Gu Qingshan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had a travel permit, but a household registration certificate was impossible for him. He was still a member of the military, so he couldn't produce one.
He Yingyuan's eyes sharpened; clearly, he wasn't too happy about only being able to stay for one day. To get what he wanted, he had to hurry; he wondered if he had enough time.
If there's anyone who's dissatisfied with the short stay, it's none other than Qin San Niang!
What?!
Only one day?
How could that be?!
I also need to sell mirrors and replenish supplies, so I'll be busy!
Enough said, let's eat quickly. There's still time in the afternoon, enough to get a lot done!
What puzzled her was, "Why are you in such a hurry, Scholar He?" Qin San Niang didn't believe He Yingyuan's explanation that he was going to visit relatives. She had never heard Liao Hongying mention that they had relatives in Luochuan.
Seeing the curious looks from everyone, Liao Hongying could only awkwardly say that perhaps this was a relative of her father-in-law from the past, someone she didn't really know. In any case, she would never undermine her husband's performance.
Hearing her say that, everyone thought it was quite possible. Jingyuan was so far away from Luochuan that even the closest relatives would not easily visit each other if it weren't for this escape.
After quickly finishing their lunch, they drove their horse-drawn carriages into the city.
The soldiers guarding the city took a second look when they saw that this farmer had so many horses and mules. After carefully examining the travel permit and recording the time on it, and instructing them to leave the city on time and to abide by the city's order, they paid the head fee and then readily let them pass.
It wasn't until they were about eight zhang away from the city gate that the children became active again, poking their heads out of the carriage windows. They rarely saw any new scenery along the way.
Luochuan City is similar to Guo City; the streets are not wide, and carriages can only travel one after the other.
Having learned from her previous two experiences staying in lodgings, Qin San Niang knew that lodgings and restaurants were usually next to each other, and she quickly found the lodgings by following the map.
The innkeeper, a middle-aged man, warmly welcomed Qin San Niang and her entourage, seeing their large and impressive procession. The reason for this was, of course, that he was interested in their horses and carriages, assuming the family had the means to pay and wouldn't default on their lodging fees.
"Come in, everyone! Our shop is affordable and clean, and we guarantee you'll have a comfortable and pleasant stay. Horses and mules can also be kept in the livestock shed behind us, where they'll be looked after by dedicated staff, and we'll provide fodder and water, so they won't go hungry."
When the innkeeper heard that they wanted four rooms, he was overjoyed! This was a big deal! No wonder he was so enthusiastic.
With war raging everywhere, where would any foreigners come to stay? There are mostly refugees. But how many of these refugees outside the city can afford lodging? Even those who do want lodging demand large communal rooms, costing five copper coins a night! So, Qin San Niang and her group booked four rooms right off the bat—they were truly big customers!
One room costs eighty coins per night, and four rooms cost a total of three hundred and twenty coins, plus the cost of fodder for the livestock, which is quite reasonable. You know, in Huozhou City before, coarse grains alone had risen to eighty coins per catty, so the prices in Luochuan City must be at a relatively reasonable level, which made Qin Sanniang breathe a sigh of relief.
He took out a small piece of silver and handed it to the shopkeeper, saying, "Shopkeeper, the rest of the silver can be used as our food and hot water for the day. You can deduct it from that."
"Okay!"
He deftly pulled out a small scale from under the counter, weighed it, and said, "Madam, this is half a tael of silver, which is equivalent to five hundred coins. I wonder if you'll be having dinner here? The food at our establishment is no worse than that of restaurants."
"Of course, we can bring out some of our specialty dishes to try. Also, I wonder if there are any carriage shops or pawnshops in Luochuan City? We'd like to find trustworthy ones."
Qin San Niang didn't mind showing goodwill. This shopkeeper was a shrewd one, and her family had brought him a lot of profit, so she believed he would consider the consequences.
“Oh dear, are you looking to buy or sell livestock? There’s a carriage and horse trading company in the south of the city. The curfew is only at the end of Hai hour (9-11 PM). You can go and take a look then! As for pawnshops, I’m not really sure about them, but the Da Jin Pawnshop in the north of the city is quite famous. You can go and have a look, madam.”
"Okay, thank you, shopkeeper!"
"No trouble at all, Zheng, quickly take the guests to their rooms to rest!"
As they were talking, a young waiter led them up the stairs to their room.
Their rooms were all on the third floor, and perhaps for convenience, they were all adjacent to each other; the innkeeper was quite thoughtful.
After explaining things to Liu and the others, and asking Gu Qingshan to take care of the family, she hurriedly took Fatty to the pawnshop.
The pawnshop is easy to find, located in a hutong in Taipei. The hutong is lined with pawnshops, and various banners with the word "pawn" written on them are very popular.
From afar, Qin San Niang and her companions spotted a black signboard with the four large characters "Da Jin Pawnshop" written on it!
The pawnshop's interior layout was basically the same as depicted in the TV series: a tall counter separated by a row of wooden railings. Even though Qin San Niang was over 1.6 meters tall, she had to stand on tiptoe to barely reach the edge of the counter. Looking at the clerks inside, they all had to crane their necks. Besides security, this layout was probably designed to emphasize the unfairness of status, to intimidate those pawning their items, and to indirectly lower the price!
Most of the people who come here to pawn their belongings are desperate and need to pawn their assets at a low price to make a living. People like Qin San Niang, who are purely doing it to make money, are a minority.
The waiter sat on the high counter and looked down. He saw a neatly dressed woman enter. She was wearing a blue cotton dress and had clear eyes. She did not look embarrassed at all!
"Madam, do you have any valuable items you'd like to pawn?"
Seeing that the shop assistant was quite enthusiastic, Qin San Niang smiled and nodded. This shop assistant was young, and she wasn't sure if he could make the decisions, since mirrors probably didn't exist in this era, and Liu Shi and Wu Chunhua had never even heard of them. She was planning to sell them for a high price!
"What I'm selling is a priceless treasure, which my ancestor acquired by chance from a foreigner. I wonder if you have the authority to decide its value?"
Isn't a mirror a treasure?! A great treasure, because things are valued for their rarity, so Qin San Niang had no psychological barriers to lying.
Hearing that it was a foreign item, obtained by someone's ancestors, and not some random junk, the shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, then told her to wait a moment while he went to the inner room to call the manager over.
Nowadays, those who come to pawnshops are mostly small families struggling to make ends meet. They are lucky if they have some silk fabrics, silver hairpins, or gold pendants; there are no real treasures.
What does the owner want?! It has to be an absolute rare treasure, only then can there be a huge profit!
Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in a light purple robe walked in. This outfit was really... youthful and vibrant, almost blinding Qin San Niang! Only after seeing the shopkeeper's face clearly did she realize that the clothes were somewhat overshadowing the man himself!
The shopkeeper was a handsome man with a matching cloth tied around his head. He had a round face and a kind and benevolent appearance.
Seeing that the person coming under the counter was a young woman, she asked with a smile.
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