Qingfu Town has been established for a long time, and being close to Jiangnan, it is wealthier than the northwest of Central State. Any rich family with some capabilities would send their servants around to scour for shops, and as soon as one is available, it would be quickly snapped up. "Qingfu Town has only three streets: Front Street, Back Street, and Main Street, and all the shops on these streets already have owners. Particularly, the shops on Main Street have long been occupied by the wealthy families from the county." Even for the less impressive Front Street and Back Street, their shops are also bought by families of village chiefs, clerks, and government officials. The remaining shops belong to families who have lived in the town for nearly a hundred years. These are ancestral properties, with front shops and backyards—fundamental to their livelihood and not for sale. Old Master Wu explained the relationships between the various shops on the street: "I have been in this town for over twenty years, and it was only five years ago that Steward Zhou from Main Street sold a shop. That was because Steward Zhou’s father-in-law got a promotion and moved away for his post, which led to the sale. If you want to buy a shop here, it’s tough." Gu Jinli frowned upon hearing this; buying a shop in Qingfu Town was unexpectedly difficult. Mrs. Chen originally came happily, hoping to buy a shop to become a shopkeeper’s wife. Hearing Old Master Wu’s words, her face looked as thunderstruck: "What should we do then? Old Master Wu, can’t Xuanhu Fang help us out?" "Mrs. Chen, watch how you speak. Shut your mouth," Third Grandpa rebuked Mrs. Chen; Old Master Wu had already helped them a lot, they couldn’t possibly expect him to assist with everything. "Brother Wu, the younger one is ignorant, please don’t take it to heart." Old Master Wu waved his hand and smiled: "No worries." Gu Dagui and his wife have been setting up a stall in town for so long, and the people from Xuanhu Fang were already familiar with Mrs. Chen’s temper. She wasn’t a bad person, just loved to seek bargains and sometimes spoke without constraint. While they were talking, Gu Jinli untied the bamboo tube from her waist, took out paper, brush, and ink, and began to draw. She learned from Qin San Lang. Qin San Lang would carry a machete, rope, Fire Stick, and two small bamboo tubes with him—one small tube containing brushes and rolled yellow paper, the other containing diluted ink. Shortly after, she sketched a simple map of Qingfu Town from memory and asked Old Master Wu, "Grandpa Wu, the open land outside the town’s Gate Tower, does it belong to the town or to Shang Family Village?" Shang Family Village is the nearest village to the town, and outside the town’s Gate Tower, there was a large wasteland, whose ownership was unknown. But Gu Jinli set her sights on that wasteland. It did not matter that no one was selling shops in town; she could buy the land and build it herself! Old Master Wu also couldn’t answer: "Not sure. That piece of land has been deserted for a long time. When I came here, it was formerly a pond. Afterward, since there was no running water, it would stink in the summer, so everyone filled it in. Nowadays, people from the town dump garbage there, and no one manages it, except for the people who burn incense and waste there once a month." Gu Jinli frowned, puzzled by the ownership of that wasteland—Old Master Wu didn’t even know. Old Master Wu, astute with experience, heard Gu Jinli’s question and realized her intent. However, Old Master Wu was not one to compete shallowly for the land. Instead, he advised, "Scholar Shang or the Jiang Family might know. If you’re doing this, you need to be cautious and avoid drawing attention before the deal is done." This youngster is clever, and her eye is sharp, instantly recognizing the potential of that wasteland. "Yes, I understand, thank you for the reminder, Grandpa Wu," Gu Jinli smiled and thanked Old Master Wu. He was right; as the saying goes, meat that’s not contested is rotten, but once fought over, the rotten meat turns into a delicacy that wafts its fragrance far and wide. "Xiao Yu, Doctor Wu, what kind of riddle are you two trying to solve?" Mrs. Chen hurried over and stared at Gu Jinli asking. Gu Jinli pushed her away and put away the simple map he had just drawn, saying, "We’re not solving any riddles; we are speaking plain human language." Mrs. Chen choked on her words, Gu Jinli, this damned boy, always undermining her in his remarks; yet, she couldn’t do anything about it. Gu Jinli was fierce and prone to using his dagger; she was no match for him. Third Grandpa said, "Stop asking. Whatever Xiao Yu is planning to do, isn’t it always beneficial for all our families? If you keep prying and ruin Xiao Yu’s affairs, I won’t let you off easily." Despite Mrs. Chen being known for her assertiveness, she was still afraid of Third Grandpa. Although she was itching to know more about Gu Jinli’s plans, hearing Third Grandpa’s words she had no choice but to let it go. Already having a plan in mind, Gu Jinli handed a silver note of one hundred taels to Old Master Wu saying, "Grandpa Wu, this is for the medicinal herbs you sent over the day before yesterday, please keep it for now." Slightly embarrassed, he added, "If everything goes well, we might still owe some money for the rest of the medicinal herbs. We’ll pay you in full after Master Lei Wu settles the payments with us on the 26th of April." Doctor Wu received the silver note and replied, "Alright, it’s just credit. I’m not worried about you running off." Doctor Wu had his connections and had seen large sums of money before; several hundred taels were nothing in his eyes, and he trusted the Gu Family. Although they had fled from famine, they were all honest people. Gu Jinli was very grateful and stayed a bit longer to chat with Doctor Wu. He played with Du Xusheng and Du Dingxiang for a while before taking his leave. Doctor Wu asked the Du siblings to see them out. After leaving Xuanhu Fang, Du Xusheng said, "Third Grandpa Gu, do visit us when you have time. Grandpa has mentioned you several times, saying he wants to have a drink with you." Grandpa often said, since they had fled the famine and had no backing in Qingfu Town, and since they and Third Grandpa Gu were from the same hometown, they should get together more and build a bond. If their family faced troubles in the future, they would then have someone to support them. "Eh, Third Grandpa got it. Tell your grandpa that I will wait for his return next time, and I’ll leave only after drinking with him." "Sure thing, I’ll definitely relay the message to Grandpa." Du Xusheng happily responded. Third Grandpa smiled and patted Du Xusheng on the head, turning around with his companions to leave. Gu Jinli said, "Third Grandpa, let’s not wait for Uncle Luo and the others to close their stalls. Let’s go to Shang Family Village now." She needed to inquire who exactly owned that piece of land? Was it claimed? If unclaimed, they could directly go to the county government to purchase it. Third Grandpa replied, "Alright, let’s go now." Mrs. Chen heard this and exclaimed, "Third Uncle, are we heading back just like that? Shouldn’t we ask around the town to see if any shops are for sale?" Luo Huiniang said, "Aunt Da Gui, Doctor Wu has already said, all the shops in town are taken; no one is selling. Why ask and get booted out?" "What do you know? Even if no one wants to sell initially, as long as we are willing to pay more, naturally, those who are blinded by money will be willing to sell." Mrs. Chen was very bullish about spending money, believing that as long as they flashed cash, people in town would surely be willing to sell their shops.