The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

As Lu Linlang expected, Young Master Zhang found her on the day she arrived in Zhuozhou Prefecture in Jiangnan.

"Miss Lu, let's not beat around the bush. If you're planning to cooperate, you can come find me at Room 1, Dizi, Yuelai Inn tonight." After saying this, Young Master Zhang left.

Lu Linlang was just making a big show before. In fact, she didn't have much silver left, and she only planned to use two or three thousand taels on this business. Moreover, they had an even more troublesome problem. They were completely in the dark about the situation in Jiangnan.

Young Master Zhang's family has been doing business in Chongshui for many years and has its own way in Jiangnan. Compared to them, it is even more familiar. Lu Linlang is eager to find a partner.

Mr. Zhang has a good reputation in the local area. His family is able to sit firmly in the position of the number one businessman in Chongshui because they do business based on integrity. Moreover, their family has a backer in Hezhou Prefecture. The eldest son of the eldest house in Hezhou Prefecture is said to be an official in another place.

After getting off the boat, the people of Xishan Village saw for the first time a place more prosperous than Hezhou Prefecture. Originally in Hezhou Prefecture, they were already cautious. They were all country people who had never seen the world and thought that Hezhou was already the most prosperous place.

Who would have thought that the south of the Yangtze River is even more lively, with people coming and going on the streets, and many people come to the dock to solicit business. There are many shops near the dock, and people coming in and out are dressed in gorgeous clothes, carrying jade pendants and purses, which look like exquisite items.

There were also many women wearing veiled hats, accompanied by a group of maids and servants. The waiters in the restaurant were dressed better than them.

Lu Dashui looked at the coarse linen clothes he was wearing and felt inferior. He wanted to lower his presence so as not to be despised by passers-by.

Except for the servants following Lu Linlang, all other villagers did the same thing, and Lu Linlang knew their concerns.

"Let's go to Yuelai Inn first." After receiving the order, Ma Da immediately went to find the coachman who came with a mule cart to pick people up and took everyone to Yuelai Inn.

It took two mule carts to carry all the people. Lu Linlang took Xing'er, Ma Da and Ma Er on one cart, and the eight people in the village sat in one cart.

After getting on the bus, the villagers dared to lift the curtain and look at the world outside the car. They had just felt inferior because of their clothes, but now that no one was looking at their clothes anymore, they raised their heads and whispered about their discoveries.

The same thing happened in Lu Linlang's car, but they were all people who had seen the world, and the capital was even more prosperous than this, so they were much calmer.

When the coachman saw this, he knew that these people were different from the people in the previous car. It was obvious that they had seen the world.

"Is this your first time in Zhuozhou? You'd better have fun. Let me tell you, Zhuozhou is well-known throughout the whole of Jiangnan. There are many interesting places in Zhuozhou Prefecture, and there are many businessmen. Judging from your attire, you don't look like ordinary businessmen. Are you here to visit relatives?"

"Brother coachman, does Zhuozhou have anything unique or suitable for giving as gifts? Please introduce some to us. My master has relatives here, and they haven't visited for many years. So, I plan to buy some things that the locals like and bring them to their door." Ma Da got Lu Linlang's instruction and started chatting with the coachman.

"I was wondering why you were dressed so unusually, and whether you were really here to visit relatives. You've asked the right person. Zhuozhou Prefecture is most famous for silk. I see your host is wearing the flowered satin that was popular last year. It's not cheap, and even in Zhuozhou, not everyone would dare to wear it.

So if you like, you can go to the Weaver Girl Street near Yuelai Inn. I can guarantee that the most famous silk merchants in Zhuozhou have opened shops there. Here, it can be said that every household can weave cloth. In the countryside, every family raises silkworms and plants mulberry trees. Women can earn a lot of money a year, so women have a higher status than in other places.

And then there's the tea here, which is famous throughout Daqi. When visiting friends and relatives, these two things are the most indispensable. And as for dim sum, there's the Osmanthus House we'll pass by in a moment. Everyone in Zhuozhou knows about it, and bringing dim sum from there to visit relatives will make you look good."

"Thank you, big brother. Once we're settled, we'll definitely visit the places you mentioned."

"That's fine. If you still need a driver, you can come find me. I live in Monkey Lane, Xicheng District. Just tell them you're looking for Ding Lao San. I can give you a discount. I have a few brothers who are also in this business and are very familiar with Zhuozhou."

"Okay, if you need anything, I'll definitely ask Brother Ding San for help."

The carriage soon arrived at Yuelai Inn. Lu Linlang looked around the inn. It was indeed from Zhuozhou. Although it was called an inn, it actually had three floors and covered a large area. There were even more than a dozen waiters, some of whom were helping to drive the carriage, and some were welcoming guests. When a waiter saw someone getting on the mule cart, he would come over to greet them with a standard smile.

"Dear guests, are you looking to stay at our hotel? We have rooms available and people to help you with your luggage." The waiter bent over and said to Lu Linlang, who was obviously the real boss of the group.

"I wonder how much it costs to stay in your hotel. There are twelve of us and we plan to book three rooms." Xing'er asked.

"We have five room types here: Tian, ​​Di, A, B, and C. We also have dormitories. Tian is fully booked, but there are two rooms left in Di, 200 wen a night. Di has a living room. A is 150 wen, B is 120 wen, and C is 100 wen. The dormitories are 20 wen each."

When they heard that a single stall would cost twenty cents, the villagers behind Lu Linlang gasped.

These twenty cents were enough for one night's accommodation. If it were in Chongshui County, with this amount of money, one could stay in a good room in an ordinary inn, but in Zhuozhou, it was just a bunk bed.

With so many people, the hostess and her servants naturally lived in a separate room. Even if the others slept in a large bunk bed, it would cost two hundred coins a night, which was really expensive.

"Please ask the waiter to take us to see the room type of type C first. If it is suitable, we will book two rooms and also book a room of type D." Lu Linlang thought to herself that if they were to sleep in a large dormitory, their safety would be unsafe. It would be better for them to live in a single room. If five people could live in one room, it would be cheaper than sleeping in a large dormitory.

Lu Linlang took a look at Room C. The bed there could only accommodate two people at most. However, Lu Dashui and others said that there was still some space on the floor. At worst, they could just sleep on the floor. Don't waste money. The price of living there is too expensive.

Lu Linlang had already inquired about it and found out that Yuelai Inn was only a medium-sized inn in Zhuozhou. They did not consider the higher-end inns. The lower-end inns were too far away and in remote locations, and were not as safe as here.

So Lu Linlang spent another fifty cents and rented a few more quilts from the waiter. She could pay for them in one lump sum and return them when she left, without having to settle the bill by day.