In early autumn of August, when osmanthus buds begin to bloom, an old house in a deep alley of Yishunfang is covered with black cloth. A dozen strong men are carrying bricks, mud, and trees with mud-covered roots... One after another, they jump in like a string of sturdy grapes.
At the door, a dark and strong girl was holding a wooden board with a thick paper on it. She walked in and cancelled one of her numbers, muttering: "Three baskets of river sand, four thousand green tiles, one hundred gold-foil tiles, seventeen pine saplings, twenty-eight cypress saplings..."
There were some people gathered at the door. Yishunfang was home to the Imperial College and several famous private schools. The residences of several Hanlin scholars were also located in this square. Among the crowd there were students and managers from aristocratic families.
Those who knew the goods whispered, "What a great deal! I recognize that pine sapling! It's the Bashan pine shipped from Shu!"
Someone chimed in: "Didn't you see that tile? There's gold foil on it!"
Some scholars were not used to hearing people only praising wealth and splendor, so they snorted coldly, "It's just a gold and silver shop! The famous Tangji Gold and Silver Shop in Beijing was closed down two days ago..."
The man didn't say the last sentence - this store must be a place where some royal relatives, high-ranking officials and dignitaries make money! When he passes the exam, he will definitely take risks and bring all these country leeches to justice! Lock them all up! All the money has been made by these people!
Strong men were still flowing in.
The items that come after that are more precious.
Pearls with a white halo, red corals half a person's height, and porcelain ornaments that look expensive at first glance...
"Wow——" the managers who were watching the fun opened their mouths.
Could it be...here to launder money?
This grand occasion lasted for three or two days, until finally, only a dozen tightly sealed camphor wood boxes were brought into the courtyard.
"What is this?"
Not only did the crowd watching the fun not disperse, but there were even more of them.
"I don't know! This box must cost several coins, right? The things inside must be even more expensive!"
"What does this store do? What can they sell to make back their investment?"
"Eh? Isn't your master a doctor in the Thirteenth Division of the Ministry of Revenue in charge of the capital? Do you know where this shop comes from?"
The manager who was named was a little proud: "I've asked around! Merchants from the south have bought several shops in a row!"
"Buy? Not rent?"
The manager shook his head and said, "No! Everyone paid all the money at once! It's not just this one. They also bought shops in Changguifang in the east and Baiqingnian in the west. Those shops seem to have not been repaired yet. This one was the first to start."
"Wow! This Master Nan really has a solid foundation!"
The steward glanced at the large silver lock on the camphorwood box and smiled: "Not only does he have a good foundation, he also has a good reputation!"
What exactly does this shop in Yishun Square sell?
This matter caused a lot of uproar and lasted for several days.
The hall of the Mansion of Marquis Zhongwu faces south.
There were five round plates on the big round table, with a pot of chicken soup burning in the middle. There was nothing added to the chicken soup except a whole pheasant and white bamboo fungus. It had been simmering for the whole morning, and a layer of yellow oil floated on the surface. The oil was dispersed by the fire and swirled on the surface of the soup, spreading the pure meaty aroma to all directions.
Suo'er came out of the small cubicle and handed the book with all the numbers cancelled to Xianjin who was sitting at the bottom. He whispered, "...All of them have arrived, except Baiyuzhuan, who said it would be two days late. I went to ask him, but the boss said we must pay 60% of the total amount first before he would deliver the goods."
After a pause, he continued, "The boss is waiting at the door of our mansion. Do you want to pay? If not, I will go find another store right away."
Qiao Hui, who was sitting next to Xianjin, glanced at Qiao Fangzhi who was drinking soup at the top of the table.
Qiao Fangzhi didn't move his eyebrows and focused on drinking the soup.
Xianjin read the whole book and asked, "How much of what was said at the beginning?"
"Forty percent." Suo'er replied.
"The boss doesn't look like a cunning person, why did he suddenly change his words?" Xianjin asked again.
Suo'er was stunned.
Qiqiqi on the side raised his foot and answered, "I asked. The boss heard that we recently placed a large quota. He was afraid that our account would be tight and he would delay the final payment, so he insisted on increasing the amount of the first payment."
Xianjin lowered his eyes and drank his soup while saying, "Reject him."
The chicken soup is fresh and delicious. As soon as you take a sip, you can tell that this free-range chicken must be very self-disciplined.
As disciplined as she is.
Xianjin swallowed the chicken soup and said, "Go find another store that can make white jade bricks. Pay 60% of the first payment, and keep the increase in the total price within 10% of the previous total price."
Qiqiqi nodded and nodded, then turned and went out.
Suo'er lowered his eyes in thought.
After finishing the meal, Qiao Hui put down his chopsticks, raised his hands to hold the back of his head, and smiled at the old man of the Qiao family: "You are biased."
Qiao Fangzhi's eyebrows remained unchanged. "How am I biased?"
"Don't talk while eating and don't talk while sleeping. You taught me this since I was young. When I wanted to speak while eating when I was a kid, didn't you give me a few sticks?" Qiao Hui hummed.
Qiao Fangzhi placed his hands on the dining table, his expression serious and solemn: "Your father and I invested all our pension money in that damn girl. If she loses, I lose too. We have a vested interest. Can't I allow her to worry about the business while she's eating?"
"Stupid girl" He Xianjin raised his head and grinned at Leader Jin.
Let’s go back to a month and a half ago.
She has no money to buy a shop.
After learning about what happened to He Ainiang, she was reluctant to pawn those old and heavy gold ornaments. In addition, Chen Fu threatened, "If you dare to sell anything left by Ainiang, you will see me hanged in front of your bed in the middle of the night!"
This threat is too harsh.
No one wants to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and see a slicked-back dude hanging in front of you, right?
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