Chapter 20 Liu Sijun
Meng Yutong suppressed the turmoil in her heart, keeping her expression unchanged. Her eyes quickly swept across the opposite side, and sure enough, Achang was gone. Only Zheng Hui was still leaning against the door frame, his gaze wandering off somewhere else.
She immediately untied the jade gourd from her waist, wrapped it tightly with a plain handkerchief, and said in a voice filled with barely concealed urgency and sadness, "I'm sorry, this really can't wait. Could you please make a trip to Helelou, young master? After Mr. Liu finishes his drinking and returns, could you please ask him to take a look at this for me?"
She lowered her eyes, her voice trembling slightly: "This is... left by my mother. She was also from Qinzhou, and today... happens to be the anniversary of her death. I want to take it to her grave..."
"Oh dear, young lady!" Cui Dacheng saw that her eyes were red and he wrung his hands anxiously, his dark face turning red. "Don't worry! Please don't worry! Just wait here, I'll go and find the young master right away!"
Before the words were even finished, he had already darted out from behind the counter and shouted something incoherently at Zheng Hui by the door: "Manager Zheng! Please keep an eye on things for me! I'll be right back!"
Before Zheng Hui could respond, Cui Dacheng had already swept out the door like a gust of wind and disappeared without a trace.
Meng Yutong followed closely behind, nodding slightly as she passed Zheng Hui, then hurried after Cui Dacheng's retreating figure.
"Hey? Cui Dacheng! Who gave you permission?!" Zheng Hui pointed in the direction the two had disappeared, hands on his hips, spitting out a curse, "What bad luck!"
A sinister glint flashed in his eyes. Don't ruin his good time!
Cui Dacheng was a burly man with a fiery temper, his steps swift and powerful. Meng Yutong, lifting her skirt, followed closely behind, struggling quite a bit.
Before long, the two stopped one after the other in front of Hele Building.
Three-tiered eaves and bracket sets, a vermilion plaque with gold lettering hangs high, carriages and horses bustle in front of the door, and waiters shuttle back and forth like a woven tapestry.
Inside the building, the sounds of string and wind instruments and the boisterous urging to drink filled the air, making it one of the most lively places in Lin'an City.
Unaware that Meng Yutong was following behind, Cui Dacheng paused briefly at the door before striding into the lobby, inquiring about Liu Sijun's private room, and then hurried up to the second floor.
Inside the private room on the second floor, the air was thick with the smell of alcohol, and the clamor of people urging each other to drink almost lifted the roof off.
Surrounded by the crowd, Liu Sijun sat in the main seat, his hand supporting his forehead, his head slowly drooping onto the table.
"Young master, today is your birthday, how come you're so useless?" Cui Ercheng raised his cup and laughed loudly, his voice like a bell.
"This is nothing! A few cups of wine and you're already all spineless?" Mei San curled his lip, his disdain undisguised.
Liu Sijun let out a loud hiccup, waving his hand with feigned strength, "Who, who's drunk? Let me... catch my breath..."
Just then, Ah Chang crouched down, slipping like an eel to Liu Sijun's side, clutching two thin sheets of contract paper in his hand. His voice was dry and strained: "Young Master Liu, please, have some mercy and take a moment to sign this supplementary contract. I'll be able to go back and... hand it in..."
His heart pounded like a drum, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead, soaking his temples.
Liu Sijun was dizzy from the smell of alcohol and just wanted some peace and quiet. Hearing this, he waved his hand impatiently.
Achang felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly handed over the contract. Although Liu Sijun was drunk, his businessman's instincts were still intact.
He pushed aside the mess of cups and plates in front of him, and under the bright glass palace lanterns hanging in the four corners of the private room, he squinted his drunken eyes and carefully examined each line.
Hmm... in black and white, it is indeed exactly the same as the one that was first signed.
"Your manager Zheng... is so careless," he mumbled incoherently. "The contract was signed just seven days ago, and now it's... nowhere to be found?"
Liu Sijun smoothed the paper with his fingertips, took the wolf-hair brush that Achang tremblingly handed him, dipped the brush tip in ink, and hung it at the bottom of the contract.
"The shopkeeper has been busy lately, so perhaps he was negligent for a moment," Ah Chang's voice was so faint that it was almost inaudible, with an uncontrollable tremor.
"Bang!" The door to the private room was suddenly slammed open with great force! Cui Dacheng rushed in like a black whirlwind, taking three steps in two to reach Liu Sijun, the wind he created almost overturning Achang.
Liu Sijun's hand trembled, and the ink spot spread into a small blot.
His eyes were blurry with drunkenness as he looked up blankly: "What...did something happen at the shop?"
Cui Dacheng bumped into the still-shaken Achang, making him stumble, and shouted urgently, "Young Master! Come back to the shop with me quickly! A young lady has brought some important jade pieces and insists that you take a look!"
Ah Chang finally regained his footing, then angrily shouted, "Cui Dacheng! What's wrong with you! How dare you disturb the young master's drinking pleasure with such a trivial matter?!"
Amidst the commotion, a bright and beautiful figure stepped calmly through the open door into the noisy place, stopping beside Cui Dacheng. She gave a slight bow to the person in the main seat and said in a clear voice, "Young Master Liu."
When Cui Dacheng saw that she had come along, he quickly recited Meng Yutong's explanation of "mother's belongings," "old friends in Qinzhou," and "today's death anniversary" again.
Upon hearing this, everyone sighed, put down their wine cups and teacups, and urged Liu Sijun in unison, "Young Master, please help this young lady!"
Meng Yutong handed over the item wrapped in the plain handkerchief.
Liu Sijun, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, lifted a corner of the handkerchief, revealing an inconspicuous jade gourd inside.
The moment his gaze fell upon the jade gourd, his drunkenness seemed to dissipate somewhat.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze lingering on Meng Yutong's bright yet serene face for a long while before he spoke, his voice much deeper than before:
"May I ask your name, young lady?"
"Meng Yutong".
"I am..." He paused, his voice low and solemn, "Liu Sijun."
This unusual solemnity and gaze took on a different meaning in the eyes of the group of burly men around them.
"Hey! Young master, have you been bewitched by this beauty from Jiangnan?" Cui Ercheng winked and started the commotion.
“Exactly! Look at how wide their eyes are! Aren’t they afraid of scaring people?” Mei San also slapped the table and laughed.
Laughter erupted in the private room, as everyone assumed that their young master had been captivated by the stunning beauty who had suddenly appeared.
As A-Chang listened to the two exchange names, his heart pounded even harder. He forced half his head through the crowd and urged in a trembling voice, "Young Master Liu, could you please take some time to sign this contract? That way, I can go back and report."
Meng Yutong glanced at the contract on the table, pausing on the part about profit sharing.
'The profits will be distributed to Bazhenfang at a rate of 30%.'
It seems there's no problem...
Still harboring doubts, she took a half-step forward without making a sound, and casually placed one hand on the table behind her.
With a flick of her fingertips, she subtly lifted a corner of the contract, and using her wide sleeves as cover, she secretly slipped one of the documents into her sleeves and hid it away.
Everyone was looking at Liu Sijun, and no one noticed her actions.
With the contract in hand, Meng Yutong raised her eyes, her gaze clear and sharp as she looked at Achang. Her voice was calm and resolute: "Young man, when I came here just now, I seemed to see Manager Zheng looking anxious, searching for you everywhere. It must be something extremely urgent."
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