It's hard for my elder sister. I rely on the mountains to farm and pay off my debts.

Shopkeeper Zhou asked curiously, "What kind of business is this?"

Song Zhi originally wanted to use Manager Zhou to pass on a message to herself, so she had to say something.

She thought for a moment and said, "It's like this. Our Qishui County is surrounded by mountains, and the mountains are lush with medicinal plants."

"But I've discovered that the city's Chinese medicine clinics either refuse to accept medicinal herbs from people outside the city, or they buy them at extremely low prices. This is very detrimental to the development and growth of our local herbal medicine."

"Manager Zhou, think about it. We have so many valuable treasures in the mountains here, but because the herbal medicine shops in the city have limited supplies, or they deliberately lower the price, so many herbs are wasted every year."

"We are close to the border, and there are countless merchants in the city transporting goods from the south. I know that in a while, there will be merchants transporting tea to our area."

"They came to us to sell their goods. They must be taking some valuable goods back from our North, right?"

"Besides fur, would medicinal herbs be a good option?"

"I was thinking that our county has such good conditions. If you can mediate a little, it will be of great benefit to the county government, the people, and even the reputation of our county!"

Shopkeeper Zhou was stunned. He was only slightly interested at first.

But I didn't expect that this little peasant girl could say such words.

He paused and asked, "How did you know that the pharmacy deliberately lowered the price?"

Song Zhi's face darkened. She sighed, "Well, my family's life was tough. I once carried herbs to sell in the county, so I understand a little bit about the current situation of the medical clinics collecting medicine."

Shopkeeper Zhou nodded and had a plan in mind.

This idea sounds feasible, but he is just a servant and it is not easy for him to promise anything to his master.

After considering it for a moment, he said, "I'll mention this matter today. If I have any news, I'll let you know then."

This is exactly what Song Zhi wanted to hear from Shopkeeper Zhou. She didn't want to rush in front of people rashly.

There must always be a middleman to pass on the message for you and clarify whether the other party has such an idea.

She nodded in agreement, and then added, "If Your Excellency thinks this idea is feasible, I do have some other ideas. I'd like to discuss them with you then."

Shopkeeper Zhou didn't really care that Song Zhi only said half of her words. Although he was curious about what she hadn't finished, he knew his limits and didn't ask any further questions.

After all, he was not good at herbs, and even if he took on the task, he couldn't explain the reason clearly.

Besides, his young master is so smart. If he stammers and can't give a clear answer when asked to respond, it would be a waste of time.

He was just the owner of a pastry shop, and he had some knowledge of what he should and should not do.

But he didn't expect Song Zhi to have such courage and insight.

He felt a little regretful in his heart. It was a pity that she was not a boy. If she were a boy, who knows what achievements she would have made in the future.

Song Zhi didn't know that Manager Zhou's opinion of her had changed.

After she received the payment, Song Zhi led her younger brother away from the pastry shop.

After leaving the pastry shop, Song An blinked his bright eyes and looked at his sister with admiration.

Song Zhi felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by this little guy. She patted Song An on the head and said, "What are you looking at? Walk properly."

Song An said admiringly: "Sister, you were so amazing just now."

Song Zhi also imitated him and asked, "Is it amazing?"

The little guy nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice.

Song Zhi was not being immodest, but instead taught Song An, "When you encounter something in the future, you must think more, consider more, and observe more."

"If you can discover what other people's predicaments and needs are, how would you respond if you were faced with such a situation? Can you think of a way to resolve such a predicament or need?"

"In this way, you will become a great person!"

Song An pointed at himself excitedly, "Can I do it too?"

Song Zhi encouraged: "This is natural!"

"After we have paid off all the debts we owe to the villagers, I will send you to school."

"Can I...can I go to study too?" Song An obviously didn't expect Song Zhi to say that, and he stuttered a little.

Song Zhi nodded and said, "Reading can not only enlighten us, but also help us discover the wisdom left by many ancient sages.

"Not only do you have to go to school, but all the children in your family should also learn to read and write."

She half-jokingly said, "This way, when we sign contracts with others in the future, we won't have to worry about being taken advantage of because we can't read."

After hearing this, Song An nodded vigorously.

Song An's entire mind was immersed in what his sister had just said. It was not until Song Zhi stopped that Song An realized that not only had he not been alert to his surroundings, but he had actually been distracted.

He subconsciously looked around at the unfamiliar streets and asked nervously, "Sister, where are we going?"

Song Zhi stood not far from Wang's pastry shop, her eyes wandering over the little beggar on the street.

Hearing the younger brother's question, she replied calmly: "I came here to try my luck and find someone."

"Sister, who are you looking for?" Song An subconsciously followed Song Zhi's gaze.

Before Song Zhi could answer, a small figure jumped out from the alley and ran straight towards her.

But in the blink of an eye, the man appeared in front of Song Zhi, "Good man, are you looking for me?"

Song Zhi smiled and nodded. She handed over the basket in her hand, "My boss promised to bring you some jelly. I happened to be in the city today, so I brought some for you."

"It's just that I forgot where to find you last time, so I came here to try my luck, and I actually found you."

Monkey didn't expect that Song Zhi really still remembered this incident, and the smile on his face became more sincere. He waved behind him, and two children came running out from the alley not far away.

The monkey said to the two men, "Go and bring our begging bowls. A kind man has brought us some jelly."

The two children's eyes lit up and they ran back like a gust of wind. A moment later, four little beggars surrounded them again with bowls in their hands.

After Monkey distributed the jelly to her companions, she asked a few of them to go back and continue their surveillance, while she stayed and told Song Zhi about the tracking situation over the past two days.

"Good man, I only noticed that the shopkeeper went to the Wang family several times, but each time he was turned away by the gatehouse and returned in disgrace."

"In the past few days, he has only been to the Wang family and the county jail. There is nothing strange about him."

Song Zhi nodded. "There's no rush. Please help me keep an eye on him first."

"I came to see you today because I have another question for you. Do you know any herbalists from the south in this county?"