Yujiao Pavilion is one of the best jewelry stores in Wushuang City. Its styles keep up with the fashion trends in Beijing and are very popular among ladies.
Everyone in the shop saw Xihe and the others when they came in. Because they were unfamiliar and well-dressed, everyone thought they came for the jewelry store's reputation. But who knew that the beautiful lady walked up to Miss Lin and spoke to her.
Everyone looked at each other in confusion, and the shopkeeper was even more confused. Who is this person?
He was just about to ask a few questions when the young lady took out a purple jade token and said, "Prepare a private room. I would like to do business with this young lady."
Looking closely, he saw the word "Cheng" written in the middle of the jade plaque, which was exactly the same as his sandalwood plaque.
The shopkeeper's face trembled, and he hurried forward: "Boss, why are you here? Li Er didn't inform me... Hurry up, hurry up and prepare the private room!" He smiled and said to the confused Miss Lin.
"Ms. Lin, let me introduce you to the owner of my Yujiao Pavilion. You can call her Owner Cheng."
Xihe gestured towards Miss Lin, who looked stunned. "Miss Lin, please."
The group arrived at the private room on the second floor and took their seats. Miss Lin was still in a daze. "Mr. Cheng?" Wasn't that the Cheng family, with countless shops and a wealth comparable to that of the imperial merchants? It was said that the head of the family was a woman. Could it be this person? But what did she want to talk to me about?
Miss Lin was a little embarrassed. "I don't know what Mr. Cheng meant by wanting to do business with me?"
"I, I'm just an ordinary person. I've never been involved in business before. I might disappoint Mr. Cheng."
Xihe gestured for her to drink tea and said, "No hurry, Miss, take a look at the jewelry first."
After a while, the shopkeeper came in with several maids, each holding a plate, and on each plate was placed jewelry, jade hairpins, earrings, and pearl flowers. Each piece was exquisitely crafted and worth a lot of money.
As soon as Miss Lin saw it, her eyes were glued to it. She had never seen such a good thing.
The shopkeeper introduced: "These things are to be sent to the palace for the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the concubines of the various palaces. Miss Lin, you must choose carefully."
When Miss Lin heard this, she became even more excited. Her father was just a civil servant in the government office, with only a few taels of silver every month. The family's food and drink depended on her mother's dowry. She often came to Yujiao Pavilion just to look around, and it was a great achievement for her to buy one or two pieces a year, not to mention these kinds of jewelry that only concubines could wear.
Miss Lin liked it very much, but she was also smart and knew that no one would give her such a good thing for no reason.
'Do a business',
She wasn't sure if what she had was worth the price.
Miss Lin hesitated. "I wonder what business Mr. Cheng is talking about?" She couldn't help but think of her father's position as a bookkeeper. It was just about managing household registration. Could it be involved in something else? She felt uneasy.
Xihe's eyes fell on her neck and he said directly, "I want the pendant on Miss Lin's neck. I wonder if Miss Lin is willing to give it up?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room subconsciously looked at Miss Lin's neck.
Miss Lin was stunned and covered her mouth involuntarily: "Pendant?"
Xihe nodded and pointed at the maids lined up in a row: "As long as Miss Lin is willing, these things are all yours." This time, not only Miss Lin, but even the shopkeeper couldn't help but gasp.
Boss, what a big deal!
If these things were converted into silver, they would be worth at least several thousand taels of silver!
Miss Lin was so stunned that she felt dizzy. She never expected that such a lucky thing would happen to her.
She took a deep breath. "Boss Cheng? Are you telling the truth? Are you not lying to me?"
Xihe smiled and said, "I have the shopkeeper as my witness. I am not lying to you."
Miss Lin nodded, took out the pendant and put it on the table without saying a word, saying: "I'll do this deal!" It's just a little gadget anyway, so she put it on because she liked it. It's worth it to be able to exchange it for so many things.
Xihe picked it up and looked at it carefully, and Fulu's hands on his knees suddenly clenched.
Xihe didn't notice anything and handed it to Fulu. Fulu immediately grasped it in his palm. He didn't expect that it would be so easy to get it.
Miss Lin's face flushed with excitement, but she managed to remain calm. The maid beside her was so happy that she jumped for joy. The master and servant wanted to go home immediately, but Xihe had something to ask: "Miss Lin, can you tell me where you got this?"
"This item belongs to my Cheng family, but it was stolen by thieves and lost outside. I happened to find it here today..."
Miss Lin waved her hands hurriedly: "I didn't steal it, it wasn't me!!"
She explained how she got it in a lucid manner. It turned out that this item was brought back from the government office by Lin Zhubu. She liked it and asked for it to keep. She was eager to explain, "My father didn't steal it. He must have taken it back when he saw no one wanted it..."
The more he explained, the more anxious he became, for he was afraid that Mr. Cheng would report his father to the government and charge him with stealing public property.
Xihe waved his hand, signaling her to calm down. "Don't worry, Miss Lin. I just want to find out the reason. I don't mean to pursue you. Chief Lin is honest and upright, and he would definitely not do such a thing."
After a thorough explanation, she finally calmed the man down, and then she asked if she could introduce him to Lin Zhubu.
Miss Lin was already feeling a little regretful at this time, fearing that she had brought trouble to her father. However, she was in a difficult situation at the moment. Mr. Cheng looked like he wanted to find out everything, so she had to agree reluctantly. Even Xihe's promise to allow her to come to Yujiao Pavilion every month to choose a piece of jewelry could not make her happy.
The Lin family's master and servant left dejectedly. Xihe turned to look at Fulu: "How is it?"
Fu Lu stared at the finger-long antler in his palm, from which emanated a strong divine power. He raised his hand and placed it lightly on his head. In an instant, the antler disappeared from his hand.
Xihe stood up and stared at his head carefully: "Where is it? Why can't I see it?"
There was nothing among the messy white hair that was like dead grass. Xihe was about to pick it up. Fulu stood up and took two steps back, unwilling to talk more: "I want to rest."
After opening the door, the shopkeeper who had been waiting outside for a long time immediately and affectionately escorted him to the backyard to rest.
Fulu did not come out during dinner. It was not until the next morning that Xihe saw him in the yard. He was still the old man with white hair and chicken skin, wearing a green jacket and always with his eyes downcast, no different from usual.
Xihe sighed. The antlers had been cut open, making the search more difficult.
At noon, the shopkeeper came back to report that they had invited Master Lin, so the group rushed to the only inn still open in the city. As soon as they entered the door, they saw Master Lin sitting in the room drinking tea. He was forty years old, with regular features and a gentle and calm temperament.
After three rounds of drinks, Xihe didn't beat around the bush and asked Lin Zhubu directly where he got the thing.
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