They had arrived in a single carriage, but when they left, they had an extra one—half of it filled with the storybooks Song Anhao had bought at the bookshop, and the other half with gifts from the Song family.
After the spring planting, Suining City entered a period of rapid development.
Cement roads were being built from the inner city to the outer city. The government would take responsibility for repairing any road wide enough for a carriage to pass through, while for the narrow alleys leading to individual homes, residents who wished to pave them could purchase cement from the cement shop at a thirty-percent discount.
The roads in both the inner and outer cities were being repaired, and the river embankments reinforced.
Considering that Suining City’s population would continue to grow, Song Qiming planned to build a new outer-city wall. In the future, Suining City would no longer be divided into an inner and outer city.
“All dilapidated or abandoned houses and vacant lots in the city are to be registered with the government office once it has been confirmed that they have no owner. Then, when the time is right, we’ll sell them.”
Song Qiming had drawn hundreds of circles on a detailed map marking every alley, some in red and others in black.
The weariness in Shi Simian’s eyes instantly transformed into delight.
Every day, he worried about how much money the government treasury had spent and how much remained. It had taken them so much effort to go from poverty to prosperity, and he never wanted to return to those days.
Yet Song Qiming did one thing after another every day, spending money as if it were water. This tormented him endlessly. He had even hoped that one day they might stumble upon another unexpected fortune, just as they had when they wiped out the bandits’ den.
And now, that fortune had arrived!
Since the beginning of the year, more and more people had been coming to Suining City for work. In addition to the coal and cement factories outside the city, 202 new shops had opened in the inner city, hiring a total of 478 workers. Quite a few inns in the city had already raised their prices, and even the rent for private residences had gone up by ten copper coins a month.
Selling land now would definitely bring in a huge profit.
“This subordinate will make the arrangements immediately. I won’t let a single plot of sellable land slip through our fingers!” Shi Simian’s voice was so loud that he practically roared.
He staggered out of the room. Before long, two-thirds of the minor officials in the front hall were busy at work.
In the study in the rear courtyard, Lanxi and Qingshuang stood on either side of Song Jinzhao.
Lanxi said, “During this period of transporting cement and smokeless coal, we made contact with 321 escort agencies across the southwestern province, involving a total of 3,645 people.”
Qingshuang continued, “Of them, 208 are willing to sell their escort agencies, representing a total of 1,836 people. Of the remaining 113, thirty-five are still negotiating, while the other seventy-eight have clearly refused.”
Of the twenty agencies near the top of the list, only three had received a red check mark. Only one had been circled. All the others had been crossed out.
“Those who refuse to sell are the leaders of the industry. They didn’t even name a price?”
Lanxi shook her head. “No. Every time we approached them, they rejected us outright.”
Song Jinzhao closed the list.
“Then there’s no need to contact them again. When the time is right, they’ll come to us themselves.”
“I’m planning to build houses near the coal and cement factories. When the time comes, I’ll bring all of these people and their families here.”
Lanxi pondered for a moment before nodding.
“Suining City is completely different now. As long as there’s a place for them to live, it shouldn’t be difficult to persuade them to move here. Should we charge rent?”
Building all those houses would cost money. For 1,836 people, they would need quite a few.
Song Jinzhao tilted her head slightly and shook it. “No rent. Anyone who works for me can live there for free. That way, they’ll be tied to us.”
The two people standing before her exchanged a glance. When they thought of all the strong, able-bodied workers at the factories, they realized that perhaps those workers could also serve as reserve soldiers.
“Eldest Sister—”
The voice came before the person did.
Song Anhao burst into the study with a huge stack of storybooks in her arms. With a bang, she set them on the desk, and the pile began sliding off. Qingshuang hurriedly reached out to catch them.
Lanxi turned toward the study door. The moment she saw Song Anhao, her pale-blue eyes lifted sharply.
After wandering outside for seven days, she had finally returned.
“Why did Second Miss come back a day late?”
Heye pushed her way to the front and answered first. “She ran into some clingy pest who was trying to marry above his station, so she came back a day late.”
“Heye.” Song Shixue stopped her.
Heye puffed out her cheeks and retreated.
Lanxi remained where she was, doubts stirring in her heart as an alarm began ringing in her mind.
A clingy pest trying to marry above his station… So another man had taken an interest in Shixue.
The more Lanxi dwelled on the possibility, the more worried she became. Sitting alone in the corner of a dim room, she remembered that she, too, had married above her station. Her mood sank even further.
