Volume 6: Dream Record Chapter 399 On the Eve of Arriving in Beijing
Seeing that Yuan Xudong was handsome, well-dressed, and seemed to be Zhou She's friend, Xu Fugui asked his servant to release Zhou She, then bowed to Yuan Xudong and asked:
"Sir, are you a friend of Zhou She?"
"friend?"
After taking a look at Zhou She who was nodding and bowing with a smirk on his face, Yuan Xudong looked at Xu Fugui and smiled:
"Let's just call him a friend. How much does he owe you in total? Is it only fifteen strings of cash?"
"No!"
Before Xu Fugui could speak, Zhou She jumped out impatiently and waved his hand hurriedly:
"I only owed him ten strings of cash, but he insisted on raising it to fifteen strings of cash. He is blackmailing me!"
"Nine out, thirteen back, that's the rule in the martial arts world!"
"What kind of underworld rules are you talking about? You are clearly blackmailing me!"
"snort!"
Seeing Zhou She, who seemed to have Yuan Xudong's support and dared to accuse him of blackmailing others, Xu Fugui snorted coldly and pretended to hit him:
"Are you still not paying back the money?"
"Mr. Xiao, help!"
"Stop it, isn't it just fifteen strings of cash?"
Seeing Xu Fugui and his two strong servants about to hit Zhou She, Yuan Xudong immediately raised his voice to stop them:
"Everyone has a hard time. As long as I, Young Master Xiao, am here, I will not allow anyone to bully my friends!"
As he spoke, Yuan Xudong took out a two-liang gold ingot from his pocket and said arrogantly:
"This ingot of gold weighing two taels, even if..."
Looking at Zhou She and Xu Fugui with shining eyes, Yuan Xudong suddenly stopped talking. He looked at Song Yinzhang who was nestled in his arms and said with a smile:
"Yin Zhang, how many strings of cash can this two-liang gold ingot be exchanged for?"
"I don't know exactly how many strings of coins it can be exchanged for, but generally speaking, one tael of gold can be exchanged for ten taels of silver, and one tael of silver can be exchanged for one string of copper coins. This ingot of gold weighing two taels should be able to be exchanged for at least twenty strings of copper coins, right?"
As soon as Song Yinzhang finished speaking, the girl Yinping next to him couldn't wait to refute:
"Miss, you are not entirely right. This ingot of gold is of such good quality that it can be exchanged for at least twelve or thirteen taels of silver. One tael of silver can be exchanged for one thousand two hundred copper coins. This ingot of gold weighing two taels can be exchanged for at least thirty strings of cash!"
"So much difference?"
After listening to Yin Ping's explanation, Yuan Xudong was shocked. The exchange rate of 20 guan and 30 guan differed by 50%. It was convenient to use gold directly, but it was too wasteful. Thinking of this, Yuan Xudong looked at Zhou She and Xu Fugui who were drooling and said with a smile:
"I'm sorry, I was in a hurry and didn't bring that much copper money with me. How about we talk about it another day?"
“Don’t!”
Hearing that Yuan Xudong was leaving, Zhou She immediately said with a sad face:
"Mr. Xiao, you must help me. You are so rich, what does a mere ingot of gold mean to you?"
As he spoke, he looked at Mei Niang who had been standing next to him, slightly widened his eyes and said:
"By the way, Mei Niang must have a lot of copper coins. Mr. Xiao, you can exchange with Mei Niang. If it's not enough, you can also ask the madam of Xiangyun Tower to exchange copper coins. With such a good-quality gold ingot, she must be very willing to exchange with you!"
"No need to bother!"
Without waiting for Yuan Xudong to speak, Xu Fugui smiled and said:
"I usually do some gold and silver exchange business. Sir, this gold ingot is of high quality and heavy. Give it to me and I will help you exchange it for thirty strings of copper coins, okay?"
"Okay, thanks a lot!"
As soon as Xu Fugui finished speaking, Yuan Xudong gently threw the gold ingot in his hand to him. Xu Fugui subconsciously reached out to catch it, was slightly stunned for a moment, and smiled tentatively:
"Sir, aren't you afraid that I will deny my responsibility after taking the gold?"
"It's just a gold ingot, no more than thirty strings of cash. If you want to deny it, you can try it!"
As he spoke, Yuan Xudong took a deep look at Xu Fugui, his eyes teasing, with a hint of coldness and ruthlessness. Seeing Yuan Xudong's fearless look, Xu Fugui also put aside his inappropriate thoughts and said with a smile:
"Please wait a moment, sir. I will send someone to get the money right away!"
After that, Xu Fugui ordered the two servants who had been following him to go back and get the money. About half an hour later, the two servants came back again, each holding a heavy small box two feet square, followed by three other servants. Xu Fugui handed the two small boxes and the thirty strings of money inside to Yuan Xudong. After Yuan Xudong took a quick look, Xu Fugui smiled and said,
"Sir, I have given you all the thirty strings of cash. I wonder if Zhou She owes me the fifteen strings of cash..."
Looking at Xu Fugui who hadn't finished speaking, and Zhou She who was staring at him eagerly, Yuan Xudong closed the box containing the money and said with a smile:
"Are you kidding? His Zhou family has been bankrupt for a long time. How can I lend him fifteen strings of cash for nothing?"
"Mr. Xiao, you..."
Unexpectedly, Yuan Xudong turned hostile so quickly that Zhou She was shocked. Before he could finish, Yuan Xudong directly said:
"What do you mean Young Master Xiao, Young Master Xiao? Are you stupid? You are a dead liar. You said you are a wealthy businessman in Huaiyang, with dozens of shops, nearly a hundred servants, and several courtyards. You also wanted to trick my Yin Zhang into marrying you, but what was the result?
Your family is in Huating County. You are not a wealthy businessman, and you are even poorer. You can't even take out 15 strings of cash. You still want to borrow money from me. Is it worth it?"
"Mr. Xiao, please listen to my explanation. I can mortgage my ancestral home to you or even sell it to you. How about thirty strings of cash?"
"Thirty strings of cash?"
Looking at Zhou She who looked anxious, Yuan Xudong said with a smile:
"My family is in Tokyo, a thousand miles away from Huating County. What use do I have for your ancestral home?"
Before Zhou She could show despair, Yuan Xudong glanced at Xu Fugui and said:
"How about this? Mr. Xu offers 20 strings of cash, and I'll give you another 5 strings of cash, a total of 25 strings of cash. Would you mind selling your ancestral home to Mr. Xu?"
Unexpectedly, Yuan Xudong would propose this. Xu Fugui, who was originally a little unhappy that Yuan Xudong had played a trick on him, suddenly became happy, with a smile on his face. Zhou She calculated in his mind that the ancestral home was about 25 strings of cash, and he could return 15 strings of cash to Xu Fugui, leaving 10 strings of cash. He could use 5 strings of cash to run away, and the remaining 5 strings of cash to make a profit in the casino. Thinking of this, he was about to grit his teeth and agree, but then he heard Yuan Xudong say:
"But, I'm not giving you these five strings of cash for nothing. I have one condition!"
Hearing Yuan Xudong say there are conditions, Zhou She immediately said nervously:
"Mr. Xiao, what are the conditions?"
"What do you think?"
Looking at Zhou She who was looking anxiously, Yuan Xudong pulled Song Yinzhang in front of him and said with a smile:
"You have offended my wife, so kowtow to her a few times to apologize. If you kowtow three times, I'll give you one string of money, and if you kowtow fifteen times, I'll give you five strings of money. If you don't want to kowtow, that's fine too. Just jump out of the second-floor window. There's a river below, so you won't die. Which one do you want to choose?"
Hearing this, Zhou She glanced out the window. Just as Yuan Xudong said, the second floor was not high, and there was a river below. He would definitely not die from the fall, but would be in a state of disgrace at best. Just when Yuan Xudong, Song Yinzhang, Yin Ping, and even Mei Niang and Xu Fugui thought that Zhou She would choose to jump into the water, he looked at Yuan Xudong with an apologetic smile and said:
"Mr. Xiao, can I choose both? First, kowtow to Miss Song and apologize, and then go diving. Can you give me ten strings of cash?"
"good!"
Looking at the completely shameless Zhou She, Yuan Xudong smiled.
From a personal point of view, he quite admired people like Zhou She. Being able to completely let go of dignity and face is actually a kind of ability. Most people can't be so shameless. It's like flattering the leader. Some people say it very naturally, while some people feel embarrassed to listen to it. Generally speaking, leaders like people who flatter. Leaders who don't like flattery are either pretending to be noble themselves, or their subordinates flatter in the wrong way. After all, some people like to be more direct, and some people like the kind of flattery that is invisible. If you really tell the leader that you did this wrong and you did that wrong, the leader will accept it humbly on the surface, but will secretly note it down in his heart and wait for the reckoning later.
After receiving Yuan Xudong's reply, Zhou She immediately knelt down at Song Yinzhang's feet and kowtowed to admit his fault. While kowtowing, he apologized:
"Madam Song, I was wrong. I am not a human, I am a beast. No, I am not even as good as a beast. Please forgive me!"
“Bang, bang, bang~~”
Soon, Zhou She kowtowed fifteen times in a row, cursing himself in various ways. This attitude was fine, but he had no sincerity in his apology. Song Yinzhang was so scared that he hid in Yuan Xudong's arms. Yinping, the girl, was giggling on the side, feeling relieved. Yuan Xudong's original intention was to humiliate Zhou She, but the other party didn't care about his humiliation and even made money from him. For a moment, Yuan Xudong just felt bored. After Zhou She kowtowed, he took out ten strings of money from the box, threw them to Zhou She, and said boringly:
"Take your money and run away, then jump out of the window!"
"Okay, thank you Mr. Xiao for the reward!"
As he said that, Zhou She hurriedly put the ten strings of money that Yuan Xudong threw to him into his arms, then stood up and jumped out of the second-floor window. After a splash, he emerged from the water again, swam quickly to the shore, and soon disappeared under the cover of night.
After Zhou She really ran away, Xu Fugui finally reacted, slapped his thigh, and shouted:
"Fuck! He still hasn't paid me back the fifteen strings of cash he owes me!"
Hearing Xu Fugui's loud voice, Mei Niang was also startled, and woke up from her daze and cursed:
"This bastard, he ran away before he even paid me for drinking with him!"
In a moment, Xu Fugui took his five strong servants to chase Zhou She. The monk may run away, but the temple cannot. The Zhou family's ancestral home was there. Xu Fugui was not afraid that Zhou She would run away, but he was afraid that other creditors would know that the Zhou family had already gone bankrupt. Zhou She owed so much money that it was impossible for him to pay it back. It would be better for him to get his fifteen strings of money back first. At worst, he could ask for the principal of ten strings first and then the remaining interest later.
After Xu Fugui left, Yuan Xudong looked at Mei Niang who was still in the room and said with a smile:
"Ma'am, would you mind making some extra money?"
As he spoke, Yuan Xudong casually took out a few coins from the box and said with a smile:
"Within three days, I want everyone in Huating County to know that the Zhou family has already gone bankrupt. Can you do it?"
After taking a deep look at Yuan Xudong, Mei Niang nodded slightly and said firmly:
"Sure. Within three days, the elders and villagers of Huating County will know that the Zhou family has already gone bankrupt!"
"Okay, these are all yours!"
…
At night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Yuan Xudong left Xiangyun Tower , and walked back to Yuelai Inn. In his arms, he was holding a heavy small box, two feet square, which contained the remaining fifteen strings of cash.
After returning to Yuelai Inn, Song Yinzhang and Yinping went back to their rooms to wash up, while Yuan Xudong went to Sun Sanniang's room. Sure enough, Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang were both there. Seeing Sun Sanniang still in a trance, Yuan Xudong looked at Zhao Pan'er and said:
"What's wrong with her? Wasn't she much better before?"
Hearing this, Zhao Pan'er pulled Yuan Xudong and whispered:
"Sanniang's gold is lost. It's the ingot of gold weighing ten taels that you gave her. She's feeling very sad now!"
"I thought what had happened was wrong. The gold is not lost. It is right here with me!"
"Is the gold not lost?"
“Not lost!”
Yuan Xudong smiled. Seeing that Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang were both looking at him, he took out a gold ingot from his arms that was exactly the same as the one he had given to Sun Sanniang before and said with a smile:
"Here it is. I was afraid I might lose it, so I put it away, and then I forgot about it!"
As he spoke, Yuan Xudong stuffed the gold ingot in his hand into Sun Sanniang's hand and said with a smile:
"Okay, Sanniang, you have to cheer up. Apart from those who hurt you, there are still people in this world who care about you, such as Pan'er. You are so stupid and stupid, and you are hurting yourself and Pan'er. If you don't think about yourself , you should think about Pan'er, right? You don't know how to feel sorry for yourself, but I know how to feel sorry for Pan'er!"
Sun Sanniang was staring blankly at the gold ingot that Yuan Xudong had forced upon her. After waiting for a long time for Yuan Xudong to finish speaking, she looked up at him blankly and said:
"This is not my piece of gold. You don't need to comfort me. It must have fallen into the water!"
"Yeah?"
I didn't expect that Sun Sanniang could still tell whether it was her original piece of gold or not. They were obviously of the same specifications. Thinking of this, Yuan Xudong looked at Sun Sanniang curiously and asked:
"How do you know this piece of gold is not your original piece?"
Looking up at Yuan Xudong, Sun Sanniang returned the gold ingot in her hand to him and said:
"Your piece of gold is completely new, but my old piece of gold has teeth marks on it!"
"Are there teeth marks?"
"Well, I took two special bites. People say that gold can be bitten, so I wanted to try and see if it is really possible!"
Looking at Sun Sanniang who had regained some of her vitality, Yuan Xudong put the gold ingot in his hand close to her mouth and said with a smile:
"Then try biting another one!"
"what?"
She looked at Yuan Xudong with some surprise. Seeing that he insisted, Sun Sanniang took two bites of the gold ingot she was holding and said:
"alright!"
"Well, okay, look, there are teeth marks now, right?"
Yuan Xudong put the gold ingot that Sun Sanniang had bitten twice back into her hands and said with a smile:
"Take it quickly, this is your gold ingot!"
"No, I can't ask for your money anymore. I'm already causing you enough trouble like this!"
Having said this, Sun Sanniang returned the gold ingot to Yuan Xudong, looked at Yuan Xudong and Zhao Paner, forced a smile and said:
"Pan'er, Master Xiao, you are right. My name is Sun Sanniang. I am not just Fu Xingui's divorced wife, but also Fu Zifang's mother. I will cheer up soon. You don't have to worry about me. Go and have a rest. Good night!"
"Okay, then you should go to bed early too. Good night!"
After that, Yuan Xudong and Zhao Pan'er left Sun Sanniang's room and talked in the corridor for a while. Zhao Pan'er went back to her room to rest, while Yuan Xudong went to the rooms of Song Yinzhang and Yinping. At this moment, Song Yinzhang was bathing in the room, and Yinping was responsible for adding water for her. In the steaming hot bath tub, Song Yinzhang was immersed in the hot water, and his hands kept stroking his body...
After being washed with hot water, the fair and delicate skin actually showed a hint of attractive rosy color. Yinping held a ladle and scooped hot water on Song Yinzhang's body...
When Yuan Xudong walked into the room, he saw Song Yinzhang bathing in a wooden barrel. Such a young girl, as beautiful as a lotus flower, was washing her delicate body in the clear water. Yuan Xudong could no longer control himself. He took off his brocade clothes and jumped into the huge wooden barrel amid the shy voices of Song Yinzhang and Yinping...
