Bailee had just walked into the main hall when Lorrie spotted him right away.
The weather had turned cooler, so Lorrie hadn't gone to the backyard that day. Seeing his older brother up, he smiled and said, "Big brother, you're awake. You must be hungry, right? Sit down and wait a moment. I'll go make you a bowl of noodles. The meat sauce is ready, and the noodles are already rolled out." With that, he ran off to the kitchen.
Bailee sat at the dining table, looking a little conflicted. He wanted to knock on Julie's door, but felt shy.
She didn't seem angry last night, right?
Probably not, she even helped him apply medicine.
After about half a cup of tea's time—
Lorrie came in carrying the noodles and saw Bailee frowning and clearly uneasy.
He asked curiously, "Big brother, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Bailee awkwardly brushed his hair aside. "It's nothing. Did you and Julie eat already? You cooked today?"
Lorrie checked the time. "Yeah, Julie ate earlier, then stayed in her room a bit before heading to town. She said she bought an entire street in the west market. Construction starts today. She went to check it out. Julie is amazing." If that's true, then their family might not have to worry about food or clothing anymore just from collecting rent.
When Lorrie and Haven heard the news in the morning, they were so shocked their mouths could fit a whole egg.
Julie really was quiet until she made a big move.
Bailee was stunned too after hearing it.
But thinking about how capable Julie always was, he only stayed surprised for a few seconds before quickly returning to normal.
Hearing she wasn't home, he felt a bit relieved—then a little disappointed.
He was truly hungry though, so he picked up the bowl and began eating heartily.
Lorrie's noodles were really good, though sometimes the heat was a bit off. That's likely from not cooking often enough.
After eating, Bailee gave Lorrie a few small tips, and Lorrie nodded eagerly, listening carefully.
Lorrie had a great attitude—he took advice well and didn't argue or get defensive.
When he was this obedient, he really was quite endearing. Bailee gently patted his head. After chatting for a bit, Bailee took the empty bowl and headed to the kitchen to wash it.
Lorrie followed him in.
He wanted to boil some chestnuts—no sugar, just water—something nice to snack on later.
…
Julie rode her black horse to the west market, where Liu Ying was already leading workers in clearing weeds and measuring shop areas, checking the ground level, and marking outlines before laying the foundation.
Most shops were built with large doors facing the street, with brick walls on the rest of the side. The storefront would be wide open with a big entrance.
Liu Ying had discussed with Julie about the shop styles. If they used three types—archway style, flat-roof style, and multi-story shops—they could build eight shops in total.
Multi-story shops took up a lot of space, so building just one was enough. Too many would be costly and harder to rent out.
These shops typically had two floors and featured elaborate designs. Most had overhanging tile eaves, and were ideal for restaurants, teahouses, brothels, or inns.
Archway-style shops had large decorative arches at the front, more for looks than function. But they were eye-catching and attractive—perfect for shops like cosmetics stores, fabric shops, bakeries, accessory stores, banks, or gambling houses.
They drew people in and made them want to spend money.
The last type was the flat-roof style. These had simple rooftops, often with railings on top and the shop name written clearly. Some were more low-key and unassuming, giving a modest and peaceful appearance. These were better suited for small businesses run by regular folks—general stores, blacksmith shops, bakeries, grain stores, or fabric shops.
Liu Ying and the others followed the design style of Chonglou's shop to build the place—one unit in a signboard style and five in a simpler setup.
Julie had already considered the spending power and income level of people in the area. It couldn't be compared to the East and South markets, where things were more high-end.
Most of the buildings in the West Market followed a more modest and practical design, which made the rent affordable for most people.
If everything were built to high standards, who would buy or rent it? There's no point in building something fancy just for it to sit empty and gather dust.
Some might think that since Julie wasn't short on money, she could build something high-end and rent it out at a lower price—but that idea never crossed her mind.
She wasn't the type to throw money away like that. Why do something that costs you a lot but earns you nothing? People often forget the help they receive; give them a little, and they'll want more.
If you have extra money, isn't it better to buy more meat and enjoy life?
Once everything was decided, Liu Ying got to work with her team.
Julie saw that everything was running smoothly, so she didn't interfere. After watching for a while, she left.
She went back to the medical hall she'd visited before—not to sell ginseng this time, but to buy health supplements.
She still thought the three men at home were too weak.
They often couldn't even get out of bed the next day.
That just meant their health foundation was too poor.
She wasn't short on money now.
And money, once earned, wouldn't follow you after death.
If she didn't use it now, was she supposed to save it all for the children?
Not that she wouldn't leave them anything. If her children had a hard time in the future, she wouldn't just let them starve.
But she never believed in living a frugal life just to save everything for the kids.
She was a selfish person. She loved herself the most.
No one knows how long they'll live. If she didn't treat herself well now, was she waiting to regret it after death?
Most parents do worry about their children and want the next generation to live better. That mindset isn't wrong.
But to be blunt, if a child is truly filial, they won't end up so badly that they can't even eat.
And if they're not filial and only plan to live off their parents, then no matter how much you give, they'll want more—even everything.
The saying "a strict hand makes a filial child" is partly true and partly not.
If a child does something wrong, she'll talk to them first. If they listen and correct it, then fine—no need to hit.
But if they don't listen or won't change, then she'll hit them herself. She didn't count on the man to do it. A gentle father often spoils a child.
She didn't have a soft heart when it came to girls.
Julie was not the gentle mother type.
She would always play the "white face" at home.
Sometimes, when she had free time, she thought about the future.
If they had a daughter, she had to be tough—to protect the men in the family and her future husband.
For girls, she would be strict and start early.
If they had a son, he could be raised more gently.
They weren't poor. Raising boys with care and comfort was the right way.
Boys were supposed to be soft and pretty. She had no plans to treat sons like some rural families did—ordering them around and wearing them down. She didn't favor girls over boys.
As long as the boy didn't grow up with a crooked personality, everything else was fine.
The young worker at the medical hall recognized Julie right away and had a good impression of her.
He quickly went inside to get the manager.
Soon, Luo Qingyun came out from the back room.
She wasn't alone. Beside her was a young man in a white robe, elegant and cool in appearance, about twenty years old.
Luo Qingyun was very happy to see Julie and thought she might be here to sell more ginseng.
The last time she sold them a century-old ginseng, it was resold in the capital and made a huge profit.
The capital was full of rich and powerful people—some so rich that all they had left was money.
As people got older, they liked to stock up on ginseng, hoping it would help them live longer.
Rich people never wanted to die.
Even regular people wanted to live as long as possible. Rich people were no different—just more desperate to survive.
A noble from the capital had even left a message saying that if they ever had more, she'd buy it all. Money wasn't an issue.