Chapter Nineteen: My Coming-of-Age Ceremony
On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the snow cleared up after a long day.
Chang'an was blanketed in snow, but Liu Bao'er's residence was unusually quiet. There were no guests, no loud music; she chose this day to complete her coming-of-age ceremony in the most special way.
The viewing pavilion at the highest point of the mansion was open on all four sides, with plain gauze curtains hanging under the eaves. Liu Bao'er stood alone in the pavilion, dressed in a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a silver fox fur coat over it, her hair adorned only with an old wooden hairpin left by her mother. In the mahogany tray in front of her lay a newly crafted gold hairpin—the head of which was intricately designed in the shape of abacus beads, each bead movable, cast from the first pot of gold she had earned.
"Master, everything is ready," Hu Liu reported softly from downstairs. He had specially changed into new clothes today and was waiting quietly in the courtyard with several core employees.
The mute old servant silently lit charcoal braziers in the four corners of the attic and placed a futon beside her. At this moment, the Dou family sent someone to deliver a brocade box containing a set of precious, rare account books. On the title page, the old matriarch had written the character "稳" (meaning "steady") in her own handwriting.
Liu Bao'er gently stroked the ledger, a slight smile playing on her lips. This gift understood her better than any piece of jewelry.
When the sun was high in the sky, Cui Jiulang arrived uninvited. He stood at the courtyard gate, not approaching, but raising his cup from afar: "May Lady Dou live a long and blessed life, enjoying great fortune."
She nodded in return, her gaze sweeping over everyone present—the old servant representing past goodwill, Hu Liu symbolizing the foundation of her business, and this partner with whom she shared common interests. These few people were all the ties she had in this world.
The auspicious time has arrived.
Liu Bao'er walked slowly to the center of the pavilion, facing south. She did not worship heaven and earth, nor did she comfort her ancestors. She simply calmly took off her mother's old wooden hairpin and carefully put it into her bosom. Then, she picked up the abacus-shaped gold hairpin and steadily inserted it into her hair.
"Today I, Liu Bao'er, come of age." Her clear voice carried far in the fresh, post-snow air. "I disrespect heaven and earth, I do not worship at the ancestral temple, I only declare to myself: From this day forward, I will bear my own fortune and misfortune, I will forge my own future, and it will be entirely up to me!"
She took the account book from Hu Liu and announced to the public, "From today onwards, ten percent of the annual profits of Datong Pawnshop will be used to subsidize poor girls' education and literacy. In addition, free medical clinics will be set up in the East and West Markets, where impoverished people can receive free medical consultations and medicine by presenting a number issued by Datong Pawnshop."
Everyone in the courtyard was stunned. They had never heard of such a special coming-of-age ceremony, such a unique vow, and such a practical "gift."
Cui Jiulang raised his cup and laughed, "Madam Dou's coming-of-age ceremony is more spectacular than a business deal worth millions of strings of cash."
Just then, an accountant rushed over, his face grave, and handed over a ledger: "Master, we've recently discovered several small-amount cash advances being made simultaneously in both the East and West markets, using similar methods. It seems someone is testing our cash flow."
The atmosphere, which had just been somewhat warm, suddenly became heavy.
Liu Bao'er touched the gold hairpin in her hair, her eyes sharp. She took the ledger and quickly flipped through it, her fingertip lightly touching a few numbers: "Each transaction does not exceed fifty strings of cash, scattered across ten different exchange points, all redeemed at the same time..."
She looked up at Cui Jiulang: "Jiulang, do you think this is a coincidence?"
Cui Jiulang toyed with the jade thumb ring in his hand, his phoenix eyes narrowing slightly: "It seems someone wants to see if the Datong Pawnshop, this mountain of gold, is truly piled high with real gold and silver."
Liu Bao'er turned to Hu Liu and instructed, "Tell all branches that, effective immediately, all payments exceeding thirty strings of cash must be reported one day in advance. Also, have all branch managers come to the head office for a meeting in three days."
She slowly descended the pavilion, the abacus hairpin in her hair gleaming calmly in the snow. Her coming-of-age ceremony was complete, but her trials had only just begun.
"Since some people want to see what's going on with us," she said with a slight smile, "then let them see how the money at Datong Pawnshop really flows."
The snow began to fall again, the fine snowflakes blurring the outline of Chang'an. But in Liu Bao'er's eyes, the road ahead was clearer than ever before—this test came at just the right time, and she wanted everyone to understand that the foundation of Datong Pawnshop was far more solid than they imagined.
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