Double Box Record

Chapitre 43

Shu Jun frowned and thought for a long time before suddenly realizing, "Oh, I had forgotten about this if you hadn't mentioned it. She still owes me two thousand taels of silver, and with interest, it's going to balloon to three thousand. That's right, we must get this debt back. Go and make preparations, we'll leave tomorrow."

Little Pumpkin grinned: "...Should we give Miss Ge and the others a heads-up first?"

Shu Jun turned his head away: "Who cares about them? Go wherever you want, just stop bothering me."

Little Pumpkin made a face: "I know! It's better to tell them we're going together! No, it's best if only Miss Ge comes with us."

Shu Jun made a move to hit him, but he had already disappeared in a flash.

The next day, the four of them boarded the boat together again. No one knew what Little Pumpkin had said to them, but Yichun smiled broadly and said, "Shujun, you are such a good person. Thank you for inviting us to Jiangnan."

"Please?" Shu Jun glanced at Little Pumpkin and gave him a meaningful look, implying that you can't win a girl's heart without spending money.

He could only let out an ambiguous hum from his nose as a reply.

Afterwards, Little Pumpkin tugged at him and whispered, "Master, you've lived for over twenty years and are used to women throwing themselves at you. You're so wrong to think that every woman will like you. Now you're the one who's interested in her, but she doesn't reciprocate at all. A real man should take the initiative and be more generous. Don't you remember how you treated her before? If you don't change her mind now, you're really doomed."

Shu Jun nodded: "Good idea, you came up with a good idea. The cost of this trip will be deducted from your monthly allowance."

Little Pumpkin was so regretful he almost jumped into the river. He knew his master was a miserly tightwad, but he never expected him to be just as stingy with the person he liked. He was hopeless, absolutely hopeless.

When we arrived in Suzhou, it was already November. Although the weather was cold and the trees and flowers were withered, we could still feel the beautiful atmosphere of the Jiangnan water towns.

The boatman rowed his small boat slowly through the crisscrossing waterways. On both sides were exquisite little houses with green tiles and white walls. Occasionally, an old man would sit on the riverbank chatting, while children chased each other and played. All that could be heard was the unfamiliar yet pleasant sound of the soft Wu dialect.

Yichun stood at the bow of the boat, looking around, and occasionally turned back to tug at Yang Shen: "Can you understand Suzhou dialect?"

He shook his head. Little Pumpkin quickly chimed in, "Master can understand, and not only can he understand, he can also speak!"

He wouldn't be satisfied if he didn't flaunt Shu Jun in front of Yi Chun for a day.

“Miss Ge, if you’re worried about not understanding Wu dialect, don’t wander around the streets alone. Getting lost would be terrible. You must stay with your master; he knows Suzhou well.”

Little Pumpkin himself felt he was being too kind: Master, I've created so many opportunities for you, how will you thank me?

Shu Jun smiled slightly at him: Then we'll just deduct half a month's pay.

The small boat rocked and swayed as it approached the shore. There were many houses on the shore, and the houses were much more exquisite than they had appeared before.

Shu Jun turned left and right, and entered a house. Two holly trees grew in the small courtyard in front of the door, and a black wooden plaque hung from the eaves with the inscription: "Xiangxiangzhai" (Fragrant Studio). A rather unconventional name.

Yang Shen's face darkened: "Where is this...?"

Shu Jun's voice was languid: "You thought it was a brothel?"

Yang Shen had nothing to say.

Little Pumpkin chuckled and said, "Young Master Yang, don't be so suspicious. My master has always been clean-living and would never go to such places. This is a place that sells incense. The owner owes you money and we've come to settle the bill today."

The Xiangxiangzhai was beautifully decorated, with embroidered curtains and hanging drapes. A delicate, sweet fragrance wafted into the air, making one feel weak in the knees and dazzled in the eyes.

Yi Chun rarely saw such exquisite beauty, and was a little stunned, muttering, "The owner here still owes you money? Shu Jun, you must be extremely rich!"

Shu Jun smiled but remained silent.

As soon as the four entered the house, two middle-aged maids greeted them. They seemed to recognize Shu Jun, and their expressions changed for a moment before they immediately bowed their heads and said, "Young Master Shu, your presence is an honor to our humble abode. The owner is waiting for you upstairs."

Yichun followed them upstairs. With her sharp ears, she overheard two maids whispering, "The debt collectors are here. Poor boss, he only has this heartless wretch in his heart. How can such a person be a good match for you?"

She was taken aback.

Passing through the flower-lined hall and the embroidered door, a woman in fine clothes sat gracefully deep within the boudoir, her brows brimming with joy as she quietly watched Shu Jun approach.

She was so beautiful, her face like an orchid. She said softly, "We agreed to come in April, and I prepared fresh tea for you early on. Why did it take so long? The tea is all stale now."

Shu Jun sat down opposite him without any ceremony, rummaged in his pocket, pulled out an account book, flipped through it, did some calculations, and finally said, "Two thousand taels of silver, with a 40% interest rate, it's been two years now, totaling three thousand nine hundred and twenty taels of silver. Xiangxiangzhai has been doing a great job, can we pay it back today?"

That's ruthless! It's doubled! Yichun didn't dare to breathe when he heard about so much money.

The boss's face changed instantly, and he sneered, "Still so clueless! Would it kill you to talk about money later?"

Shu Jun took a sip of tea and said, "Could it be that Zui Xue is saying she still can't pay back this year?"

Drunken Snow Girl glared at him resentfully, but after a while, she asked softly, "If I say I can't pay it back, will you come again next year? If you do, I won't pay it back this year."

"Oh, I'll have Little Pumpkin come in my place next year." Shu Jun smiled kindly at her.

Zui Xue felt a mixture of hatred and love. She raised her hand to pinch his hateful face, but then, for some reason, she put it down and sighed, "Everyone says Shu Jun is charming and lewd, but I don't think that's the case at all. You should at least be lewd once, give me a chance."

Yi Chun almost spat out the tea in her mouth.

After much discussion, Shu Jun finally received nearly four thousand taels of silver as he wished. He handed the note to Little Pumpkin and instructed, "Go to Tongbao Bank and have them directly add the silver to my account."

The girl, Zui Xue, looked at him strangely, shook her head, and sighed, "I wish I had never met you."

Shu Jun smiled again, put down his cup, and said softly, "Zui Xue, what kind of poison was put in the tea?"

Poisoned tea?! Yang Shen knocked the cup out of Yi Chun's hand. He was naturally wary, and because the aroma in the room smelled strange, he hadn't touched the tea.

Zui Xue covered her mouth with half of her sleeve, lowered her eyelashes and said softly, "I look forward to your visit every year, but you break my heart every year. A scourge like you would be better off dead."

Shu Jun shook his head and said calmly, "You're lying."

She was silent for a moment, then said, "I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Young Master Yan came to see me. He's very interested in the two kids behind you and wants me to keep them here."

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Note: Gomoku (Five in a Row) existed in ancient China and was later introduced to Japan where it was called "Renju". It is not a modern invention.