Lin Qinghe walked a few steps before realizing that You Rong had not followed her.
Lin Qinghe turned back and asked doubtfully, "You Rong? Why aren't you coming? Is there something else?"
You Rong lowered his eyes, making it impossible to discern his thoughts. After a moment, he walked to Lin Qinghe's side and asked, "Don't you… want to buy anything?"
Lin Qinghe was startled, not expecting You Rong to ask this. She then smiled and replied, "What I just said is what I wanted to buy. If there was anything else I wanted to buy…"
Lin Qinghe caught sight of someone carrying tanghulu passing by. She pointed at the tanghulu and said, "I just want to buy a skewer of tanghulu."
Last time, she didn't have much money. Although she craved tanghulu, she was reluctant to buy it. The thought of the sweet and sour taste of tanghulu still lingered in her mind.
You Rong glanced sideways, then silently walked towards the tanghulu vendor, bought a skewer, and handed it to Lin Qinghe.
Lin Qinghe had casually mentioned it, intending to buy it herself. She hadn't expected You Rong to buy it for her without a word. She took the tanghulu with considerable surprise.
This was a good sign, indicating that You Rong was gradually warming up to her.
Lin Qinghe took a bite, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction. She held it out to You Rong and said, "It's delicious, have a bite too!"
You Rong took a small bite. It was sweet and sour, which he didn't particularly like. However, seeing Lin Qinghe's content expression, he couldn't help but wonder if a skewer of tanghulu could make her this happy.
You Rong collected his thoughts and said lightly, "Let's go back. Mother will be worried at home."
"Okay, let's go back quickly, so Mother doesn't worry about us."
As they walked, Lin Qinghe thought that now that she had some capital, she should consider starting a small business. If she only continued farming, she would barely be able to fill their stomachs, and the silver she had would be spent without earning more.
As she walked, Lin Qinghe felt discomfort in her feet. She frowned, guessing it was because she had walked too far in the past two days, causing blisters.
She pursed her lips, endured the pain, and continued to follow You Rong.
You Rong eventually noticed. He stopped and asked with a slight frown, "Does your foot hurt?"
Lin Qinghe gave a dry laugh, her eyes darting around. "Hehe… No, I'm just a bit tired from walking. It's fine, I can manage. Let's hurry, so we can get home in time to cook dinner for Mother."
You Rong remained still. He pressed Lin Qinghe to sit on a stone, then squatted down, took her foot, and began to remove her embroidered shoe.
"You Rong! I'm really fine, you don't have to…"
Before Lin Qinghe could finish speaking, You Rong had already removed her shoe. Seeing the several blisters on her fair and delicate soles, his brows immediately furrowed tightly.
She didn't need to look at her other foot to know it was probably the same.
Lin Qinghe awkwardly withdrew her foot. "You don't need to worry. It's just a little uncomfortable, not painful. I can still walk."
You Rong looked up, his brows tightly knitted. His tightly pressed thin lips indicated his displeasure. He silently took down the basket from his back, put it on Lin Qinghe, and then squatted in front of her, saying in a deep voice, "Get on."
Huh? You Rong was going to carry her back?
Lin Qinghe hurriedly said, "You Rong, no need! I can walk! It's still half an hour's walk home. If you carry me all the way, you'll get tired."
You Rong said with an unyielding tone, "If I get tired, I'll put you down. Hurry up and get on!"
Lin Qinghe could only obediently climb onto You Rong's back. You Rong stood up with her on his back, tossed her up lightly, and then walked forward steadily with her.
Lin Qinghe, resting on You Rong's shoulder, reminded him uneasily, "If you get tired carrying me, remember to put me down. I can walk by myself…"
You Rong said in a deep voice, "Okay."
She was so light, it felt like carrying a feather. Not to mention walking for half an hour, he wouldn't feel tired even if he carried her for a whole day, given his stamina.
Lin Qinghe, resting on You Rong's back, felt a bit bored along the way. So, she shared her thoughts.
"You Rong, we have some capital now. I want to start a small business. We don't need to earn too much, just enough to feed and clothe our family. What do you think?"
You Rong replied, "Mm, what kind of small business do you want to do?"
"Hmm, well…"
Lin Qinghe thought carefully. She wasn't good at anything else, but when it came to making food, she should be competent. "What do you think about making some snacks to sell? The pig offal I made last time was a good choice. No one here knows how to make it. We can buy pig offal. Pig offal is cheap, so the initial investment won't be much. A bowl of offal soup with two or three steamed buns would fill most people up. If we charge about ten coins, we'll definitely make money!"
Although it would be tiring to make, she was confident she could earn money. When she became well-known in the future, she could even open a small restaurant, which would be nice.
You Rong said, "Mm, I think this idea is feasible. If you want to try, then try it."
Lin Qinghe, resting her head on You Rong's shoulder, said in a muffled voice, "But there's another important issue."
"What issue?"
"The place to sell food needs to be a place with a lot of foot traffic, preferably where people can't go home to eat and have to eat out. That way, we can ensure our food sells."
You Rong pondered for a moment and said, "The vicinity of the dock is suitable. Ships carrying goods arrive daily, and many workers help move goods at the dock. Many people have their lunch outside. Moreover, the dock is very close to the town. People going to the market or attending to business in town all have to pass by the dock."
Lin Qinghe's eyes lit up at his words. "That's wonderful! If we advertise 'cheap and good value,' and ensure our portions are generous and filling, and spread the word, along with good taste, we'll definitely attract a lot of customers!"
Lin Qinghe chattered on, telling You Rong many of her ideas. You Rong was quite surprised, wondering where she got these peculiar ideas from.
However, noticing the excitement of the little woman on his back, the corners of his lips couldn't help but curve into a doting smile.
If life went on as Lin Qinghe described, with her and him running a small restaurant together, and the family never having to worry about food or warmth, it wouldn't be bad.
As Lin Qinghe was speaking, she suddenly heard a system prompt: "Progress increased by 5%. Total progress is 16%."
Lin Qinghe's heart leaped with joy.
She had truly hit the jackpot by coming to Junwu Mountain to find You Rong this time!
Not only had her progress increased by 15%, but she had also luckily found a ginseng, which she sold for a good price. This provided the capital for her future small business, so she wouldn't have to worry about the next meal and wouldn't have to worry about You Rong driving her away with a stern face anymore.
Lin Qinghe felt at that moment that although the progress increase wasn't huge, judging by all the current developments, the progress from now on would be very smooth.