The shopkeeper and his assistant behind the counter were still exchanging silver for customers when a beautiful lady came in carrying a box. She shouted, "Exchange silver notes!" Then they saw the box being opened, and the gleaming light startled the shopkeeper so much that he pushed his assistant aside and ran to the front to close the door.
The shopkeeper's actions startled not only the staff and the customers inside, but also An Shuyi, who thought he was trying to steal it. The next second, she quickly closed the box.
"Shopkeeper, what are you doing?"
Patting his chest and wiping the sweat from his brow, the shopkeeper said, "Madam, don't you understand the saying 'don't flaunt your wealth'? There are too many people around; what if someone sees us?" As he spoke, he cautiously glanced outside.
An Shuyi rolled her eyes. "I know, I'll be more careful next time. I'm here to exchange for silver notes. There are 50,000 taels of silver here. Please check if there are any problems and exchange them for me. I'm in a hurry."
The shopkeeper nodded. "Please wait a moment, Madam. I'll count the silver right away. If there are no problems, I'll exchange it for you. Xiao Fei, quickly make tea for Madam. Xiao Ku, hurry up and give that guest the silver he needs."
"Yes, sir!" the two shop assistants said in unison.
An Shuyi then noticed that besides the shopkeeper and the shop assistant, there was another customer who had come to exchange money. When she looked over, she saw that the person was also looking at her with a smile in his eyes. When he noticed her looking over, he smiled and nodded. An Shuyi nodded awkwardly before sitting down in the chair.
It's really embarrassing. He carried in such a big box and looked like a bandit leader. If it were an old man, it would be fine, but he was a handsome and dashing young man. He really lost face.
Unfortunately, no matter what she did, she couldn't change her unseemly appearance, so she could only ignore the man and sit down to drink tea.
After the shopkeeper counted the silver, he said, "Madam, there's no problem with the silver. It's fifty thousand taels, not a single coin is missing. I'll get you the silver notes right away."
"Go ahead!" An Shuyi continued drinking her tea, and then she saw the man open the door, take the silver and go out. She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to talk about this embarrassing matter anymore. Soon the shopkeeper brought the silver notes.
"Madam, this is a 50,000 tael silver note. With this note, you can withdraw silver at any of our money shops," the shopkeeper said, handing over the silver note.
An Shuyi took it, checked it and found no problems, "I know, I'm leaving."
After leaving the money exchange, they headed towards the inter-bank brokerage, completely ignoring the people following behind them. They arrived at the brokerage quickly, but upon entering, they found that Hua Hua and the others had not yet arrived, so they had to wait at the entrance.
"Books!"
Hearing the voice, An Shuyi looked up and gave the person a big smile, "Huahua, why did you take so long? I've been waiting here for quite a while."
“Changing the contract isn’t that easy; it takes time,” Xia Hua said helplessly. “Give the silver notes to Liu the broker, forty-three thousand taels.”
“Alright!” An Shuyi nodded, took out a stack of silver notes from her sleeve, counted out 43,000 taels and handed them over. “Liu Ya Hui, count them. If there are no problems, then we’ll be leaving.”
It's already noon, and I'm starving.
After Liu the broker accepted the silver notes and confirmed there were no problems, he handed three land deeds to Xia Hua, saying, "The silver notes are fine, here are the land deeds."
Xia Hua took it and said, "Keep an eye out for the shops I mentioned. We'll come back in a while." She then took out two land deeds and handed them to Shu Shu, which had her name on them.
Liu the broker nodded, "Don't worry, Madam Xia, I'll keep an eye out. As long as there's any, I'll save it for you."
"Then we'll take our leave." With that, the two turned and left.
"Were you seen?"
An Shuyi nodded awkwardly, "That box was a bit heavy, I couldn't carry it. I put the silver in when I got to the money exchange, so when I opened the box, people probably saw the silver inside."
Xia Hua nodded, "Alright, you just gave me so many silver notes. If you know what's good for you and leave, then it's fine. If you don't, you'll be responsible."
"I'll take responsibility, I guarantee we'll utterly crush them, leaving no survivors." Perfect for getting bored; let's add some fun to life.
The two ignored the people following them and went straight to a restaurant for a meal. After eating, they went to the same brokerage firm they had visited before. However, when they left the restaurant, the people were no longer following them, presumably they had left.
They didn't go to the brokerage to buy houses, but to buy servants. With three houses, they could at least buy some people to live in, to add some warmth and life. Most importantly, it would ensure they had a clean place to live when they later arrived in the capital.
Upon arriving at the brokerage, a clerk came to greet them. It was the same clerk who had come in the morning. They were wondering why the two ladies had come again, but they didn't dare to ask any further questions.
"Are you two ladies here to buy a house again?"
An Shuyi shook her head, "We've come to buy some servants. Take us to see them."
Upon hearing that they weren't there to buy a house, the shop assistant happily led them aside, saying, "You two ladies have come at the perfect time. There's a group of people selling right now, and I'll take you to the manager right away."
He was just a waiter responsible for leading the way and serving tea to guests; things like looking after houses and buying people were not things he could do right now.
He led the two women to the courtyard next door and said, "Please wait here for a moment, ladies. Our manager will be right there!" Then he left.
An Shuyi and Xia Hua sat on the chairs and waited. This was the courtyard, where those who came to buy servants would look around. They weren't kept waiting long, and soon a man came over, followed by a shop assistant.
"The two ladies have come to buy servants. I wonder what kind they are looking for: a steward, a maid, a servant girl, a page, or a cook? We have all kinds here, families and single people. I wonder what kind of servants the two ladies are looking for."
Xia Hua said, "We need all of those things you mentioned, except for the concubines. Let them come and take a look, and buy the ones that are suitable!"
The shopkeeper clapped his hands. "This lady is straightforward. Xiao Nian, go and call all those people over so that the two ladies can have a good look at them."
"Yes, boss." The waiter named Xiao Nian hurriedly ran to call for someone.
Before long, a group of men, leading a group of people who looked rather dejected, arrived. There were men, women, young and old, and at the front were some pretty girls.
Xia Hua looked at those women who walked with a swaying gait that surpassed even that of courtesans, then glanced at the shopkeeper beside her. "Shopkeeper, we don't need to look at those girls. What we want are maids to serve us, not concubines for our husbands."
"We don't want those who are too old or too young either. We want people who can work, not people who just want to freeload. If it's a family, they can stay."
She didn't want to take a bunch of burdens back with her. Don't think she was heartless; in ancient times, selling one's children was common. Staying at the brokerage firm meant she could at least have enough to eat, which was better than being a beggar.
The shopkeeper nodded, "Alright, we'll do as this lady says. Xiao Nian, take all the girls in front away, and also take away the older ones and the baby girls. If they're from the same family, then keep them for the two ladies to choose from."
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