Yuzhou City, Tianjie Street.
At Yuanlai Inn, a young man in his early twenties stood like a stone statue at the entrance, frozen in place for an hour.
Despite the shopkeeper's best efforts, the man remained unmoved.
The innkeeper tried his best but couldn't move the man an inch. He was like a stone sculpture weighing a thousand pounds, as if he were rooted to the ground.
"Hey buddy, you can't do this! I've told you so many times, this inn isn't for sale! Can't you understand me? If you don't leave, I'm going to call the authorities!"
The young man remained motionless, only glancing at the shopkeeper with his eyes, and said calmly, "I'll pay."
The shopkeeper plopped down on the ground, slapping his thigh and shouting, "What kind of robber logic is this... Has the boss arrived yet? Someone go and urge him! Oh dear, what kind of mess is this!"
Some people around joined in the commotion, saying, "Boss, why don't you just sell the inn to him? You won't make any money anyway, it's such a waste!"
The innkeeper jumped up from the ground, hands on his hips, and yelled, "Don't talk nonsense! Who said my inn doesn't make money! Go away, get out of here, don't come looking for trouble!"
"Manager Xiao, everyone is doing this for your own good. Look at Juxian Manor, it's packed with customers! And look at your Yuanlai Inn, have you seen any money this morning?"
"Hahaha, that's right, that's right!"
Shopkeeper Xiao was so angry that his hands trembled. Suddenly, a silver note was handed to him from the side. "I have money."
"...You!" Shopkeeper Xiao was so angry he almost fell backward.
The crowd burst into laughter once again.
"What are you all standing here for? Aren't you going to work?" a voice came from behind.
Shopkeeper Xiao's eyes lit up, and he rushed forward to grab the person, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Master, you've finally arrived! This fool showed up early this morning, insisting on buying our inn, and we can't get rid of him no matter what we do! It's him!"
The newcomer was a middle-aged man in his thirties, dressed in an exceptionally wealthy manner. He ignored Manager Xiao and walked straight up to the "foolish fellow," sizing him up before politely asking, "May I ask, sir, why do you insist on buying this inn?"
The simpleton raised his hand in a gesture of respect and said expressionlessly, "If I want to do business, I first need a shop."
"Then why buy my shop instead of buying from someone else?"
“I’ve looked around. You have the fewest customers here, business is bad, and you’re not making any money. I have money, I’ll give it to you.” The simpleton pulled out a banknote for the nth time.
"Hehe! May I ask, young master, what kind of business are you planning to start?"
"I don't know. We'll buy the shop first, then start the business."
"May I ask where you are from, sir? What is your ancestral home?"
"I don't know, I'm an orphan."
"What if I don't want to sell?"
"I have money!"
"But I don't want to sell."
"I have money!"
"You're making things difficult for me!"
"I have money!"
"...!"
The middle-aged man lowered his head and chuckled softly, then looked up again to carefully examine the young man in front of him.
He was only in his early twenties, with an incomparably handsome face, calm and serene eyes, and an aura of icy indifference. Such a person was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
It's not that he can't afford to offend them, it's that he doesn't want to.
"Alright! How much are you willing to pay for my inn?"
Finally, they got to the point, and the young man handed over the silver note for the N+1th time.
"Twenty thousand taels? That's not enough." The middle-aged man glanced at it, a mocking smile flashing in his eyes.
Not enough? The young man frowned almost imperceptibly, then turned to leave.
"Wait, where are you going?" the middle-aged man called out.
"Whose gambling den is this?" the young man asked without turning his head.
A gambling den? The middle-aged man's gaze met Manager Xiao's for a fleeting moment in the air, and their expressions changed drastically.
"Come back! Twenty thousand taels is enough! Come back quickly!"
Half an hour later, the middle-aged man handed the house deed and land deed to the young man, saying with a complicated expression, "This inn is now yours. I have only one request: I hope that you will never set foot in anyone's gambling den again!"
The young man took the contract, his face expressionless and devoid of any emotion.
However, after thinking about it seriously, he replied to the middle-aged man: "Now that I can do business, I probably won't go."
Finally, he added, "I promise you, even if I go, I won't go to any gambling den."
Watching the young man walk away, Manager Xiao secretly wiped away a cold sweat, and said with a heavy heart, "That killer is finally gone! If I had known earlier that he was the mysterious man from the gambling den, I wouldn't have hesitated to give him this inn!"
The middle-aged man looked puzzled. After a long while, he sighed softly, "You'd better keep your eyes open in the future. This young man is no ordinary person. Send someone to keep an eye on him and get on good terms with the new owner of this shop as soon as possible. You never know when he might come in handy."
Fu Qiyuan could never believe that An Er, whom he had sent to abandon the darkness and start a business, had actually established a revolutionary base in Yuzhou using such a method.
That's right, the young man who used the 20,000 taels of silver he won at the gambling den to buy a shop in the most luxurious street in Yuzhou City was the second-ranked secret guard sent out by Fu Qiyuan, now using the alias An Er.
With ten taels of silver in his pocket, he wandered around Yuzhou City for three days. When he only had two taels of silver left, he went into someone's gambling den.
Before being adopted by the Fu family, he was an orphan who wandered the streets. He was forced to become a thief and learned an extraordinary skill. Before he was eight years old, stealing and gambling were the means for him to survive.
I haven't used these two tricks for many years, so I'm a bit rusty. Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken so many days.
Yuanlai Inn has changed owners and is now empty, attracting many people who come to inquire about its whereabouts.
The shop's new owner sits at the entrance every day, watching the customers come and go with a blank expression, seemingly lost in thought.
We can't communicate!
All those who came to gather information returned empty-handed and came to this conclusion.
This guy is like a block of wood. He ignores you when you talk to him, he won't sell you his shop, and he completely ignores you when you try to partner with him. It's impossible to communicate with him!
Upon receiving the news, Jiao Sanlang immediately took Shitou and Huzi and rushed over.
Seeing An Er sitting on the steps by the door, Jiao Sanlang squeezed next to him without thinking and handed him a bag of steamed cakes as if they were old friends.
"Big brother, this is steamed cake that my brother Stone and I made. It's so delicious, please have some!"
An Er looked at the child in front of him with his big, bright eyes, and instantly another pair of clear, bright eyes appeared in his mind, the same big eyes.
I took a bite of the pastry, and hmm, the taste was familiar.
"An Er".
Jiao Sanlang squinted as he took small bites of the pastry, when he heard An Er say two words.
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