56 Gambling Debt
◎Moving out, just the two of us◎
At the crowing of the cock, Shu Yao turned over lazily in bed, her eyelids too sleepy to open. Listening to the rustling sound of the wind outside, she struggled in bed for a while, then rubbed her sleepy eyes and prepared to get up.
After all, the girls in Zui Xiang Fang get up early, and she can't let the customers wait for her.
She scratched her fluffy hair, stretched herself, and yawned as she put on her clothes in a daze. When she was putting on her coat, there was a sudden noise outside.
Shu Yao's sleepiness disappeared in an instant. She jumped out of bed without even putting on her shoes. She walked barefoot to the window and opened it a little, wanting to see what was happening outside.
The sky was hazy and only vague figures could be seen. Dozens of men in black were holding torches and walking towards Shoukang Pavilion. Ji Tianbao was being escorted in front, looking disheveled.
Shu Yao narrowed her eyes. Ji Tianbao must have done something wrong.
She shook her head and was about to close the window when she heard the conversation between two men in black at the end of the team.
"I can't believe it! From now on, half of the Ji family's wealth will belong to us."
"Who says it's not? It's all thanks to a prodigal like Ji Tianbao."
Shu Yao was a little confused. How did this huge house become theirs? Who were they? She hadn't helped Ji Shijing regain his inheritance yet. No, she had to go and see what happened.
She quickly put on her shoes and socks, gently opened the door, and followed the man in black to Shoukang Pavilion.
She hid in a secret place, watching their every move.
The leading man was a big and strong man. He carried Ji Tianbao like a little chicken and said, "Go and wake up your grandmother." Then he threw Ji Tianbao out like a pool of mud.
Ji Tianbao's hair was disheveled and he crawled into the house.
After a while, the light in the old lady's room came on, and she was pushed out in a wheelchair by her maids. Ji Tianbao followed beside her, with his head lowered, not saying a word.
The old lady's face didn't look very good. She tightened her cloak, stared blankly ahead, and moved her lips, but couldn't utter a word.
The leading man wielded a large sword, his full beard intimidating. He sat on a stone bench and said, "Your good grandson owes our gambling house a thousand taels of gold. What do you say we should do?"
When she heard the price of one thousand taels of gold, the old lady froze, her lips twitched, and the heater on her body rolled to the ground.
Shu Yao, who was hiding in the dark, took a deep breath. One thousand taels of gold, what does one thousand taels of gold mean? She couldn't even imagine it. This Ji Tianbao could really cause trouble.
The old lady tried hard to maintain her dignity, but despite this, her loose skin kept trembling.
The man sneered and looked at Ji Tianbao who was standing silently beside him, and said teasingly: "Why are you acting like a coward now? Weren't you so arrogant in the gambling house?"
Ji Tianbao suddenly looked up, his eyes full of panic. He quickly waved his hands: "No...no." Then he squatted down, tightly grasped the old lady's arm, and said emotionally, "Grandma, I really owe them a thousand taels of gold. We must have money in our house. Can you take it out and pay them back?"
The old lady's face turned cold and she remained unmoved.
Ji Tianbao didn't give up and kept begging: "Second Uncle gave you the key to the warehouse and the house deeds and land deeds at home for safekeeping. Take them out quickly and help me pay off my debts."
The old lady fumbled for the crutch beside her and hit him hard. This was the first time she taught her grandson a lesson like this.
Ji Tianbao was already depressed, and now his anger flared up. He stood up and kicked over the old lady's wheelchair, cursing.
The old lady was kicked to the ground by him and kept whimpering.
The man spoke again, tempting her step by step: "Ji Tianbao, you can mortgage the house deeds and land deeds of the Ji Mansion to us first, and then you can win them back from us in the future, what do you say?"
Ji Tianbao was moved.
The old lady was anxious and kept babbling, but no one could understand what she was saying. She howled and tears flowed from her eyes.
Ji Tianbao felt annoyed when he saw her like this. If he could come up with 1,000 taels of gold, he would not have come to beg this old woman. Although there were many gold, silver and jewelry in the warehouse, it was far from enough.
The man just wanted to get the things quickly, so he asked two thugs to drag Ji Tianbao over. He patted his face and said in a bad tone: "I told you at the gambling house, one arm is one hundred taels, so you can pay two hundred taels less."
Hearing this, Ji Tianbao's whole body went limp, water stains appeared on the hem of his clothes, and a smell of urine gradually spread. People around him covered their noses unconsciously.
He prostrated himself at the man's feet and kowtowed repeatedly.
The man took a step back in disgust and winked at the two thugs. The two thugs raised their shiny swords and were about to chop at Ji Tianbao's arm.
"Grandma, save me." Ji Tianbao looked at the two shining swords above his head and shouted heartbreakingly.
"Wuwuaaaaah." The old lady screamed, her two empty eyes wide open. She clasped her hands together and prayed that the person in front of her would let her grandson go.
The man made a gesture and the two thugs put away their swords.
Ji Tianbao crawled back to the old lady and weakly hid behind her, his whole body shaking as if it was stuffed with chaff.
The old lady asked someone to bring the warehouse key, and then took the group of men in black to the warehouse in the western suburbs.
Shu Yao did not follow him. She leaned against the cold rockery, looking at the dark and boundless sky, feeling a little complicated.
One thousand taels of gold would be worth at least hundreds of millions nowadays. It would probably take all the gold, silver, jewellery, banknotes and silver jewellery in the Ji Mansion to pay it back.
The Ji family is a wealthy and powerful family, and with no one capable of taking charge, I'm afraid this place has long been targeted by those with ulterior motives. Today's gambling house is one of them. Fortunately, they are only after money. If they are after lives...
She shook her head vigorously and immediately stopped her random guesses. She became more determined to make a lot of money. When she made money, she would buy a house outside and never live under the same roof with the old lady and others again.
There might be unrest in the mansion today, so she lifted her skirt and walked back, thinking about hiding her piggy bank and reminding Ji Shijing not to go out today.
…
The old lady took them to the warehouse.
As soon as the warehouse door was opened, the thugs swarmed in and moved out all the boxes inside. All kinds of gold, silver and jewelry were placed in front of everyone, and the eyes of everyone present lit up unconsciously.
The man stroked his beard and asked his men to count the jewels.
After ordering a lot, there is still a shortfall of two hundred taels.
The man sat on the box containing the gems, staring straight at Ji Tianbao's arms, his intention was obvious.
Ji Tianbao swallowed fearfully, touched his arms and said to the old lady, "Grandma, it's still a little short."
The old lady's face was lifeless, and she sat motionless in the wheelchair.
After a long while, she trembled and took out a rusty key from her bosom. The old nanny who had been with her for a long time immediately understood what she meant. She took the key and said to Ji Tianbao, "Young Master, please follow me."
Ji Tianbao followed the old nanny back to the storeroom. The old nanny walked to the bookshelf and asked him for a hand. The two of them moved the bookshelf away, and there was a secret door hidden inside.
Ji Tianbao was a little surprised.
The old lady used the same lock to open the door. It was pitch black inside and she couldn't see anything. She turned on the tinder and saw two boxes lying in the corner. Apart from that, there was nothing in the room.
Ji Tianbao excitedly held the two boxes and opened them. They were filled with yellowed banknotes, but the two boxes of banknotes added up to enough to be worth the two hundred taels. He knew that his grandmother must have hidden money.
Now that his two arms were saved, he ran out happily with the box in his arms and handed it to the man like a treasure.
The man counted and smiled with satisfaction.
After getting the money, the group left in a mighty manner. Ji Tianbao was completely relieved. He didn't dare to gamble anymore in the past few days, so he thought of going to Zui Xiang Fang to relax, so he asked the old lady for money again.
The old lady sat motionless in the wheelchair. Suddenly, she picked up her crutch and hit him hard again.
Seeing that she had helped him pay off his debts, Ji Tianbao walked away cursing and turned to ask Guo Cuiping for money. But when Guo Cuiping heard that her son had lost 1,000 taels of gold, she became so angry that she fainted on the bed.
Ji Tianbao ignored the fainted Guo Cuiping and went straight to where she kept her jewelry. After searching for a long time, he only found a gold hairpin and a pair of crystal earrings.
He took a sip, cursed inwardly, and hurried out with the two things.
When passing by Chunhua Pavilion, he stopped and a bad idea arose in his mind.
In the yard, Shu Yao was making breakfast in the kitchen, and Ji Shijing just opened the door. When they saw Ji Tianbao who came uninvited, they both frowned at the same time, their expressions full of disgust.
Ji Tianbao came over with a swagger and directly stated his purpose: "Last month, the government gave you several dozen taels of monthly salary. Give it to me quickly."
After Shu Yao lit the fire, she slowly retorted, "You are so shameless. Oh, no, you don't have any shame."
When Ji Tianbao heard her scolding him, he picked up the chair next to him and walked towards her angrily.
But just as he stepped onto the stairs, he was confronted by Ji Shijing. Ji Shijing was more than a head taller than him, so he was forced to take two steps back. However, he still stiffened his neck and shouted, "You two jinxes, hurry up and take out the money, or don't blame me for being rude."
Shu Yao poked her head out from behind Ji Shijing and said, "Oh, we are so scared. I want to see how you will be rude to us." Then she picked up a burning match and waved it at Ji Tianbao.
Ji Tianbao took a few steps back: "You...don't mess around."
She smiled, took a few steps forward, and almost touched Ji Tianbao's face with the torch in her hand. He ran away.
Shu Yao made two "tsk tsk" sounds, what a coward.
Ji Shijing took the firewood from her hand and put it back into the stove.
Shu Yao looked at his profile and said, "Ah Jing, how about we move out when we have money?"
He raised his eyes: "Just the two of us?"
She said cheerfully, "Yes, just the two of us." Living with two people could help build trust, she thought happily.
Ji Shijing said "hmm" neither lightly nor heavily, his face very calm, but his hands hanging by his side were clenched tightly, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.
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