Rebirth of a Lost Nation: Princess, Please Respect Yourself

Chapter 107 Tuogu Hall

"Okay." Jiang Lige smiled and also put forward her own chips, "This princess heard that the Lang family has a secret recipe for brewing wine. If you can get it, I only want the Lang family's wine recipe."

Shopkeeper Lang hesitated for a moment, thought for a moment, and then said, "Okay, three days."

"No need to see you off." Jiang Lige was too lazy to flatter the shopkeeper Lang anymore. He dismissed the man with a simple word and led everyone into the shop.

After entering the door, Jiang Lige did not rush to get acquainted with everyone. Instead, he asked Song Yue to take the girls to treat their wounds, and then carefully inspected the shop under the leadership of Feng Quan.

Seeing that there were no outsiders around, Feng Quan frowned and expressed his concerns.

"The monthly salary agreed upon in the document is fifty taels per month, and according to the rules, the compensation is three months' salary, which is one hundred and fifty taels. You also promised to pay a hundredfold compensation, so if we lose the bet, we will have to compensate Manager Lang fifteen thousand taels of silver. We simply can't afford that much money right now!"

Jiang Lige was optimistic. "As long as we can recruit a good manager within three days, won't that be enough?"

"Princess, Shopkeeper Lang is indeed exceptionally talented. There aren't many in the capital who can surpass him."

"That's fine. You can put up a notice later and we'll be recruiting talented people." Jiang Lige wasn't in a hurry at all. He simply said, "As for the decision-making power of the shopkeeper, I'll leave it to the staff below."

"Princess?" Feng Quan felt Jiang Lige's actions were reckless. "I know your Highness means well, but which of those girls has experience as a shopkeeper? If not, aren't they playing a joke with real money?"

Jiang Lige did not explain, but asked: "Fengquan, do you believe me?"

Since returning from the jungle injured, Jiang Lige has become much more composed. Although his actions are still a little erratic at times, he generally seems to be steady. Therefore, Feng Quan thought about it and nodded, "Of course I trust the princess."

"Since you trust me, just go ahead and do it. We'll know in three days whether this will work or not."

Having said that, Feng Quan could only nod in agreement and presented paper and ink. "Our shop still doesn't have a proper name. Princess, please decide on one as soon as possible so I can arrange for someone to carve a plaque. Otherwise, we won't know where to hang the red silk when we open."

Jiang Lige propped up his head and thought for a while, then smiled brightly as if remembering something. "I'll tell you the name tomorrow."

Seeing her like this, Fengquan guessed what was going on and nodded, "Yes, then I will wait for the princess."

After discussing all this, Jiang Lige couldn't sit still anymore. He left all the matters concerning the opening of the shop behind and happily went out with Song Yuele, leaving Feng Quan, who was "uneasy about nothing here", alone to arrange everything in the shop.

The master and servant went out and headed straight for Pinghuai Hutong in the west of the city.

Before setting foot in the west of the city, even though Jiang Lige had heard of the barren land there, he had never seen such a scene.

The narrow alleys are intertwined like a spider web, with twists and turns that make it impossible to find the direction. People who have lived here for a long time are obviously used to it and are rushing around for their livelihood.

In the dark corners are the shelters of the homeless, who stare blankly at the sky with eyes that are numb and empty.

The low house was dilapidated, with some brown rags hanging on the roof, which looked like they were used to keep out wind and rain.

In the alley, a clever little girl carrying a basket of flowers ran up to Jiang Lige and said, "Beautiful sister, buy me a bunch of flowers!"

Seeing this, Jiang Lige bent down and touched the little girl's head, giving her a gentle smile, "Okay."

"One copper coin for a bunch." The little girl pushed the basket in front of Jiang Lige obediently. "Sister, what flowers do you like?"

"This bouquet is perfect." Jiang Lige picked out a bunch of lotus buds, took out three copper coins and handed them to the little girl. "I'm here looking for someone. If you have time, please lead the way for me. I'll give you the extra copper coins as a reward for your hard work, okay?"

The little girl held the copper coin and thought about it. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded and said, "Okay! Which family are you looking for, sister?"

"Is there a house here that specifically takes in orphans? That's the family I'm looking for."

"Sister, are you looking for Sister Peng?"

As the little girl spoke, she led the master and servant forward, introducing them to them as they walked.

"You've seen the situation in the west of the city. It's very miserable. Countless people have died of starvation, exhaustion, being abducted while working, or beaten to death by their masters. When adults die, the children are sent to the orphanage in the west of the city. Sister, don't look at our area as poor, but if we have any surplus, we will definitely give some to the orphanage to protect those children and raise them safely."

"So, this girl from the Peng family is indeed a very kind person."

"That's right!" The little girl praised him without hesitation. "Our area was called Pengjia Village a few generations ago, and many people are related. Later, due to the chaos of war, it became what it is today. The Tuogu Hall was built by the ancestors of the Peng family many years ago. The descendants of the Peng family have taken care of the Tuogu Hall for generations, raising generation after generation of children to adulthood. Everyone in the west of the city knows that the Peng family are all very good people."

"That's it."

The little girl skillfully turned a corner and pointed to a house not far away. "Look, that's it."

Jiang Lige nodded and smiled at the little girl. "Okay, thank you, little sister."

"You're welcome."

The master and servant thanked the little girl and walked towards the house she pointed to. They knocked lightly on the wooden door, and after a while someone came to open the door.

The girl who opened the door was about twenty years old. She was wearing a coarse linen shirt and her hair was combed meticulously. Although her clothes were simple, they were very clean. She looked very kind.

"Who are you two girls looking for?"

"Excuse me, is this the Peng family's Tuogu Hall?"

"Exactly."

"We are here at the request of an old friend." Jiang Lige acted very friendly. "Miss, could you please come in and discuss this?"

The girl from the Peng family smiled shyly, opened the door and made way for her, "Please come in, ladies."

Jiang Lige nodded slightly, thanked him politely, and then walked in with Song Yue.

When a guest came, the girl from the Peng family wanted to show her hospitality as a host, so she poured two cups of tea for the master and servant before sitting down opposite them.

"I wonder why you two are here?"

"To be honest, I am Princess Zhaohua of Southern Chu. A few days ago, I was ordered to go to Jingzhou. I was attacked on the way, but a farmer saved me. The farmer had no parents and grew up in the Peng family's Tuogu Hall. His only wish before his death was that I do my best to protect the Tuogu Hall."