After digesting the news, Su Xiaoqi asked, "Did Xiaoze's letter mention where he is?"
Little Magpie blurted out, "The army camp. Brother Xiaoz is in the army camp. I heard it from Brother Xiaoyi."
After speaking, Little Magpie suddenly seemed to recall something and quickly covered her mouth, looking distressed.
Su Xiaoqi understood immediately. "Did Xiaoyi ask you not to tell me?"
Little Magpie hesitated before nodding gently. "Um, I, Sister Xiaoqi, I advised Brother Xiaoyi. He said, he said not to say anything for now. When Brother Xiaoz returns to the capital with the general to report his duties, you'll naturally know everything when you see him."
Since Su Xiaoqi was not the original owner, she didn't have the same complex emotions for Xiaoze as the original owner, so she didn't mind. She even comforted her. "Since you've already said it, you don't need to worry. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this. This will be our secret, neither of us will speak of it." As Su Xiaoqi spoke, she extended her right index finger and hooked Little Magpie's index finger. The two of them then made a pinky swear, sealing it with an imprint.
Having poured out all her secrets, Little Magpie finally felt relieved. Her heart suddenly became light and carefree. Her secrets could be shared with anyone, but not with Sister Xiaoqi.
After their trip to Mianzhou City, the group of six arrived in the capital. After a day of rest, Xiaoyi suggested they go to the shop. Su Xiaoqi originally intended to let them rest for another day and then spend a few days showing them around the capital's streets and alleys before officially taking up her post in early April. However, Xiaoyi was very firm, saying that since Sister Xiaoqi's shops offered good treatment and they had four days off each month, they could work diligently during the week and then go out and play during their holidays. With his firm attitude, Su Xiaoqi couldn't dampen his enthusiasm and sent a letter to Du Yiyi that very day.
The next day, they first went to the pastry shop. The signboard for Chen Jin Ji had already been put up. The decoration style was no different from that in Mianzhou City and Yizhou Prefecture. If there was any difference, it was that this shop was larger. Besides the area for selling pastries, a separate space had been set aside for private rooms. Here, one could drink tea, enjoy beverages and pastries, or chat and confide with friends. The entire shop was designed in an elegant, dignified, and upscale style. Little Magpie fell in love with it at first sight and pulled Su Xiaoqi's arm, praising how beautiful it was.
"If you like it, then this place will be yours to manage from now on," Su Xiaoqi replied with a smile. Little Magpie was stunned. She looked at Su Xiaoqi in disbelief, her face full of astonishment. After a while, Little Magpie seemed to snap back to reality and nervously explained, "Sister Xiaoqi, I, I can't. I've never managed a shop before." Thanks to Su Xiaoqi's care, she had learned genuine skills by following Chen Jinniang and Shen Xiaomei at Chen Jin Ji in Mianzhou City. She had no problem making pastries and food. However, if she were entrusted with managing such a large and elegant place, she felt rather inadequate, lacking any confidence.
"What are you afraid of? I know you've been with Sister Xiaoqi for a long time. She must have taught you some things, so we are very confident entrusting the shop to you, hahaha..." Du Yiyi entered at some point, standing at the doorway with her arms crossed, playfully teasing. Little Magpie, being shy, blushed at her words and stood rooted to the spot, not knowing what to say. Fortunately, Su Xiaoqi stepped in to rescue her. "Alright, Yiyi, don't scare my Little Magpie." Du Yiyi just smiled. The others didn't continue discussing the matter, but they all knew that what Du Yiyi had said was true. The reason Su Xiaoqi had written to have Little Magpie and her companions come to the capital was precisely for her to manage a shop independently. Little Magpie had heard this from Chen Jinniang before they came and had been told not to be nervous, just to manage the shop using the methods they taught her. If she didn't understand, she should ask; their Sister Xiaoqi knew everything. Thinking of this, Little Magpie suddenly gained confidence, and her eyes towards Su Xiaoqi were filled with fiery enthusiasm.
After Su Xiaoqi and Du Yiyi met up, they led the group on a tour of the shop, expressing their admiration. Then, they proceeded to the next shop – the supermarket. The supermarket's storefront was even larger, twice the size of the one in Mianzhou City. Su Xiaoqi was somewhat shocked. This was the capital, and Du Yiyi managed to have two such large shops. She truly lived up to being the young lady from the Duke's mansion. Upon entering, she found nothing new. The decorations were basically consistent with those in Mianzhou City. Rows of three-tiered shelves were already filled with various goods, clearly categorized and easy to understand. Du Yiyi noticed the surprise in Su Xiaoqi's eyes and said with composure, "How about it, this shop is quite nice, isn't it?" Su Xiaoqi nodded, "Nice, nice, very nice, even better than the one in Mianzhou City." This was the truth. The shop was a hundred square meters, and with the courtyard behind it, it expanded to over five hundred square meters. Although it couldn't compare to modern supermarkets, it was indeed a very large, comprehensive supermarket for this era. Su Xiaoqi then asked Xiaoyi how he felt about it. Xiaoyi had been constantly pacing. Knowing that this shop would be under his management, he had examined it very carefully. When Su Xiaoqi called on him, he quickly nodded and said it couldn't be better. Su Xiaoqi smiled, and Du Yiyi asked, "By the way, how are the preparations for the points cards and membership cards?" Su Xiaoqi flipped through her itinerary and said, "They've been customized and should be ready. We'll go pick them up when we head back later." The two of them partnered in opening shops, and some matters were handled through discussion. "Then let's set the opening for the end of the month?" Du Yiyi discussed with Su Xiaoqi. The shops had actually been tidied up long ago. They had originally planned to open earlier, but they had waited for Xiaoyi and his group, so the ready-to-go shops remained closed. It was a good opportunity to handle some minor matters they hadn't considered before. "That's fine. There are still a few days, which is perfect for training the staff." That's what she said, but in fact, the staff were all household servants from Du Yiyi's family, not hired from outside, so they were already familiar with rules and etiquette, and didn't need much special training. The training would mainly focus on the series of shop rules formulated by Su Xiaoqi, familiarizing them with the properties of various goods, and how to provide good customer service through their dialogue. Du Yiyi readily agreed. Su Xiaoqi no longer had to worry about these matters; she immediately handed them over to Xiaoyi to manage. Su Xiaoqi knew that he was very good at this when he was in Mianzhou City, and he would only do better here. The group walked and observed, very satisfied. When they got tired, they said they wanted to find a restaurant to eat. However, Xiaoyi said he wouldn't go for now; he wanted to look at the shop again, as some items were not placed correctly. So, Xiaoyi, along with Xiaosanzi, Xiaosi, Xiaoliu, and Xiaojiu, a group of five, busied themselves in the supermarket. Su Xiaoqi and Du Yiyi took Little Magpie to eat first, agreeing to pack a table of banquet food for them later. They walked to Heyue Restaurant because it was close to the shops. As they went upstairs from the backyard, passing by the place where carriages were parked, Su Xiaoqi suddenly saw a familiar carriage. She frowned. "What's wrong?" Du Yiyi glanced over and asked. Su Xiaoqi casually replied, "Nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew, but then I realized that their mansion is so large, there should be many people who ride this carriage." Du Yiyi, however, smiled and explained, "That's not necessarily true. This carriage isn't for ordinary people. You'll know when we go upstairs later." The two went upstairs to a private room. Looking at the similar scene, Su Xiaoqi thought of the time she overheard people talking in a private room and instinctively perked up her ears. She was originally just filtering out the people nearby, but unexpectedly, she heard a familiar voice. The voice sounded like it was crying and pleading for help. Su Xiaoqi's heart skipped a beat, and she cast an uneasy glance at Du Yiyi.