Shopping begins in Chapter 82
Yu Jingchen stopped the car and took Fu Yanle to Feiyu Zhai.
Feiyu Zhai is a century-old shop in the southern part of the city, spanning three floors and specializing in antiques, jewelry, and cheongsams. It opens at 3 PM and closes at 8 PM every day, rain or shine. The current owner is Du Jiuwei, a handsome young man who is notoriously stingy and a sycophantic miser.
Du Jiuwei is an old-fashioned person who can't keep up with technological advancements. He likes playing with an abacus but dislikes calculators. Feiyuzhai keeps an account book every year. Since his grandfather, they have been doing the accounting every day. Now that he is the boss, they only do it at the end of the year.
When Yu Jingchen and Fu Yanle entered, Du Jiuwei was sitting on a recliner behind a bamboo curtain, dressed in a blue robe. He held an account book in his left hand and quickly fiddled with a Hetian white jade abacus on his lap with his right. Upon seeing this, Yu Jingchen called out, "Jiu'er."
Du Jiuwei immediately put down his abacus, patted his long robe, and without looking, walked up to Yu Jingchen, bowed slightly, and said with a smile, "I was wondering why the magpies were chirping this morning. It turns out they were telling me to bathe and burn incense to welcome our two distinguished guests."
“What are you burning? You reek of money,” Yu Jingchen said.
Du Jiuwei straightened up, smiling obsequiously, "As long as it doesn't bother you two, any smell is fine."
Fu Yanle chuckled and said, "Anything good lately?"
“Of course I have one. Please come with me.” Du Jiuwei turned and walked upstairs. “Agarwood bracelet, 1.4cm, 15 beads, single-strand bracelet, black oil agarwood. Old Master Lu doesn’t like it, but Old Master Yu should like it.”
Du Jiuwei led the two to the third floor, picked out a box from the wooden shelf, opened it, and said, "This is it."
Fu Yanle put on gloves, picked up the string of beads and examined it, saying, "The wood grain is fine, and the oil content is obvious." He weighed it in his hand and looked at Yu Jingchen, "Brother Chen, what do you think?"
Yu Jingchen said, "That's right."
“Okay.” Fu Yanle put down the bracelet. “I’ll take this. Do you have any walnuts here? I’ll buy a couple for the old man. If other old men have them, my old man should have them too.”
"Walnuts are quite common, and I naturally have plenty here, but I only display the rarest ones." Du Jiuwei led the two behind the shelves and pointed to the four-tiered cabinet in the middle. "These are all here."
Yu Jingchen glanced at them, pointed to the pair in the middle of the upper layer, and said, "The pillars are well-formed, the patterns are deep, and they are full and well-proportioned. This pair is good."
"Mr. Yu has excellent taste!" Du Jiuwei gave a thumbs up. "This type has always been a rare item, and in recent years it has become even rarer to find a pair, especially a four-sided one. This is a treasure among treasures. A customer used to come and look at it every day, but he couldn't bring himself to buy it. It seems this was meant to belong to Old Master Lu!"
“That’s right, this kind of good stuff should belong to my old man.” Fu Yanle tugged at the tip of his glove. “I’ll take it.”
Du Jiuwei's eyes gleamed with golden light as he complimented, "You two are truly discerning and straightforward people!"
"boss!"
At the top of the stairs, a young apprentice from the Feiyuzhai family called out and whispered, "That ancestor is here again. He didn't even get out of his car and specifically asked you to come and get the job."
"Damn it, coming to my door during the New Year is really bad luck." Du Jiuwei's face changed. "Do you think I'm short of money? I'm not taking it. Tell him to get lost and stop blocking my business."
Could a penny-pincher who's only interested in money say something like that? Fu Yanle raised an eyebrow slightly.
The young waiter looked distressed. "Why don't you go down and talk to me? The bodyguards at the car door look fierce, I wouldn't dare go!"
Du Jiuwei angrily cursed: "You're spineless!"
The young waiter said, "You're promising, you go ahead."
"I...didn't you see I was entertaining a distinguished guest?" Du Jiuwei turned around, glanced at Yu Jingchen who was flipping through a catalog, and suddenly an idea came to him. He took two steps toward Yu Jingchen and smiled obsequiously, "President Yu, we've known each other for over ten years, haven't we?"
Yu Jingchen didn't even look at him and said, "I'm afraid I'll recognize Jiu'er, but Jiu'er only recognizes money."
"What are you saying!" Du Jiuwei flicked his sleeve. "Brother Jingchen, please do me the honor of coming downstairs and helping me get rid of that troublesome ancestor. I'll give you a 20% discount today. I know you two are not short of money, but this is a token of my brother's appreciation. Please give me a chance to show my filial piety."
"20% off?" Fu Yanle stared in disbelief. "What kind of disaster could possibly warrant such a statement from our young boss, Mr. Du?"
It's worth noting that after Du Jiuwei inherited his father's business, he entertained so many regular customers, but he only gave Fu Yanle a discount once. At that time, he had a favor to ask, but Du Jiuwei gritted his teeth and only said 9.9% off. His expression was so pained that Fu Yanle once thought that if he lost that 0.1%, Feiyuzhai would go bankrupt.
Yu Jingchen was also quite surprised and asked, "Who's downstairs?"
"Speaking of which, he has a connection with you as well," Du Jiuwei paused, "He is Lou Beiming."
"Holy crap!" Fu Yanle instinctively took half a step back, his face filled with horror. "I understand you now, Jiu'er! Brother Chen, hurry up and get him out of here!"
Yu Jingchen chuckled and pinched his cheek. "Why are you so afraid? You've offended someone."
"I'll never forget the day Lou Beiming came to visit my grandfather. I was ten years old, and Lou Beiming was eighteen. My grandfather said with a grin, 'Ming'er, come and train these two little brats of mine.' Lu Minghe and I had just gotten into position when Lou Beiming swept us down with a single leg kick! But that's not the worst part. What's really sad is that I was young and arrogant back then, full of fighting spirit. I got up and shouted, 'You fucking sneak attack! I can kill you all by myself!' As a result, Lou Beiming beat me up with one hand for a full two minutes. I was bedridden for two days, and it felt like I was witnessing the end of the world!"
Fu Yanle tremblingly grabbed Yu Jingchen's arm, his eyebrows furrowed like caterpillars.
"Brother Chen, he's my childhood nightmare!"
Yu Jingchen squeezed Fu Yanle's hand tenderly and said, "Don't be afraid. You were only beaten by him once when you were a child, but Yanqi was beaten by him as he grew up."
"...Wow." Fu Yanle swallowed hard. "Has your brother had a full physical exam in the past few years? Is he healthy? Is the Yanqi we know now the real Yanqi?"
“He’s perfectly healthy.” Yu Jingchen rubbed the back of Fu Yanle’s head. “Alright, you continue choosing gifts. I’ll go downstairs and help you smooth things over with him.”
Fu Yanle exclaimed, "Brother Chen, you've turned into a ray of light!"
Du Jiuwei was overjoyed: "Living Buddha, you saved my dog's life!"
Yu Jingchen sighed, turned around and went downstairs, his back view practically screaming "handsome."
“My brother Chen is a reliable adult man.” Fu Yanle patted Du Jiuwei’s shoulder reassuringly, but was shocked to find Du Jiuwei tense all over. “So scared? Did you pee on Lou Beiming’s head?”
Du Jiuwei chuckled listlessly, "He's so much taller than me, do you think I'd fly?"
"Given Lou Beiming's combat prowess, he could have snapped your invisible wings the moment you took off." Fu Yanle was extremely curious and guessed, "Did you sell him a fake?"
Du Jiuwei: "Even if I'm so poor I have to fight dogs for shit, I still won't sell counterfeit goods!"
"Okay," Fu Yanle said, "That means we're going to steal his woman!"
Du Jiuwei: "I'm still an innocent boy who hasn't yet fallen in love!"
"Why is that?!" Fu Yanle was completely baffled. "Lou Beiming stays in the military region year-round, while you're stuck in this three-story building every day. You two don't even live in the same city, so what could you possibly have in common?"
Du Jiuwei sighed deeply, "I slept with him."
"..." Fu Yanle gasped.
“To be precise,” Du Jiuwei pointed to his dark circles, “I forced him to sleep with me.”
"..." Fu Yanle took a full step back and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure you... slept with him?!"
Du Jiuwei said confidently, "Of course, I'm on top!"
Fu Yanle plopped down on the sandalwood chair behind him and said in a low voice, "Up or down doesn't matter, may I ask... is it inside or outside?"
"..." Du Jiuwei suddenly turned his head, "If I were inside him, I should already be a grave."
Upon hearing this, Fu Yanle let out a long sigh. "I knew it! Lou Beiming—the number one top in Beicheng in my heart, how could he possibly… Sigh! No, isn't it you who's at a disadvantage if you say that? You're a pure boy who hasn't yet experienced love!"
"This is what you call reaping what you sow, asking for trouble, and getting what you deserve!" Du Jiuwei suddenly turned around, knelt on one knee on Fu Yanle's shoes, and said earnestly, "Brother Fu, really, we've known each other for more than ten years, haven't we?"
"..." Fu Yanle swallowed hard. "Why don't you go and beg my brother Chen?"
Du Jiuwei said, "I can see that Brother Jingchen has fallen for you. He has to do whatever you ask. Brother Jingchen and Lou Beiming are old acquaintances. I heard that the eldest son of the Yan family is considered half a student of Lou Beiming. Their relationship is quite deep. Brother, as long as you help me get it done, I'll give you a lifetime free card! Really, as long as my Feiyuzhai doesn't go bankrupt and I, Du Jiuwei, am still the boss, I'll give you a free card."
Du Jiuwei's words were tantamount to Fu Yanle saying: I don't want this stunningly handsome face anymore!
Fu Yanle blinked, then patted Du Jiuwei's head with a hint of pity. "My darling, actually, Lou Beiming won't kill you, at least. Why don't you take a bath, burn incense, and go to his door on your own initiative—"
"I'll go to his door and get him!" Du Jiuwei collapsed, clutching his head. "To be honest, I haven't slept a wink since he found me, really! If this keeps up, I'm going to die of exhaustion!"
"They're not here to scare you every day, you can close your eyes."
"He comes every day!"
"Holy crap!" Fu Yanle immediately stood up and quickly opened the catalog. "Wrap up this white jade plum blossom carved incense box and the famille rose flower and bird vase for me, and deliver them to the Lu family later. Hurry up and pay the bill and leave. I won't be passing through this street for a while."
Du Jiuwei cried out "Heartless!" and grabbed Fu Yanle, saying, "Brother, brother, brother, brother—"
"Stop!" Fu Yanle raised his hand to stop him.
“Don’t stop,” Du Jiuwei said. “Hey, brother, I just made a long gown. You’ll look absolutely dashing in it. Just stand in front of Brother Jingchen, and I guarantee he’ll be head of the household. From now on, you’ll be the one in charge of this family!”
"Oh?" Fu Yanle was slightly intrigued. "Really?"
Du Jiuwei secretly thought, "This is promising!" and quickly said, "It's more real than gold! You know, young couples need to have a little fun every now and then, right? I know you can buy these elsewhere, but you know my craftsmanship. I made all those necklaces you had before, and that sundress you bought last time, I made it too!"
"Me?" Fu Yanle lifted his chin. "I do love your handiwork. Okay, send the clothes to Lihong Avenue. I'll go back and discuss it with Brother Chen, but I can't guarantee the outcome!"
Du Jiuwei immediately released him, "Thank you, Living Buddha!"
Fu Yanle humbly touched his face and said, "I can't help it, I'm just too kind, really."
Author's Note:
Xiao Fu: I absolutely refuse to admit it was for the clothes... I can't guarantee the outcome... I'm trying to get something for nothing. (Radiant light shines upon him)
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