Akiyama's tone was very wistful.
He knew these thoughts were just wishful thinking on his part, but he never imagined that the accident would come so suddenly.
Without any preparation, they were all sold off. If they hadn't tried to save themselves, the brothers would have been separated by the ends of the earth long ago.
“Yes,” the accountant said with a sigh, “Wuweilou, although it is not owned by the master, we have long regarded it as our own child. It’s our incompetence that we couldn’t keep it, and we would like to redeem it.”
The problem is, they don't have any money.
Such a large restaurant, in such a good location, must cost at least a thousand taels of silver.
In the past, they could still manage to piece things together, but now, they can barely support themselves.
"Manager, do you have any ideas?" Hua Niang had a feeling. "If we can redeem them, everyone will remember you for a great service."
"How can you talk like that, woman?" the cook said, displeased. "I'm not trying to make things difficult for the manager."
The moment he finished speaking, a sharp pain shot through his waist, and the cook chuckled awkwardly, “Actually, that makes a lot of sense.”
"Cook, you coward, you've made us men lose all face," Qiushan couldn't stand it anymore. "Hua Niang, give the cook some face in front of outsiders."
This woman is so rude and uncouth, she even dared to lay a hand on her own man. She should be divorced and replaced with a gentle and beautiful one.
However, thinking of the kitchen knife in Hua Niang's hand, he suppressed these words in his heart and dared not utter a single one.
"Are you outsiders?"
“Of course we’re not,” the accountant said, speechless. “But you’re the same as you are outside.”
The cook appears to be fat and chubby, but he is actually honest, straightforward, and a little cowardly. They used to worry that he would be bullied, but later they discovered that he would only be bullied by his own wife.
"Is that so?" Hua Niang pursed her lips. "You'll get used to it."
Who does it bother if I manage my own man? Everyone's so disapproving; they're all spoiled.
Sure enough, I still need to take some time to talk to my sisters-in-law. Men shouldn't be spoiled; the more you spoil them, the more arrogant they become!
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, glanced at the cook with sympathy, and then stopped wasting their time.
"Alright," Manager Jin coughed lightly, "let's get back to business."
"Shopkeeper, do you really have a way?" the accountant asked excitedly.
“You all know the Huang family’s current status. They have better access to information than we do. I got the information from them that I can go to the Western Regions to do business with others.”
"Going to the Western Regions to do business?"
Everyone's expression changed drastically.
Everyone knows that spices from the Western Regions are profitable, but very few people actually dare to take that idea.
Not only is the journey fraught with peril, but thieves also roam the roads, and you might end up failing at the last minute just before you reach your doorstep.
"Can this work?" Qiu Shan's face darkened. "Doing business in the Western Regions is not easy; you'll often have to risk your life."
Even so, it doesn't guarantee you'll make money.
“There are indeed risks,” Manager Jin’s voice held a hint of excitement, “but if we succeed, we can buy Wuweilou.”
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
The temptation was too great for them, and none of them could resist it decisively.
After a long while, Hua Niang asked curiously, "How is the Jin family doing now?"
After leaving the county town, she had not inquired about the Jin family for a long time.
At this moment, I really want to know the answer to this question, though I don't know why myself.
“We’ve reached a dead end,” Manager Jin shook his head, “The only thing we haven’t sold is our ancestral home.”
"Is this retribution?" Qiushan sneered. "The rich are heartless, they deserve it!"
Even though they were servants, they had worked diligently for their master for decades, only to be sold off overnight. The shopkeeper was even nearly killed because of them.
“They certainly deserve it,” the accountant said thoughtfully. “Most of the Jin family’s trivial matters are handled by us servants. What can they do? Eat, drink, gamble, and whore?”
“Exactly,” Qiushan chuckled mischievously, “After selling us servants, shouldn’t the next step be to sell themselves? The two pampered young ladies in the manor are worth far more than us roughnecks.”
Upon hearing this, Manager Jin's expression became complicated. "They're already married, and not to any good families. Don't mention them again."
Manager Jin was also very shocked when he learned of this news.
The lady valued her reputation above all else, yet in order to pay off her son's gambling debts, she demanded an extra dowry and sold her daughter to someone else as a concubine!
It would be better to just break Jin Yu's legs to prevent him from going out and squandering money, thus eliminating any future trouble.
"To be a concubine?" Hua Niang asked knowingly.
“Yes,” Manager Jin didn’t want to say more, “Don’t ask any more questions, it has nothing to do with us.”
He only knew these things by chance, not because he specifically sought to know them.
From the moment they were redeemed, the Jin family had no further connection with them.
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
After a long silence, Hua Niang spoke up, "I think we should go and try our luck in the Western Regions."
"Wife," the cook nervously tugged at her sleeve, "don't talk nonsense."
Manager Jin ignored the cook and looked directly at Hua Niang, "Tell me your reasons."
“It can make money,” Hua Niang stated her reasoning without hesitation. “The money we earn now is indeed enough to cover our expenses, but have you thought about what will happen in a few years when the children grow up and need to support the family? Will that money still be enough?”
Hua Niang and her husband only have two children, a boy and a girl, one twelve and one eleven, both of whom are of marriageable age, so they are particularly sensitive about this issue.
She had been worrying about the future, and when she heard about the Western Regions, she instinctively wanted to seize the opportunity.
There are risks in everything you do. You can choke to death even when you're drinking water or eating. Why not just take a gamble and try your luck? If you succeed, you can earn back the money you spent on buying Wuweilou and your retirement savings.
If we fail, it's nothing more than death.
Their lives were worthless to begin with.
“You can’t say that,” the accountant strongly disagreed. “If we work slowly, we’ll definitely earn more and more money, and even when the children grow up, we can still make sure they have enough to eat and wear.”
"Qiushan," Manager Jin asked, "what's your opinion?"
After hesitating for a long time, Qiushan gritted his teeth and asked, "Shopkeeper, is the Huang family also going to the Western Regions?"
"Barring any unforeseen circumstances," Manager Jin said, revealing his thoughts after several days of consideration. "I suggest we go with them, not for any other reason than to at least redeem Wuweilou."
Upon hearing this, everyone hesitated.
Just then, there was a loud thud in the courtyard, and everyone immediately became alert.
"Who is it?" Manager Jin walked out with a solemn expression. "Come out!"
“Father,” Jin Yong pointed to the corner of the wall, his voice trembling slightly, “there seems to be someone there.”
Following the direction his son pointed, Manager Jin also spotted the figure lying on the ground and walked over with a stick in his hand.
“Many knife wounds,” Qiushan pointed to the man’s clothes. “Shopkeeper, we can’t keep this man alive!”
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