The three of them hurried to the restaurant. Nan Zhu took the lead like a big brother and charged straight in.
The restaurant manager stepped out and blocked the entrance together with the attendants. The manager smiled and said, “Gentlemen, this is unfortunate. A guest has reserved the place for this period and strictly instructed that no outsiders be allowed to disturb them. We have no choice. Sorry about this. Please come back another time.”
Nan Zhu said angrily, “What outsiders? Our brother is upstairs. We are here to find someone.”
Mu Ao Tie stepped forward and tried to push through even more aggressively.
The manager pushed out with his hand and blocked Mu Ao Tie’s chest. He said in a deep voice, “I will say it one more time. The guest who reserved the entire place has given instructions. Do not make things difficult for us, or I will have to send an alert and let the You Ya people come and deal with you.”
At the mention of You Ya, both Nan Zhu and Mu Ao Tie froze. Violating You Ya’s rules was not something they could bear or dared to do.
Seeing that forcing their way in was impossible, Sun Ping gave the two men a way out. She took the initiative to pull them back from the entrance.
Yet Nan Zhu still had that fire in him. He stood on the opposite side of the street and shouted loudly towards the upper floor of the restaurant, “Old Fifteen, I know you are inside. Old Nine and I have questions for you. Get out here right now. If you have really done something treacherous and gone back on your word, do not blame us brothers for turning against each other.”
He kept shouting nonstop. Mu Ao Tie stood with a cold face and clenched fists.
Sun Ping could only stand beside them and really pinned her hopes on these two.
Passersby did not know what was happening. Gradually some began to stop and watch. The number of onlookers showed signs of increasing.
Inside the private room upstairs, listening to the shouting and cursing outside, Qin Jue asked, “Are they calling for you?”
Yu Qing gave a hum and said, “Let him shout. Ignore it.”
Qin Jue said, “From the noise, your friends seem to be on Miao Qing’s side.”
Yu Qing said calmly, “That does not matter. I am doing this for their own good too. Tie Miao Qing is not capable enough. She lacks Manager Qin’s boldness, ability, and vision. She will not achieve much and will sooner or later have to submit at Manager Qin’s feet.”
These words sounded pleasant. Qin Jue laughed heartily and turned his head towards the door. “Send someone outside to tell the restaurant manager that the nonstop shouting downstairs is disturbing our drinking.”
“Yes.” One of his subordinates at the door responded and quickly went to pass the message.
Before long the restaurant manager came out with a dark face, bringing several men with him. They firmly blocked the path in front of Nan Zhu and the other two. He did not address Nan Zhu but stared at Sun Ping and said, “Manager Sun, our shops are close by so we are old acquaintances who see each other often. I do not care what grudges you have with the people inside. They came into my establishment and paid money, so they are my guests. You should not bring people to curse and shout in front of my door. How is this any different from ruining my business? We have no past enmity or recent hatred, and we are all familiar faces. I do not want to make things ugly for everyone. I will give you one more chance. Stop this immediately, or I will report it to You Ya for them to handle it.”
As he spoke the last sentence he raised his hand and pointed directly at Nan Zhu, the one shouting nonstop.
Nan Zhu’s face was full of rage.
Sun Ping quickly pulled him back, then apologised to the restaurant manager. She admitted they were in the wrong and promised there would be no more shouting.
Only then did the restaurant manager let them off for now and returned inside with a flick of his sleeve.
With no more excitement to watch, the passersby gradually dispersed.
Not long after, Cui You arrived, bringing several people from the money house with him. They were led straight into the restaurant opposite.
Just before entering, Cui You saw Sun Ping and the others across the street and gave them a strange smile full of mockery.
Sun Ping recognised those money house people. Seeing this scene she realised what was happening and her face changed colour dramatically.
Upstairs in the private room, once the money house people arrived things became straightforward. Both parties quickly drafted the contract.
After the contract was signed, Qin Jue directly received the payment from the money house personnel.
There were six hundred and fifty notes of ten thousand taels each. One stack had fifty notes while the other six stacks had one hundred notes each.
A row of seven stacks of silver notes was placed in front of Yu Qing. Yu Qing also removed the jar from his waist and officially handed over the “big head” to Qin Jue.
Yu Qing stuffed the stacks of silver notes into his clothes one by one and put them away carefully.
Qin Jue held the jar and admired the fire cricket, inevitably asking Cui You to verify its authenticity.
Cui You was one of those who had gone to the ancient tomb wilderness to catch fire crickets. Although he had not caught one, he had seen what they looked like. After confirming it was genuine he nodded to his manager.
The money house manager had just served as witness for both sides of the transaction.
After Qin Jue confidently put away the “big head” he asked one more question. “Top scholar, you have been raising the fire cricket until now. What does it normally eat?”
Yu Qing pointed at the dishes on the plate and said, “Bones. It does not eat meat, only bones. Also spiritual rice, but only the raw kind.”
Eat bones? Qin Jue and the others were curious. Qin Jue could not resist trying it on the spot. He picked out a small piece of bone and threw it into the metal jar.
Soon came the sound of crunching and gnawing from inside the jar. Looking through the air holes, it was indeed eating the bone.
Everyone who saw this expressed amazement.
With the transaction complete there was no point staying any longer. Qin Jue stood up and said, “Top scholar, shall we go to You Ya now to handle the You Ju token matter as well?”
Yu Qing also stood up and indicated towards the window with a tilt of his head. “I probably still need to communicate with my two brothers. I will come find you later.”
Qin Jue smiled faintly. “Then tomorrow. Come to Jian Yuan Zhai tomorrow and Cui You will take you to handle it.”
They had talked pleasantly, each getting what they needed, and left together.
As soon as they stepped out of the restaurant door, Qin Jue glanced at Sun Ping, deliberately showed the metal jar in his hand and played with it, then left with an expressionless face.
Seeing that the jar was already in his hands, Sun Ping instantly turned ashen and looked utterly dejected.
Nan Zhu and Mu Ao Tie had widened their eyes and rushed towards Yu Qing. However their cultivation was no match for his. They tried to grab him to question him but were directly shaken off by Yu Qing.
“Whatever you have to say, wait until we get back. Whoever causes a scene in the street, do not blame me for not giving them face.” Yu Qing gave a cold warning.
Nan Zhu and Mu Ao Tie immediately held back their anger. One looked furious while the other kept a cold face as they followed behind him.
What could Sun Ping do? She followed dejectedly at the rear.
Inside Miao Qing Tang, Tie Miao Qing, who had been waiting anxiously, saw the group return and from their expressions roughly knew that things had gone badly.
She stayed close by Yu Qing’s side, attending to him carefully, wanting to speak but holding back.
As soon as Yu Qing sat down in the pavilion, bang! Nan Zhu slammed the table beside him and pointed at him as he scolded, “Now you can speak. What good thing have you done? Did you go back on your word and sell the fire cricket to Jian Yuan Zhai?”
Under the gaze of several people, Yu Qing reached into his sleeve and took out a stack of silver notes.
Seeing they were ten thousand taels each, both Nan Zhu and Mu Ao Tie’s eyes were drawn to them.
Sun Ping and Tie Miao Qing saw so much money and looked grief stricken and angry.
Yu Qing counted them in front of everyone. Exactly twenty notes. He pushed this stack of silver notes towards Tie Miao Qing. “Madam boss, I am sorry. I could not hand the fire cricket over to you to sell. I sold it to Jian Yuan Zhai. I did not earn an extra coin. Here are two million taels in silver notes for you. Consider it my goodwill and also an apology. Keep it for your future livelihood.”
He really had not earned an extra coin. According to the previous agreement with Tie Miao Qing’s side, it was to be sold for five million taels. After the sale Miao Qing Tang would take ten percent commission, which meant giving Yu Qing four million five hundred thousand taels.
Now he had only received four million five hundred thousand taels. The extra two million taels he had not taken at all and pushed everything over to Tie Miao Qing’s side.
The extra five hundred thousand taels he had fought for from Qin Jue earlier was actually also fought for this side. He had hoped to secure more benefits for them.
After all, if Miao Qing Tang was gone, what was more practical than giving the two women some extra money on hand.
At least in Yu Qing’s view, having more money in hand was the most practical thing.
Nan Zhu and Mu Ao Tie, who had been full of rage ready to vent at Yu Qing, were both stunned. They stared fixedly at that stack of silver notes with their throats bobbing constantly. Unimaginable, unbelievable. This was not two hundred taels, this was two million taels. Had Old Fifteen gone mad? He just gave it away like that?
Whatever they had wanted to scold their junior brother for, both forgot the words. Their thoughts and gazes were all focused on that thick stack of silver notes.
Tears welled up in Tie Miao Qing’s eyes. “Miao Qing Tang’s operating rights could have been sold earlier for two million taels. What I wanted was the Miao Qing Tang that my husband gave me, not these two million taels in silver notes. If I really wanted money, after completing the You Ya mission earlier I could have exchanged for money. It should have been more than two million taels, right?”
Yu Qing said, “That is why I cannot understand it. Knowing full well that you cannot protect Miao Qing Tang, why waste that chance to make demands of You Ya?”
Tie Miao Qing said tearfully, “Top scholar, I trusted you, so after we reached agreement I did not force you to sign a contract. Yet that gave you the chance to go back on your word. You have acted so treacherously. Are you not afraid of tarnishing your reputation as a great talent?”
Yu Qing grew somewhat angry and had no interest in relaying Qin Jue’s theories about selling things to them. He stood up. “To hell with great talent. Spare me that nonsense. Tie Miao Qing, are you blaming me? Do you have the right to blame me? Do you think I wanted to go back on my word? I do not feel good about it either.
Just look at what you have done. First there was Cheng Shan Ping who nearly got me killed. Now some Mao fellow appears. You have spies all around you. Things agreed upon one moment and the next you sell me out.
You seem to think my life is too long and do not want to leave me any way out.
You are good looking, you are beautiful. Everywhere you go people pity and cherish you. Your senior brother went to such lengths only because he wants to win a beauty like you.
You men and women with your love and hate, your entanglements. In the end he will not kill you anyway. But what about me?
If I do not sell to him, he will treat me as an enemy and try to kill me. The mess you created is something even you cannot sort out. Why should others stand in front and take responsibility for you, bear the risks for you? Who have I offended? Have I ever hugged you or slept with you?
Even if I did not sell it to him, even if you could sell the fire cricket, even if Miao Qing Tang could survive this time, what about three years later? The situation is obvious. You have already turned Miao Qing Tang into a broken ship full of holes, leaking everywhere. It will sink sooner or later. You simply cannot beat him. Miao Qing Tang will still be finished in three years.
Now you can still get these two million taels in silver notes. That is already great fortune amid misfortune. I have asked myself and I have already done my best to fight for you. We have known each other and I have not let you down. If you really cannot understand it then I have no other way. Think whatever you want. At worst we can pretend we never met.”