Back home, Lan Yamei took the jade pendant out of her bosom and handed it to Aunt Guan. Aunt Guan glanced at it and said, "It's not this one!"
Lan Ya Mei, feeling sleepy from running back and forth, said, "I looked secretly, but I couldn't find it. I clearly saw it in the box, how could it be gone?"
Looking at the distressed Lan Yamei, Aunt Guan said, "We can't deliver this jade pendant; it doesn't even have an inscription. The real jade pendant must still be in the shop. Why don't we go redeem it tomorrow? It'll cost a bit more money, but we can pay it back slowly."
"No, it's not there! I searched very carefully; I even looked through their account books, not missing a single corner. It must have already been moved! The shopkeeper must have realized the jade pendant's value; has he sold it?"
"Sold? Since it's the Murong family looking for it, this jade pendant must be extraordinary. Who would dare to take it? Could it be..." A jade pendant with the Murong name on it—any discerning person wouldn't buy or play with it; they couldn't afford to offend them.
"Oh right, when I went to look for him, the old shopkeeper was seeing someone off, saying something like, 'Hurry up and deliver it, come back immediately after getting the money.' He must have sold our jade pendant! How come I didn't realize it then!" Lan Yamei said belatedly after taking a bite of the corn cooked by Aunt Guan.
"Sent out? Exchanged for money?" Aunt Guan frowned and paced back and forth in the room.
Lan Ya Mei didn't want to chase after someone who had disappeared in the middle of the night, so she continued eating her corn.
Before she had even eaten half an ear of corn, Aunt Guan suddenly clapped her hands, her brows unfurrowing as she smiled and said, "Tomorrow we'll go to Hua Man Lou and return the jade pendant to these three boys. Then everything will be safe."
Lan Ya Mei didn't understand, and puffed out her cheeks, saying, "But our jade pendant is fake!"
"We're safe precisely because it's fake! As long as we all stick to the same story tomorrow and claim we had this jade pendant, we'll be fine. This jade pendant is almost identical to the real one, except for the inscription. It's like God is helping us."
"Is he that easy to fool? Besides, those three were tricked by the girls from Hua Man Lou. The girls from Hua Man Lou have seen the real thing!" Lan Ya Mei didn't want to go to her death. If she were discovered and detained, she probably wouldn't be able to defeat a master with her current physical condition.
"Are you stupid? As long as everyone insists it's a misunderstanding, who will take it seriously? That girl from Hua Manlou is probably terrified right now, she wouldn't point out anything wrong. Besides, the pawnshop owner must have already returned the real one. Once the Murong family finds the real jade pendant, who will bother us?" Aunt Guan analyzed logically.
"So, does that mean as long as we stick to the fact that it's this piece, the matter is settled? But what if the old manager of the pawnshop betrays me, and someone comes to take my life one day?" After all, the pawnshop has its own signature and seal.
"No, if that day ever comes, just insist that you never went. Besides, there's Aunt Guan here."
"Okay, let's go first thing tomorrow morning. We can't let it interfere with making money tonight. This new product tomorrow will definitely be amazing!" Lan Yamei was still looking forward to getting rich and living a carefree life in this era, with luxury houses and cars.
The next day at daybreak, the two put on their usual clothes, washed up, and told the three to continue working at home before heading to Huamanlou.
Having tossed and turned all night, barely slept, her eyes were terribly swollen. As soon as she got into the carriage, Lan Ya Mei dozed off, with only Aunt Guan managing to keep her awake and drive.
The carriage wound its way through the city, and Lan Yamei swayed back and forth inside. She didn't know how much time had passed when the sudden braking caused her forehead to slam with a loud "thud." Aunt Guan called from outside, "Wake up, we're here."
The two jumped off the carriage and were greeted by a magnificent five-story octagonal wooden building with carved beams and painted rafters, green bricks and blue tiles, where beautiful women of all kinds leaned on the railing and looked into the distance, their bells jingling.
On a huge wooden plaque, the three golden characters "Hua Man Lou" were written in a flamboyant style. Two servants stood on either side of the entrance, their skin delicate and tender, no less than the male models Lan Ya Mei had seen before.
Upon seeing the newcomers alight from the carriage, one person went to help stop it, while the other politely led the way, asking in a soft, gentle voice, "Do you two have someone you wish to see?"
It's been over three years since she last came back. This Hua Yuhe is quite capable; she's replaced the young maid who used to solicit customers at the door with a handsome young man. It seems that Hua Manlou has managed to attract both men and women. She's got guts! "We're looking for Hua Yuhe!" said Aunt Guan.
The servant acknowledged and led the two into a secluded plum blossom pavilion, inviting them to have some tea and snacks while they waited a moment before quickly going inside to deliver a message.
Lan Yamei had never been to a place like this before, and her knowledge of ancient pleasure quarters was limited to a few old books. Today, entering this Flower-Filled Pavilion, everything she saw was vibrant and enchanting. She couldn't help but sigh that the old books didn't do it justice, and the authors were too obscure.
Hua Man Lou is an enormous circular building, estimated to cover an area half the size of Wanda Plaza. The central courtyard is filled with flowers, trees, and shrubs arranged in a pleasing manner, with small bridges and flowing water among the flowers. Under the fragrant pavilions along winding paths, playboys flirt with beautiful women.
Customers came and went at the entrance from time to time, and the entire commercial complex was a scene of debauchery and extravagance.
This isn't your own little barbecue stall where you can eat your fill for just a couple of coins!
This is a den of iniquity where a single night of passion is worth a fortune! There are probably two thousand people flowing through the building! If you calculate it, it's more profitable than Wang Jianlin's Wanda Group, my goodness!
Lan Yamei stuck out her tongue, moved closer to Aunt Guan, and asked, "Aunt Guan, such a good place, why don't you want it? If we had a place like this, we could live a life of luxury, why would we bother setting up a stall?"
Aunt Guan gave a bitter smile and said, "It's not that I don't want it anymore, it's that I can't keep it. Hua Yuhe insisted on taking it, and I fell into her trap. It's all in the past now. I'm quite content with our simple life now."
Before Lan Yamei could ask any further questions, a silvery voice chuckled from behind, "Oh dear! Manager Mei, what are you saying! You're getting old, you can't just talk nonsense. What do you mean I'm going to take it? Hua Man Lou is the property of my Hua family. You, an outsider, have enjoyed it for so many years, it's time to return it."
Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw a woman with fair, radiant skin, in her early thirties, descending the stairs with a graceful and alluring air. She was dressed in fine silks and satins, and her hair was adorned with jewels and hairpins, exuding an air of nobility.
"The innocent are innocent, and I, from Meilin Pass, will speak my mind!" Aunt Guan said calmly, without any resentment.
"What a convenient excuse! If this Hua Man Lou really belonged to Mei Lin Guan, would you just hand it over for nothing? I don't believe it!" Hua Yuhe said with her most charming smile and her most defiant words. She always felt that Mei Lin Guan had taken her father's property, and she was merely taking it back for her family.
“Your parents died young and entrusted you to me when you were little. I have always treated you with all my heart, like my own daughter. Now that things have come to this, I don’t blame anyone but life itself! But let’s get back to the point, we’re here to find someone! The jade pendant is in my hands.” Aunt Guan was too lazy to dwell on the past and went straight to the point.
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