Cheng Hao's ears turned red from her words, and he felt very helpless.
He lowered his head and looked.
Su Miaomiao was also grinning happily. Fine, since the other party couldn't bully his childhood sweetheart, he let go and let her chat.
"I'll just talk for a bit!"
Su Miaomiao said this, and then leaned closer to the young woman and asked for her name.
The round-faced young woman was also honest and generously replied, "My name is Qi Yuan, what's yours?"
She also said that Su Miaomiao could call her Yuan Yuan.
Su Miaomiao then told her to call her Miaomiao, and the other party smiled and called her that.
The two began to communicate.
Su Miaomiao also learned a lot about Quezhou City from her.
"This Quezhou is huge. If you want to know anything, you can ask me. You two won't be able to explore Quezhou City in a single day! But it's really good here. Compared to the chaotic outside, at least it's more reasonable here."
Qi Yuan said that as long as she wasn't too weak or too easy to manipulate, and didn't draw too much attention, it would be fine to live in the city and have a peaceful life. Compared to the occasional looting and killing outside, it was really good here, but the cost was also high. One had to pay a lot of silver to stay.
"Houses here are not sold to outsiders, and rent is not cheap. Food, drink, and daily expenses all cost money. If you can't make a living and earn money in the city and just spend your savings, even with a substantial fortune, you won't be able to sustain it!"
Qi Yuan said that her husband's family originally ran a small tea house, and their family business was considered a local time-honored brand. However, due to the distant war and the influx of refugees into Lincheng where she was, she and her husband's family had to flee to Quezhou City, which was not far from their city.
"My family and I arrived here before the heavy snow blocked the roads last year. It was a bit chaotic then, but the local prominent families joined forces with the newly appointed officials to manage the city, and it has become much more stable now."
Su Miaomiao was amazed, "They really know how to make money, don't they? They don't sell houses to outsiders, only rent them out. How much silver can they collect in rent per year? They really know how to do business. If that's the case, won't they be driven out of the city if they can't make money in the future?"
Qi Yuan nodded heavily and said, "Exactly. My family's life has also become tight. As more people flock to the city, the rent keeps rising. Our savings are dwindling, and I can only pawn some jewelry to get some money, thinking of starting some business as capital."
Su Miaomiao admired her greatly for this. It was rare to find a woman with such insight and awareness in ancient times. Of course, she encouraged her.
After hearing this information, Cheng Hao had some plans in mind. Their convoy had so many people. Even if the people from Shan'ao Village could share the per capita fee with the Jin family, it would still be a considerable expense, and they still had to live.
But then he thought of a solution. Since these people were all familiar and trustworthy, with their stable labor force, they could completely lead everyone to do some business in the city to make a living and earn some money first.
Coincidentally, strengthening the convoy's transportation tools would also cost money. More horses could be added. It was likely that the people from Shan'ao Village also wanted a carriage for each family to live comfortably. With such a goal, they would naturally work hard.
They could completely let them support themselves with their own efforts. He and Su Miaomiao would at most play a leadership role, and it wasn't as terrible as imagined.
Cheng Hao calculated and felt it was acceptable, at least their lives could go on.
Then everyone could come in.
Based on the current investigations, the city was indeed better than outside.
At least they could temporarily reside here before the enemy soldiers reached them.
No one knew when this war would end.
He would have to see the situation later.
It might not be half a year, or it might be three to five years.
Cheng Hao wasn't afraid.
The most important person was by his side, and anywhere was the same as long as she was there.