The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

"Tell me, what exactly happened today?"

Shen Cao knew she couldn't hide this from her older brother, so she had no choice but to tell him about how she had secretly disguised herself as a man to save Ji Lingfeng.

Upon hearing Shen Cao's words, Shen Chen poked her forehead hard. "Little sister, how could you be so reckless? How could you do something like this by yourself?"

“You have no idea who he is, yet you dare to risk saving him. What if he's a bad guy? Wouldn't that be aiding and abetting evil?”

"Besides, since you've already kept it a secret, why didn't you make up a name? Wouldn't using my name lead people to our house?"

“I was thinking that since he’s in our thatched hut, he’ll eventually find our house. If he’s a good person, maybe there will be other opportunities.”

"Listen to Mother, that person doesn't seem like a bad person. Let it go this time, but we must never take such risks again."

Shen Cao had indeed not thought things through this time. She lowered her head, looking as if she had admitted her mistake.

Shen Chen couldn't bear to see his younger sister make such an expression, so he had no choice but to coax her, "Alright, little sister, I'm leaving tomorrow. If that person can't find me, he'll definitely think that I was the one who saved him that day. When we get to the capital, there's Grand Tutor Zhou."

"Besides, I am his savior, so I don't think he will do anything about it."

Shen Cao nodded. "Big brother, are you really leaving tomorrow?"

Shen Chen nodded.

The thought of leaving made Shen Cao a little sad, and she couldn't care less about Ji Lingfeng.

"Brother, you must write back often after you go to the capital."

"Yes. My older brother writes a letter back once a month."

Seeing her elder brother's nonchalant attitude and feigned ease, Shen Cao understood that he didn't want to upset her.

Her eyes welled up with tears. Although she knew that parting would come sooner or later, she knew that her older brother was destined for a brighter future.

"Brother, you should write at least two letters a month. Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll cook it and send it to you."

"That's too much trouble, I'll just eat whatever I can find."

"It's no trouble at all, not trouble at all."

"Alright, I appreciate your kind offer, little sister."

Shen Chen reached out and wiped away Shen Cao's tears. "How old are you? Still crying like that."

"Didn't you say you were so confident about opening a shop in Beijing? I'll be waiting for you in Beijing, big brother."

"It depends on whether you go to the capital to find your elder brother first, or whether your elder brother passes the imperial examination and comes back to take you to the capital."

Shen Cao listened to her elder brother's words without saying a word.

She originally thought that expanding her business to the capital would be easy, but she found it to be incredibly difficult once she actually started.

It's nothing like those time-travel novels where success is easily achieved.

She had previously conducted research at the dock and had a preliminary plan for the food street, but when calculating the investment costs, she realized that she couldn't even afford to invest in a small food street.

She initially estimated that the food street would require an investment of four thousand taels of silver, with a return on investment expected in two years at the latest.

Although her Shen Family Restaurant was doing very well, she could only earn a maximum of twenty taels of silver a month.

That's 240 taels of silver a year.

She still owes Shen Yu'an four hundred taels of silver, which will take two years to repay.

Even if she doesn't pay him back right now, it would take her at least ten years to earn that much money.

However, she had already promised the county magistrate, and he certainly wouldn't wait that long.

Besides, she didn't want to wait that long; her older brother was still waiting for her in the capital.

She has been hesitating these past few days about whether to find a few investors to partner with.

Upon hearing that her elder brother was about to go to the capital, she decided that after he left, she would make a detailed business plan and quickly find investors. If all else failed, she would partner with the county magistrate.

However, getting involved with the county magistrate was her last resort, since once she became involved with him, her life would be much more restricted.

Shen Chen knew that his younger sister had been running around the docks for some time, and he vaguely sensed that she was planning something big.

And it seems this matter isn't going very smoothly.

He gently patted his younger sister's shoulder, "Little sister, take it one step at a time. Your older brother won't need many more years, so there's no rush."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If it really doesn't work out, just wait for your older brother and wait to cling to his coattails." During this time, Shen Cao often talked to Shen Chen about clinging to someone's coattails, and he also learned what that meant.

Shen Cao gave him a reassuring smile, "Big brother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"Ah."

"By the way, elder brother, you're leaving tomorrow. Should we invite Grand Tutor Zhou over tonight? I'll cook some dishes to give you a proper send-off."

Shen Chen hesitated, as his family had business to attend to that afternoon.

Shen Cao noticed her brother's concern. "Brother, Mother just closed the shop. She said you're leaving tomorrow and haven't bought many things yet, so she's going to buy you the things you need to take with you."

Shen Chen nodded. "Alright then, I'll go invite Grand Tutor Zhou in a bit."

"Then I'll go to the market and buy some vegetables."

Because of Shen Chen's impending departure, no one else in the Shen family noticed Shen's father's unusual behavior.

He was dragged by Shen's mother to go shopping, and he was absent-minded the whole way.

They either stand there for ages without moving, or they forget to pay.

Several times I didn't even ask the shopkeeper for change, and several times I forgot to take the things I bought.

"Shen Lang, what's wrong with you today? You seem so absent-minded. Chen'er is leaving tomorrow. Are you reluctant to let him go?"

Mr. Shen could only offer a few perfunctory words, attributing his absent-mindedness to his son's departure the next day and his reluctance to part with him.

Hearing that Mr. Shen was reluctant to part with his son, Mrs. Shen stopped blaming him. After they had bought almost everything, the two went home.

After returning home, Shen's mother went to pack Shen Chen's things.

Mr. Shen sat alone on the soft couch in the room.

Why is General Ji here in Xin'an County? What happened?

He wasn't confident enough that a mere cook captain like himself could be remembered by the dignified General Ji.

He was simply puzzled because the Great Xia Kingdom had been peaceful recently, with no war taking place.

Could it be that General Ji came because of his matter?

He was framed and his family was exiled to the southern barbarian lands.

However, they never expected that the worst famine since the founding of the Great Xia Kingdom would occur on the way.

People were fleeing famine everywhere, and even the guards who were supposed to be holding them were killed on the road due to a riot by the refugees.

The family took the opportunity to escape.

He later used all the money he had secretly hidden to change his identity and stayed in Shitou Village, Xin'an County.

Because of the famine that year, many people starved to death, so his lack of household registration documents was covered up. The official in charge of household registration did not ask any questions and simply issued new household registrations for his family.

Even the child they found along the way was not questioned by the officials; they were simply recorded as their daughter in their household registration documents.

After thinking about it, Mr. Shen thought, how could a great general like him have come because of his affairs?

He was worrying unnecessarily.

After thinking it through, he realized that his son was leaving the next day.

He hurried to the money exchange.