Chapter 60 Mei Family, Mei Shiyu, he is Mei Shiyu.

Rongdu East Street is known for its wealth and nobility. As soon as the carriage entered, an aura of nobility swept over them, causing Pei Bi, who was taking a nap, to lazily open his eyes. The dazzling wealth and splendor were captivating.

"We've arrived." Jiannu tightened the reins, looked up at the gilded plaque of achievement, and clicked his tongue in amazement, "Is this gilding made of real gold?"

“The Mei family is incredibly wealthy; it might really be true.” Pei Bi jumped off the carriage, looked around warily, and gestured for the sword servant to carry the mahogany box off the carriage.

Xiao Ma secretly found it amusing. The Mei family spent no less than a thousand taels of silver every day, and the neighbors along the way were used to seeing such wealth. They were already accustomed to it. Why would they be afraid of people coveting a mere hundred or so catties of silver?

Seeing that everyone entering and leaving the money shop was dressed in fine clothes and had an imposing presence, Pei Bi felt inferior in comparison. He straightened up, smoothed the wrinkles in his clothes, and hesitated to step into the Mei family's doorstep. Then he saw Xiao Ma, dressed in new clothes and looking radiant, his eyes shining like the rising sun. He also looked like a noble scion of a prominent family. They say you should respect the clothes before you respect the person. How could he have forgotten that saying? Xiao Ma was young, but he understood the intricacies of the trade better than he did. He had underestimated him.

"Manager Pei?" It was Xiao Ma's turn to call out to Pei Bi. "A lot of people have come out of there. Can we... go in now?"

"Let's go... let's go..." Pei Bi concealed his unease and waved his hand to let Xiao Ma walk ahead.

The Mei family's Gongcheng Money Exchange is a typical guild hall structure, with a narrow entrance to attract wealth and a spacious interior to conceal riches. Inside the courtyard, a uniquely designed fishpond has been dug, its clear water teeming with koi carp, surrounded by purple bamboo that sways in the breeze, symbolizing prosperity and good fortune. Following the pond leads to the exchange's main hall, which is spacious and open, also symbolizing the absorption of wealth from all directions. The hall is divided into several smaller rooms, separated by elegant nanmu wood screens. Each room is furnished with exquisitely crafted tables and chairs covered with soft cushions woven from cloud brocade. Sunlight filtering through the windows makes the brocade shimmer and dazzle the eye. On the tables sit slender-necked glass pots filled with sandalwood incense from the Western Regions, its smoke rising gently and releasing a fragrant aroma.

When his father reminisced about the past, he mentioned that what he missed most was the sandalwood incense from the Mei family. Sandalwood comes from the Western Regions, and a bushel of it is quite valuable. It's said that smelling it often can prolong life. Thinking of this, Xiao Ma greedily inhaled the fragrance, determined to live a very long life, taking his father's auspicious words as his guide.

Seeing that no one was in the cubicle, Pei Bi hesitated and dared not go forward. Xiao Ma casually walked into the middle cubicle and saw a golden bell hanging on the screen. He already knew what was going on. He picked up the golden bell and shook it. After a short while, a man in a blue robe who looked like a manager came in. The man looked middle-aged and his eyes revealed a mature and steady demeanor. When he saw that the person shaking the golden bell was an unfamiliar young man, he greeted him with a smile. He did not rush to ask the young man's origin. He waved his robe behind him and an old servant brought tea.

"Young master, you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting our Gongcheng Money House?" The manager rolled up his sleeves and personally poured tea for Xiao Ma. Seeing that he did not sit down, he assumed that Xiao Ma was just being reserved because he was new to the place. "I am Qian Rong, the head manager of Gongcheng Money House. Please sit down and talk, young master."

“I…I came with my steward.” Xiao Ma turned to look for Pei Bi. “Steward Pei, this way.”

The sandalwood incense was rich and mellow. Pei Bi took a deep breath of it, and his mind gradually calmed down. He strode into the cubicle, and Xiao Ma quickly stood aside and pulled out a wooden stool for Pei Bi.

"—Pei?" Gongcheng Money House deals in all kinds of business, and the surname Pei is enough to make it clear. Qian Rong stood up abruptly and bowed to Pei Bi, "Are you... from Xingguo Warehouse?"

“Indeed.” Pei Bi straightened up. “I am Pei Bi, the manager of Xingguo Ward.”

"I had long heard that Xingguofang had come to the capital." Qian Rong's eyes lit up. "Our master said that he would pay a visit to your esteemed neighborhood on a chosen day. I never expected that you would grace us with your presence. My apologies."

Pei Bi was very pleased with the Mei family's hospitality. The fragrant tea was so elegant that he felt as if he were in heaven. Xiao Ma stood still and listened to the Mei family manager mention "family head". His long eyelashes swept around and, seeing that no one was around, they fell back down without making a sound.

Qian Rong sat down and said, "Unfortunately, my master went to the Salt and Iron Institute today. When he returns, I will definitely report to him about the visit from Xingguo Ward today."

"The head of your household..." Xiao Ma lowered his voice, "may I ask who it is?"

Qian Rong immediately understood and smiled, saying, "The old patriarch passed away suddenly from an illness several years ago. Now, our young master Mei Shiyu is in charge. I wonder if this young master has heard of him?"

Mei Shiyu, Xiao Ma silently repeated it several times and made a mental note of it, "We've just arrived in Rongdu and don't know much about what's going on outside. Please forgive us, Manager."

The young man was tall and handsome, with his hair tied up and a headband. His speech and mannerisms were slightly awkward, but he couldn't hide his refined and noble air, which was quite different from the steward of the Pei family. Qian Rong knew that this young man was no ordinary person, so he smiled and nodded at him, not daring to be negligent.

Pei Bi raised his palm slightly, and the sword servant brought over a mahogany box and placed it on the table. The box was opened, and inside were four large silver bricks, each engraved with the words "Success".

"Oh my!" Qian Rong couldn't help but exclaim, reaching out to touch it. "This is an old object from a hundred years ago. It's clearly made with the craftsmanship of our money shop."

"Not bad." Pei Bi's face showed a hint of pride. "Each silver brick is worth fifty taels, and there are four in the box. Would you like to weigh them and verify them, shopkeeper?"

Qian Rong shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the silver bricks. "Years ago, wealthy merchants came to our village to mint silver. The silver bricks were all fifty taels each, with no difference whatsoever. To be honest, I, Qian Rong, have been in the Mei family's money shop for over twenty years, and I've only ever heard of these old silver bricks. I've never actually seen one before. I'm so grateful to Xingguo Workshop for allowing me to see one today. It's two hundred taels in total. I wonder if you're going to deposit the silver, or...?"

"We're not here to deposit silver; we're here to exchange it for ingots." Pei Bi picked up his hot tea, blew on it, and glanced sideways at Xiao Ma.

Xiao Ma stepped forward half a step and said, "I would like to trouble Manager Qian to exchange these two hundred taels of silver into ten-tael large silver ingots, ten-tael and five-tael small silver ingots, and twenty-tael and one-tael broken silver. The rest can be exchanged for strings of coins."

Hearing him calculate everything so quickly and accurately, Qian Rong relaxed his brows and eyes. With a glance, the old servant behind him came out and brought Xiao Ma a wooden stool with a brocade cushion. Xiao Ma glanced at Pei Bi's face and, seeing that he had no reaction, hesitated for a moment before sitting down and giving Qian Rong a grateful smile.

"It will take some time to exchange the silver. Please have some tea and fruit. It will be ready in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn." Qian Rong instructed his men to prepare, and then whispered a few words to the old servant.

After chatting for a while, Xiao Ma became restless. Qian Rong noticed this and said with a smile, "Young master, you are young and impetuous. If you can't stand it, why don't you go for a walk in the courtyard? Once you're ready, I'll send someone to invite you."

Xiao Ma looked at Pei Bi, who nodded. With permission, Xiao Ma jumped up. Pei Bi picked up a fruit and twirled it around. "Manager Qian, you don't need to keep calling him 'Young Master.' His name is Xiao Ma, and he's a swordsman from Xingguo Ward."

"A swordsman?" Qian Rong exclaimed in surprise. "He didn't seem to have any murderous aura at all; at first glance, I thought he was the young master of your brothel..."

“Him? My young master?” Pei Bi found it amusing. “How could my young master be compared to him?”

Following Xiao Ma's retreating figure, Qian Rong still harbored doubts about Pei Bi's words.

After strolling around the courtyard, Xiao Ma had a general idea of ​​the layout of the Mei Family's Gongcheng Money Exchange. The main hall connected to the storeroom at the back and the Mei Family Mansion. A gravel-paved path ran through the entire courtyard, and at the end of the path was a red brick screen wall. The thick wall and the layered houses showed the grandeur of the Mei Family Mansion.

Looking up, Xiao Ma saw the sea of ​​clouds surging in the sky, and the shadows of clouds reflected in the fishpond, changing shape with the wind, further highlighting the splendor of the first money house in Jin State.

My parents said the Ma family had enough wealth to last ten generations, most of which was entrusted to the Mei family's Gongcheng Money Shop. But the Ma family suffered a great calamity; my grandfather was beheaded and his relatives were exiled, his servants were sold, and he was forbidden from returning to the capital for life. As the descendant of a disgraced official, I could not be shown to anyone. Could I still ask the Mei family for my family's wealth? My father said Mei Junhe was trustworthy, but Mei Junhe was dead. As for the young master of the family named Mei Shiyu, he was a complete stranger to me. Would he acknowledge me and help me?

Merchants are often cunning; don't let them sell you out on the spot.

Xiao Ma sighed inwardly. He had returned to Rongdu, the place his parents longed for. He would take things one step at a time and do things one by one. One day, he would let everyone know that his name was Ma Lin and that he was a descendant of the Ma family of Rongdu.

"I heard that an old silver brick arrived at the manor today? This young lady must come and have a good look at it." A cheerful voice, like the chirping of a magpie, came from behind the hall. Xiao Ma heard it from a distance. He turned around and saw a girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old in the side room. She was dressed in pink and looked elegant. Her hair was styled in two buns and she had a childlike look in her dark eyes. She looked at the old silver brick in the mahogany box for a moment, then tilted her head and said, "I think the craftsmanship is rough. It's far inferior to what we have now."

Qian Rong smiled and said, “Miss, you don’t know this. What we value in old silver bricks is not the craftsmanship, but the history and heritage. Take the two characters ‘功成’ (meaning ‘success’) for example. They were all hand-carved by your ancestors, stroke by stroke. The strokes are simple and unadorned, and the unrefined shape is full of thought. This is something that craftsmen today can’t make with molds.”

“I don’t think so.” The girl tilted her head mischievously. “Whether it’s by hand or by tools, this silver brick is fifty taels. No matter how much effort our ancestors put in, they can’t make more silver. So it’s better to focus on craftsmanship, which saves time and effort and is more efficient.”

"Yes, yes, Miss is right." Qian Rong remembered something and said to Pei Bi, "I forgot to introduce her to Steward Pei. This is my young lady..."

"The younger sister of the young master of the Mei family?" Little Ma had approached without anyone noticing.

The young girl frowned angrily and said, "Where did you come from? You startled me."

"No, no, no." Qian Rong smoothed things over. "They are all distinguished guests of Xingguo Fang. Miss, you mustn't do this. This is a young hero from Xingguo Fang, and this one..." The shopkeeper pointed to the girl in pink, "She is my young master's cousin. She grew up in the money shop and has been helping with the business since she was a child. She is quite skilled at it."

"My name is Mei Xiaojing." The girl looked Xiao Ma up and down with her big eyes, and when she saw his handsome face, she suddenly chuckled, her fair cheeks flushing red. Then she stopped laughing and asked gracefully, "What's your name?"

"My name is... Little Ma."

Mei Xiaojing frowned again, "I'm asking for your name."

"Let's call him Little Horse." Little Horse lowered his long eyelashes and turned away from her.

"Oh." Mei Xiaojing was about to say something when the servants brought in the exchanged money and placed it on the table. Qian Rong brushed it aside and respectfully asked, "Would you two like to verify it?"

Seeing that Pei Bi seemed hesitant, Xiao Ma leaned down and whispered. Pei Bi nodded slightly, and Xiao Ma said loudly, "Gongcheng Money House is a century-old bank with a reputation known to everyone. My manager said he trusts you, so there's no need to verify it."

Mei Xiaojing couldn't help but glance at him a few more times, then looked at her head manager, who also had high praise for the man. But... Xiao Ma? How could there be a nameless person in the world, simply called Xiao Ma?

After the money was loaded onto the carriage, Pei Bi bowed to Qian Rong in thanks. Mei Xiaojing followed him out of the house. Just as she was about to say a few words to Xiao Ma, he climbed onto the carriage, looked down at her fluttering clothes, and didn't even look up at her.

As the carriage turned the corner of East Street, a powerful neigh suddenly came from the opposite direction. The little horse looked over and saw two handsome horses pulling a magnificent carriage. The carriage frame was black and gold, clearly made of golden nanmu wood. Silk curtains hung from the carriage, and a breeze lifted the curtains, carrying a familiar scent of incense. The little horse's nose twitched slightly—it was the sandalwood incense from the Mei family.

Two carriages passed each other, the curtains half-fluttering, revealing the pale, snow-white profile of the man inside. He wore a blue embroidered plum blossom satin robe, the skill of a top Suzhou embroiderer evident even in a fleeting glance. His features were refined, his expression aloof, and his demeanor elegant. He held a bone fan in one hand, its pendant a jade clasp, green with gold thread, translucent as ice, chilling to the bone. The man seemed to sense someone watching him, lightly closing the bone fan and clutching the swaying jade clasp. He turned to meet the dazed look in Xiao Ma's eyes, and before he could get a closer look, the carriage had already clattered away, leaving only a cloud of dust on the ground.

—Mei Shiyu, he is Mei Shiyu.