The potato seeds that had been planted for seven days had already sprouted by the time they were dug out.
Song Qiming had someone buy over a hundred flower pots in Songzhou City, preparing to transport them back to Suining City along with the soil.
"Lord Song, what is the County Princess doing in Suining City right now?"
Song Qiming looked up and met Gu Baozhu's face. Ever since he left the government office, she and Gu Jinghong had been following him, acting exactly as if they had been waiting specifically for him at the door.
"My sister wants to do business in Suining City, so she's been looking at storefronts these past few days."
"Oh," Gu Baozhu drew out the syllable, her eyes darting around playfully.
"Suining City doesn't have as many people as Songzhou City. If the County Princess wants to do business, she can come to Songzhou City."
Song Qiming moved a flower pot onto the carriage and casually replied, "Maybe in a few years."
Seeing his nonchalance, Gu Baozhu disappointedly puffed out her cheeks into two round balls.
Gu Jinghong, who had failed to get a word in several times, finally found an opening.
He stepped in beside Song Qiming to help him.
Having never seen an imperial official working alongside servants, he felt this Lord Song was very different.
"Prefect Song, can you bring me along the next time you go bandit hunting?"
Song Qiming smiled and answered, "I don't know when the next time will be. The bandits in Suining Prefecture have all been wiped out. They won't be able to pose a threat anytime soon, and I won't let them."
Gu Jinghong froze slightly, not expecting Song Qiming to say that.
A civil official saying such ruthless things with a smile was rather chilling.
Worried about the flower pots overturning, they slowed down their pace significantly when they headed back the next day.
Setting out at the crack of dawn, it was already the second watch of the night by the time they returned to Suining Prefecture.
Upon hearing the news early the next morning, Shi Simian ran over without even eating breakfast.
He looked through the flower pots one by one. When he found that they were full of dirt with no potatoes in sight, the smile on his face vanished without a trace.
"Where are the potatoes?" he questioned Liu Hucheng, who had gone along on the trip.
Pointing to the dirt in the pots, Liu Hucheng explained, "They are right inside the dirt."
"By the time we arrived, Songzhou City had already planted all the potatoes. To ensure they wouldn't die on the road, we had to dig them up along with the soil."
Hearing this, Shi Simian immediately squatted down and carefully dug with his hands. It wasn't until he saw the sprouted potato tubers that his mind was set at ease.
"Lord Song truly has great face; he can even get back potatoes that have already been planted."
After a few days of inspection, considering Suining City's relatively sparse population, Song Jinzhao ultimately decided to locate the new shop on Tongbao Street, the most bustling street in the inner city.
Song Shixue ran around with her every day, her eyes constantly lingering on medical clinics and apothecaries.
After several long days of internal struggle, she finally went to Song Jinzhao. "Ah Jie, I want to open a medical clinic."
The capital was full of high-ranking officials, nobles, and wealthy people. Since Song Shixue was taught by Song Jinzhao, they trusted her and invited her to their homes for medical consultations.
But Suining City was different. The prefect was the highest-ranking official here. No one dared to invite Song Shixue, mostly out of fear that they couldn't afford her.
Song Jinzhao gazed at her, her eyes holding no surprise, only a smile.
"Do you have a shop in mind?"
Compared to Song Qiming, whose ambition was to take the imperial exams and become an official, and Song Anhao, who loved making money, Song Shixue spent almost all her thoughts on studying medicine, apart from practicing martial arts for self-defense.
She was interested and talented. Coupled with her diligence and willingness to endure hardship, she had mastered nearly eighty percent of the modern medical knowledge in Song Jinzhao's head. The remaining gaps could only be refined through continuous practical experience. Therefore, Song Jinzhao wasn't surprised that she wanted to open a clinic; she had already guessed it while they were looking at shops a few days ago.
Song Shixue nodded. "A few days ago, I saw that the Yang family apothecary in Huaihua Alley was being transferred. I want to take it over."
Huaihua Alley was near the south city gate, separated from the outer city by only a wall. It was a rather mediocre location.
The wealthy wouldn't travel that far, and the poor wouldn't enter the inner city to hire a doctor. Not only were the prices double, but the medical skills there were also just average.
Song Jinzhao gave a gentle smile, her eyes full of encouragement.
"If you want to do it, then go ahead. However much silver you need, Ah Jie will give it to you."
Song Shixue smiled and patted the place where she kept her money pouch, affectionately leaning against Song Jinzhao and hugging her arm.
"No need, I have money."
"I saved up several thousand taels when I was treating people in the capital. It's enough."
Song Anhao, who was burying his head in accounting, suddenly looked up.
He stared intently at Song Shixue, his eyes full of surprise and envy.
"That much? My private savings are only a little over a hundred taels."
Song Jinzhao tapped the ledger with her fingertip. "Your second sister's money was all earned by herself. Your private savings were all given by us."
"Study hard. If you run the shop into the ground, you'll have to use your private savings to make up for it."
"Ah," Song Anhao raised his chin and wailed, already feeling the heartache before he had even started.
