up again and then starting a business directly."

Birui said anxiously, "Miss, are we just going to let Miss Wan make money? Not only does she make money, she's also squeezing out our business. We still have a lot of ice left, and at this rate, we won't be able to sell it all by the end of September. But in previous years, no one used ice by the end of August. If you add Miss Wan's ice, I'm afraid we won't be able to sell it all until winter comes."

Shen Chuning comforted him, "Why rush? Just seal off her manor."

Bi Rui smacked her lips. "Seized? Stockpiling saltpeter isn't illegal, how could it be seized for no reason?"

Shen Chuning said meaningfully, "Stockpiling saltpeter to make ice isn't against the law, but who says saltpeter can only be used to make ice?"