In the afternoon, Song Jinzhao went out to look at shops. Song Anhao, whose interest had been piqued, couldn't wait until the next morning. Right after waking up from his afternoon nap, he dragged Song Shixue over to teach him how to read. Unfortunately, this burst of enthusiasm only lasted for half an hour before he collapsed onto the desk.
The manager of the brokerage personally led Song Jinzhao around the inner city. On the bustling streets, he bowed slightly as he introduced the area to her. His facial expressions were lively as he spoke, making him appear both professional and enthusiastic.
"County Princess, the shops on this street are not large, and they sell high-quality, inexpensive goods. Food stalls make up forty percent of them. The east side leads straight to the capital's central axis, while heading south, west, or north will take you to modest residential houses. A considerable number of people pass through this street every day."
"As you can see, even though the lunch hour has passed, there is still an endless stream of commoners coming and going. If you open an eatery here, you definitely won't have to worry about not making money."
At a glance, both sides of Qipan Street were lined with small shops facing each other. The doorways were about three to four meters wide, and looking inside, the layout seemed to be a straight, narrow line.
Stepping into an empty shop, there was a lot of rubbish left behind by the previous tenant on the shelves and the floor. The tables only had a thin layer of dust, and there were no cobwebs on the ceiling, suggesting it hadn't been vacant for long.
The brokerage manager walked in front of Song Jinzhao, pointing at the floor and gesturing. "Behind this door used to be a warehouse. Since you are going into the food business, County Princess, it can be converted into a kitchen. Setting up ten tables in the front would be absolutely no problem. It faces south, so the lighting is good. The only drawback is that there is no water well. Water has to be fetched from the well up ahead, which is about ninety zhang away."
Through the back door of the warehouse was a small courtyard of about six square meters. The ground was cluttered with various odds and ends, and it was walled off on the side.
The manager pointed to the left courtyard wall and said with a smile, "However, if you plan to buy several storefronts, County Princess, the place next door used to be a noodle shop, and they have a well in their courtyard. You could knock through the wall, making water access convenient."
In order to satisfy Song Jinzhao, the brokerage manager had taken the stack of selected title deeds right after leaving the County Princess's estate that morning and physically inspected the ones he wasn't very familiar with again.
What kind of shop could be opened? How could it be decorated conveniently? He had already thought it all through in his mind when he came to inspect them.
After walking around, they went next door. This shop had clearly been cleaned, and there really was a well in the backyard.
Song Jinzhao walked to the edge of the well and looked down. The water was very clear, without even a single fallen leaf.
A milk tea shop next door, this one for a Luosifen noodle shop, and still needing a braised food shop—it would be best if they could all be connected.
Luosifen paired with braised food, a perfect match!
It would also be convenient for fetching goods regularly.
"I see the two shops next door are both open. Is anyone looking to transfer their lease?"
The brokerage manager paused for a moment. "I will have to go and ask about that."
Song Jinzhao nodded. Then, the group went to see one south-facing and two north-facing shops, all on Qipan Street. The only issue was that the remaining south-facing one was at the end of the street, a bit far from the two they had just seen.
Leaving Qipan Street and turning two corners brought them to Wuyi Alley. There were noticeably fewer people here than on Qipan Street, and the shops were much larger, mostly around a hundred square meters.
The brokerage manager said, "County Princess, don't mind that there aren't many people here right now. There are two academies up ahead. Once school is let out, the crowds will swell. Moreover, the prices are cheap. A shop this big is only three hundred taels of silver more expensive than the one with the well we just saw."
Over the course of the afternoon, Song Jinzhao visited all the storefronts she had eyed in the morning. Zhuque Street, located on the central axis, had the most pedestrians. Wangyue Pavilion was on that street, and the prices there were also the most expensive.
A two-hundred-square-meter shop sold for ten thousand taels of silver, a forty-square-meter space on Qipan Street was seven hundred taels, and a hundred-square-meter place in Wuyi Alley cost one thousand taels.
These prices made Song Jinzhao fully realize just how expensive real estate in the capital was.
The County Princess's estate covered fourteen mu of land and was located right in the middle of the inner city. If it hadn't been a reward from the Emperor, she certainly wouldn't have been able to afford it.
She originally thought the silver she had on hand was quite a lot, but thinking about it now, it was completely insufficient.
Just as Song Jinzhao was looking at properties that afternoon, an unexpected guest arrived at the County Princess's estate.
Lanxi, who was training the servants in the front hall, heard the report from the gatekeeper and hurriedly sent someone to the backyard to invite Song Shixue. "Quickly go find the Second Miss and tell her that Princess Yongjia has arrived."
The housewarming banquet had passed several days ago. Why would Princess Yongjia suddenly come over?
When the servant ran into the backyard to call for Song Shixue, she was sitting in the study writing a teaching plan.
Her younger brother was too young to sit still for long periods, so she planned to divide the daily two-hour session into three time slots for teaching.
Early morning, late morning, and afternoon, with each lesson lasting half an hour.
"Second Miss, Princess Yongjia has suddenly visited. She says she is here to see the County Princess. Please hurry over and take a look."
The ink that had just coated the tip of her brush dripped onto the inkstone, splashing specks of black across the desk.
Song Shixue immediately put down her brush and stood up. Her pale yellow cloak fluttered against the doorframe as she hurried out of the courtyard. "Quickly send someone to find my elder sister and have her come back."
Why would the princess come out of nowhere in the dead of winter? There was no prior notice at all.
By the time Song Shixue reached the front hall, Princess Yongjia was sitting in a chair drinking tea.
"Commoner Song Shixue pays her respects to Her Royal Highness the Princess."
"Rise." Princess Yongjia put down her teacup, her gaze sweeping over Song Shixue's somewhat youthful face.
Even though one sister possessed a natural heroic spirit and the other was sweet and delicate, the calm composure in their brows was remarkably similar. Looking closely, they really did resemble each other as sisters.
