Chapter 77 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 77 Fang Xiucai Married in March...
Wu Sheng felt something was amiss. But Fang Shu was truly willing to spend money on Yu Qinglong, and Yu Qinglong was truly willing to eat. Yu Qinglong was already quite tall, so it was natural for him to be a big eater. Besides, it was winter again, and people were bound to crave meat and sweets, especially in the north. Eating more would help them withstand the cold.
Fang Shu and Wu Sheng also ate, each finding excuses to eat more. Anyway, it was just lunch. Afterwards, they went to the Lu family's dishware shop.
Unlike when they first arrived, when the door was open for business, it was now completely shut. But it wasn't locked from the outside, so I guess someone was home.
Wu Sheng knocked on the door with all his might, but it took a long time before Lu Tianda appeared inside and asked, "Who is it?"
Wu Sheng said, "Uncle Lu, it's me. Let me tell you what to do about this!"
Lu Tianda opened the door immediately upon hearing this. Although he was annoyed, he let the man in when he thought about resolving the issue. "Didn't you say you'd come back tonight?"
Wu Sheng said, "I was thinking of coming back tonight, but on the way back just now, I came up with an idea that I think will work. It all depends on whether you agree, so I came here to ask. It's about your house in Xiaxi Village. Anyway, your family has moved to the county town, and you can't go back to the countryside. Why don't you mortgage it to me?"
Lu Hua said, "How can that be possible? That house is worth more than ten taels."
Wu Sheng said, "That's fine. You can think of other ways later. Anyway, tonight, I have to see my mother's bracelet. If I can't see it, I'll ask the city guard to draft a petition for me, and I'll go to the county magistrate and ask him to judge the case. Your daughter is engaged, but she's having an affair with another man, and she even pawned the engagement token given by her future husband's family. What the hell is going on?"
Lu Honglin came out of the house after hearing this: "That won't do! How can I talk to Kang if you say that..."
She was speechless for a moment because everyone in the room was looking at her.
She stamped her feet fiercely. "No way! Father, Mother, why don't we just do as he says and mortgage the house to him? We can't go back to the countryside to live anyway, and the house can't be sold."
Lu Tianda said: "How do you know it can't be sold? Besides, it's our family's roots! What if..."
"Bah! Where's the 'what if'?" Lu Hua said, "There's no 'what if'!"
"Yes, there's no such thing as a chance. I must marry into the Kang family. And Changjie, I don't like you, but please don't force me into a dead end. That would be embarrassing for everyone."
"I've forced you into a dead end? If I had, I should have let everyone know that you've been dating that Kang guy since the middle of this year! I'm saving your face, but what about you?!"
"I……"
"Keep your voices down! Aren't you afraid people outside will hear us?" Lu Hua said. "As for the house, Changjie, I can give it to you as mortgage. But it cost my family twenty taels of silver to build it, and you're only giving us ten. That won't do. You have to at least give us some money before we can mortgage it to you."
"Then bring the bracelet tonight. If you can't find it, I'll meet you at the county government office tomorrow."
Wu Sheng stood up quickly. Thinking of what Lu Honglin had just said, he wished the marriage had never been arranged. No wonder Yu Qinglong said that people's hearts are hidden. All the help his family had given him back then was just a waste of time!
Lu Honglin was so frightened that he blocked her way at the door. "No, don't leave yet! Father, Mother, just agree to his request, right? If I marry into the Kang family, what will those ten taels mean to me?!"
Lu Hua said, "But if we mortgage the house, we'll be at a huge loss!"
Lu Honglin was almost crying in frustration. "Which one is worse off, me or him? I can't marry Master Kang! Who's worse off? If I miss this opportunity, I'll never get it back again. I finally managed to get Master Kang to convince his mother, but we absolutely can't let any trouble arise at this critical juncture."
Lu Tianda also felt this opportunity couldn't be missed. The Kang family was in the porcelain business, a much larger business than his own. By marrying into such a family, they could get lower prices and have more ways to make money.
But just mortgaging the house to the Wu family for a broken bracelet? It's pathetic just thinking about it!
Lu Tianda was unwilling in his heart.
Yu Qinglong looked at the man's expression and said, "It seems that your Lu family is not that eager to marry into the Kang family. Then you can continue to think about it. We will come to pick up the bracelet tonight."
Another one stood up.
When Yu Qinglong stopped, Fang Shu stopped too. Not only did Fang Shu stop, he also said, "Don't even think about stopping us. How can you stop us, three strong men?"
At this time, Lu Hua gritted her teeth and said, "Then I'll give it to you. But you'll have to pay the transfer tax yourself, which is about three or four taels of silver!"
She just didn't believe that these people could come up with three or four taels of silver at once.
She knew that the Fang family was rich, but they were not the ones who could just go out with a few taels of silver and spend it.
Yu Qinglong said: "We can pay for it."
Fang Shu said, "And the transfer can be handled in the county town."
Lu Hua said, "That would require three or four taels a day!"
Yu Qinglong said, "Yes, we'll take it."
It is not possible to transfer ownership of a house in the county town to the town, but it is completely possible to transfer ownership of a house in the village in the town to the county town. To put it bluntly, in this transaction, the small can rely on the big, but the big cannot rely on the small.
Yu Qinglong said, "We have enough time today. If you agree, take the deed now and go transfer the ownership. Otherwise, don't blame us for not remembering our friendship if you can't get the bracelet back at night. Furthermore, the entire Xiaxi Village was hit by a disaster this year, so it's unlikely anyone else will buy your house. Even if you want to sell it later, no one will be able to pay the tax."
Lu Tianda hesitated upon hearing this. He'd heard about the heavy rains in Xiaxi Village that destroyed many crops. Houses certainly wouldn't be easy to sell. Everyone was broke, and everyone had to feed their families first, so how could they afford to buy a house? If they had money to buy a house, they'd almost have money to build a new one. The only two families who could possibly buy were standing right here, but they didn't actually need a house, especially Fang Shu.
Lu Hua said, "Master, please come up with a decision! If it works out, we can get this done today. This will make it easier for us to interact with the Kang family in the future!"
Lu Tianda bit his lip and said, "Alright! I accept this defeat. Lin'er's mother, go get the deed!"
Fang Shu then shouted, "There's still that pawn ticket!"
Lu Huashi was so frightened that she almost stumbled and cursed in a low voice: "You dog scholar, you're such a nuisance! Why did you ask him to come along?"
Muttering to herself, she hurried back to the house and found the two things along with the engagement letter.
They went to a place where the transfer could be handled. Yu Qinglong paid three taels and four coins in taxes, and secretly gave the official two coins as a bribe. He easily changed the name of the house to Yu Dayou's.
At first, Lu Tianda objected, asking why the ownership wasn't changed to the Wu family's. Wu Sheng said he would have to sell it to redeem the bracelet. If Lu Tianda wasn't happy, he could just file a complaint tomorrow.
When Lu Tianda saw that these people said that they could get it with just over three or two taels, he thought that they could naturally afford the money needed to sue the authorities tomorrow, so he pressed his fingerprints in hatred.
This room completely became Yu Dayou's.
After Fang Shu confirmed that there was no problem with the deed, several people went to Chengxin Pawnshop.
When Yu Qinglong arrived, he asked to see silver hairpins and bracelets, something simple and old-fashioned.
The shopkeeper then took out all the pawned items in the store.
Yu Qinglong saw Wu Sheng shaking his head and knew that there was no one, so he asked the shopkeeper, "Is there nothing else?"
The shopkeeper changed his mind and took out three more sticks. Yu Qinglong picked them up one by one to examine them, and then heard Wu Sheng say, "Little brother, the second one looks good."
Yu Qinglong asked the shopkeeper how much the bracelet cost. The shopkeeper replied, "Ten taels of silver."
Yu Qinglong said with a smile, "Are you opening the door to rob people?"
He weighed the bracelet and said, "This thing is worth at most two taels. If you ask for ten taels, I'm afraid you're not sincere in selling it."
The shopkeeper said, "Little brother, you don't know this. This thing was originally a living pawn. You think it's not worth it, but there are people who think it's worth it."
Yu Qinglong took out the pawn ticket and shook it in front of the shopkeeper: "Are you talking about this?"
He tore up the pawn ticket in front of the shopkeeper: "Then you will have to wait patiently. The person who pawned this bracelet originally valued it as a keepsake. But now, it is no longer a keepsake. Is it still worth that much money? Shoucheng, Changjie, let's go back. Let's go to another store."
"Wait a minute!" the shopkeeper asked, "How much can you offer?"
"Three taels at most," Yu Qinglong said. "This bracelet isn't some exquisite workmanship. It can be made anywhere with money. The labor cost is only two qian of silver at most. Although I like it, I can't be taken advantage of."
"Three ounces is too little."
"Okay, you can keep it and sell it slowly." Yu Qinglong left without looking back.
When the shopkeeper saw that they had really gone far away, he became more and more anxious.
This bracelet was actually worth only two and a half taels at most, as it wasn't a difficult design to make, so it wasn't that valuable. Furthermore, the owner of the bracelet had come to ask about it, but when they heard he wanted a minimum of ten taels, they disappeared.
He had only dared to raise the price several times because he saw that the family was so eager to buy the item. He had done a lot of this kind of business before, and it almost always worked. He thought these people would come in a few days, but no one came to ask.
Or just sell it? That way you can make a couple of taels of silver!
The shopkeeper thought about it and told his clerk to chase him out: "Ask if four taels is okay! If not, we'll give you three taels."
The young man quickly ran out to catch up with Yu Qinglong: "Wait! Wait for this young master!"
Yu Qinglong turned around: "Brother, is there anything else?"
The clerk said, "Our boss asked me to ask you if you would like four ounces."
Yu Qinglong smiled and looked at Chengxin Pawnshop. Seeing the shopkeeper looking at them with a sly look, he moved to a corner where they couldn't see him. He quickly gave the clerk ten coins and said, "I'll pay a maximum of three taels and one coin. If you can handle this, I'll give you the remaining coin privately. You can come to me at the Tianxing Inn tonight and pick it up. Okay?"
The young man said, "Okay, I trust you."
After that, he invited someone to the counter and whispered, "Boss, it's just three taels. They won't pay a penny more."
The shopkeeper gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, give it to them!"
The young man was secretly happy to have done this and gave the bracelet to Yu Qinglong. Yu Qinglong took it and asked Wu Sheng to carefully identify it. After confirming that it was his grandmother's relic, he paid for it, took the purchase receipt, and returned to the inn.
The three of them sat down in Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu's room and ordered the best food on the table.
During this time, Wu Sheng looked at Yu Qinglong as if he had seen a ghost.
He never expected that he could redeem the bracelet for just over three taels of silver.
Now this is equivalent to spending less than seven taels of silver, getting a big house, and getting back the silver bracelet.
In other words, excluding the tax, the house only cost a little over four taels.
This is simply like robbing money! More than four taels may not even be enough to buy a thatched house, after all, there is still money for the homestead.
Fang Shu had seen her husband's skills before, so she wasn't shocked anymore. Every time a dish was served, he would put it into Yu Qinglong's bowl first.
He also peeled shrimps for Yu Qinglong and served him like an ancestor.
"Long'er, eat slowly. I'll peel it. This pig's trotter is very soft and sticky. Have a piece."
"Well, I want another flower roll."
"Okay." Fang Shu picked out the largest and most beautiful plate and gave it to Yu Qinglong.
"By the way," Yu Qinglong said at this time, "Changjie, how much do you want to sell the house to us?"
"What else do I need? If you hadn't come, this bracelet of mine would most likely never have seen the light of day."
He had come on his own, and didn't think about all the twists and turns. He'd actually believed the Lu family's claim that the money was lost. Although he was furious, the most he could think of was to demand an extra two taels of silver as compensation. Even two taels might be enough, as he couldn't spend much time in the county town. If the Lu family simply refused to return the money, he probably wouldn't be able to do anything.
He couldn't bring himself to sue someone. It wasn't because he still remembered the old friendship, but because he felt that if he did, it would be very embarrassing, so he wouldn't use it as a threat at all.
So if it weren't for Yu Qinglong, he would most likely not have gotten the bracelet. The house was just an extra thing.
Yu Qinglong said, "That's impossible. The house is directly in my father's name. I'm only doing this to save money because I'll have to pay taxes again if I transfer the ownership. Thank you for trusting me."
Wu Sheng smiled and said, "That's a bit too formal. Shoucheng and I grew up together, so if I can trust him, I can trust you too. I have to thank you for this. My mother values that bracelet very much. She loved Lu Honglin so much back then that she was willing to give it to him as a token of love. Who knew they wouldn't cherish it so much?"
Yu Qinglong said, "They were blind. But at least they got it back. So I'll just round it up and pay you ten taels of silver. His family has been holding you back for so long, so they deserve some compensation."
Wu Sheng felt that compensation was irreparable. How could money replace the love and effort he had put into it? Moreover, he felt that if he took the money, he would be taking his brother's money, and he felt uneasy about keeping it.
Yu Qinglong was very persistent and even asked Wu Sheng if he thought the money was too little.
Wu Sheng finally couldn't resist and accepted six taels and nine cents.
What he meant was to deduct the three taels and one qian for the bracelet from the ten taels.
Yu Qinglong naturally had no objection. But in the blink of an eye, Fang Shu had piled his bowls into a small mountain.
Fang Shu said, "Eat it quickly, honey, or it will get cold."
Yu Qinglong saw that all the food was his favorite, and he felt a special sense of satisfaction when he ate until his belly was round.
At night, Wu Sheng returned to his room, and Fang Shu asked for another bucket of hot water, and then took out the precious little basin that they always brought with them when going out.
Yu Qinglong lay on his side on the bed, watching him pouring water. He found it very interesting, so he said, "Husband."
Fang Shu said "Hmm?" without even turning his head.
Yu Qinglong said: "I like you."
Fang Shu said, "I like it too. My baby Long Ge'er is my favorite in the whole world. Lie down quickly. The water is ready. I will help you wash tonight."
Yu Qinglong was speechless: "How are you going to help me wash this? Be careful not to get water all over the bed."
Fang Shu said, "Why don't you just move your butt off the bed? It won't get wet."
That would be too shameful. Yu Qinglong thought about it and couldn't do it. But as soon as he sat up and was about to go to the place to guard, he pulled down his pants.
…
When Yu Qinglong crawled into bed, his ears were unusually red.
This scholar has learned bad things.
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The author has something to say: Fang Shu: Husband, I will serve you for the rest of my life [Let me Kang Kang]
Qinglong: Good boy, you still have to be a good person [hug]
Fang Shu: Then I will pass the imperial examination and serve you, that would make me successful, right? [Sunglasses]
Qinglong: If you say there is, then there is [laughing and crying]
Fang Shu: Aunts, if you don’t give me some snacks, how will my baby grow up? [Please] Help me [empty bowl][empty bowl][empty bowl]
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