Lian Xingchen muttered to himself as he left Pear Blossom Palace.

Yun Duoduo shook her head as she looked at Lian Xingchen, who seemed somewhat dazed.

...

On Chang'an Street in Nanyang, there is Duoduo Money Exchange.

"Brother Song, has the manager of Zhenyu Pavilion come to see you recently?"

Yun Yishu and Song Yuanbao sat in the inner room on the first floor and chatted.

"Yes, they're here. Zhenyu Pavilion is in urgent need of money, but the other two major money houses in the capital are on good terms with Ruyi Pavilion and Sumu Pavilion, so naturally they won't lend money to Zhenyu Pavilion. Therefore, they have no choice but to borrow money from us."

"So, according to you, they agreed to our conditions?"

Yun Yishu asked him happily.

"We agreed, and a contract has been signed. They will give us 10% interest every year, and we will help them by lending them money without charging interest when necessary."

“Great, that way we can generate a lot more revenue each year.”

"However, Brother Song, you must remember that no matter how much the other party needs the money, you must sign and seal the document with their manager in person before lending them the money."

Yun Yishu gave her earnest instructions.

"Yes, I understand. We can't simplify the procedures just because we have a relationship with each other. If something goes wrong, we won't be able to explain ourselves to the authorities."

Song Yuanbao nodded, understanding that everything in business should be documented in writing.

"Yes, that's exactly the point."

Yun Yishu and Song Yuanbao talked as they walked upstairs. The money exchange had three floors. The first floor was the reception counter, the second floor was where currency exchange, silver deposit, check issuance, and loan services were handled, and the third floor was a small gambling den.

When it first opened, the gambling den simply provided a place for everyone to gamble. The dealer could gamble on pigeons, jade, dice, or money, but the dealer had to give 10% of the profits to the money lender.

"We're going to build this three-story gambling den ourselves."

Yun Yishu said.

“The boss is right, that’s what I think too. Although the casino owners here will share the profits with us, it’s still not as good as doing it ourselves.”

"Firstly, we can earn more, and secondly, our Duoduo Money Shop will have a better reputation."

"Good, do you also have ideas about what kind of gambling den to open?"

Yun Yishu tilted his head and asked.

"These gambling dens are all pretty much the same in the capital."

"Or it's odd or even, dice, four-door square treasure, dominoes, fan tan, somersault, liubo, and chess."

"Or it could be leaves, bo cai, tan qi, chu hong, xiang xi."

"More common ones include cockfighting, duck fighting, goose fighting, quail fighting, cricket fighting, and horse racing."

Song Yuanbao's words were very logical and reasonable.

Yun Yishu nodded and said, "Yes, cockfighting, duckfighting, goosefighting, quailfighting, and pigeon betting are not easy to operate."

"It's hard to manage these chickens, ducks, and geese running around like that. Besides, I heard that a while ago in a small gambling den, some gamblers got so desperate that they slaughtered the dealer's fighting rooster on the spot."

"The ladies and young women were so frightened that they fled in all directions in chaos, and in the end, the government was unable to solve the case."

Yun Yishu shook his head. If the gambling den were to have chickens, ducks, and geese, creating a mess, Duoduo probably wouldn't agree.

“Yes, we can’t gamble on these lively creatures. It’s not too late to set them up when we’ve grown bigger and more famous, and the thugs don’t dare to cause trouble.”

"Besides, we can't do things that are too quiet. Games like chess and zither require someone to be a referee, which is too troublesome."

Song Yuanbao frowned and shook his head.

"Then let's play the most common game: odd or even, dice, and split the money."

Song Yuanbao suggested.

"Wouldn't it be difficult to spread the money out?"

Yun Yishu was a little worried that this matter requiring arithmetic might be too difficult for the gamblers.

"Boss, you really shouldn't look down on those street gamblers."

"They're incredibly shrewd! They gamble every single day, so their mental arithmetic skills are exceptional."

"Take this money as an example. Roll the dice to get the number, divide it by four, and if there is a remainder, or if the remainder is one, two, or three, then the banker wins."

"Sometimes, before the bookmaker's servant has even figured it out, the gamblers have already divided the money and started the next round."

"Oh, Brother Song, if that's the case, then you'd better teach the servants in our manor properly, so that outsiders don't laugh at us." Yun Yishu looked at Song Yuanbao with some surprise.

"Don't worry, boss, I already have a system in place that will ensure everyone is taught properly."

Song Yuanbao said smugly.

"Haha, good, look how capable you are. Let me know when you're teaching, I'll come and learn too."

"Okay."

"Okay, then you can get back to your work!"

After saying that, Yun Yishu left Duoduo Money House with Shitou and headed towards Jinxiu Silk Shop.

...

Inside the Pear Blossom Palace in Shu Kingdom, Yun Duoduo was wondering where Jin Jinzhi had gone. She hadn't seen her Jinzhi brother for the past two days.

A palace maid at the door hurried in to report.

"Princess, the King of Jibei is outside the palace."

"Brother Jinzhi is here? Let him in quickly."

Yun Duoduo tidied herself up in front of the bronze mirror before quickly walking towards the front hall of Pear Blossom Palace.

"Brother Jinzhi!"

Yun Duoduo looked at Jin Jinzhi with a smile. During her time in Shu, she felt that Jin Jinzhi seemed to have gotten quite tanned.

"Come quick, I brought you some food."

Jin Jin waved to Yun Duoduo and placed the food wrapped in lotus leaves on the table.

He opened the lotus leaf, and the fragrance immediately wafted out.

it turns out……

It's roasted scorpions!

[Could it be that I haven't seen Sumire these past two days because he went to see Scorpion?]

“Brother Jinzhi, this…”

“When I was in Nanyang, I received a letter from your palace. It turns out that the scorpions in Shu are even fatter than those in the Northern Frontier. I went to the back mountain these past two days and caught a few for you to try.”

"Did Brother Jin catch it? Did you roast it yourself?" Yun Duoduo asked him in surprise. Actually, he could have easily left this to the guards.

Jin Jin nodded.

Yun Duoduo looked at him with some concern, "These scorpions are extremely ferocious, Brother Jinzhi, are you alright?"

Yun Duoduo pulled up Jin Jinzhi's arm and examined her carefully. If she had been poisoned, she needed to be treated immediately.

“It’s alright. I’ve been dealing with these things in the northern frontier for a long time, and I’ve long since mastered their habits,” Jin Jinzhi said calmly, withdrawing her arm.

"Eat up, it's freshly baked, that's when it smells the best."

Yun Duoduo swallowed hard as she looked at the scorpion sizzling inside the lotus leaf.

In her previous life, she ate a lot of roasted scorpions, roasted insects, and roasted silkworm pupae, even though her friends were all terrified, and some even found it disgusting.

But she knew that this thing not only tasted special, but also contained a lot of protein.

Yun Duoduo rolled up her sleeves, ready to pick the biggest one to eat.

but……?