After being expelled from the mansion, I changed the dynasty by writing novels.

The bookstore was finally renovated. The outer walls were newly built, and everything inside was refurbished because the two rooms were combined into one.

The bookstore is now more spacious, with only one door left at the entrance, but the door is wider, making it easier to enter and exit.

The first floor is filled with bookshelves. The original positions of the bookshelves and the front desk of the bookstore remain unchanged, while the newly opened area is filled with low tables and chairs, and a screen separates the cashier's area.

These tables and chairs are placed here to make it convenient for people to come to the bookstore to read, but of course, the books cannot be taken away.

A bronze-colored wooden table was placed in front of the desk, and a wooden board with charcoal writing was placed on the front of the table.

The wooden board listed the drinks available for purchase. This was Ye Yuwu's little scheme. Of course, she wouldn't have been able to know how to make modern drinks based on her memory alone; she had a search system at the time.

You can easily find the recipe by searching online, but there's one more thing to note: some things were scarce in this era, so you could only make fruit drinks that were available in that season.

But at the same time, she encountered another problem: sugar was relatively expensive in Jinchao, and she would need sugar to make drinks.

Currently, there are two alternatives: one is to use honey, and the other is to make your own syrup. The sugar coating of candied hawthorn in this dynasty was made from syrup boiled from sugarcane.

She then used the search system to check and found that she could make drinks with perilla extract.

Perilla leaf tea is like modern bubble tea, and the preparation method is also simpler than bubble tea.

Besides perilla extract, what she most wanted to make was the modern-day "beaten lemon" drink.

So she went to the Bianjing vegetable market and came to the conclusion that the Jin Dynasty did have lemons, but at that time lemons were not called by that name, but were called Li Mengzi.

It is said that lemons were introduced to China from Persia, but that is not the most important thing. The important thing is that lemons are now mainly used for medicinal purposes and as a seasoning. Before their medicinal uses were discovered, they were used as ornamental plants.

Therefore, most lemons on the market are only found in clinics.

She could only go to the clinic to find out where they got their supplies.

She had already decided that the bookstore could offer these two drinks for purchase.

After all, sometimes having a quiet place to sit and read or write can attract people, and it would be wonderful to have drinks to quench your thirst if you were thirsty!

However, after inquiring at all the medical clinics in Bianjing, she found that the yield of Li Mengzi was relatively low because the breeding and cultivation techniques were backward in this dynasty, and the medical clinics alone could only barely supply it.

Then she had no choice but to make the syrup herself. She found out there were four ways to make syrup, and after considering the cost and consequences, she finally chose to make syrup from malt and glutinous rice.

Malt is relatively simple to grow. Just select wheat, soak it, and let it sprout. It will sprout in about three to five days. She planted some herself while the bookstore was being renovated during this time.

While waiting for the bookstore to be renovated, she also finished reading "The Overbearing Prince Falls in Love with His Little Maid".

When Hua Ping returned to the bookstore, he was so surprised by the drastically changed shop that he could hardly close his mouth.

It took the staff a whole day to clean up the bookstore again.

After a long day of work, their backs ached, so they took the opportunity to rest and sit together to discuss how to continue running the bookstore.

Ye Yuwu told them about her plan.

The first thing is to open a beverage shop. It just so happens that this month is May, and the weather is gradually getting warmer. Beverages will be a good selling point then. The price of the beverages does not need to be set too high. Also, when the weather gets hot, Ye Yuwu wants to get some ice cubes. If she can't get them, then we'll talk about it later.

The second point is to establish a book repair department. This is crucial and will be her main focus going forward. In the future, she will not only produce books and magazines for "Between Square Inches," but she also wants the bookstore to publish more books. If the book repair department does well, she even wants to produce several more books and magazines. She cannot do this alone. She can only let go once the book repair department is on the right track. As for the candidates... she has already thought of a few.

Before Ye Yuwu could finish speaking to the others, she suddenly looked up at Huaping, who was listening attentively to her.

Hua Ping was still listening when Ye Yuwu suddenly fell silent. Only then did she realize what was happening and, pointing to herself in shock, exclaim, "Me...me?"

“You are the best choice. Huaping, you have spent the most time by my side. You have always assisted me when I am proofreading text. This task is not unfamiliar to you, and you are even very good at it…”

Ye Yuwu wanted to persuade her further, but suddenly heard her say a firm "Okay!"

Hua Ping noticed that Ye Yuwu hadn't reacted and looked rather dazed, unlike the usual girl. She secretly smiled and then explained to her, "I originally wanted to do something to help you, Miss. Besides, what I said last time was what I truly meant. I also want to be a woman who can stand on her own, just like you."

Upon hearing this, Ye Yuwu teased her, "How about saving up enough money like I do to find a handsome young man to marry into your family?"

Clearly, Ye Yuwu was using Huaping's previous statement about finding a good man in the future to tease her about the present.

Everyone burst into laughter, but Huaping, being easily embarrassed, couldn't take it.

"Girl!" Huaping stomped her foot in frustration and whined, "I finally managed to stand up straight, so please stop teasing me?"

It is said that people with expectations are different. Looking closely at Huaping now, she looks more energetic and healthy than before when she was in the mansion. Her face has also become a bit plumper, and her spirit is completely different.

Because she had just been working, she was wearing a dark-colored dress with her sleeves rolled up, and her delicate face was flushed, as if she was full of energy. She also didn't have any extra hair ornaments, and she looked better than before.

"Of course, besides Huaping, there is another person who is suitable for this position..."

"Manager Ye, who are you?"

"You'll find out when the bookstore opens tomorrow," Ye Yuwu said with a mysterious smile.

It happened to be dark at that moment, and since she planned to set up a book repair department, she cleaned up the second floor to use as the workspace for the book repair department.

She found another courtyard that looked quite nice. The courtyard wasn't large, but it had four rooms, one of which was a kitchen connected to the main hall. There was a pear tree against the wall in the courtyard, which she liked very much.

This small courtyard was probably the first home she and Huaping had after leaving the Tai Mansion.

The next day, there was a flurry of activity at the bookstore entrance. Ye Yuwu had paid to hire a lion and dragon dance troupe, and with the setting off of a firecracker, the street instantly became lively.

This was also the first day of the publication of the fourth issue of the book, and the crowded street was packed with people, almost blocking the bookstore.

Those unaware of the situation might think something's up and rush in just to join the fun. Those who manage to squeeze in will even ask the people next to them what's going on inside.

People who don't know the situation might think it's just a shop open for business, but there shouldn't be this many people, right?