Chapter 106 Official Suitcase
Yang Hui heard Xiao Ai's words but did not respond immediately.
She squatted down and poked the chair with her hand, then looked up and asked in confusion, "Why do you like this thing? What's so good about it?"
Shi Xiaoai didn't respond to her question, but just asked again: "How much?"
Yang Hui squatted there and thought for a while, then grinned.
"How about you give me the money I spent on hiring people these days?"
She was afraid that Xiao Ai would be unhappy, so she didn't stand up. She just squatted and moved forward a few steps until she came to a large pile of debris against the wall.
Then she rummaged around inside, pushed aside a pile of tattered cotton wool and rag bags, and dragged out a small wooden box.
She stood up holding the wooden box, walked over to Xiao Ai and handed it to her.
Then she said, "Not only that one, I'll give you this one too, two things! Don't underestimate this one because it's small, it's so exquisite! This is a jewelry box passed down from my mother's ancestors. It's said to have been passed down for several generations!"
How about I exchange these two for five days' wages? You promise I won't suffer any loss."
Shi Xiaoai looked at her doubtfully, and did not reach out to take it. Instead, she gestured for her to put the box on the table.
Yang Hui curled her lips and did as she was told.
Shi Xiaoai took a closer look, and her eyes lit up.
She almost immediately determined that this was a Huanghuali official leather trunk with a door from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
Although the official leather box has the word "leather box" in its name, it is not really made of leather. It is actually a small practical wooden item that was popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Originally, it was mostly used to hold valuable items such as officials' documents, letters, and seals.
After it became widely popular, people also used it to store valuables, precious items and the like.
It is mainly suitable for use on the road when patrolling or traveling.
Later on, this thing spread more and more widely and was accepted by more people.
It began to be used by noble ladies from wealthy families to store jewelry, and eventually it became a jewelry box, becoming one of the indispensable dowries when getting married.
It is precisely because of this that official leather suitcases have been widely circulated in later generations.
But as far as Shi Xiaoai knows, although there are many official leather suitcases handed down from generation to generation, those made of huanghuali wood are very rare.
Because there are few large boards of Huanghuali wood, when making a box like this, it is best to use single boards for all the surfaces, so that it looks exquisite and elegant.
Even if you can't use a single board, you must find ones with very similar patterns and colors to splice together.
This kind of production is labor-intensive and material-intensive, and the cost is very high.
If the family does not have sufficient financial resources and is not willing to invest in this area, the average family will not make this choice.
Shi Xiaoai stared at the official suitcase, then secretly looked at Yang Hui, and couldn't help but wonder in her heart what kind of family her ancestors were?
Seeing her so silent, Yang Hui felt a little overwhelmed.
She reached out and wiped the box, wiping off the dust. Then she said, "Look, these locks are made of pure copper. Don't be fooled by their age; they look really nice when cleaned!"
Shi Xiaoai twitched her lips and squinted at her: "You still know it's old?"
Although Huanghuali is a hardwood and extremely solid, it was once known as "immortal for a thousand years."
But after all, it's just a piece of wood.
After more than a hundred years of time without proper protection, it has become dilapidated due to wear and tear and human damage.
The same is true for this official suitcase.
Its appearance no longer has the original luster of rosewood, and it looks dirty, old and dull.
The surface of the box was covered with dirt.
In addition to the dust, there is even a thick layer of skin. This skin is not patina, but real dirt.
I don’t know how many years it has been exposed to dirty air, nor how roughly it has been treated?
The surface of the box is covered with scratches and dents.
In addition, due to poor protection, the cracks on the top plate and four sides are very obvious, and gaps from loose fitting can be seen in the box.
It can be said that if people don’t understand its value, no one would be willing to bend down to pick it up even if it is thrown on the roadside.
Yang Hui naturally understood that the box was broken into pieces.
When Xiao Ai pointed it out, she wasn't annoyed. Instead, she said with a chuckle, "Don't you like it? This wood is the same as the one used for the chair just now. You want that one, so why don't you want this one?"
Shi Xiaoai looked at her, then pointed at her face and asked, "Is there something written on my face?"
Yang Hui was stunned and asked, "Huh?"
Shi Xiaoai continued to ask calmly, "Do these six words appear on my face: stupid, rich, and easy to cheat?"
Yang Hui didn't react for a long time, and only after a while did she burst out laughing.
She held her stomach and laughed for a long time, laughing so hard that she bent over and kept crying out in pain.
Shi Xiaoai just stood there looking at her motionlessly, rolling her eyes at her from time to time.
Her action made Yang Hui laugh even harder.
Although Shi Xiaoai liked these two things, she also knew that they would be very expensive in the future. To put it bluntly, if she kept them for a few decades, she could live on them alone in her old age!
But she also couldn't impulsively spend money to buy them.
It was 1980, and the country's antique market had not yet been officially opened. Apart from antique shops and pawnshops, people had no channels to sell their antiques.
In addition, having just experienced a movement, people nowadays don’t take these things seriously at all, and they want to find treasures everywhere.
She saw these two things, liked them, and naturally wanted to get them. But if she couldn't get them, it could only be said that it wasn't her destiny, so she didn't worry too much about it.
At least people can't blackmail you openly.
Yang Hui had said before that she paid each person two dollars a day. She hired ten people in total, so that was twenty dollars a day.
That’s sixty yuan for three days.
I don’t know how much these two things will be worth in the future, but at that time no one would spend sixty yuan to buy them.
If she really gave the money, Yang Hui would not appreciate it at all and would just treat her as a fool.
Yang Hui laughed for a long time, and finally she stopped laughing.
When she saw Xiao Ai standing there looking at her as if she were a fool, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
She tutted her tongue, raised her chin, and said, "I'm just teasing you, do you take it seriously? Do you think I'm someone who needs this little money?"
She pushed the box towards Shi Xiaoai, then pointed at a chair not far away with her toes and said, "I'm giving it all to you. What's the point of talking about money? You're asking for money for such a small thing. Who do you think I am?"
Only then did Shi Xiaoai start laughing.
She laughed twice, counted out sixty yuan from her bag and handed it to me, saying, "I know you're not short of money, and you wouldn't ask me for money without reason. You just feel that the money you spent was unfair. Whenever you think about it, you feel the pain because of those people who spent this money.
We've only known each other for a while, and I think we're quite compatible. To save you from further pain, I'll pay for it."
Yang Hui obviously didn't expect Shi Xiaoai to do this to her. She raised her eyebrows at the money, but didn't reach out to take it.
Instead, he asked, "What are you doing? I told you I'm giving it to you, giving it to you. Why do you have to slap me in the face like this?"
Shi Xiaoai snorted, "How free do I have to be to slap you in the face with money? Seriously, I'll pay for it. You've really worked hard these past few days, and you really helped me solve a big problem."
Let's be frank, I really want this house, and the main thing is that I can use it immediately after I get it.
My shed is about to die, and with this yard I don’t have to worry about finding a new location.”
Hearing her honest words, Yang Hui's expression softened.
She took the money and said, "If you say that, I won't be polite. It's true that whenever I think about it, I feel bad when I spend money on those idiots. But I don't want your money for nothing..."
She swiped her hands around the room. "I don't want most of the things in this room anymore. I came here today to pick up some small things my parents left behind. I'll leave these tables and benches to you."
Although it's not a valuable item, if you keep it, at least you can buy less in the future. After all, this yard is so big, it can accommodate as many things as you want."
Shi Xiaoai looked around the room again and found that just as Yang Hui said, there were quite a few small pieces of furniture in the room.
Of course, they are basically made of miscellaneous woods and are very old. They are not worth much money at all, but they can be used immediately after cleaning up.
These things probably wouldn't sell for sixty yuan, but on the other hand, even if she really spent sixty yuan, she probably wouldn't be able to buy so many in a short time.
Overall, leaving the furniture and giving the money to Yang Hui made both of them happy and no one suffered a loss.
Shi Xiaoai knew that this was Yang Hui's expression of goodwill, so she did not refuse, but helped her clean up.
Yang Hui didn't take much, just a few women's cashmere coats, woolen clothes and pants, and some pieces of cloth.
Shi Xiaoai didn't know much about these things, but she could tell that they were all old things. If she guessed correctly, they should have been left by her parents.
These things didn't look like much, but they filled a large camphorwood box. It took the two of them and Cheng Lin a lot of effort to get them onto the tricycle.
Cheng Lin sent Yang Hui back, and Shi Xiaoai continued to stay in the yard.
Only then did she have time to look around the entire yard.
The more I look at it, the more satisfied I am.
The entire row of houses on the east side of this yard actually faces the road in front of the hospital, which is also where their tea stall is currently located.
This row of houses must be demolished and rebuilt, but the gate of the rebuilt house will naturally have to be turned in a different direction, facing the road.
In addition to this row of houses, Shi Xiaoai planned to demolish all the other scattered houses of different sizes and level all the artificial partitions in the yard.
This wasn't one of those old-style courtyard houses in Beijing, with its one- or two-entry courtyards. This was simply a large, straight-through courtyard, its shape a perfectly square rectangle.
She was reluctant to waste such a good location, except that the west side adjacent to the neighbor would be built into an ordinary house, which would serve as a warehouse, kitchen, and spare house in the future.
She would build the other three areas facing the street into large openings that connected front and back to serve as storefronts.
She will not leave the large empty space in the middle of the house idle. She will make a cement floor and decorate it with flowers and plants around it. Then she will find a way to hang some colorful lights and put some tables and chairs to make it a large open-air restaurant!
The more Shi Xiaoai thought about it, the happier she felt. She felt that the 1,260 yuan she spent was truly worth it!
After looking at the house, Shi Xiaoai locked the door and went to the office.
Then she went to Director Yu and told him about the deal she had made with Yang Hui.
The reason she came to the office first was because she was planning to open a tea stall in Courtyard No. 1, and she wanted to expand the business and recruit workers...
For such a big matter, as their superior unit, they must first obtain the consent of the office.
Director Yu listened to Xiao Ai talking for a long time but didn't say a word.
She was so shocked when she first arrived, shocked by Shi Xiaoai's courage.
Although Shi Xiaoai did not say how much she spent on buying the house, it is obvious that it must be a very large number.
It was a number she would never be able to come up with in her lifetime.
Thinking of this, Director Yu couldn't help but feel a little sad.
But this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that she is a little angry at the moment.
Director Yu has been very worried and angry these days about the dispute between the tea stall and Courtyard No. 1.
Especially in the past few days, because of the matter with the two infectious patients, she was so worried that it would get out of hand that she couldn't sleep all night long. She didn't even know how much her hair had turned white!
Last night she was thinking about going to Yang Hui to have a good talk again to see if there was any way to get her to move those two relatives out of the yard.
But this morning I suddenly found that the place was deserted. A bunch of people moved out in the middle of the night!
Director Yu was so happy that he felt cheerful the whole morning.
But her happiness didn't last long, as Shi Xiaoai suddenly came over and told her that she had bought the house from Yang Hui.
The formalities for both of them have been completed, and she has also decided to use that yard to open a snack bar!
Director Yu:!!!
If she doesn't understand that all the previous things were done by these two girls in collusion, with the purpose of driving Yang Daming and others away, then she will have lived in vain all these years!
It would be impossible to say that Director Yu was not angry at this moment.
She even had a feeling that she was being played around with.
She looked at Shi Xiaoai quietly. She looked at her pretty, gentle and even a little thin appearance. She couldn't believe that such a girl could accomplish such a big thing quietly!
——Just don’t let me use electricity, okay.
Then I will buy back the house and kick you all out!
How confident must she be to be so courageous?
Although Shi Xiaoai was still speaking slowly and modestly about the deal between her and Yang Hui, the word "coincidence" was the only thing she kept saying.
But Director Yu no longer believed it.
She didn't believe there were so many coincidences in the world.
Shi Daxi upset Shi Xiaoai and ended up in jail;
Yang Daming and the others tripped Shi Xiaoai up, and then they were kicked out of the house...
So, anyone who makes her unhappy will have a bad ending?
The more Director Yu looked at Xiao Ai, the more he felt wary of her.
Under such circumstances, it was naturally impossible for her to set any obstacles for Shi Xiaoai.
Even though he was unhappy, he readily agreed to her request to expand the tea stall's business area and increase staff.
She forced a smile and said, "We have no objection to the requests you've made. Just do as you see fit.
As for recruiting, you don't need to ask me. You've read the district's documents, and they clearly state that you have the qualifications to recruit workers independently. "If you want to recruit, go ahead."
At this point, Director Yu couldn't help but sigh, "Xiao Ai, I really didn't realize you were so capable before. From now on, just handle these things on your own. I'm just a figurehead here, so I can't control you. Just make your own decisions if you need anything else."
The dissatisfaction in these words can be felt even through the wall.
Shi Xiaoai is not a fool, she can naturally feel it.
She really didn't hide the office on purpose, nor did she disregard Director Yu.
She could feel the old lady's concern for her.
Mainly...
I really can’t tell anyone about this until the house deal is done!
But now that things are like this, there is no point in explaining it further.
She could only pretend not to understand and looked at Director Yu with a puzzled expression: "Aunt Yu, what do you mean by this? Are you going to ignore me?"
She stood up from her seat and said nervously, "Aunt Yu, if I did something wrong, tell me and I will definitely change. But you can't just ignore me.
The reason I dared to buy Courtyard No. 1 and expand my business is because it's right in front of our house! With our office, you, and my other aunts, I wouldn't be worried about buying it. I always feel like we're one, and with you backing me up, I'm not afraid of anything.
As she spoke, she lowered her eyes and her voice became a little lower.
"Aunt, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but my hands were shaking when I took out this money. I don't have much money myself, and this money is all Cheng Yang's allowance and the bonus I got after making meritorious contributions.
It is truly hard-earned money.
Aunt, please don’t think I’m not aware enough. I’m actually planning to quit this business.
Cheng Yang has a salary, and even though he goes to school now, the monthly allowance is more than enough to support our family.
It’s not certain where he will be assigned after graduation. Maybe he won’t be in our Yuncheng anymore?
Isn't it good for me to be at home taking care of my children and living a peaceful life? Why do I have to come out and suffer all this pain and suffering, and be bullied?
I have plenty of money.
They bullied me that day and I felt so sad. I said I would quit and would not tolerate this anymore!
In the end, Cheng Yang criticized me and said I was irresponsible.
He said that it was me who proposed this matter in the beginning, and you and the people in our office gave me a guarantee in the district because you trusted me.
Even District Mayor Ou knew about our tea stall and gave us such great support.
It's just such a small matter now and I'm quitting. This is a slap in the face of our office!
What will happen to the reputation of our office then?
Cheng Yang said that money is not important, but we cannot let our office down and disappoint you and the aunts who have helped us.
So we would rather grit our teeth and use all our family savings to take the risk and keep this stall going.
This stall is not mine. There are so many people behind it. It is the dignity of all of us.
Most importantly, there are so many eyes watching.
It was because I listened to Cheng Yang's words, and then Yang Hui came to me and said she wanted to sell the yard, so I agreed to buy it.
I thought, I'm not alone. I have the office and you guys behind me. You're like my aunts, you won't just stand by and watch me get bullied. With you guys backing me, I'm not afraid of anything!"
When Shi Xiaoai said this, she reached out and grabbed Director Yu's hand: "Aunt Yu, you guys are not really going to ignore me, are you?"
Director Yu's heart was in turmoil at this moment, and his eyes were a little wet because of what Shi Xiaoai said.
She knew that she couldn't trust everything the girl said, and that she had to listen to her words carefully.
Although she spoke in a pitiful manner, she also hinted that they were all in the same boat and had to work together. No one could give up, otherwise it would be bad for everyone.
But even if he heard it, Director Yu couldn't complain to her anymore.
She is really good at talking!
Director Yu felt sad after hearing these words. He felt that looking at Shi Xiao Ai was like looking at his own daughter. He could be angry with her, but he couldn't help but be kind to her with all his heart.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
