Chapter 89 Little Loli, Affection Cannot Be Sold

  In the shop, Ximen Qing led Xia Chuo to the second floor, laughing as they walked: "This store has some real power behind it, doesn't it? The owner of this place is a legend from the north, although he can't compare to Shen Wansan from Jiangnan. His rags-to-riches story is quite legendary too. Apparently, in his early years, he was just a shepherd for a landlord's family, herding sheep all over the mountains and fields, but then somehow he suddenly became rich."

  Ximen Qing looked around cautiously and lowered his voice, saying: "Some people say that he discovered a den of bandits who had been wiped out and got a large sum of gold, silver, and jewels. Some people say that he found the large sum of money buried by a high-ranking official of the Northern Yuan Dynasty when they fled in haste. There are many different stories, but no matter what, the fact is that he has become wealthy."

  Don't look at Xie Chuanzhong's illiteracy, but that brain is useful. If you have skills, you need opportunities to show off your skills. In the past, I didn't see that he had this ability, but after Xie Chuanzhong made money, he didn't just sit back and enjoy it. He actually started doing business and became the number one specialized fur dealer in Beiping City over a decade.

  Nowadays, not only the wealthy people in Beiping City must come to his store to buy leather goods, but also merchants from all over the country come to him for goods. If you say he's rich, this Mr. Xie is even richer than our Prince Yan Wang, isn't that impressive? Of course, he's a sheep herder by birth, everyone in Beiping City knows that, and the aristocrats don't really take him seriously, and those common people can only envy and admire him, but not really respect him. But now is now, what about after two or three generations? His family will be one of the top wealthy families in Beiping City, who will still mock his ancestors' humble origins...

  Xia Xun said, "There are many capable people who can't read big characters but have a keen mind and achieve great things. However, to become the richest man in Beiping's largest city within just over a decade, I'm afraid... it's not necessarily by following the rules and taking the right path. The meeting point that Ximen Qing took me to was at one of the Xie family's branch offices. Could it be that the big head responsible for smuggling and transporting goods between north and south in Beiping is actually this Xie Chuanzhong?"

  After thinking for a moment, the two of them strolled around the second floor and then went directly to the third floor. The clothing on the third floor was the most expensive, and there were also the fewest people. Ximen Qing led Xiaonü upstairs without looking at those fur coats, walked straight to the counter, and said to the shop assistant inside: "Excuse me, please ask your boss to come out. We have three pieces of high-quality fox fur that we want to make into a fur-lined collar, and also match it with a high-quality fur coat."

  The shopkeeper, seeing that he was dressed in simple clothes but had a big tone, also didn't judge people by their appearance and nodded politely to them, saying: "Two gentlemen please wait a moment." Then he lifted the door curtain and went inside.

  After a while, an old man with white hair walked out with him. His eyes scanned Xiaojun and the other person slightly, and he bowed his hands: "You two, I am the shopkeeper here. I don't know what kind of leather collar you want to make. Do you have any specific requirements?"

  Xia Liu put three pieces of fiery red fox fur on the case, and the old man's eyes lit up instantly: "Good fur, it's really good stuff."

  He picked up a piece of fur, rubbed his palm on the collar, gently smoothed out the hair, and carefully examined the cut marks again. He confirmed that there were no scars and couldn't help but praise: "Good, it's really good! Such high-quality fur is rarely seen even by me in a year, let alone three pieces at once. The color of this fox fur is especially fiery red, truly rare. Are you willing to sell these three pieces? Do you want to make all three into fur collars?"

  Ximen Qing hastily asked: "How much money can you take out?"

  Xia Yu gave Ximen Qing a glance and nodded, "Not bad, three pieces, all made into fur collars, and match them with a coat of suitable color and style. As for these three fur collars... one should be suitable for women in their thirties to wear at home, elegant and refined, yet lively and generous. Another piece cannot be too bulky or cumbersome, the corresponding coat is also the same, it should be suitable for people to go out and move around..."

  He looked around and pointed to a piece of leather clothing that had already been made, saying: "Similar to this set with a small collar, convenient for movement, and not hindering horse riding. That girl is only 16 or 17 years old, she should wear something that makes her look heroic."

  Ximen Qing squeezed his eyes and chuckled: "Giving it to Sister Peng? Ah, right, I haven't asked yet, you two have made a good match, that... after that, didn't you... turn against each other?"

  Xia Bian was talking to the shopkeeper, his voice was low again, Xia Bian didn't hear clearly. Ximen Qing thought he was too embarrassed to say it, and seeing that he wanted to buy something for Peng Niangzi, he thought they had already become a loving couple. Ximen Qing felt that he had done a great good deed, and his heart became calm, so he didn't ask again.

  The shopkeeper inside heard Xia Yu finish speaking, stroked his beard and smiled: "This old man understands, with some slight modifications to Hu Qiu's design, we can create something that meets your requirements, sir."

  Xia Liu smiled and said, "Alright, this third one is for a young girl who is small and delicate. As long as it's made to fit her well and looks cute, the style doesn't have to be too mature, just lively will do."

  The shopkeeper nodded and said: "Alright, alright, would you mind describing the height and build of the three female guests?"

  One of the shop assistants hastily took notes on the customer's requirements, while Xiaojun and Ximen Qing respectively described the height and weight of Xiao Dongniang, Peng Yiqing, and Xiao Ding. The assistant carefully recorded everything, and the shopkeeper said: "Alright, those two customers have paid the deposit, I'll open a ticket for you now. It's just the beginning of winter, and there are many people making fur clothes, so it may take some time to wait. Ten days later, the two customers can come back and see, it should be almost done."

  The shopkeeper was just saying that when a young girl exclaimed in surprise: "Wow, it's so beautiful, just like a flame!"

  That voice was as crisp as a yellow oriole, speaking in the authentic Fengyang dialect. Immediately afterwards, a whiff of grassy fragrance wafted over, and a little loli around ten years old squeezed to their side, straining on tiptoes, carefully using her alabaster hand to gently stroke the fiery fox fur. Her long eyelashes blinked repeatedly, her eyes filled with surprise and adoration.

  At this time, unmarried women were not allowed to use perfume or fragrant powder at will. Only married women could wear scented clothes. What about young girls who loved beauty? They would hide a handkerchief with fragrance or wear a sachet, and that was enough. This little loli only wore a sachet filled with fragrant grass, but unexpectedly the fragrance was so strong, it seemed to be top-quality fragrant grass.

  Xiaojie and Ximen Qing were squeezed to both sides by this little loli who was overjoyed, they turned their heads to look at her, only to see that she had a head of shiny black hair, combed neatly without a single strand out of place, with two adorable buns on the side of her head, no hair accessories on her head, just tied up with two silk ribbons made of unknown material, her small ears were as delicate as a treasure, without pierced ear holes or earrings, her skin was white and smooth, like polished ivory showing a hint of pink color, so tender it seemed to break when blown upon. Her nose was straight and small, her eyes were curved and large, with pupils like dots of lacquer.

  No need for Ximen Qing's extraordinary ability to judge women, Xia Liu could also tell that this little loli was an absolute beauty.

  This little girl will definitely be a stunning beauty when she grows up.

  The little loli treated the two of them as if they were air, happily admiring the cute fox fur for a while, and immediately asked excitedly: "Shopkeeper, how much is this fox fur? I want all three!"

  The shopkeeper smiled wryly and said, "Little girl, this fox fur is not from our store, it was brought by a customer to make a fur trim."

  "Oh..." The little loli's joyful and lively expression immediately fell, and from behind came a deep and full voice that was clear and gentle, not showing any arrogance: "So, who is this guest who has taken the lead? Perhaps we can talk to him, offer a suitable price, and ask him to sell it to us."

  "Right, right!" Little Lori nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, turned around with a sweet smile and praised: "Master, you're still smarter than me, I didn't think of that."

  Xiaojing and Ximen Qing turned their heads to look, only to discover that the little loli was accompanied by two adults. One was a monk wearing a dark brown robe, whose facial features were somewhat angular, but his temperament was extremely refined. The other was a middle-aged beautiful woman who looked similar to the little loli in terms of facial features, except that the little loli was still in her early youth, stunning yet with a hint of naivety, while the woman was mature and radiant, having shed her youthful awkwardness, becoming even more transparent and pure, exuding a bright aura all around.

  Yes, this beautiful woman was tall and slender, with a charming face and radiant complexion. When Ximen Qing and Xiaonü first saw her, they didn't look at her from the usual angle that men like to admire beautiful women. Instead, what struck them was her inner quality, which shone through from within, lofty yet never overbearing.

  "This family is by no means ordinary." This was Xia Jie's first impression.

  "Monk? This family has its own ancestral temple, it must be no ordinary family." This was Ximen Qing's first impression.

  "If I'm not mistaken, you two gentlemen are the owners of the fox skins." The woman's eyes sparkled with clarity as she gazed at them: "These three fox skins, would you be willing to sell them? Even one piece is fine. As for the price, we'll definitely make sure you're satisfied."

  "Cough, madam, I don't know how much you plan to pay..."

  Ximen Qing hadn't finished speaking when he was pulled to the back by Xia Liu. This woman's words were extremely gentle and soft, but that one smile, one glance, even one tone of voice, all had a kind of noble and elegant demeanor, making people unknowingly surrender to her. Fortunately, Xia Liu was also quite worldly-wise, and his experiences in this life didn't need to be mentioned, he had killed people before, and had seen the likes of Qi Wang's royal nobility, with extensive experience, his temperament was naturally more resolute, and he managed to withstand the pressure of the other person's unintentionally released aura of a long-time superior.

  "Sorry, madam, this fox fur is meant to be given to the one I love most. Perhaps, madam, you can offer a price that would tempt anyone's heart, but sentiment cannot be bought with money."

  The monk smiled and said, "It's not that serious. Our young lady really likes this piece of fur, if you make a good deed, form a good relationship, get multiple benefits, buy another fox fur, and still give it to others, isn't it a win-win situation?"

  Xia Liu smiled and said: "What Master says is reasonable."

  The little loli just jumped up, and Xia Yu said: "But I originally had no intention of making a profit from this. Since I have already decided to give you this fox fur collar as a gift, if I were to sell it to someone else for the sake of profit, then even if I were to give away ten more collars, the price would be the same... and the sentiment behind it would also be worthless, Master, what do you think?"

  The monk's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise as he sized up the young man in ordinary clothes, nodding slightly and remaining silent.

  The beautiful woman was also somewhat surprised, and after glancing at Xia Xun, a smile of approval appeared on her face. Ximen Qing, who was standing beside her, had been thinking of selling the fox fur coat for a high price and buying another one to give to his wife. However, Xia Xun said something that made him feel ashamed in his heart, and he swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

  The little loli stared at him with a pair of clear and bright eyes, asking: "Are you really not selling? I can offer a lot of money. How much is this fox fur worth? I'll pay ten times the price, will you sell or not?"

  Xia Liu smiled and shook her head, and the beautiful woman called out in a soft voice: "Ming Er, what is valuable, what is invaluable?"

  The little loli thought for a moment and asked the shopkeeper unwillingly: "Shopkeeper, is there such fox fur in your store?"

  The shopkeeper smiled and said, "If the young lady wants to buy it, I do have some, but this fire fox fur is priceless and hard to come by. If the young lady really wants to buy it, please leave an address, and in a year or two, I'll definitely find one and send someone to inform you."

  "Is it going to take this long?"

  The little loli was a bit angry and also a bit sad, her black and white eyes flashing back and forth, lightly biting her tender pink lips, her small chest rising and falling as if she were arguing with herself.

  Xia Liu is a bit amusing, this little girl, obviously has been spoiled since childhood, there's nothing she wants that she can't get, so when someone rejects her once, she becomes unbearable, look at those big watery eyes of hers, it's clear she's about to cry. Fortunately, although she's a pampered flower, her family education is very good, looking at the several tall and strong servants standing behind them, they are obviously skilled attendants, but she didn't throw a tantrum at herself, just sulked in silence.

  The little girl was born with a temper, walked over and held the beautiful woman's hand, saying in a choked voice: "Sister, let's go."

  "Sister?" Xia Liu and Ximen Qing looked at her and the woman, who looked very similar, and thought they were mother and daughter, but unexpectedly they were a pair of sisters.

  The beautiful woman smiled and teased her: "Ming Er, didn't you want to buy a fox fur coat? Why don't you want it now?"

  "I don't want it anymore"

  Meng'er pouted her pink lips, like a sulky child pulling her sister's hand to walk outside. When they reached the staircase, she suddenly turned around, glared at Xia Xun with a huff, and said loudly: "I want to go to Yanshan to hunt foxes, let Sister and Brother-in-law accompany me, and catch the most beautiful red fox, humph!"

  After finishing speaking, Xiao Yao's nose wrinkled up, and then the sound of deerskin boots kicking and tapping was heard, a beautiful little loli came with the fragrance of the wind and left with her boots tapping.

  The black-robed monk looked deeply at Xia Jie, slightly bowed his head and floated down the stairs.

  Xiaojie and Ximen Qing exchanged a smile, put away the IOU written by the shopkeeper, walked shoulder to shoulder down the stairs, looked up and saw that the snow had fallen heavily, the sky and earth were all hazy...

  PS: The story of the trip to Beiping is slowly unfolding, with many characters taking the stage. The protagonist wants to return to Jiangnan in style, but without a strong backing, how can he do it? In order to be invincible in the future, he must start paving the way now. Send the protagonist on his journey.

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