Ye Zhinan was greatly startled. It took her quite a while to regain her voice.
"Thank you for your advice," she said, lowering her head slightly with boundless gratitude in her heart.
If it wasn't for money, then it must be for lust. Making her wear rough and tattered clothes and smear soot on her face were all to keep her safe.
Sister Hong didn't say a word. She just urged the coachman to go faster. They had to return before it got dark.
...
The market here wasn't very big, but compared to their place, it could still be considered bustling and prosperous.
Many small vendors were hawking by the roadside. Ye Zhinan carefully observed the things they were selling, and the more she looked, the heavier her heart became.
"Why isn't there anyone selling handkerchiefs?"
Sister Hong suddenly turned to look at her, with a puzzled look in her eyes.
How could such a smart girl always be so muddled?
"Most people here are poor. How would they be willing to spend money on handkerchiefs? They would only be willing to hire someone to embroider wedding clothes when there's a happy event in the family."
Only then did Ye Zhinan remember that most of the things Han Xiangmei embroidered before were for weddings.
"There's an unwritten rule in the Northern Border that wedding clothes can't be embroidered by family members, for fear that pricking one's finger would be inauspicious. Otherwise, how could outsiders get the chance?"
She was a bit dazed. She had come here full of enthusiasm, thinking she could bring back some silver.
Unexpectedly, she had suffered a complete setback.
She tightened the handkerchief hidden in her sleeve. Thinking of Han Xiangmei laboring in the night, a sense of guilt instantly filled her heart.
"The most marketable item is actually coarse cloth, but it has already been contracted by the government. There's probably no profit to be made."
Sister Hong reminded her carefully beside her, but the more Ye Zhinan listened, the more disappointed she felt.
All the profitable things had been contracted by the government, and the ones that could barely make a living all had well - established brand names.
It seemed that it wouldn't be so easy to earn this money.
"What about the rich people? The Northern Border is so big. There should be a few wealthy families, right?"
Sister Hong shook her head. "The wealthiest family is that of the prefect. Do you want to do business with them?"
Ye Zhinan shrank her neck. She really didn't have the courage.
However, even though the Northern Border was a place of exile, it shouldn't be so desolate.
After all, not only criminals but also ordinary people made a living here.
Moreover, taxes had to be paid from all regions. If the economy was in a slump, the lives of the common people would surely be difficult.
"Of course, I wouldn't dare to provoke the powerful. But what kind of person is the prefect?"
She had no special purpose. She was just making idle talk.
She was already the daughter of a convicted official. It was likely that she would never have a chance to turn things around in this lifetime. How could she have any dealings with the prefect?
Seeing her sincere expression and knowing her personality well, Sister Hong finally lowered her head and told her a few things.
"I've never seen him either. But everyone says he's a good official. I heard that most of the taxes paid to the imperial court every year come from his own share."
Ye Zhinan nodded, feeling quite surprised.
It was rare to find a prefect who could do so much.
She noticed that although the market seemed prosperous and peaceful on the surface, there were actually some sneaky people wandering around.
Some looked like thieves, and some looked like bandits.
She lowered her head and didn't dare to look them in the eye. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she got on the ox - cart on the way back.
"Now you see. Life is not as easy as you thought," Sister Hong joked. The two of them were silent on the way, and neither of them said anything more.
After getting off the ox - cart, Sister Hong told her to go home.
Ye Zhinan walked home slowly, not knowing what to do with the handkerchiefs she had brought out.
Just as she was about to reach the door, several men stumbled towards her and bumped straight into her shoulder.
"We're really sorry. We're in a hurry," the leading man apologized politely. But before she could respond, they continued running away.
Ye Zhinan stood there, tilting her head. After thinking for a while, she always felt that the man looked familiar, but she just couldn't remember.
She walked into the house and saw Han Xiangmei sitting in the yard waiting for her.
Seeing her come in, Han Xiangmei quickly greeted her.
"How was it? Did you manage to sell them at a good price?"
There was full expectation in Han Xiangmei's eyes. She grabbed Ye Zhinan's hand, which trembled slightly.
Ye Zhinan forced a smile and nodded vigorously. She took out a few pieces of silver from her bosom.
"A wealthy family happened to take a fancy to them and bought them on the spot. They were quite generous and didn't treat our things badly."
As she spoke, she tried hard to hold back the tears in her eyes.
There was no such wealthy family. This silver was taken out from her space.
She just couldn't bear it. She didn't want Han Xiangmei's efforts to go in vain, and she didn't want to see her mother disappointed.
Han Xiangmei held the silver in her hands, looking as happy as a flower.
Only then did she notice that there were more wrinkles at the corners of her mother's eyes.
"However, selling handkerchiefs won't work," she told Han Xiangmei what she had learned. At the end, she didn't forget to tell her that selling these few handkerchiefs was just a stroke of luck.
One reason was to dispel Han Xiangmei's concerns, and the other was to put an end to her thoughts.
She affectionately put her arm around Han Xiangmei's and rubbed against her like a coquettish child.
"So from now on, you just focus on the business from Granny Wang. Leave the rest to me. I'll surely find some business opportunities."
Ye Zhinan even thought her words were ridiculous. Her eyes gradually became desolate, and she let out a soft sigh.
Afraid that Han Xiangmei would notice something, she made an excuse that she was too tired and turned back to her room.
At dinner time, the Ye father and son came home and talked about what had happened in the mine.
"I didn't expect the Zhao family to be demoted too. I heard they're having a hard time," Ye Zhinan's hand that was picking up vegetables paused. Suddenly, she remembered that the man she saw on her way back was the eldest son of the Zhao family.
She was puzzled. Zhao Yongyu used to be on good terms with their family, but his way of doing things was quite different from Ye Shenyan's.
He was smooth - dealing and was best at protecting himself. How could he be demoted here?
"It seems that all the people related to that incident have been implicated," Han Xiangmei murmured. Ye Shenyan nodded slightly, agreeing with her.
Ye Zhinan didn't know much about the incident they were talking about. At that time, she was busy seeing patients everywhere and had no time to care about the ups and downs of the family.
The confiscation of their property was more like a sudden notice to her.
"Let's visit them some other day to repay the old friendship."
...
Ye Shenyan had always been chivalrous in dealing with people. He started preparing early in the morning for what he had said last night.
He packed a few eggs, picked some fresh Chinese cabbages, and on his way out, he even picked the garlic sprouts that Ye Zhinan had planted.
"Dad, at least leave some for our family," Ye Zhinan couldn't hold it back any longer and complained.
Ye Shenyan frowned and started scolding her.
"The Zhao family's life is a hundred times harder than ours. Moreover, they used to help us a lot. It's only right to take some things."
Ye Zhinan couldn't argue with him and didn't want to refute. She simply flung her sleeves and went into the house.
Ye Shenyan was left standing there alone, wondering why his daughter was so angry.