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The group of people were talking and soon arrived at the downstairs of "Qinggui Building".
Therefore, the restaurant is also Zhou Cijing's business, and the restaurant owner goes out to greet him as usual.
Qiu Yizhi saw that the shopkeeper was only in his thirties, and had a two- to three-inch beard with a few streaks of gray in it. The corners of his mouth were drooped down, showing a somewhat sad look.
As usual, the group was divided into two groups - Zhou Cijing, He Jiugong, Qiu Yizhi and Zhao Chengxiao followed the shopkeeper, climbed all the way to the top floor of the restaurant, and sat down in a private room; the rest were casually sitting on the ground floor. We found two tables to eat.
Climbing to the top floor, there is no obstruction in the view. Qiu Yizhi leaned on the railing and looked into the distance, and saw a Yellow River lying on the earth like a giant dragon with golden scales, dividing the Central Plains into north and south halves, carrying countless muddy water, sand and gravel, flowing from the northern sky to the southern sky. "If you don't see it, the water of the Yellow River comes up from the sky and rushes to the sea never to return." Today, Qiu Yizhi saw such a spectacular scenery of the Yellow River with her own eyes, and finally realized the artistic conception in the poems of Shixian. Moving your eyes closer, you will find Anhe Town with the hustle and bustle of cars and horses and the noise of people. Looking down from a high position, whether they are shouting merchants, patrolling soldiers, farmers cultivating, or transporting traders, they are just ants of different colors squirming hard on the yellow soil.
Zhou Cijing in the room was not as excited as Qiu Yizhi, but he was in a good mood. He waved the folding fan in his hand and said to the shopkeeper: "This Qinggui Building is doing well! I've looked around. It's clean inside and outside, and the business is good. Yes. , I am very satisfied.”
But the shopkeeper still had a sad face: "Don't say that, boss. I can't support this restaurant anymore. I'll take this opportunity to ask the boss in person to change the villain's place. It doesn't matter where, as long as it's not in Anhe Town." …”
When Zhou Cijing heard this, a layer of gloom suddenly fell over his face: "You, Sun Shouqian, and I have not been together for a year or two. You know what kind of person I am, Zhou. What kind of person I am, what kind of things I do, are all in my heart." It’s clear. Right now, it seems that you are the one running the Qinggui Building business!”
He Jiugong on the side also interjected to smooth things over and said: "Shou Qian, I'm not afraid that you will be offended if I hear this. There are countless people inside and outside the Zhou family watching Qinggui Tower in Anhe Town. Just last month, someone gave me You stuffed me with money and asked me to say something nice in front of my employer so that I can steal your golden job!"
Sun Shouqian sighed, shook his head, and said, "My boss, I appreciate the good intentions of Jiu Gong. Just... you wait a moment, I'll come right away." After saying that, without waiting for Zhou Cijing's consent, he turned around and got off. Upstairs.
In just a moment, Sun Shouqian held a thick account book, placed it in front of Zhou Cijing respectfully and said: "This is the account book of Qinggui Tower last month. I would like my boss to take a look at it!"
Zhou Cijing flipped through a few pages and nodded while saying: "Isn't it very good? Last month, the income was 3,750 taels of silver, the expenses were 2,440 taels, and the net profit was 1,310 taels. You A small restaurant on the edge of the Yellow River can make more than a thousand taels of income every month. I think even the brothels and boathouses on the edge of the Qinhuai River can only do this, right?"
"This is just on the surface. There are still many expenses that cannot be recorded in the account!" Sun Shouqian explained.
Zhou Cijing smiled and said: "I know this, it's nothing more than a filial piety to the government. Haven't I told you this before? Don't record it in the account book on weekdays. When you compile the accounts every year, just copy it in another book and give it to me. "
"It would be better if we just send them away to the government!" Sun Shouqian sighed, and then subconsciously lowered his voice and said, "Since last month, a group of wealthy people from all over the world have come from nowhere. It was okay at first, but they were just eating and drinking here. It was just a few meals. Then I started asking for more and more money. I had begged them for mercy, but when I disagreed with them, they started to beat me, and they hit me hard. The guy’s hands and feet were broken and he’s still lying down unable to move.”
"Huh? Is there such a thing?" Zhou Cijing suddenly put away the fan and asked, "Have you informed the government about this?"
"If this happened, how can we not report it to the official? But the yamen doesn't care about anything, so they just send a few officials over to take a look. It doesn't make any difference whether they come or not. Zhang Tou and Li Tou from the town were here just now. I drank a bowl of tea and left. But the tax and customs must be paid. If you don't pay it one day, you may be charged with being a treacherous bandit and you will be unable to pay and leave." Sun Shouqian swallowed. He spat, and continued, "Don't look at the profit of more than a thousand taels last month, but half of it was spent on these turtles and bastards. Only a few days into this month, the four hundred taels of silver have been wasted again."
After Zhou Cijing heard this, he stood up and slapped the table. Just when he was about to speak, he sat down slumped and said discouragedly: "It doesn't matter. I already know what's going on here. You can do it here with peace of mind. I have free time for you here." Master Zhou Muche just writes a letter and asks him to take care of him." Then he fell into silence.
When He Jiugong saw that everyone was silent, he hurriedly smiled and said: "Shou Qian, since my boss said so, what are you still worried about? Do your best!"
Sun Shouqian felt a little happier now, but saw Qiu Yizhi and Zhao Chengxiao coming up with Zhou Cijing without saying anything. He felt curious, so he asked: "What do you call these two celebrities? This is the first time for me to celebrate my return here." Floor?"
After hearing this, Qiu Yizhi hurriedly turned around and bowed and replied: "I don't dare. I am Uncle Zhou's distant nephew. I have admired the name of shopkeeper Sun for a long time." After saying that, he pointed at Zhao Cheng Xiaodao, "This is Zhao Brother, although we are master and servant, we have grown up together and have become brothers."
How did Sun Shouqian know that Qiu Yizhi was pretending to be Zhou Cijing's nephew - the two had different surnames, so naturally they could not announce their names in public - and thought that he was as ignorant of etiquette as the other children of the Zhou family, but he could not express his inner thoughts. He bowed deeply and said, "It turns out to be the young master. You are so polite here."
Qiu Yizhi hurriedly stretched out his hand to help him and said: "I don't dare to take it. I'm just a poor little scholar. How can I dare to call him 'young master'?"
He Jiugong also answered: "We all call him 'gongzi'."
Sun Shouqian also knew some details about the Zhou family. He knew that everyone in the Zhou family was looking forward to having a nephew who would be able to obtain an official position and be a prominent figure - presumably this distant relative whom he had never met before, and who might be his nephew in the future. Can he inherit the Zhou family's property? Thinking of this, Sun Shouqian finally realized that there would be no harm in currying favor with this person. He quickly made a deeper bow than before and said with even more respect: "Sir, you are so polite!"
Qiu Yizhi didn't know that in this short moment, Sun Shouqian actually made such a small calculation in his mind, and said "please": "I see that the customs and customs of Anhe Town are different from Youyan. I wonder if I can disturb you here for one night?" "
Zhou Cijing, who was sitting on the side, nodded and said, "I have been floating on the Yellow River for a long time and I feel dizzy. I might as well rest here for one night. Shouqian, please go and make arrangements."
Sun Shouqian quickly nodded and bowed and said: "There are still a few rooms with the 'Tian' name in the podium of Qinggui Tower that have not been rented out today. I will seal up the rooms and let the people below clean them up!"
In fact, what Qiu Yizhi wanted to stay here was not Anhe Town, let alone Qinggui Tower. He was curious and bold by nature. He had been scolded many times by his adoptive father, King Youyan, Zheng Rong, and his master, Zhongli Kuang, but he still refused to change. Hearing that Shopkeeper Sun said that there are often wealthy people here, he couldn't help but want to see them.
So Qiu Yizhi didn't wander around the streets all afternoon. He only ordered a pot of tea and sat in the lobby of the restaurant, waiting for the wealthy people from the world to visit so that he could watch the excitement. Unexpectedly, after waiting for a whole day, even after dinner and going to bed, no knight came, so I had to close my eyes and fall asleep.
Just after midnight the next day, He Jiugong knocked on the door one by one and whispered: "It will be hotter after crossing the Yellow River. Get up early and take advantage of the coolness of the morning to walk more steps. The sun is shining brightly at noon and you can take a rest." "
Qiu Yizhi went to bed early and woke up early. When he heard He Jiugong calling, he slowly dressed and got up. Before I was fully dressed, I discovered that the sword from the Western Regions that I had clearly placed on the table last night was missing. He immediately panicked and rummaged through the entire guest room, but he just couldn't find this precious knife that could cut iron like clay.
This is a priceless sword, no, it is a sword that even money cannot buy!
Qiu Yizhi was so distraught that he rushed out the door and asked people when he saw them: "Have you seen the knife I'm wearing? Have you seen the knife I'm wearing?"
Just when he was at a loss, Sun Shouqian, the owner of the restaurant, ran up to him, took out a knife and asked, "Is this the sword that the young master wears every day?"
Qiu Yizhi took a closer look and saw that the hilt and scabbard were plainly decorated. He gently pulled it out, and saw that the layers of patterns on the blade were like rolling clouds and mist, and like rushing rivers - it was indeed the one he obtained from the Tianzun Sect's Yuhuangding General Altar. The sword of the Western Region.
Qiu Yizhi was overjoyed, grabbed the sword, held it in his hand and looked at it again and again. Fortunately, it was not damaged at all, so she felt a little relieved. He suddenly realized that his behavior just now was quite rude, and he hurriedly said to shopkeeper Sun: "This sword is my favorite thing. I was rude just now. I hope shopkeeper will forgive me."
Sun Shouqian didn't dare to care about it, and said hurriedly: "Young Master, you are too polite. Young Master, you are too polite."
"How dare you ask the shopkeeper, where did you find this knife?" Qiu Yizhi asked while tying the sword on his waist.
"Oh, it's hanging on the door beam of the Qinggui Building. I opened the door myself this morning, and it suddenly fell down. It even shocked me."
Qiu Yizhi hurried to the door of the restaurant and saw that the restaurant was built high, the front door opened very wide, and the door beam was at least a foot high from the ground. To hang a sword on a door beam, one must either stand on horseback, ride on another person's neck, or place a table under one's feet. But if you look closely at the ground in front of the door, you can see not only the marks of horse hooves and table legs, but also the footprints of ordinary people.
Qiu Yizhi was at a loss when he saw Zhao Chengxiao running over in a hurry and whispered in his ear: "Your Highness, did you ride a horse last night?"
Qiu Yizhi asked in shock: "What? Is my horse missing too?"
"That's not true. It's just that I remember clearly that last night I tied His Highness's green horse to the left side of my red horse. When I went to hold it now, it fell off. Could it be that I was confused? Wrong?" Zhao Chengxiao replied.
"No, I think there must be something fishy..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard footsteps coming one after another not far away. After a while, a group of people came and formed a semicircle to block the door of Qinggui Tower.
Qiu Yi saw that among the eight people: there were monks, Taoist priests, some dressed as scholars, some dressed as businessmen, some holding steel forks, some holding hammers, and two women - isn't this right? Is it the high-roller from the Jianghu who has been waiting all day for his arrival? (To be continued)