Chapter 456 Hu Jingmo
This place is a bit remote, and Ah Ju waited for a long time before he finally stopped a car.
Taxis these days all have a bit of odor, even if the driver keeps the seat clean.
Ah Ju opened the car door, and Xia Zhizhi sat in and started to make fun of it. She covered her nose with one hand, fanned it with the other, and started to find fault: "What's that smell!"
She was just a jerk. Two years ago, when she was riding in a ox cart in the countryside, nothing like this happened.
The driver was very knowledgeable and said in a good-tempered manner: "Miss, please roll down the window to get some fresh air at night."
"Drive your car." Xia Zhizhi had a very bad attitude. How could her newly curled hair look good after being blown by the wind?
Ah Ju still understood her. Ah Ju rolled down the window on her side of the car, took out a bottle of perfume from Xia Zhizhi's bag, and started to smell it in the car.
Hong Kong Road is narrow and busy. It took us almost half an hour to walk from Lion Rock to Tsim Sha Tsui, a distance of less than ten kilometers.
After arriving at the place, Ah Ju paid the fare, and the driver showed a look of disgust and contempt.
He was dressed so slickly and thought he had met a rich man, but he turned out to be so stingy that he didn't even give me a tip.
Xia Zhizhi had no choice, as she only had so little money in her pocket, and it was uncertain whether she could find a pawnshop at night. She didn't have much money in her pocket, so she couldn't be generous even if she wanted to!
The place where Xia Zhizhi got off was the eastern part of Tsim Sha Tsui, which is the famous Tsim Sha Tsui East, a classic landmark in the Young and Dangerous movies.
This place is a famous city in Hong Kong that never sleeps. It is bustling with lights and nightlife all year round, and is lined with entertainment venues. It is a great place for debauchery and revelry every night.
Amidst the peace and prosperity, there is a mixed crowd of good and bad people. Gangs come in to take charge of things, fight for territory, and fight back and forth until the dogs are out of their minds. This is what I am talking about.
There are many cars and people on the street. The soundproofing facilities are average these days, and you can hear the laughter of young girls on the street, mixed with the music from the dance hall, creating a scene of prosperity and dance.
Come to think of it, it makes sense. Gangs fight for territory just for money. Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for them to fight each other in front of customers. If that were the case, business would be difficult. Most of the time, when there is a conflict, they will secretly arrange to fight behind the scenes.
Xia Zhizhi and Aju are both good-looking, and attracted a lot of attention as soon as they got off the car. They were traveling together, and those who didn't know could easily mistake them for a couple. Seeing that they had brought their own companions, they attracted a lot of stares, but no one came up to talk to them for the time being.
Xia Zhizhi looked around and saw a lot of pawnshops in this area. She probably thought it was because of the location. No matter which of pornography, gambling or drugs one got involved in, when the money was insufficient, it was normal to pawn something. It was really a way of doing business nearby.
Xia Zhizhi picked the one closest to her.
Hu Ji Ya.
The storefront was quite small, and after entering there was a tall counter, the size of which was customized according to the average height of Hong Kong residents at that time. Xia Zhizhi was wearing high heels, so the view was okay.
Sitting behind the counter was a thin young man, who was different from the other young people on the street who were dressed in colorful clothes or suits.
He was wearing a black kung fu suit with the buttons all the way to the top. He didn't even have a fan to cool himself. I don't know if he was hot in this weather.
But when I thought about the western suits everywhere on the street, what he was wearing didn't seem so hot anymore.
Xia Zhizhi flipped through the space. She didn't want to give this or that. Although she felt some of the things were average, she immediately became attached to them when she thought about pawning them.
But there was no other way, I had money to spend, so I reluctantly found a mahjong tile-shaped sapphire ring and handed it over.
The shopkeeper was sitting at the counter, reading a book silently. When he saw them come in, he didn't say anything, looking like a young literary man.
But she had been in for quite a while and hadn't turned a page of the book yet, but Xia Zhizhi knew he was showing off.
Xia Zhizhi had never pawned anything in a pawnshop, so she didn't know that this was how pawnshops worked. It was not like other businesses where they would try to get familiar with the customers and build relationships.
People open a business for profit. Most people go to a pawn shop because they have no choice. They all have their own difficulties. If you just ask, you will find that they are all pitiful. So, is the price low or not?
So I just went with the cold shoulder.
As soon as Xia Zhizhi handed the item over, the counter owner put down the book, took the item, took out a magnifying glass and examined it carefully.
He had the popular 3:7 split hair style. He lowered his head at the moment, and the hair in front of his forehead covered most of his eyebrows. From Xia Zhizhi's angle, she could only see his high nose bridge.
The shopkeeper looked at it for a moment, put it down, and said calmly, "It's missing a few edges, and has a broken ring. Do you want to pawn it alive or dead?"
Xia Zhizhi wanted to reach out and hit him with a stick for daring to say that her things were not good, but she finally held back and asked, "How much is the dead pawn? How about the living pawn?"
The shopkeeper still looked calm and composed, but Xia Zhizhi thought he was half dead when he spoke: "The dead pawn is 10,000 yuan, and the living pawn is 15% interest per month. If it is redeemed in four months, it will be considered a pawn."
What this means is that you either buy it out for 10,000 yuan, or lend it out for 10,000 yuan and pay 1,500 yuan in interest every month. If you don't redeem it after four months, the item will have to be pawned.
The ring that Xia Zhizhi took out was a product from the Republic of China period. Although the style was a bit old, the stone on it was of very good quality and heavy carat, so it was considered a top-quality product. The gemstone could be removed and re-inlaid, or it could simply be kept for a while and become an antique.
No matter how she handles it, Xia Zhizhi feels that it is worth more than the price.
She raised her eyebrows and said rudely, "10,000 yuan, you can come up with it!"
The young man still had that indifferent look on his face. After all, he was a pawnshop owner and had seen many customers struggle when they pawned their belongings.
He patiently explained: "This is how mortgage banks are. To put it bluntly, no matter how good the item is, once it ends up in a mortgage bank, it's like a fallen phoenix, worse than a chicken. Hu Jixu's old store has been under my control for many years, and I, Hu Jingmo, will not do anything that would damage its reputation."
Xia Zhizhi glanced him up and down.
He looked as if he was watching your eyes and nose, and your nose and heart, and he was waiting for you to look at him.
Xia Zhizhi stretched out her hand to him: "Give it to me."
Hu Jingmo opened the drawer and prepared to count the money.
Xia Zhizhi said, "I'm talking about the ring. Give me the ring."
Hu Jingmo paused for a moment and then said, "The price I offer is considered fair for this street. You may consider it..."
Xia Zhizhi interrupted him rudely: "I don't want to be the president anymore."
He gave this price for opening a business, but the other party was not happy. If they were not satisfied with the price, he could increase it a little bit, but Xia Zhizhi looked like she had no shortage of money, so he was afraid it would be difficult to impress her.
Hu Jingmo stroked the gem and felt regretful. It was rare to come across one of such good quality. He originally thought that if it was pawned, he would go to Pan's Silver Shop to make a chain for it.
But she was unhappy, and he couldn't take it away from her by force, so he could only return it to her reluctantly.