si-mexico Chapter 292: Making Things Difficult
Chapter 292: Making Things Difficult
Chapter 292: Making Things Difficult
Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu went to a place with restaurants, and after thinking it over, they decided to go to the vicinity of Yuanyang Tower to find a money exchange to deposit their money. Neither of them knew which money exchange to go to, probably because business was bad, there were only two money exchanges, one owned by the Zhang family and the other by the Hong family.
Ji Meiqing first went to Zhang's money shop. As soon as she entered, she saw the manager looking at a jade pendant from left to right. Suddenly, the doorway went dark, and she couldn't see the light, so she couldn't tell the quality of the jade pendant. She put the jade pendant on the table and looked at the people who came in. She didn't recognize the man walking behind her, but she recognized the woman.
"What brings the Second Miss Ji to my place?" the shopkeeper said coldly, his eyes filled with disdain as he looked at the people behind him. He had heard rumors circulating outside that the Second Miss Ji had disobeyed her father and secretly married an outsider, completely disregarding the family's reputation, and had even caused the Lady of the Ji family to end up in jail.
Everyone says even tigers don't eat their cubs, and this second young lady of the Ji family, who looks quite dignified and is even considered a beauty, how could she be so vicious? I didn't believe it at first, but now, after seeing Lu Yu, I'm even more convinced. Thinking about it, her expression towards Ji Meiqing grew increasingly hostile.
"I'm here to deposit money, but I don't know how this is calculated. What's the amount of silver collected?" Ji Meiqing could easily see the shopkeeper's hostility, but she pretended not to see it. Lu Yu, who was standing next to her, seemed to be getting impatient, so Ji Meiqing quickly explained her purpose and stopped Lu Yu's actions.
"I wonder how much you have stored, young lady?" the shopkeeper said, not even glancing at Ji Meiqing, but instead playing with the jade pendant in his hand.
"Ten thousand taels," Ji Meiqing said, taking out the bundle. The shopkeeper, seeing the full ten thousand taels of silver, was somewhat excited. However, if it weren't for Ji Meiqing, everything would be fine. But since it was Ji Meiqing, he couldn't help but say, "Charge five thousand taels, no matter how long it takes!"
Ji Meiqing wanted to say something, but Lu Yu pulled her straight out. Although she didn't know why Lu Yu was doing this, she could tell from the cold aura emanating from him that the manager had angered him. To Lu Yu, anyone who bullied Ji Meiqing was a bad person. The Zhang family's money shop had been abandoned, and now only the Hong family remained; who knew what obstacles they would encounter next.
Inside the Ji residence, Master Ji was sitting and drinking the expensive tea that someone had brought him when he suddenly heard a servant say that Jixianglou was no longer a big business. Business was still going, but unlike at the beginning when they used tricks to attract customers, business was very slow. Ji Meiqing had gone to Jixianglou to see Zhang Yang, and after saying something, Ji Meiqing left Jixianglou. A few days later, Zhang Yang left Rongcheng.
The management of Jixianglou was handed over to the manager. As expected, Zhang Yang was no good and was a good-for-nothing. He had originally planned to reap the benefits, but now he hadn't gotten a single penny. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He smashed the wine cup in his hand on the ground, not even bothering to splash the scalding wine on his feet. His dark eyes stared into the distance, his hands clenched tightly, and he wished he could tear Ji Meiqing to pieces.
Suddenly, a servant entered. Seeing his master's murderous glare, he trembled, but dared not delay the important matter. He tried calling out a few times, "Master, Master..." His voice grew softer and softer, afraid that a louder voice would anger the unpredictable Master Ji.
"What is it?" Ji Xiangyang realized he had lost his composure and quickly regained his composure.
The servant muttered a lot of things, and Master Ji, who had initially suppressed his anger, was now burning with rage. Ji Meiqing was nowhere to be found this time. She had taken her family's ten thousand taels of silver to a money exchange, but for some reason, the Zhang family's money exchange was making things difficult for Ji Meiqing. In a fit of anger, Lu Yu took Ji Meiqing out of the Zhang family's money exchange and was now thinking of going to the Hong family's money exchange. Ten thousand taels was no small sum, and if he could get his hands on it, he could live a happy life for a while.
Thinking that Ji Meiqing would rather do business with others than care about her own family, she felt angry. She quickly prepared a carriage and went to Hong Family Money Shop, silently hoping that she would arrive in time.
Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu didn't know where the Hong family's money shop was either. They asked around and found that very few people knew that there was a Hong family money shop in Rongcheng.
Walking into a very narrow alley, I finally saw a small door. The signboard above the door was long faded, but I could still make out the four characters "Hong's Money Shop". Inside, the light was dim. The shopkeeper was sitting at the table drinking tea in silence. He seemed a little surprised to see me. Although business was slow, everyone who came was a customer, and he greeted me slowly and patiently.
"Did you come here to store your valuables, young lady?" the innkeeper asked, while serving tea to Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu.
"It's important. May I ask how the amount of silver is calculated?" Ji Meiqing said, taking a sip of tea.
"What is your surname, young lady? The price is negotiable," the shopkeeper said with a friendly smile. Ji Meiqing replied directly, "My surname is Ji. You can call me Madam Ji." After saying that, Ji Meiqing poured herself some more tea. Lu Yu sat silently to the side without saying a word.
"Your surname is Ji, so you're from the Ji family?" The shopkeeper's tone instantly turned cold, tinged with hostility. Ji Meiqing found it strange; could the decline of the Hong family's money shop be related to Ji Xiangyang? She could only suppress her doubts.
"Who says that just because someone has the surname Ji, they're necessarily a member of the Ji family? I'd like to know how your money shop got into a feud with the Ji family."
Ji Meiqing couldn't hide her questions, so she spoke them out directly. When she realized the shopkeeper didn't seem to believe her and felt her question was a bit abrupt, she quickly explained, "I have no intention of harming anyone, I'm just curious. Since the shopkeeper is unwilling to reveal anything, I won't press the matter." After saying that, she didn't forget to observe the shopkeeper's expression.
"Miss, why don't you go to the back hall? My master happens to be here today," the shopkeeper said as he led Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu to the back hall.
Upon meeting the head of the Hong family, who had his back to Ji Meiqing and the others, Ji Meiqing could feel the awe and majesty of a family head even from his back.
Turning around, one sees the face of a middle-aged man, his temples already streaked with gray, yet his youthful vigor is still evident in his weathered face.
"Miss Ji," the Hong family head bowed politely to Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu. He then gestured for them to sit down and for the shopkeeper to leave.
"This is my husband, his surname is Lu," Ji Meiqing introduced Lu Yu. Hearing the word "husband," Lu Yu was overjoyed, but remained calm on the surface. She then inquired about the reason for the decline of the Hong family's money shop. It turned out that Ji Meiqing's guess was correct; the matter was indeed inextricably linked to the Ji family.