northernbook Chapter 997 Finding a New Manager for the Pawnshop
Chapter 997 Finding a New Manager for the Pawnshop
Hearing this, Chen Zhongyu felt a little relieved. The group stayed in the shop until six or seven o'clock. Chen Zhongyu said that it was too late for a young lady to go home, and he urged her and Lin Peishan to leave quickly so that others would gossip. So the two said goodbye.
After leaving the bookstore, Lin Peishan whispered in Gui'er's ear, "Gui'er, I'll also give you some of my own money to give to Brother Chen. Just say it's your own money."
Gui'er asked curiously, "Why don't you just hand it over to him yourself?"
Lin Peishan said shyly, "He didn't want what I offered. He said he wouldn't spend a woman's money."
Gui'er rolled her eyes; it turned out the two of them were showing off their affection.
Back at the villa, Gui'er noticed many new items in the living room as soon as she entered.
The valuable furniture and radio that had been taken away were all returned, along with two large wooden boxes containing Gui'er's cheongsams and gold and silver jewelry. Even the bedside lamp from Gui'er's bedroom was inside; Gui'er would have almost forgotten about it if she hadn't seen it.
Dingxiang excitedly told Gui'er, "Miss, look, today Brother Qiang led some men to the Ouyang residence and retrieved the things they stole from us."
Wu Mingqiang was sitting next to her, counting the jewelry he had brought back. He was holding the gemstone brooch he had given to Gui'er earlier, and he had a smug look on his face.
Gui'er asked curiously, "Brother Wu, how did you get it back? They shouldn't have returned it so easily."
Wu Mingqiang chuckled sarcastically and said, "They really did get their things back smoothly. I gave some tea money to the White Tiger Gang brothers I knew before, so they could follow me around and give me some support. Ouyang Bao's wife took these things under the pretext that you were about to marry into their family and become part of their clan. Now that Ouyang Bao is dead, your engagement is null and void, so naturally the things have to be returned. With Ouyang Bao dead, his police and gangsters are all under Longxing's control. No one's standing up for them. When I went to the Ouyang residence, the concubines were making a scene about dividing the family property; some had already run away. Even if the first wife is fierce, is she unafraid of knives and guns?"
Sure enough, it's common for people to grow old once they're gone, especially someone as wicked as Ouyang Bao.
Gui'er casually picked up one of her own cheongsams and discovered that this Suzhou embroidery cheongsam with pearls, which she had ordered from Yunshanglou, had been worn countless times. Some parts were even frayed, and when she smelled it, it had a strong smell of sweat and perfume mixed together.
"I don't want this one," Gui'er said, frowning, clearly annoyed.
“Miss, this cheongsam is so luxurious. It cost over a hundred silver dollars when it was made. You must be reluctant to redo it now, right? It’s alright, I can repair it for you and clean it thoroughly. I guarantee there won’t be any smell at all,” Dingxiang quickly comforted her.
Gui'er thought about it and realized it made sense. Back in the Marshal's mansion, she needed to wear these fancy clothes to make a good impression. Now, she really couldn't bear to spend so much money to make a dress.
“If Miss doesn’t like it, then don’t wear it. When you take it to the pawn shop, I’ll say it’s a broken pawn and see if any of those noble ladies want it. Maybe we can get a good price for it, and then I’ll order a new one for Miss,” Wu Mingqiang said.
“There’s no need to make a new one. Since we’re studying here, dressing too nicely will only attract attention. It’s better to keep a low profile.” Gui’er thought of Chen Zhongyu’s shop and said to Wu Mingqiang, “There’s something I need your help with, Brother Wu. Brother Chen, his bookstore was smashed, wasn’t it? Although we’re all fine now, Ouyang Bao’s men will definitely still remember it. If he continues to operate there, it’ll be too conspicuous. I’d like to move it to a different location, preferably a place a little away from the main street, but still a place where business can be done. It doesn’t need to be too big, but it would be best if it had a small attic or something, so Brother Chen could live there and wouldn’t have to rent another place.”
Wu Mingqiang thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "That's too simple. How about the building where we're taking refuge? I just bought it and renovated it. However, someone died in it. I don't know if Brother Chen would mind. Just pay whatever rent you want."
Gui'er thought about it for a moment and thought it was really suitable, so she happily said, "Okay, I'll talk to Brother Chen about it tomorrow."
Dingxiang pouted and said, "My God, I dare not go back into that house, especially the room where I slept, which was covered in blood."
Wu Mingqiang laughed and said, "Dingxiang, you've been living a life of luxury thanks to Miss. Do you know that I took your bloodsucking mosquito nets and blankets, hired a homeless woman to take them to the beach to wash them, and then had Brothers A-Guang and A-Zong take them to the shantytown and sell them for half the original price? They sold them immediately. Also, the bed where Ouyang Bao was found dead and the things on it were high-priced items, and they were quickly sold at a discount."
Dingxiang stuck out her tongue, and Gui'er said, "After all, it's a place where a dead person slept. It's not right to deceive people and sell it like this."
Wu Mingqiang said, "Where did they lie? They just changed the story. They said that the elderly in their families died on the way here and that the body has been cleaned. Now, a large number of mainlanders are coming to Hong Kong. Many of them encounter bandits and wars on the way, as well as hooligans. In order to save their lives, they have already spent most of their savings. Many of them end up homeless when they come here. Some are slightly better off, but they are reluctant to spend a lot of money to buy things. Discounted items like these are in high demand."
Gui'er only then remembered the pawnshop and asked, "Have we finished the inventory at the pawnshop? Have we found Chen Chaofeng yet?"
Wu Mingqiang listened with a displeased expression and said, "That grandson of Chen De should have already sided with Ouyang Bao. However, Ouyang Bao may have promised him that after taking the young lady, he would still be in charge of the pawnshop. Therefore, he didn't dare to plunder too much wealth. He took some of the valuables on the second floor, but he didn't lose any of the long-term pawned items in the cellar because the cellar was locked and he didn't dare to pick the lock."
“But what if our pawnshop doesn’t have any clerks? How can we do business then?” Gui’er was a little worried, after all, she had taken a sum of money from the wealth that Sha Yanxiao had given her to open this pawnshop, and she hadn’t even broken even yet.
"Oh, about that, I've already found someone. His name is Zhao Ding. He came to Hong Kong from the mainland a few years ago, but he's been in Hong Kong for over ten years. He even has his own business here. He used to work as a clerk at the famous Po Fung Pawnshop in Kowloon City. But after the owner died, his sons fought over the inheritance, and the pawnshop couldn't stay open. He's currently unemployed, so I took the opportunity to get in touch with him. I'll introduce him to you later. If you think he's suitable, I'll let him work at our pawnshop."