Enter Chang Xiangsi and help Jingzhai fight

Chapter 256 Old Land

I simply packed my luggage and waited for Xiaowei to come back and told her what happened. She also wanted to go with me. I asked her to stay here to watch over Seventeen, so that she could help secretly if anything happened. Besides, Xuanxuan had already become suspicious and sent Junyi to find out about my background. If we left immediately afterwards, it would be too obvious.

Xiaowei thought it made sense, so she stopped insisting and wanted to stay here to help me. I told her that if anyone asked, I should say I went back to my hometown to visit my relatives.

By the time I had given her instructions and finished packing, it was already night time. I planned to set out at night to avoid everyone's eyes.

When I walked to the front door, I saw Xuan in a gray and white gown coming towards me from afar. I don't know if it was because my background could scare Jun Yi but not him, because he was busy with Haitang's detoxification and wanted to continue to inquire about me.

I quickly asked Xiaowei to hold him back and I slipped out from the backyard.

After renting a horse, I hurriedly left Qingshui Town.

Needless to say, the journey was long and full of difficulties and obstacles. Fortunately, I relied on my cleverness and made various arrangements, and finally arrived at Xiyan City after more than a month.

Xiyan City was still as majestic and towering as I remembered it, pressing forward. I calmed down, trying not to think of the painful memories here, and walked into the city gate calmly.

According to the address Wang Shiba gave, I found his brother's residence, which was a large courtyard.

My heart tightened when I saw the dilapidated yard and the weeds overgrown at the entrance.

A lean man in his forties went out to get some water. Seeing me standing at the door, he looked me over and asked, "Are you looking for someone, sister?"

"I was entrusted by Wang Shiba to pick up his sister-in-law and niece. My last name is Bai."

"Hey! The woman was not in good health to begin with, and she died in less than half a month! Before she died, she asked us to take care of the child, saying that her brother-in-law would come to pick him up. I felt sorry for her being left with a child, so I asked my mother-in-law to help take care of him." The man said something sad, but a smile appeared on his face: "Brother Wang sent you here, but did you bring funeral expenses? They still owe me three months' rent, and I didn't ask them before because I felt sorry for them."

I sighed. His sister-in-law had been holding on for so long. Fortunately, she received a reply from Wang Shiba saying that he could come to pick up the child. She did not leave with any regrets. This landlord did not look kind. His face was full of shrewdness and calculation. I wonder if Xiao Qiaobin can have enough food with them.

Thinking of this, I said to him, "I have it. Please calculate how much I owe you in total?"

The man's eyes lit up, and he turned around and invited me in: "Please sit in the yard first, I'll go and do the calculation!"

I walked in and sat there for a while before he took out an abacus and started counting, saying, "We also paid for her rent, food and medical expenses, her husband's medical treatment and funeral expenses, and the children's clothes and food... Add it all up to 108.3 taels. Minus the difference, you just need to give me 108 taels."

I stood up: "What?! Why is it so expensive?!"

He looked at me and replied, "This is Xiyan City. Of course everything is expensive in the imperial city. It's not like your countryside!"

I wondered if he had seen a doctor, owed rent, or paid medical expenses, all of which were unproven, so he was just making things up. But the child was in his hands, and I couldn't take it away by force, so I had to negotiate with him: "I don't have that much money, please take a look..."

His face changed, and he put away his abacus: "Then what are you still waiting for? Hurry up and raise the money! The lease is written in black and white, and I have recorded the daily accounts. Don't even think about denying your debts!"

I replied: "Then let me look after the child first, and then I will go and raise the money."

He turned around and called into the house, and a middle-aged woman in tattered clothes came out holding a little girl.

The little girl was about two or three years old, sleeping soundly in her arms. She was very thin, and her eyebrows and eyes vaguely had the same features as Wang Shiba.

He let me take a look at the child from a distance, and then asked his wife to take the child back, as if he was afraid that I would snatch the child away.

"Now that you've seen it, you can go raise the money, right?"

"Excuse me, is there any money house nearby?" I asked him.

"Oh! This area is very poor, and there is no bank! Go to the south of the city, it's prosperous there, there are several banks near Zuihualou!"

The familiar words pierced my ears, and I shuddered, as memories flooded in. I nodded to him, walked out of the yard, and headed south of the city.

The street near Zuihualou is still prosperous, but nearly half of the stores on the street have changed, and many of the people there have probably left.

I passed by the original location of Tushan's liquor store and found that the liquor store was still there, but the signboard had changed. Thinking back to when Mr. Huang asked me for the management rights, I thought he must have talked to Master Chunming later.

I arrived at the door of the largest money house and pushed it open. The clerk saw that I was dressed casually and stopped me, saying that there was a distinguished customer ahead and asked me to wait before I could withdraw money.

I think there is no rush to leave today. I have to rent a carriage to take the children back. It would be better to hire a woman who can drive the carriage. If it is a man, I would be a little worried.

After waiting for a while, they finally let me in.

The shopkeeper at the counter asked indifferently, "How much do you want to withdraw?"

I recalled the royalties I calculated that year and the investment profits Li Rongchang told me, and estimated a conservative figure in my mind, and said, "Three hundred thousand taels."

It was as if a whip had hit him on the head. He suddenly changed from sleepy to energetic. He looked me up and down at the counter and asked, "Dear sir, we need to arrange for such a large amount. We should be able to get it tomorrow. I wonder...do you have a seal or receipt?"

I took out my jade seal and handed it to him.

He took it with great trepidation, took it back and examined it carefully, nodded and said, "You can take it. I will give you 8,000 taels first, and you can come and take the rest tomorrow or have it delivered to your door."

I nodded. "Alright, I'll come to get it tomorrow at noon. Give me the eight thousand taels first. I want silver notes, both large and small."

He returned the jade seal to me, turned around and went back inside. After a while, he took out a tray with a document and eight thousand taels of silver on it. He handed it to me and said, "Please check it out. If there is no problem, stamp it, and then sign and put your fingerprints."

I did as he said. He came out from behind the counter and walked me to the door. "Goodbye, dear customer. Please come back tomorrow."

I waved my hand, put the banknotes in my pocket, and went out to Zuihualou.

I have to find a bodyguard or something to redeem the child, otherwise if they are tempted by the money and ask for a higher price or rob me directly, I will be dumbfounded. It is better to prepare the carriage, take the money and pick up the child and go back early, so as not to stay too long and have more trouble.

Zuihualou is still the most prosperous place on the street. I walked closer and saw Yuyun still soliciting customers at the door, but there were more fine lines at the corners of her eyes.