I trade in both worlds

"Manager Qian, how much silver does this Huanghuali bookshelf cost?" she asked.

Manager Qian pondered for a moment and said with a smile, "There are six bookshelves in this set. The original price is five thousand taels. However, since you are a friend of Escort Li, I naturally cannot let you suffer a loss."

"How about three thousand five hundred taels of silver? This is the lowest price I can offer."

Xu Ziqing secretly calculated in her mind, three thousand five hundred taels, plus the two thousand taels for the dressing table, a total of five thousand five hundred taels, which was almost all of her wealth.

Xu Ziqing secretly calculated in his mind and felt that the price was reasonable.

But she did not agree immediately, and continued, "Manager Qian, I came here this time to find some Four Books and Five Classics with annotations. Do you have any?"

When Shopkeeper Qian heard this, he knew that Xu Ziqing wanted to lower the price again.

After thinking for a while, he said, "Miss Xu, I do have some Four Books and Five Classics with annotations, but there are not many of them, and they are quite expensive."

"How about this? If you buy these two pieces of furniture, I'll give you a set of annotated Four Books and Five Classics for free. How about that?"

Xu Ziqing thought about it in her heart after hearing this. She knew that opportunities like this were not easy to come by.

So she nodded and agreed, "Okay, that's settled. Five thousand five hundred taels, plus the books."

After the transaction was completed, Xu Ziqing and Li Wan'er prepared to leave the warehouse.

However, they encountered a problem. Due to the inconvenience of living in an inn, they could not take the purchased furniture away immediately.

At this time, Xu Ziqing suddenly said, "Sister Li, can I put these furniture in Hongbang Escort Agency first, and then have the escort agency transport them back when we return?"

After hearing this, Li Wan'er nodded and said, "No problem, I'll just tell the steward."

After seeing that they had reached an agreement, Manager Qian said, "These furniture need to be disassembled. I will find someone to transport them to the escort agency tomorrow morning."

Xu Ziqing nodded, and left the escort agency with Li Wan'er.

Half a month has slipped away from my fingertips without me noticing.

Xu Ziqi, who had just returned from the clinic, stood in front of the window, looking at the bustling streets outside, feeling an indescribable emotion in his heart.

In the past half month, he has been studying hard in the clinic, dealing with herbs every day and listening to the old doctor's teachings. His medical skills have made great progress.

However, separation always comes so quickly, and in the blink of an eye, he has to wave goodbye to this fulfilling time.

"This past half month has passed so quickly." Xu Ziqi sighed sadly, "Xiaoqing, we're going back soon. Is there anything you want to do?"

Xu Ziqing thought for a moment and said, "Let's stay a few more days and go to the jewel shop and the pawn shop."

Hearing this, Xu Ziqi glanced at her and asked, "Do you still have money?"

"We still have more than three thousand taels, but less than four thousand." Xu Ziqing thought for a while and said, "Gemstones are not expensive, and we can still buy a lot. As for furniture, we really can't buy much with the money we have, but we can buy some small items, such as official leather boxes, treasure boxes, mirror boxes, incense boxes, etc."

Hearing this, Xu Ziqi's heart moved and he nodded: "Okay, then we will stay for three more days."

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly, and the brother and sister dressed neatly and walked out of the inn.

There are shops lining both sides of the street, and the streets are bustling with people.

Just as they walked a short distance, they ran into Liu Fu, the chief steward of the Liu Mansion.

"Mr. Xu, Miss Xu, are you going out?" Liu Fu greeted them with a smile. The servant behind him was holding a pile of exquisite boxes, which made him particularly eye-catching.

"General Manager Liu, how are you these days?" Xu Ziqi politely returned the greeting, feeling somewhat curious as to why Liu Fu was here.

"TOEFL, TOEFL, everything is fine. Are you two going out for a walk?" There was a hint of inquiry in Liu Fu's eyes.

"That's right. I plan to stay in the capital for another three days and explore this prosperous place." Xu Ziqi explained.

"Oh, haven't I disturbed your fun?" Liu Fu pretended to be surprised, but a warm smile appeared on his face.

"Of course not. It's our honor to have Chief Butler Liu here. Why don't you come in and have a cup of tea before leaving?" Xu Ziqi invited enthusiastically.

Liu Fu agreed to it happily. So the three of them returned to the inn together. Xu Ziqi led Liu Fu to his room, and Xu Ziqing asked the waiter to bring a pot of good tea.

The room is simply and elegantly decorated, with a landscape painting hanging on the wall, adding a touch of poetry to this small space.

Liu Fu sat on the chair, took the teacup handed to him by Xu Ziqi, took a sip, and praised it highly: "Good tea, good tea, Master Xu really knows how to enjoy life."

"No, no, compared to the treasures of the Liu family, this tea is just a simple meal." Xu Ziqi responded modestly.

Liu Fu smiled, put down his teacup, and said seriously: "Actually, I came here this time to send you some gifts on behalf of my wife. You are about to leave Beijing, and my wife hopes that you will have a safe journey and return home safely."

After that, he pointed to the servants behind him and asked them to put the box on the table next to him: "This is a little gift from my wife, please accept it."

Xu Ziqi quickly declined: "Master Liu, this is too polite. How can we accept it?"

Mr. Xu, you don't have to be polite. This is a little gift from my wife." Liu Fu insisted, "Besides, my wife has something to ask for."

"Oh? What's the matter?" Xu Ziqi asked curiously.

"After tasting the Snow Meringue and Egg Yolk Pastry, our Madam really liked these two pastries." Liu Fu explained, "Madam wants to buy these two recipes. I wonder if Miss Xu can tell her about them?"

Xu Ziqing waited for so many days, but Liu Fu didn't come. She thought that the Liu family didn't want to buy these two prescriptions.

She was slightly stunned, then said: "This... I have to go back and ask Xu Xu what she thinks. But, how much is Madam Liu prepared to bid?"

Liu Fu held up five fingers and said slowly, "Madam is willing to pay 10,000 taels for these two prescriptions."

Xu Ziqing didn't expect the Liu family to offer such a high price. He probably thought it included a favor of giving a mung bean paste mask.

Xu Ziqing nodded and agreed, "Okay, I'll tell Xu Xu when I get back. If she agrees to sell it, we'll go to Jinxiu Pavilion to find Sister Feng."

Upon hearing this, Liu Fu showed a satisfied smile on his face.

The three chatted for a while, and then Liu Fu stood up to say goodbye. Xu Ziqi and Xu Ziqing sent him to the door of the inn and watched him leave with the servant.

Looking at the sky, they realized that the time agreed with Li Wan'er had passed. The two of them did not bother to see what the Liu Mansion had sent, and turned directly to the Hongbang Escort Agency.

They first went to the escort agency to set a time to show up, and then picked up Li Wan'er to go to Baoyuanzhai together.