A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

"I wonder if the young master wants to forfeit the loan or renew it? If it's forfeited, the price will be half again as much."

The young master of Ren'an Hall hesitated and stammered, remaining silent for a long time.

Gui'er couldn't stand it anymore and quickly said, "Brother Wu, we're all from the same village, so let's help each other out if we can. I believe that if the young master can redeem such a valuable item, he will definitely do so. He can use it to open a pharmacy, so let's give him a little more as collateral."

Wu Mingqiang glanced at Gui'er with a wry smile and said, "Since Miss says so, then I'll give you an extra 20% of the principal. You won't find such a high price anywhere in Hong Kong."

Upon hearing this, the young master quickly stood up, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you both, thank you both. I'll go home and get it right away." Then he turned and left.

After watching him leave, Wu Mingqiang shook his head and said to Gui'er, "Miss, this is not how business is done. If word gets out, how will we do business in the future? Besides, although he is from Jiangcheng, he is not related to us. What if he doesn't have the money to redeem the property and the price is too high when we find another seller? We won't make any money."

Gui'er sighed. She knew she was too soft-hearted and destined not to do this kind of business. She said, "Sigh, then I won't interfere in the shop's affairs anymore. But even though we run a pawn shop, it's best not to go too far."

Wu Mingqiang smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Compared to other pawnshops, ours is already pretty good."

Gui'er didn't want too many people to know that she was also the owner of this pawnshop, and was about to go back when the young master came running over, panting, with two brocade boxes in his hands.

He carefully placed the brocade box on the table, opened the lid, and two 50-year-old ginseng roots lay quietly on the velvet. They had long, slender rhizomes, tightly packed rhizomes, horizontally growing jujube-shaped stems, tight, deep-textured main roots, sparse fibrous roots with pearl-like spots, plump bodies, delicate textures, and a faint ginseng fragrance. Even a layman like Gui'er could tell that these were good things.

Wu Mingqiang quickly called Chen De over and asked him to estimate the price.

Chen De walked out from behind the counter, picked up two ginseng roots, examined them, and then smelled them.

Wu Mingqiang said from the side, "This young master is from our hometown in Jiangcheng. Miss specially instructed that he should give him more of the pawned capital, just 50%, because he wants to redeem the pawned item. Old Chen, what do you think we should give him?"

Gui'er was completely clueless. Chen De smiled and cupped his hands to the young master of Ren'an Hall, saying, "Young master, you are very polite. These two ginseng roots of yours are obviously good. Although they were brought from the mainland, they should be worth about 100 silver dollars each if we estimate them according to the value here in Hong Kong. If we calculate the cost at 50%, I will give you 100 silver dollars for both of them."

The young master thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's fine." He then turned to Gui'er and said, "Thank you, Miss. Actually, when I returned to the shop just now, I received a letter from my hometown. My father will soon send his capable steward to deliver a sum of money to me. However, I don't know when it will arrive. Once it does, I will redeem these two ginseng roots."

Wu Mingqiang said, "That's excellent. Old Chen, go and get the pawn ticket for the young master."

Chen De returned to the counter and wrote down and read aloud: "Pawned items: two old ginseng roots, five sections of rhizome, with pearl-like spots, yellowish-brown skin, and slight insect damage (we are not responsible for any dampness, mold, rat bites, or insect damage during the pawn period; if not redeemed after the expiration date, you may dispose of it at will). Pawn period: June, monthly interest: 4%, principal: one hundred silver dollars."

Upon hearing this, the young master hurriedly said, "Manager, no, sir, my ginseng is free of insect damage. It's the prized possession of our branch, and it's been preserved in excellent condition."

Chen De quickly reassured him, "Young Master, this must be your first time pawning something. According to the rules of our pawnshop, this is how it should be written. If you went to other pawnshops, they would write it more seriously. Since you are from the same hometown as Miss, this is already a lighter sentence."

Gui'er was also very embarrassed, but she had watched TV dramas about pawnshops during the Republican era and knew that this was indeed the industry practice. She quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Young master, you're going to redeem it anyway, so it doesn't matter what's written on it. Whatever you hand it over is what you'll get back."

The young master nodded, then added with some concern, "Please keep these two ginseng roots in a dry, cool place, and be careful to prevent insects and moisture."

Chen De smiled and said, "Young master, please rest assured, we can handle all of this. Please come over and sign the document."

The young master of Ren'an Hall went to the counter, signed the document, pressed his fingerprint, and prepared to take his leave.

Gui'er quickly stopped him, saying, "Young Master, please wait. You just said you received a letter from home. Did it mention anything about the current situation in Jiangcheng?"

The young master paused for a moment, glanced at the shop again, and said with a smile, "My father only said that he would send someone over, and didn't say anything else. Miss Sha, we are from the same hometown. You can come and sit in my shop when you have time. It's just a little further down this street."

Gui'er was a little disappointed, but she could only smile and say, "Okay, thank you in advance."

As soon as he left, Chen De came out from behind the counter, looked at his retreating figure, and sighed.

Wu Mingqiang asked, "What's wrong? Is the price too high, not worth it?"

Chen De smiled and said, "No, this price is still within an acceptable range. However, I've been in this business for a long time, and this customer can tell that he went to other places, asked about prices, and compared prices. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed so quickly."

Wu Mingqiang glanced at Gui'er and said with a smile, "There's nothing we can do, our young lady values ​​relationships."

Gui'er thought it was normal. People compare prices before buying things. She said, "We've just opened and don't have many connections in the area. If we can make him a regular customer or even a friend by offering this discount, that would be great."

After that, more and more guests came in. Not wanting others to know that she was the owner, she asked Acheng to take her back first.

Back at the villa, Acheng said to her, "Miss, you're not going out today, are you? The pawnshop just opened, and I'd like to go and familiarize myself with the business."

Gui'er said, "It's alright, you go ahead."

Then she stayed in the study reading the newspapers, trying to judge the current situation in Jiangcheng by looking at the various war reports about Shanghai, but it seemed that none of them mentioned the surrounding area. She sighed and folded the newspapers.

Dingxiang brought in tea and asked her, "Miss, how was your trip to the pawnshop's opening today? How was business?"

Gui'er smiled and said, "I don't know, I don't know anything about doing business."