She Came to Heal, Stayed to Conquer

After wandering back and forth for over an hour, the shops on the street gradually opened for business. Han Lei stopped in front of a shop at the corner of an intersection.

It was a small two-story building with a red transfer notice pasted on the wooden door of the shop below.

Han Lei stepped forward and knocked on the door.

Soon, a man in his fifties with traces of white hair opened the door.

”Sir, is this shop available for transfer?” Han Lei asked politely.

The man sized up Han Lei and then glanced at the group of men behind her, feeling uneasy.

The men all had an air of menace about them, yet the young lady before him was beautiful and courteous. They are...

”Sir?”

Seeing the man silent and just staring at them, Han Lei softly called out again.

”Uh, yes, this shop is available for transfer.” The man nodded.

”May I take a look inside?”

”You may, but they...” the man glanced again at the wounded soldiers behind, hesitating to speak.

Han Lei followed the man’s line of sight, immediately understanding.

”Hehe, don’t worry, sir,” Han Lei said softly, ”They are all my guards.”

”All your guards?” The man couldn’t help but size up Han Lei again.

In his limited life experience, he had only seen the County Magistrate travel with so many guards. The young lady before him must have an esteemed identity, right?

Han Lei signaled to the wounded soldiers, who lowered their volume and greeted the man with a ”Good day, sir,” causing the man to finally smile.

”Esteemed person, please follow me inside.”

The man made a welcoming gesture and led Han Lei into the shop, with a group leader and his team following behind.

The shop was originally a restaurant, with two floors, the ground floor acting as a hall covering over 200 square meters, and several private rooms upstairs. Behind the first floor was a large courtyard with a kitchen and several rooms for employees.

The restaurant’s furnishings were semi-new, but it was considered quite large for a place like Qingshui County. Moreover, it was located in a bustling area, very eye-catching.

Han Lei was satisfied with the shop and inquired about the transfer price from the man.

”Sir, I like this shop very much. How much silver do you intend to transfer it for?”

Hearing that Han Lei liked it, the man was delighted. With annual wars at Beiguan, it was hard doing business throughout Canzhou, and no one had been willing to take over even though the transfer notice had been posted for months.

”My boss said only 270 taels of silver are needed for the transfer,” the man quickly quoted the price.

”Aren’t you the owner?”

”Miss, you make me laugh. My surname is Wang, and I’m just the shopkeeper here. The boss wants to move to the Capital City to live with his son after the New Year, so he’s eager to transfer it.”

”Oh! But isn’t 270 taels of silver a bit pricey?” Han Lei started negotiating.

”Not expensive, not expensive,” Mr. Wang shook his head repeatedly, ”For only 270 taels of silver, the entire house will be yours. You can inquire around, it’s not expensive at all.”

”The whole house will be mine?” Han Lei was astonished; she thought it was just a transfer fee!

”That’s right!” Mr. Wang feared the young lady would leave, so he quickly started pitching. ”Miss, this is the liveliest place in Qingshui County. Buying an ordinary house here would cost three to four hundred taels of silver, let alone this is a shop plus a residence.”

Upon hearing this, Han Lei was even more satisfied. Her mind quickly conjured up images of her opening a restaurant here.

Mr. Wang, believing she was still concerned about the price, continued pitching enthusiastically.

”Miss, you won’t lose by taking over this shop. If the boss weren’t moving to the Capital City in such a hurry to transfer it, it wouldn’t be this cheap. It’s your good fortune; the transfer notice was posted just yesterday, and today you came. Seize the opportunity, miss.”

”Pfft!” Han Lei was amused. ”Mr. Wang, you’re exaggerating a bit, aren’t you? When I knocked on the door, I noticed the transfer notice looked faded, as if it’s been posted for quite some time.”

She had already walked around the surrounding streets with the wounded soldiers in the morning. They clearly knew which businesses were doing well, which locations were good, and which were up for transfer.

”Uh... hehe.”

Mr. Wang was instantly embarrassed and had to chuckle awkwardly.

”Mr. Wang, how long have you been the shopkeeper here?” Han Lei found this old man quite clever and skilled in persuasion, having the qualities of a businessman.

”I’ve been here since the store first opened with the boss, over ten years now.”

”Mr. Wang, if the shop is transferred, will you have anything else to do? If not, how about staying and helping me? I’ll double your original salary.” Han Lei wanted him to stay.

The wounded soldiers under her command were fierce men who fought with their lives, having never done business. Welcoming and persuading customers wasn’t their forte. If someone like Mr. Wang, an experienced shopkeeper, could manage things and lead the soldiers, it would be twice the success for half the effort.

”That would be great! I’m just afraid the young lady would look down on me.” Mr. Wang was overjoyed.

He had been the shopkeeper here for over a decade, and apart from this, didn’t have other skills due to his age. He was worried about having no way out. And from the young lady’s tone, she seemed generous. He originally earned two taels of silver monthly, and following her, it would be four taels per month. Isn’t this like a pie falling from the sky!

”Then it’s settled, Mr. Wang.” Han Lei took out 270 taels of silver note from her sleeve and handed them to Mr. Wang, asking him to sort things out with the previous owner and bring back the property’s deed. Then they would discuss further matters.

...

Zhao Zun slept straight to lunchtime, only waking up when Luo Hai sent someone to invite him to eat.

At the dining table, not seeing Han Lei, he assumed she was still resting. Thinking about how she took care of him all night, he felt delighted.

Zhao Zun felt sorry for Han Lei’s sleepless night and didn’t want to wake her, so he instructed the Luo Mansion servants to set aside some food for her.

After having lunch, Zhao Zun chatted with Luo Hai for a while, still not seeing Han Lei come out. Zhao Zun thought it wouldn’t do for her to sleep on an empty stomach. So, he decided to wake her up personally, but after knocking at the door for a long time, there was no response inside.

Zhao Zun panicked and directly pushed open the door, only to find no one inside.

When Luo Hai heard that Han Lei wasn’t in her room, he summoned the mansion’s servants to inquire. Upon questioning, they found out that Han Lei had taken a group of guards to shop early in the morning.

”Shopping? Even if shopping, she should have returned by now!” Zhao Zun was suddenly anxious. ”Qingshui County is only so big, with just a few streets, how could she be out all morning and still not be back?”

Zhao Zun was the only one who knew Han Lei’s situation clearly. Han Lei had traveled from another world and was unfamiliar with this place. Even though he knew she was protected by many people, Zhao Zun couldn’t put his mind at ease since she hadn’t returned so late.

So, Zhao Zun called Ping Chuan to go out with him to search.

Just as they left, the guards at the County Magistrate’s mansion also happened to change shifts.