Xiaoruo touched her nose and felt a little embarrassed. She didn't expect that her acting skills were so bad and would be exposed on the spot.
But she was very interested in what the shopkeeper said about her.
"Brother, I'm really interested in the shop prices on your street. Could you please tell me, where is the shop owner?"
She simply showed her cards directly.
Seeing that the girl was not angry at being ridiculed by him, he even asked questions sincerely, so the guy couldn't just drive her away now.
What's more, this girl has pink face, peach cheeks, and pretty face. She is not like those timid media outlets who pry for news every day.
The waiter who felt that he had guessed wrong softened his attitude and patiently answered Xiao Ruo's questions.
"We have two specialized shopkeepers in the East Market. One is at the south gate of Tian'en Palace. His name is Meng Wangzhi. People call him Mr. Meng."
"Mr. Meng specializes in buying, selling or recommending large shops. He has many shops opened by officials and adults. The locations are good and the prices are high. He takes a huge commission."
"There is also a shop fan named Qi Po. She lives in the West City, but she has most of the private shop information in the East City. Private shops are not so particular. They are all large and small, and alleys.
You can find them at Qipao’s shop on the main street, and even those in the side rooms on the second floor.”
From the clerk's story, Xiaoruo understood that shopkeepers were similar to real estate agents, negotiating deals, bridging transactions, accepting entrustments, and taking commissions from them.
This is what Xiaoruo needs most now. Inquiring about stores one by one has a low success rate and is time-consuming. With shopkeepers here, she can find a suitable store more quickly.
After asking the clerk about Qi Po's specific residence, Xiaoruo planned to go to Qi Po and ask if there was a suitable shop.
She would definitely not be able to afford the shops owned by officials and wealthy families. Only the private shops owned by Qi Po could still give her a try.
The seventh wife's house is on Baima Street in the West City. If you go to Baima Street and ask around, you will know which house is hers, because there is only a big mulberry tree planted at the door of her house.
There is also a saying in this world that "if you don't plant mulberries before, you won't plant willows in the future." Mulberry is a homophone for mourning. Planting a mulberry tree in front of your house is unlucky to see mulberries when you go out.
When they arrived at the door, they saw that the door of her house was closed, and there was no sense of a bustling crowd that Xiaoruo had in mind that a real estate agent should have.
After knocking on the door three times, the wooden door creaked open with a gap about two feet wide. A little girl about six or seven years old stood behind the door, tilting her head and asking: "Who are you looking for?"
Xiao Ruo bent down slightly and said, "I'm looking for Qi Po. Is she at home?"
It seemed that the little girl was used to people coming to see Qi Po. She skillfully opened the door completely and waved to her: "Grandma is here, come in."
After following the little girl into the gate and walking around the screen wall, Xiaoruo discovered that there was a whole other world inside the inconspicuous door.
Qipao is worthy of being one of the two biggest shopkeepers in Dongshi. In Yingzhou, where land is at a premium, her home is actually a three-story house.
After passing through the hanging flower door and entering the west wing along the corridor, the little girl's crisp voice sounded: "Grandma, someone is looking for you."
The old woman sitting on the girdled Arhat bed in the west wing room heard the sound and looked up at the door.
"Nanny, come here." She waved to the little girl.
The little girl walked up to her obediently, tilted her head and leaned on her knees.
After touching her granddaughter's little head lovingly, Qi Po looked at Xiao Ruo and asked, "Do you have a business?"
Xiaoruo nodded, fearing that her old eyes would be blurred and she could not see clearly, so she took a few steps forward, walked from the door of the west wing to the house, and said, "I came to see if there is a suitable shop. I want to rent one."
Looking outside the house, I felt that everything inside was shrouded in shadow and blurred.
When Xiao Ruo arrived in the room, she saw clearly the furnishings in the room and Qi Po in the room.
It was completely different from what she had guessed. Not only was Qi Po's eyes dim, but her eyes were radiant, as sharp as a mirror.
After looking Xiao Ruo up and down, Qi Po lowered her head and smoothed her little granddaughter's disobedient hair, and said lightly: "You can't afford to rent a shop in Dongshi."
She has been a dentist for decades, and she can tell at a glance what a person's financial resources are like.
Want to rent a shop in Dongshi? This girl doesn’t have enough money.
"Mother-in-law, I didn't even tell you my budget, how do you know I can't afford the rent?"
In order to send Xiao Zhao to the Imperial Academy, she specially put on a Luo Yanlong Baidie skirt made from soft cigarettes, and the accessories on her body were also carefully selected.
A man relies on his clothes and a horse relies on his saddle. Her dress is quite deceptive, otherwise the guy at the fan shop just now wouldn't have sold her three hundred taels of fans.
Qipao didn't bother to explain this. Her time was precious and she didn't have the time to waste it with people who couldn't make a deal.
Waving her hand, Qi Po began to see off the guests.
"Go away, old lady, I have to make some medicine for my daughter, so I don't have time to entertain you."
As she stood up, the little girl leaning on her knees also stood up, tilted her head and waved her hand towards Xiao Ruo as a farewell.
If we just leave like this, it will be almost impossible to find a suitable shop by ourselves. Xiao Ruo said without giving up: "Qi Po, I sincerely want to rent a shop. Can you..."
Qi Po interrupted her impatiently: "I can't! I told you that I'm going to boil the medicine. It's very difficult to boil the turtle shell! Don't delay my daughter's drinking of the medicine!"
After saying that, she ignored Xiao Ruo and Qi Po took the little girl, who was still tilting her head, across the courtyard and walked towards the back room.
It was not Xiao Ruo's style to give up easily. She followed the two of them to see if there was any chance to convince Qi Po to find a shop for her.
Qi Po was really in a hurry to cook the medicine, and didn't bother to pay attention to the girl following her. She took out the medicine bag from the cabinet, opened it and counted everything.
She only has one precious granddaughter. Every time she prepares medicine, she must carefully check it. She cannot use the wrong thing and delay her granddaughter's illness.
Xiao Ruo, who was a step behind her, looked at the ratio of medicinal ingredients spread out on the table and could roughly guess the little girl's illness.
"Qi Po, does your granddaughter suffer from night sweats, dizziness, weakness of muscles and bones, and a guilty conscience and forgetfulness?"
Qi Po, who was concentrating on counting the medicinal materials just now, suddenly turned her head, her gleaming eyes looked at Xiaoruo from head to toe for a while, and then lowered her head to count the medicinal materials.
Xiao Ruo, who didn't get a response, simply stepped forward and stood side by side with Qi Po in front of the table, watching her put the ordered medicinal ingredients into the medicine pot one by one.
Qi Po just raised her eyelids and glanced at her behavior, but did not let her leave again.
When Qipao picked up a piece of yellow and white nail polish and was about to put it into the medicine pot, Xiaoruo stretched out her hand and pinched the nail polish.
"Is this turtle shell? Qipao, you just said that turtle shell is difficult to fry. Is this what you mean?"
She had been curious since just now, why Qipao said that turtle shells were difficult to fry. It turned out to be because she used unprocessed turtle shells directly for medicine.
"What are you doing!" Qi Po stretched out her hand to snatch the turtle board back from Xiao Ruo's hand.
This is the most important ingredient in her granddaughter's medicine. How can she let someone who has nothing to do with it take it away.
Xiao Ruo pinched the tortoise shell, knocked it, and handed it back to the anxious Qi Po.
"Qipao, you used the wrong medicine. What you need is vinegar turtle shell, not raw turtle shell."