Transmigrated into a farmer's lucky charm, all the villains in the family panicked.

Song Xiaolin glanced at the people present, thinking they were all family, and decided not to hide it from them.

"It is reliable, but it can be summed up in two words—"

"Danger."

"Sometimes you're lucky and can make a lot of money on one trip, enough to live comfortably for a year. But sometimes it's a different story—you end up losing both yourself and the goods on the road."

Zhen Linqing frowned and nodded, saying, "The risks are indeed considerable."

"Who says otherwise?" Song Xiaolin sighed. "If it were that easy to make money, who would still be farming? Everyone would be heading to the outskirts of the city."

"To be honest, our silk, cloth, and tea can easily fetch four or five times the price in the Northeast, and those people are incredibly fond of them. They have gold, silver, and jewels like stones over there, and they'd love to trade with us. But the problem is—we can't take these things out of the country."

"Not to mention the numerous checkpoints, just the bandits and refugees along the way are enough to make anyone risk their life. Even finding a place to stay is a nerve-wracking experience. At least half of the ten inns are shady establishments; they could chop you up and devour you in the middle of the night without anyone knowing."

"I went on a trip with someone a couple of years ago and almost died on the way."

Song Xiaolin gave a wry smile and pointed to his stomach. "It wasn't the robbery, it was the change in environment. I vomited everything I ate in the new place, had diarrhea for three whole days, and lost a lot of weight. If it weren't for an old hand in the business who forced me to drink two bowls of his traditional remedy, I wouldn't be sitting here drinking today."

"Anyway, how should I put it—" He picked up his glass and took a swig, his tone full of emotion, "It's tough. It's fucking tough."

The private room fell silent for a moment.

Everyone felt a heavy weight in their hearts after hearing what he said.

As Yun Shengsheng ate, she began to make plans in her mind.

[Difficult? That's because you haven't found the right path.]

The Ming Prince's Palace has over 200,000 soldiers, many of whom are wounded or retired and unable to fight. They're just sitting idle. If only these men could be reorganized into a dedicated escort caravan…

Those veterans were seasoned soldiers, hardened by real battles; dealing with a few petty thieves would be no problem. Besides, they all carried the banners of the Ming Prince's Mansion; which bandit leader wouldn't give them a wide berth? Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner.

Not to mention the connections the Prince's mansion had with all the checkpoints and government offices at all levels. Once the road was cleared, the various checkpoints would no longer be obstacles, but rather become passes. With security guaranteed, caravans could move freely—wouldn't that be a golden road?

The more she thought about it, the more reliable the idea seemed; her eyes practically turned into the shape of coins.

They're already planning how to turn the retired veterans of the Ming Prince's Mansion into the largest bodyguard team...

Yun Huaikang was also very excited after hearing Yun Shengsheng's words. If they really did things the way their daughter did, it could actually work. He quickly gave his wife a wink.

Gan Yuwan nodded and quickly spoke to the children.

"Children, let's go. I see you've almost finished eating. I'll take you for a walk around the gate."

The children nodded obediently; they had indeed finished eating and wanted to wander around the neighborhood, since coming to the county town wasn't easy. Especially Yun Ziyan, as it was his first time in the county town…

As soon as the door closed, Yun Huaikang took a deep breath, stood up, and solemnly bowed deeply to Zhen Linqing.

Zhen Linqing was completely bewildered by his actions: "Uncle, what are you doing?"

Yun Huaikang grabbed Song Xiaolin, who was still clueless, and pulled him up. "This is the heir of the Ming Prince's Mansion! Not my nephew. Quickly pay your respects to the heir!"

Song Xiaolin was startled and hurriedly bowed, saying, "May Your Highness be well for generations to come."

"Alright, alright." Zhen Linqing quickly helped the two of them up, and smiled helplessly.

"Sit down and talk. Uncle, you've sent all the women away, is there something you want to say?"

Yun Huaikang cleared his throat and recited exactly what his daughter had been muttering to herself.

He doesn't have much of a business sense, but he completely trusts his daughter.

Since it was something his daughter wanted to do, he decided to act as the person in charge and explain things to her.

Finally, he added a few more words.

"Your Highness, think about it—supporting those old, weak, and disabled soldiers in the Prince's mansion is a considerable expense. It would be better to let them find another job. Not only would it supplement the military supplies, but with a proper livelihood, the old soldiers wouldn't be idle and harboring wild thoughts, and they certainly wouldn't cause any mutiny..."

Zhen Linqing did not respond immediately.

His slender fingers tapped on the table, his handsome face revealing no emotion, but his brows were slightly furrowed, clearly indicating that he was carefully considering the matter.

After a moment, he spoke slowly, his tone much more formal than before: "I cannot make this decision."

Yun Huaikang's heart tightened.

"I need to go back and ask my father." Zhen Linqing looked up at him, her gaze clear and steady.

"After all, troop movements are a very sensitive matter. If things aren't handled properly, it could be taboo."

He paused, then made his point clear: "We know in our hearts that it's a way to make use of waste and achieve the best of both worlds."

"But what if the higher-ups don't believe you? What if they think you're using the name of the Prince Ming's Mansion to secretly mobilize troops and harbor treacherous intentions—that would be a very bad situation."

That made sense, and Yun Huaikang and Song Xiaolin both nodded, without offering any further advice.

The three chatted about other things, and the atmosphere didn't get cold.

Before long, Xue Liang arrived with Zhang Mian, the broker.

After the banquet, Yun Huaikang took Song Xiaolin with him to look at the shop.

Zhang Mian knew they were all on his side, so he got straight to the point and asked what kind of shop they wanted, promising to find the most suitable one for them.

Upon hearing that a pastry shop was being opened, Song Xiaolin immediately began calculating the costs for Yun Huaikang on his fingers.

"Huaikang, think about it. Selling pastries in the front and making pastries in the back, just having a shop isn't enough. You need a courtyard in the back."

"Not only will you have to bring the yard, but your whole family will have to move to the county town."

"You and your wife, four girls and one boy—if you're too busy, you'll have to hire help. The backyard can't be small, and there can't be too few rooms!"

Yun Shengsheng nodded in her mother's arms.

[We'll also need to support Fifth Brother's schooling then, so it would be best if Eldest Brother's husband could come along and study with him.]

[Sister, it would be best if Cui Cui and her mother-in-law came too, to help out. After all, opening a pastry shop means making a lot of pastries, and we're worried about not having enough manpower.]

Furthermore, it's best to have food prepared by family members you know well; otherwise, it could lead to problems if they tamper with the food.

Yun Huaikang nodded repeatedly as he listened.

He counted on his fingers.

The couple shared one room, their four daughters shared two rooms, their son shared one room, their daughter and son-in-law shared one room, and their in-laws shared one room.

Six units are a minimum!

Song Xiaolin added, "Since it's a pastry shop, the location can't be remote; it's best to be on the main street of the county. However, shops on the main street aren't cheap."

Yun Huaikang thought for a moment and then told Zhang Mian all his requirements.

Zhang Mian pondered for a moment, then pulled out three sets of shop layout plans that included a courtyard.

The first shop is located right in the middle of the main street, diagonally opposite Baoqing Tower. It has an excellent location, a spacious courtyard, five rooms at the back, and a bright and spacious storefront. It costs 180 taels of silver.

The second set is at the corner at the end of the main street, six rooms, 150 taels.

The third apartment isn't on the main street, but on the next street. Although it's not as bustling as the main street, it's still quite nice.

All seven rooms, and three adjacent shops, for only one hundred and twenty-eight taels...