Exile at the start? The princess is no ordinary woman.

As she spoke, Aunt Zhou pulled Gu Nanzhi aside again and whispered,

"Hey, Nanzhi, why did this Wu girl go to the city with you?"

Gu Nanzhi glanced in Wu Huiwen's direction. After spending so much time together, she knew that Aunt Zhou was just a gossip, but she didn't seem to have any bad intentions.

So he told them the truth.

"Well, Sister Wen wanted to work as a helper at a restaurant to earn some money to send her child to school, so I agreed and let her give it a try. If she does well, I'll pay her."

"Send him to school?"

Aunt Zhou was somewhat surprised that Wu Huiwen had such thoughts. However, it's true that both she and her husband were literate when her husband was alive.

Xia Zhinan had been sent to school before, but her husband died, and they could no longer afford to send her back.

This widow is truly remarkable; she's only thinking of what's best for her child.

It's a pity the man died young; otherwise, he wouldn't have suffered so much, and his children could have been more successful.

“This Wu girl is quite ambitious. Going to school isn’t something that can be easily afforded. It’s already rare for someone from the village to be able to read a few words. She doesn’t have a man, and she still has this ambition. It’s only because you are kind-hearted and willing to help her that she has this ambition.”

"Well, it's all fate. It still depends on Sister Wen herself. If she doesn't do a good job, I can't afford to lose money, can I? Besides, Sister Wen's thoughtfulness is admirable. Sending the child to school to learn knowledge will help even if he can't become an official in the future."

Having an education makes it easier to find work outside the village, which is much better than farming in the village.

"Yes, yes, that's true, but going to school costs a lot of money..."

Country folk don't think that far ahead; most are just focused on farming and making a living from the land. But there are also literate people who think further ahead, sending their children to school so they can learn to read and write and find jobs in the city.

Several children in Silver Fox Village have gone to school.

------

Now that the whole village knew, Gu Nanzhi saw it as an opportunity to help the villagers make money, so she went directly to find Zhao, the village head, without going home.

"Young Master Jun, Young Lady Jun has arrived. Please come in."

"Oh, Nanzhi, it's been so long since you've come to our house! Please come in, please come in!"

"Uncle Village Head, Auntie, we've come to bother you again,"

"Don't bother me, please come inside."

Village head Zhao and Aunt Zhao warmly welcomed them into the house, and busied themselves pouring them water. After they sat down, they asked the same first question that Aunt Zhou had asked.

"Hey, Nanzhi, I heard you opened a restaurant in the city?"

Gu Nanzhi said with a smile,

"Yes, it's going to open. It'll be open in a few days. Once it opens, if Uncle Village Head and Auntie have time, they can go to town to help out and join in the fun."

The Zhao couple were both surprised and impressed.

"Oh, it's true? I thought it was just a rumor. Nanzhi, you're amazing! Congratulations! I'll come and support you if I have the chance."

"Young Master Jun, Young Lady Jun, congratulations! I wish you both great success in your business in advance."

Business is booming, this is great, Gu Nanzhi accepted.

"Thank you, Uncle Village Head and Auntie. By the way, I actually came to see you today because I have something I want to tell you,"

"Alright, alright, Miss Jun, what is it?"

Every time Gu Nanzhi contacted him, it meant something good was about to happen. Zhao Lizheng was quite hopeful when he heard this, and sure enough, his hopes were right; when Gu Nanzhi spoke, it was always good news.

"Well, Uncle Village Head, Auntie, we've opened a restaurant in the city, so we need a lot of vegetables and leafy greens. I was thinking that since we're all from the same village, why don't we ask around our own village first?"

Since almost every household in the village grows vegetables, we were thinking of seeing which family had extra and offering to sell them to us, at the normal market price...

I was thinking of first discussing it with Uncle Village Head and Auntie. If you both agree, then Uncle Village Head and Auntie, please help me ask them.

If someone is selling, we can arrange it in advance, and then have it delivered to the restaurant early on the eighth day of the lunar new year. We'll open for business on the eighth day.”

Sure enough, this capable person's words were always good; this was definitely helping the villagers.

What reason could Zhao Lizheng and his wife have to refuse?

"Alright, alright, thank you, Miss Jun. You are capable and even help the villagers. We should thank you. I'll take care of this. I'll ask about it later."

"That's great, Uncle Village Head, Auntie, thank you so much, thank you for your trouble."

"No need for thanks. If anyone should be thanking you, it's you. You've given the villagers an opportunity to earn money..."

Zhao Li was genuinely grateful that Gu Nanzhi and Jun Yanchen hadn't made things difficult for him when they came to the village.

If you don't build a good relationship from the start, then all these good things will happen later.

"No need to thank me, we're from the same village now..."

"Oh, right, Uncle Village Head, Auntie, and any game we hunt, we'll also buy it at our restaurant later. You can let us know..."

"Okay, okay, okay,"

The Zhao family, including the village head, happily took on the task.

Although they were willing to buy vegetables from the villagers, they were particular about quality, which is why Gu Nanzhi emphasized this point at the end.

“Uncle Village Head, Auntie, since we’re all from the same village, let’s get this straight. We can buy vegetables from the villagers, but only if the vegetables they provide are of good quality and fresh…”

Otherwise, we don't want it. Let's make that clear beforehand to avoid hurting our feelings later.

"Yes, yes, that's for sure, that's for sure."

------

After returning to the village and staying for four days, Wu Huiwen and her family made sure to settle into their new home, as they would be returning every few days for a considerable period afterward.

Gu Nanzhi didn't care; she didn't concern herself with city affairs—others were in charge. She needed to cultivate herself in the countryside.

It wasn't until sunset on the sixth day of the lunar new year that Gu Nanzhi and Jun Yanchen led a large group of people out of the village and into the city.

After returning four days later, the restaurant had changed again; all the equipment inside had arrived and been set up.

The clinic is also in the preparation stage.

On the seventh day of the lunar new year, at the appointed time, all the recruited workers arrived. Gu Nanzhi and Ren Shuyi distributed uniforms to everyone.

The only difference is that Chef Zhang and Chef Chen wear hats and masks; hygiene is something chefs should pay attention to, after all.

Then he gave a speech.