A master of metaphysics is farming.

In early November, Xiang He received good news from Wang Rongxing.

The clothing shop had already opened, and he visited it several times before finally managing to recruit a well-known embroiderer.

Jiang Xinyue and Zeng Yunqing helped him a lot, and he finally agreed to go back to his old profession after much persuasion.

As for the woodworking shop, He Sui'an found her a large courtyard. The location was a bit remote in the south, but the owner was in a hurry to sell, so the price was much cheaper. There were also many rooms inside, so the whole family could move in.

He was so devoted to Xiang He so that she would have no worries, since the two of them would be going to the capital in a month.

Xiang He calculated the amount of silver needed, and figured he could leave a hundred taels for them, while he himself would only need a few dozen taels to travel with, since he could get food and drink from He Sui'an anyway.

She was full of thoughts about the good days to come. Su and her fourth aunt walked hand in hand, while Xiang Huiying held Xiang Yun's hand and said, "Xiang Yang is so happy, brandishing his wooden sword."

This was the first time the whole family had come to the city, but they didn't find the long journey boring at all.

Today, both families will go into the city first to take a look around. Once they have finalized the arrangements, they will pack their belongings and move.

As for the home, with Third Grandmother and Sixth Sister-in-law watching over things, there's no fear of Li and her family coming to the door.

When they arrived at the city gate, Wang Rongxing and the other two came to greet them personally. When Su learned that Zeng Yunqing was the granddaughter of the county magistrate, she immediately became much more reserved.

Jiang Xinyue casually took Xiang He's hand and asked, "Did you come to the city this time for the shop's business?"

"I heard that Miss Jiang also contributed, and I am extremely grateful to her."

"Hey! Why are you being so polite with me?"

The group walked in a large group to East Street. Although the location was not the best, it was on East Street and had a signboard that read "Fragrance Dye Shop". Even before it opened, people were already looking out from the door.

The group entered the shop, which was well-prepared, with three embroiderers sitting and threading needles.

One of the older women stood up and asked, "Which one of you is the second-in-command?"

Xiang He pointed, "This is my mother, Su Ci."

Upon hearing the title "Second-in-Command," Madam Su couldn't help but smile. "No need, no need. Sister-in-law, just call me Aci."

The woman shook her head. "The rules still need to be established. The second-in-command can just call her Madam Zheng."

The embroiderer named Zheng Niang spoke eloquently and seemed to come from a wealthy family; no wonder she was so hard to hire.

Seeing that the situation was getting tense, Wang Rongxing hurriedly led the group to see the embroidery. "Zheng Niang is a famous embroiderer in the area. Many noble ladies have heard that Zheng Niang is here and are looking forward to opening their business soon!"

Xiang He nodded and followed, while Xiang Huiying took out the clothes that the two of them had finished. "This is what I embroidered. Aunt Ba embroidered it back then. Could you give me some pointers, Zheng Niang?"

Her eyes were full of expectation. Although Zheng Niang looked serious, she was a kind person.

He turned to examine the patterns one by one. "The stitches are meticulous, and the colors are distinct. Not bad."

Hearing the praise, Xiang Huiying smiled brightly.

Meanwhile, Madam Su was looking at Zheng Niang's embroidery. She was quite certain that this type of embroidery was unique to women from high-ranking families.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked towards Zheng Niang, where the clothes she had made were right in front of her.

Just now, Zheng Niang only glanced at Huiying's embroidery. When she saw Su Shi's, she frowned slightly, raised her hand to turn it over, and looked at it carefully for a while.

"Did the second-in-command embroider this?"

"It's me... but is the embroidery not good?"

Zheng Niang was a shrewd woman. Seeing Su Shi's expression, she rarely showed a smile. "Very good, your skills are comparable to mine."

Su was taken aback, then the two looked at each other and smiled.

Xiang He noticed the unspoken understanding between the two and smiled, "Please don't call me 'Second Master' when you're out. There are always envious people at home, so we don't want them coming to cause trouble and ruin the business."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone understood the meaning behind them.

Not to mention they all knew that the old lady of the Xiang family was not someone to be trifled with, so it was better to be cautious.

"Then let's call you Su Niang outside, and treat you as the embroiderer in this shop, how about that?"

"Very good."

After the whole family finished looking at the clothing shop, Xiang He handed over the remaining silver to Wang Rongxing, and the two split the bill.

The shop needed supplies, the money for hiring people, and the money for buying cloth, and just like that, more than two hundred taels were spent.

After all, the fabrics from Xiangranfang are truly both high-quality and expensive.

The group left the shop and hurried to the courtyard in the south alley.

This large courtyard has a storefront, and there's a spacious yard in the back.

There's another open space over the back door, perfect for storing wood. He Sui'an really knows how to pick a spot.

Once the location was decided, Xiang He asked Xiang Dayong to sign the sales agreement. She also needed to borrow a few carriages from Wang Rongxing to move everything that could be moved from the house, so she wouldn't have to spend any more money to buy new things.

As for the rooms where the three families live, they can squeeze in together for now. Once things get better, they can buy rooms elsewhere and then live in the city, returning to the village only for festivals.

-

The news that the three families had moved into the city soon reached Zhang's ears.

They also lived in the city, and upon learning that Xiang Dayong had opened a woodworking shop, they immediately prepared a lot of things and personally visited him.

Second Aunt's family came to the compound, but only Xiang He and Fourth Aunt were at home; they were all out busy with chores.

As soon as Zhang entered the door, she praised the grandeur of the courtyard, saying, "Come, come, I brought you a chicken; it lays eggs very efficiently!"

Fourth Aunt glanced at Xiang He, but didn't accept the tea. "Why are you here? Everyone's gone out to work, so we don't have any good tea to offer you."

"No need, no need! Lianmei, come in quickly."

Xiang He, who was washing clothes with her head down, looked up and saw Xiang Lianmei swaying her hips as she walked in. However, she paused as she crossed the threshold, her mind momentarily swaying, but she quickly recovered and forced a smile as she went inside.

As soon as she entered, the gloom around her dissipated considerably, but the gloom she had left behind lingered at the doorway.

Don't even think about letting evil spirits into Xiang He's house. Besides, that minced meat is really disgusting. Xiang He specially blessed it, making it much more powerful than the house in Xiangjia Village.

Xiang He wrung out the clothes and hung them on the hemp rope to dry. The weather had gotten much colder, and everyone was wearing cotton-padded clothes, making the clothes really difficult to wash.

"What brings Seventh Aunt here?"

Hearing that the way she was addressed had changed, Zhang was not angry. She simply put down the chicken and walked around the yard. “Oh, your yard is so nice, it’s big enough! Is it enough for three families? If not, you can come to my place to make do.”

Fourth Auntie wasn't going to put up with her. She quickly retorted, "This place is enough. Your place is too small to accommodate us."

"..." Zhang visibly gritted her teeth for a moment, then quickly put on a smiling face, "What are you saying? Where are my uncle and fourth brother? Did they take on some business?"

"Of course we have to work! The weather is getting colder and colder, so we need to work harder and earn more money to get through the winter. Unlike your family, who have established themselves in the city and don't have to worry about not having business."

Listening to her fourth aunt's barbed words, Xiang He silently gave her a thumbs up in her heart.

Her gaze fell on Xiang Lianmei again. The rosy complexion she had shown outside the door was gone, and her lips were somewhat pale, indicating that she had been injured by the formation inside.

Xiang Lianmei frowned slightly. "He'er, have you had someone look at this house too?"

"I heard Mother mention this before. Ninth Sister, are you so concerned about these things? Shouldn't every household seek protection? Doesn't your family have any?"

Hearing her question, Xiang Lianmei looked embarrassed. "I was just asking, He girl, don't take it seriously."

"Oh, I remember Ninth Sister also lives in the city, right?"