Chapter 63: The debt has been paid off. Regarding the fact that the bank is in ruins...

Ye Wan absolutely could not accept the statement that "Santa Claus sent a bag of gold coins". She thought Youan was treating her like a fool.

After facing the other party's rage, You An comforted Ye Wan in a rare good temper and said that Ye Wan could use the money without worry and just return it to Santa Claus next Christmas.

Ye Wan was still skeptical. She wanted to argue with You An, but when she thought about the six-month deadline, which was only a few days away, the most urgent thing was to pay the money first.

"Let's go to the bank." She said, looking at the bag full of coins.

Breakfast was oatmeal pancakes and double bacon. Ye Wan poured thick maple syrup on the pancakes. After swallowing the last bite of crispy bacon, they got up and prepared to go out.

It was Christmas morning. Euan put on his cloak and tied the dark green scarf around his neck.

It was rare for him to be careful with something, but because he was too careful, he got the scarf tangled into a knot.

"Really?" Ye Wan couldn't bear to watch it, so he started to re-cut his hair, and then he met Dorothy who came back from outside.

Dorothy wore a scarlet cloak today and looked in a good mood:

"Merry Christmas, you two are such a loving couple." Dorothy said happily.

Ye Wan accidentally used too much force with his hands, tightly tightening around You An's neck.

His face immediately turned red.

"Sorry, sorry." Ye Wan quickly let go, and without paying any attention to Youan, who was about to roll his eyes from being strangled, he quickly changed the subject to Dorothy: "Thank you for the strawberry sour candies. They're delicious. What a great Christmas gift."

"You're welcome. The brown sugar gingerbread men you gave me are delicious too. The sea buckthorn paste Katya gave me is also very good. I use it to spread on bread, but Katya said that soaking it in water is better and can protect the throat." Dorothy waved her hand and turned to go into the house.

You An fumbled around for a long time before loosening the scarf again: "I can see that you gave me the scarf to murder me."

"I'm not that kind." Ye Wan said.

As the oldest and safest financial institution in the capital, Jin Yao Bank was established in Bremen Musicians Square, which is considered the core area of ​​the wealthy in the capital.

Ye Wan sat in a public carriage with You An and imagined, "This bank must be very grand. Maybe even the walls are made of gold. It would be even better if the bank is willing to let a poor person like me dig up some gold."

"You have a nice idea," said Youan.

Bremen's Musicians Square is even larger than Cinderella Square. Many handsome guards patrol the area. People here dress very elegantly. Men often wear three-piece suits, while women wear tulle skirts with full skirts and velvet capes. Expensive ostrich feather ornaments and jeweled necklaces are even more eye-catching.

They followed the signs to a... well... ruins.

Half of the outermost iron gate collapsed, the short walls on both sides were crooked, and the wall paint was peeling off, revealing the bricks and stones inside.

Ye Wan was greatly surprised: "What happened? Did a fire dragon demolish the bank last night?"

Youan remained calm as he walked towards the stone statue standing next to the collapsed ruins.

The stone statue is carved into a giant dragon with a hundred heads - Ladon. Ladon is a monster in Greek mythology. Its mission is to guard the golden apples of the Hessides. It is a classic creature that guards treasures.

Although it looked strange, Youan was indeed speaking seriously to the stone statue of Ladon: "We need to go into the bank to handle business."

Then, amid Ye Wan's exclamation, the stone statue slowly spoke: "Excuse me, what business do you want to handle?"

Ye Wan was very excited. She hadn't even spoken to the statue yet. "I'm the owner of the tavern. I'm here to pay the fine to the Royal Capital Commercial Property Management Office."

The statue blinked, then spit out a bronze plaque from its mouth: "B37, welcome to the United Bank of the Kingdom of Oceana and Cooperative City."

The half-collapsed door opened.

Ye Wan hesitated a little: "What if the house collapses after we go in?"

Youan put his hand on her back and pushed her forward: "This ruin is just a decoy. The bank is safe. Let's go in quickly."

In fact, when they walked through an invisible barrier, the ruins suddenly seemed to melt, the broken walls rose rapidly, the vines retreated quickly, and the collapsed roof turned into an exquisite dome.

"A hundred years ago, fearing that the treasures stored in the bank would be stolen by foreign enemies, many magicians worked together to create a sleight of hand on the bank, making it appear to be nothing more than a ruin."

The bank itself was a magnificent sight, about the size of a broomstick arena, with a high, vaulted ceiling and a hundred crystal chandeliers suspended from it.

There were more than ten counters lined up in a row. Ye Wan noticed that the cashiers there were not only humans, but also goblins in robes.

Finally, it was Ye Wan's turn. The goblin in the long robe pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and said, "Hello, what can I do for you?"

Ye Wan reluctantly handed the 1,000 silver coins to the fairy.

The goblin took it slowly, counted on the abacus for a while, and threw all the silver coins into a safe at the back.

Ye Wan listened with a painful feeling to the cheerful clinking of the silver coins.

The goblin said, "Your business has been completed... Wait, at the Old Oak Tavern in Honey Lane, a lady named Ye Yu rented a small vault in the bank."

Ye Wan raised her breath before she could relax. She almost jumped up: "Don't tell me I need to pay rent for the vault."

The fairy was surprised for a moment, then stretched out two hands as long as branches to comfort her: "Oh, no, I just want to remind you that the rent was paid that year."

Ye Wan finally felt relieved and sat down again: "What's in that vault? Treasure?"

The fairy looked down at the list: "Oh, there are some gold coins and gems stored in it, but Ms. Ye Yu took them all out fifteen years ago, and now the vault is empty..."

Ye Wan: “…”

What use would I have for this vault?

After saying goodbye to the bank, Ye Wan felt more relaxed. She deeply understood what it meant to be debt-free.

She was very happy and generously bought a super large croquette for Youan, herself and Pancake.

The moment you bite into the crust, the blueberry jam inside gushes out, purple and shiny, mixed with the rich and mellow flavor of cream, and topped with a layer of banana slices. The crispy crust is covered with chocolate sauce, and the taste is layered.

Perhaps because she was too happy, Ye Wan felt like she had endless energy. She finally decided to tidy up the overgrown backyard.

Without saying a word, she stuffed a sickle for mowing grass into Youan's hands and a handful of melon seeds into Muffin's paws.

"Sunflower seeds are not for you to eat. They are for growing sunflowers. This way we can harvest more sunflowers next summer and roast a big bag of sunflower seeds."

She made a sunflower gesture towards the muffin, and the muffin excitedly turned around twice while holding the sunflower seeds.

You An was watching from the side. He liked to hear Ye Wan say things like "There will be a lot of sunflowers blooming in the yard next summer" and "I hope next winter will not be as cold as this year."

That made him feel alive, that he had a future, and that there would be many happy things in the future.

Ye Wan squatted down and began to pull out the weeds, and directed You An to get a stainless steel wire floor brush.

The morning dew was still hanging on the edge of the grape trellis. Ye Wan, wearing cotton gloves, squatted there and carefully pulled out the weeds.

"Be careful of the goblins." Youan's voice came from a distance. He was standing on a ladder sweeping up dead leaves. The leaves swirled in the air and fell right on Ye Wan's head.

A group of goblins appeared out of nowhere, lined up in a row, hid behind a bush of mint, and stared at them vigilantly.

"To be honest, although I think these goblins are quite ugly, they are quite interesting, and they don't cause any harm to the yard, so I don't really want to drive them away."

She was reading a book called "How to Drive Away Goblins?", which said that goblins prefer dark corners and dislike direct sunlight. Lighting more torches in the courtyard would make the goblins flee.

Goblins also hate moisture and water, and many households use high-pressure water guns to deal with them.

Certain plants such as calamus and mugwort can also repel them because they hate the pungent smell. Of course, sulfur is also a good choice.

"It sounds like the Dragon Boat Festival." Ye Wan said.

Youan asked, "What is the Dragon Boat Festival?"

"It's a festival." Ye Wan explained to him in detail what the Dragon Boat Festival was. You An said with admiration: "Qu Yuan is truly a great minister."

Ye Wan thought about something else: "I want to eat zongzi. I'll make some tomorrow. Maybe the people in the capital will like it too."

They cleared all the weeds in the yard, but there was no green plant left in the winter. There was only a lonely grape trellis in the middle of the yard, and a group of goblins who looked bewildered after their nest was destroyed.

You An patted her shoulder and said, "When spring comes next year, you can plant raspberries, lilies, roses, Chinese roses, and the big bunch of sunflowers you mentioned in the yard."

Ye Wan lowered his head and stroked Pancake's head. "That sounds interesting. Next year, we can build a swing pavilion or something. Then we can have dinner in the backyard in the summer to avoid the heat in the house."

She picked some fresh coltsfoot flowers in the courtyard. The small flowers growing on the top of the coltsfoot are the traditional raw material for scented tea, and the scented tea brewed from it has a mild aroma.

There was already boiling water in the copper kettle on the fireplace. Ye Wan took out three cups, put the coltsfoot flowers in them, and poured boiling water into them. The flowers opened up in the hot water, and a gentle fragrance filled the air.

The two men and the rat sat in the corridor of the courtyard, drinking tea and looking at the courtyard. They didn't know where the goblins had run off to.

They are also planning the construction of the courtyard.

"I kept the mint there. Mint is a good thing."

"There's a raspberry bush over there. Next year, I'll pick some and make raspberry jam. It'll be great for making raspberry ice cream."

After Muffin finished his tea and his share of nuts, he yawned, curled himself up into a ball, and fell asleep on Ye Wan's legs.

The afternoon sun spread out, hitting Youan's slightly open collar, casting some tiny spots of light, like a handful of gold dust sprinkled by the god of love.

Ye Wan looked away, pretending to pick up the cup and take another sip of the scented tea.

Youan looked at her: "What are you looking at?"

She shook her head and just stared at the rose rack in the distance that had not yet bloomed.

"Nothing, I'm just looking forward to the arrival of spring."

He rarely smiled and echoed:

"I'm also looking forward to the arrival of spring."