"My niece thanks my uncle on behalf of her father."
Li Erniang thought that her daughter must have been kicked in the head by a donkey. Although she could avoid the court, where would her family go after leaving Li Dazhu's house?
Although Li Erzhu was unwilling, he had no choice. If Li Dazhu insisted on sending him to the yamen, he would suffer a beating.
Li Dazhu personally apologized to Fourth Master for troubling him with his wasted trip, and then persuaded the neighbors to leave.
Li Erzhu didn't have much luggage; it was just a bundle he had brought with him and some clothes he had bought in the past few days.
Although Li Erzhu was utterly disappointed in his brother, he couldn't bear to see him and his family sleeping on the streets, so he gave him five taels of silver as a resettlement fee.
"Please wait, sir!"
"Miss Li."
Upon hearing Li Youran's words, the advisor stopped in his tracks.
"I have something I'd like to discuss with you, sir. I'd be grateful if you would kindly come to see me."
Seeing that Li Youran was eloquent, poised, and polite, the advisor became curious about the woman and wondered what she wanted to discuss with him.
"This..." Upon hearing Li Youran's words, the clerk pondered for a moment and continued, "There is no precedent for this kind of thing in the yamen. Please allow me to go back and inform the magistrate before giving you a reply."
"Thank you for your trouble, sir. I promise I will never cheat anyone and I am willing to donate half of the money to the yamen as public funds."
Li Youran bowed and watched the Fourth Master leave, thinking that if this matter could be completed before the end of the year, it would be another large sum of money.
With only five days until the Lunar New Year, Li Youran is preparing to make a big splash before the holiday.
Li Youran remembers that every year during the Spring Festival, the supermarket would hold a large-scale lucky draw, with participation prizes, third prizes, second prizes, first prizes, and a grand prize.
She plans to hold a lottery event, where anyone who pays five coins can participate and is guaranteed to win a prize.
Five coins is neither a lot nor a little; compared to the allure of the prize, five coins are insignificant.
Li Youran plans to prepare several practical participation prizes for everyone to choose from, so that even if they don't win, they won't feel too down.
As for the other prizes, Li Youran doesn't plan to prepare many, but they must be expensive to give people the urge to win big with a small investment.
The reason Li Youran got the kids involved was because he had two concerns: first, he was afraid the local bullies would cause trouble; and second, he wanted to increase the credibility of the lottery.
Lotteries are a lucrative business, inevitably attracting envious people, especially local thugs who might cause trouble. Li Youran's involvement of the government was primarily intended to deter these individuals.
The prizes are expensive, so naturally some people will suspect that there is any behind-the-scenes manipulation and worry about the authenticity of the prizes. Involving the government can put people's minds at ease.
"You must be Li Erzhu?"
Li Erzhu was carrying his bundle, looking for a place to stay, when suddenly a carriage blocked his way.
"May I ask what business you have with me, Madam?"
Li Erzhu had seen this carriage before and knew that the person was Wang Xiangyu.
"Second Uncle, there's no need to be so polite. If you think about it carefully, you and I are relatives."
Although Li Erzhu didn't know why Wang Xiangyu wanted to see him, he was happy to be able to establish a connection with wealthy people.
After some polite exchanges, Li Erzhu and his family boarded Wang Xiangyu's carriage and headed east of the city.
"Second Uncle, you've probably fallen for Li Youran's trap."
Wang Xiangyu looked at Li Erzhu's family with sympathy and continued.
"She clearly put the money there on purpose to lure my second uncle into a trap, and then used that as an excuse to kick his family out of the house."
After saying that, Wang Xiangyu shook her head and sighed, looking regretful and helpless.
"Alas, it's all my fault for being too honest and kind." Li Erzhu shook his head and sighed, "My poor parents have suffered with me. In this freezing weather, the New Year is just around the corner, and our family has nowhere to go."
"Second Uncle, there's no need to worry. Your niece has already rented this courtyard, so you can live here with your family without worry."
Upon hearing Wang Xiaoyu's words, Li Erzhu's family looked at Wang Xiangyu with gratitude, for this was like sending charcoal in snowy weather.
Not only that, Wang Xiangyu also took the initiative to introduce Li Hongxing to a wealthy young man, guaranteeing that she would marry into a prominent family.
"Your Highness... how can we repay your kindness to us?"
Li Erzhu wasn't stupid; he knew that there's no such thing as a free lunch.
“I don’t expect anything in return, I just can’t stand this kind of thing.” Wang Xiangyu paused after speaking, and continued, “I’ve started some businesses and need someone trustworthy to manage them. I wonder if my second uncle would be willing to help me with this?”
Li Erzhu was clearly a rogue and had a grudge against Li Youran's family. Wang Xiangyu, adhering to the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, wanted to use Li Erzhu to help her deal with Li Youran.
Thus, Li Erzhu's family settled down in the courtyard where Wang Xiangyu lived.
"Miss Li, the clerk sent me to deliver a message, asking you to go to the yamen."
The next morning, a constable came to the Li family to deliver a message.
Li Youran knew that the matter was progressing, so he hurriedly washed up and went to the yamen with the constable.
As Li Youran had expected, the county magistrate agreed to Li Youran's proposal, but required Li Youran to sign a written guarantee that all awards were genuine and that the clerk must accompany him throughout the process.
Li Youran naturally had no interest in these proposals, so he signed and sealed them, and then hurriedly went to prepare the prizes and the items for the raffle.
Li Youran was a regular customer of the Gu family's general store, and a major client at that. Upon seeing Li Youran arrive, the owner of the Gu family personally entertained him.
"Don't worry, young lady, I guarantee I'll get everything you need ready within a day, and at the lowest price," Manager Gu assured her, patting his chest.
The quantity of goods that Li Youran needed was enormous. Although it was difficult to arrange everything in one go, it was still possible to expedite the process by going elsewhere.
Li Youran thanked Manager Gu, then went home to change into a new outfit and put on expensive jewelry. She then asked Li Haoran to drive her in a carriage to the largest jewelry shop, Wutong Pavilion.
The name "Phoenix Nesting on the Wutong Tree" means that all those who come to the Wutong Pavilion are phoenixes.
Since the customers are all phoenixes, the prices here are naturally high. Li Youran came here intending to buy a set of jewelry as a prize for the grand prize.
Only a large enough award can attract people's attention, because human desires are always greedy.
This was Li Youran's first time visiting such a jewelry shop. Before she even entered, a waiter came to greet her.
After learning that Li Youran wanted to buy a set of jewelry, a special shop assistant came to serve her.
"What a small world..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
