Ma Ergou was also genuinely shocked, and he looked at Qibao and the others with a hint of caution.

Anyone who could carry so many banknotes on him was definitely not someone he could afford to offend. Although he was doing well, he also relied on the Hongyun Casino for his livelihood. These 80,000 taels were far from enough even if he took out all his family assets.

What made him even more hesitant to act rashly was that this little girl was the youngest in the group. She could just take out 80,000 taels without any hesitation, which made him have to be cautious.

Looking at the adults and the two young men beside the little girl, they also looked very accustomed to it, without showing any pain at all, as if this thick stack of banknotes was as worthless as waste paper.

Just when he was in a dilemma, he heard a voice: "Young lady, you are so courageous. May I know your name? Where are you from?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man in a navy blue robe walking slowly towards them with a harmless smile on his face, followed by three or four people.

Hearing the voice, Ma Ergou's expression relaxed, and he quickly stepped forward, bowing and saying, "Boss, I'm incompetent, so I have to trouble you to do it yourself."

The middle-aged man glanced at Ma Ergou indifferently, then retracted his gaze and looked at Qibao and others, observing them calmly.

Just by looking at him, Ma Ergou felt his scalp tingling, so he lowered his head and stood behind the middle-aged man.

Qibao looked at the person who came and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. This person looked elegant and refined. If you didn't know him, you would think he was a scholar. Unexpectedly, he was the boss behind Hongtai Casino.

Look at Ma Ergou, such a ferocious man. When he saw this person, there was a hint of fear in his eyes. He knew that this person was not as simple as he seemed.

"Are you the owner of Hongtai Casino?" Qibao asked with interest.

"Yes, my name is Gu Qiushu. May I know what the young lady and this gentleman's names are?" the middle-aged man introduced himself.

I didn’t expect that the owner of a gambling house would have such a poetic name. It’s quite special.

"My brother and I are surnamed Xu. I wonder if Mr. Gu has any advice for us?" Xu Wenwu said.

"So it's Mr. Xu and Miss Xu. I'm sorry, but I wonder what business you two are going to use this shop for?" Gu Qiushu asked politely with a smile.

From the tone of their conversation, Qibao didn't see any sign that they had ruined his plans. He didn't seem angry at all, as if they were just having a normal chat with friends.

From this point alone, it can be seen that this person is quite cunning.

"My family has some food business, but since Tianyou City is a fertile land, I want to buy the Jin family's shop." Xu Wenwu said.

"So that's how it is. Although Tianyou City is not as expensive as the capital, it is indeed a good place to do business. May I ask where you are going?" Although Gu Qiushu had some guesses in his mind, he still asked.

"The capital." Xu Wenwu saw that the other party did not seem to be here to cause trouble, but rather to chat, so he answered truthfully, wanting to know what this person's purpose was.

"Mr. Xu, do you live in the capital?" Gu Qiushu asked.

Xu Wenwu shook his head slightly and said, "No."

Gu Qiushu had some understanding of the capital. As far as he knew, there was no one with the surname Xu in the circle of nobles. He frowned slightly and began to weigh the pros and cons in his mind.

The air was suddenly quiet, and the onlookers didn't dare to make a sound, just watching the excitement quietly.

"Brother Xu, I finally found you."

At this moment, the atmosphere was broken by a voice. The person who came was Xiao Mingzhi. Next to him were three people dressed as scholars. They were the people who had tea and chatted yesterday.

"Brother Xiao, why are you here?" Xu Wenwu asked with a smile.

"We know that Brother Xu is leaving today, so we are here to see him off. Does Brother Xu need any help?" Xiao Mingzhi asked.

When he came, he naturally saw the people from Hongtai Casino opposite Xu Wenwu, and thought he was in some trouble, so he asked if he needed help.

"Thank you, Brother Xiao. There's no need to trouble you with such a small matter." Xu Wenwu said.

"Mr. Xiao, do you know this Mr. Xu?" Gu Qiushu asked.

"It's Boss Gu. Brother Xu and I are friends. I wonder how Boss Gu knows Brother Xu?" Xiao Mingzhi asked politely with a bow.

He had met Gu Qiushu once before, when his father took him to a Chamber of Commerce banquet. However, the two parties had no business dealings and it was just a casual greeting.

Gu Qiushu had heard something about Xiao Mingzhi. The Xiao family was in business, but this boy loved literature and making friends with scholars. He had also helped many students from poor families, and for this he had an excellent reputation.

Before Gu Qiushu could say anything, Xiao Wu beside him briefly told Xiao Mingzhi what had happened.

After hearing this, Xiao Mingzhi pondered for a moment, then whispered in Xu Wenwu's ear, "Brother Xu, my father told me that Gu Qiushu is no simple man, not as easy to talk to as he appears. I'm trying to negotiate with him. It's better not to offend him if possible. Brother Xu, it's more important for you to go to the capital to take the imperial examination."

After Xiao Mingzhi finished speaking, without waiting for Xu Wenwu to say anything, he clasped his fists and bowed to Gu Qiushu, saying, "Boss Gu, may I have a moment with you?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Qiushu glanced at Xu Wenwu. He naturally saw Xiao Mingzhi saying something in Xu Wenwu's ear. He was a little surprised. He didn't know what Xiao Mingzhi wanted to say to him and why he had to avoid other people, but he nodded.

The two walked out of the crowd together and stopped where no one else could hear them.

Not knowing what Xiao Mingzhi said, Gu Qiushu looked at the Xu family in surprise.

Qibao and Xu Wenwu looked at each other and naturally saw Gu Qiushu looking at them. They didn't know what Xiao Mingzhi said to him.

After a while, the two finished their conversation and returned.

Xiao Mingzhi nodded towards Xu Wenwu, meaning that the matter was resolved.

"Since Mr. Xu and Mr. Xiao are friends, let's just leave this matter at that. Since Mr. Xu wants this shop, I, Gu, will have no choice but to oblige him. I wish Mr. Xu a prosperous business and will certainly support him in the future." Gu Qiushu said in a more polite tone than before.

Xu Wenwu raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and replied calmly: "Thank you for your kind words."

Gu Qiushu politely clasped his fists towards Xu Wenwu, gave Ma Ergou some instructions, and left with the people he had brought with him.

"Jin Wansheng, you are lucky. Our boss said that if you pay back the money, we will be even." Ma Ergou said to Jin Wansheng.

Although he didn't know what Xiao Mingzhi and Gu Qiushu had said, this was a trap he had set for Jin Wansheng, and now he had messed it up, and even asked his boss to come out in person. He would inevitably be punished when he returned, so his tone was a little gloomy.

Jin Wansheng's teeth itched with hatred, and then he turned his gaze to his own shop, with reluctance, regret and other complex emotions surging in his eyes. Then he said to Xu Wenwu, "Mr. Xu and Miss Xu, please come with me to my house to get the land deed."