The noon hour had passed, and the sun tilted westward.
Cicadas chirped in the trees, sounding like boiling sunlight.
At this hour, it was unlikely that any more customers would visit.
She had made enough for today, so it was time to hurry and get the goods—after all, she had accepted a deposit.
Jiang Ling pulled up the rolling shutter door. Outside, the sun was also blazing brightly.
Five hours had passed in the world of the wooden door, but only half an hour here.
People moved about on the street; it was still lunchtime.
Without wasting time, Jiang Ling rode her electric bike to the largest department store up ahead.
This supermarket was indeed huge, with air conditioning throughout.
On a scorching summer day, many elderly people liked to bring their children here to cool off.
It had two floors: the lower level was the clothing area and a children’s play zone. The entire upper floor was the department store.
Vegetables, meat, personal care items, grains, oils, rice, flour, drinks, snacks—everything was available.
It was several times larger than her grocery store.
As Jiang Ling moved through the aisles…
…
Crown Prince Qin Zhao stared at the tightly shut wooden door, feeling deeply frustrated.
From the outside, it still looked like an abandoned house.
The only difference was the signboard above the door that read “Auspicious Grocery Store.”
Even Jiang Yi couldn’t help but frown. “Why is the door closed again?! This shopkeeper is so elusive!”
He was already certain someone operated this shop, but the shopkeeper seemed to work sporadically—fishing for three days and sunning the nets for two.
Her approach was utterly whimsical!
While others opened shops to make money, she seemed to do it more for amusement!
Cheng Fang didn’t take it seriously. “Perhaps the shopkeeper is taking a midday rest. Let’s knock to wake her up.”
With that, he stepped forward and knocked.
“Shopkeeper? Shopkeeper! We’ve come to buy something!”
Jiang Yi knew it was futile but couldn’t be bothered to explain, perhaps still holding onto a sliver of hope.
“Shopkeeper? Is the shopkeeper here?”
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, even that last bit of hope vanished from Jiang Yi’s heart.
Receiving no response for a long time, Cheng Fang couldn’t help but look around. He happened to spot a passing villager and stopped him.
“Brother, may I ask where the shopkeeper of Auspicious Grocery Store lives? We urgently need to find her!”
The villager glanced at the house. “This shop has been abandoned for over a decade. What shopkeeper could there be? You must have the wrong place, sir.”
“Abandoned? Brother, you might not know, but a female shopkeeper opened this shop last night. I even helped hang the signboard.”
“Oh, then I don’t know. I’ve lived here for decades and never seen anyone open a shop here.”
After the villager left, Cheng Fang was baffled.
Zhao Jingxing asked Jiang Yi, “Why did you say the shopkeeper is elusive? Have you bought something from this grocery store before?”
Jiang Yi shook his head and glanced at the Crown Prince.
“I haven’t, but His Highness has.”
Zhao Jingxing: “?”
Cheng Fang: “?”
Crown Prince Qin Zhao sighed helplessly.
Rubbing the Yunnan Baiyao spray in his hand, was there truly no chance to meet again?
…
Extra-fragrant soaps were relatively rare in stores. Jiang Ling had to visit three shops to buy enough.
In total, she bought sixty bars.
Besides the fifty that were pre-ordered, she kept ten in stock at the store.
With the goods purchased, she felt at ease.
After all, this was her first time running a shop, and she valued credibility highly.
It was still early, so Jiang Ling rode her electric bike into an old street lane specializing in antique clothing and curios.
After browsing several shops, she finally found traditional clothing that matched that era.
Trying on two sets, she found them quite fitting.
“Oh my! This outfit looks like it was tailored just for you, miss! Wearing this, you look like you’ve stepped right out of a TV show—even more beautiful than those actresses in period dramas!”
Jiang Ling smiled. “Madam, you really know how to talk.”
The shopkeeper, rarely having a customer, seized the opportunity to lavish praise.
But she wasn’t exaggerating. Jiang Ling was beautiful, with fair skin and a good figure. Wearing traditional clothing didn’t look out of place at all—instead, it added a touch of classical serenity.
Jiang Ling checked the price tags. They were more reasonable than she had expected.
She decided to buy both sets.
The shopkeeper hadn’t expected Jiang Ling to buy two sets at once and was overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear.
She immediately gave her a 10% discount.
While packing the items, she struck up a conversation.
“Are you new here, miss? I haven’t seen you before.”
“My ancestral home is here, but I grew up studying elsewhere and don’t come back often.”
After packing, the shopkeeper personally saw Jiang Ling out.
“If you’re satisfied, don’t forget to introduce some friends next time! Any customer you bring, I’ll give them a 10% discount!”
“Thank you in advance, madam.”
Just as Jiang Ling was about to turn away, a middle-aged woman suddenly bumped into her.
“You’re Jiang Ling, right? Oh my, how you’ve grown! You’re getting more and more beautiful. I held you when you were little!”
Jiang Ling froze, glancing at the woman dressed in sapphire blue. She had no recollection.
“Who are you?”
The woman said warmly, “I was your neighbor from the old house in Songjiang. Don’t you remember? A few years ago, when your grandfather passed away, you and your father came back, and I came over to help.”
……
Jiang Ling wanted to escape.
“I heard about your father’s factory explosion… Oh, really! How could such a thing happen! Now you’re all alone, a young girl—how will you manage?”
As soon as the woman finished speaking, it drew the attention of many around.
Passersby stopped and began whispering among themselves.
“Factory explosion? Which factory exploded?”
“Which else could it be? The Jiang family’s fireworks factory!”
“Oh, the one that was on the news a few days ago?”
“I heard many people died! And many more are lying in hospitals, missing limbs, waiting for treatment!”
“I saw the news too. It’s really tragic!”
“Those are unfortunate souls! They finally went out to work, only to encounter a heartless boss and a heartless factory. Other factories want money, but her factory wants lives!”
“She’s that Eldest Miss Jiang from the Jiang family!”
“She looks so pretty. How could she do something so heartless?!”
Jiang Ling’s blood rushed to her head, but she could only endure silently, unable to defend herself.
All she knew was that her father had always prioritized safety above all else. Their factory had been running for over a decade, and every year her father personally led the staff in safety inspections.
Her father had taught her since childhood: safety is no small matter!
He would never have made such a basic mistake!
But now her father was gone, the fireworks factory was sealed, everything had been burned, and she had no evidence at all!
Jiang Ling looked around. Everyone was staring at her with strange looks.
She didn’t dare stay longer, afraid she might do something rash.
She hurried to her electric bike, ignoring the accusations behind her, and rode away.
Fortunately, this grocery store was several kilometers away from the old house, so no one here knew her.
As soon as Jiang Ling returned, she shut all the doors.
In a low mood, she didn’t even eat dinner.
Returning to the second floor, she buried herself under the blankets and fell into a deep sleep.
Counting the hours, she had been awake for seventeen hours straight—she was just too exhausted…