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It truly is a pity.
Song Jingyun let out a long sigh, looking quite forlorn.
Jiang Mixia couldn’t bear to see him like this and contemplated whether to go out and search for a place that sells the food items Song Jingyun desired, to buy them for her young husband or even enjoy a meal together.
While she hesitated, a knocking sound suddenly came from the door.
Jiang Mixia went to open it.
The waiter stood there with a tray in hand, saying, “Hello, Madam Jiang. Our innkeeper was concerned about the chilly weather, fearing that the students rushing to take exams might catch a cold. So, we’ve asked a chef to prepare some food in the kitchen.”
“This is lamb bone soup with added lamb leg meat and a dash of Sichuan peppercorn powder. It’s perfect for warming up in the cold. These pan-fried dumplings are a specialty of our thoughtful chef – filled with lamb and green onions, ideal for pairing with the lamb bone soup.”
“Madam Jiang and Master Song, please try it as well to see if it suits your taste,” the waiter suggested.
Jiang Mixia, “…”
Just moments ago, her husband had been craving pan-fried dumplings and lamb bone soup, and now the waiter had brought them right to the door. It seemed like wishes were being fulfilled.
Perhaps this was what Xun Yuanbai meant – the destinies aligning between her husband and that Jiang Junli, enhancing each other. Could this be the result of her husband’s luck being strengthened?
As for Jiang Junli, who already had a strong financial destiny, if it were to be enhanced further…
She dared not think about it!
Meanwhile, Jiang Junli had already arrived at the adjacent bookstore. The bookstore was located next to the inn, with a jewelry store on one side and a fabric shop on the other.
This street could be considered bustling, with several nearby shops thriving. Each storefront was grand and spacious, but the bookstore stood out for its shabby exterior and narrow interior, contrasting with the surrounding establishments.
The shopkeeper of the bookstore was an elderly man with a long, flowing beard. He warmly welcomed visitors and recommended some newly arrived books.
During this time, books were scarce, and although printed editions were available, they were not widespread. Most books sold in the bookstore were still hand-copied.
However, due to the store’s poor business, the wages for copyists were low, resulting in books of inferior quality and sometimes lack of care, making them commonplace.
As Jiang Junli flipped through a few books half-heartedly, it started raining outside once again. The rain seeped through the door, dampening the shop.
A middle-aged man, without an umbrella, rushed in through the rain and urgently informed the elderly man, “Uncle Cao, it’s bad news. Auntie just vomited again after eating. I’ve called for the physician, and upon examination, he mentioned the situation is not looking good.”
The old man’s expression changed suddenly, showing concern.
“Uncle Cao, this illness is really serious for Auntie. Although the medicine prescribed by the doctor is expensive, she must take it. It might be best to find a renowned physician in the capital. There might still be hope for her recovery,” the middle-aged man sighed.
“I understand the importance of it, but due to my wife’s illness, we have already accumulated a lot of debt at home. We can’t even borrow any more money, let alone afford such expensive medicine. How can we possibly go to the capital for treatment?” the old man lamented.
Tears streamed down the old man’s face. “Although I wish to sell this shop, it’s too small, and no one is willing to buy it at a good price. I’m left with no choice…”
As he spoke, the old man wiped his tears with his sleeve, looking truly pitiful.
Witnessing this, Jiang Junli felt a pang of sympathy and decided, “I’ll buy this shop.”
“Young Master, this shop is not cheap, and you may not have enough silver for it,” the old man sobbed.
“Oh? How expensive is it?” Jiang Junli raised an eyebrow.
“For this small space, it’s priced at a thousand taels of silver,” the old man replied.
A thousand taels of silver.
Jiang Junli called for Xinghe, took out two silver notes, and handed them to the old man. “Let’s make it more affordable. Sell it to me for two thousand taels of silver.”
The old man was taken aback.
“Thank you, Young Master!” The old man tremblingly accepted the silver notes and quickly retrieved the property deed to transfer ownership with Xinghe.
In less than half a day, the shop was officially under Jiang Junli’s name.
Xinghe looked at the property deeds, furrowing his brow. “Young Master, buying this shop doesn’t seem very practical.”
Moreover, it was quite expensive.
Furthermore, Xinghe had heard in the evening from someone that the real owner of the bookstore was not the elderly man but the middle-aged man who had delivered the message to the old man.
The old man didn’t actually have a seriously ill spouse; they had simply fabricated this story to garner sympathy from Jiang Junli and convince him to purchase the shop.
In essence, this purchase seemed like a case of being taken advantage of.
“When have I ever cared about usefulness when buying things?” Jiang Junli shrugged. “Just find someone to look after it. If they don’t want to sell books, they can engage in some other business.”
He was willing to do whatever he pleased, even if it meant making an unprofitable deal.
Knowing his young master’s temperament, Xinghe refrained from saying more, and he quickly found an assistant to manage the shop.
After the assistant had been watching over the shop for a couple of days, one night during his vigil, he forgot to extinguish the candle by the bed, causing it to fall and ignite a stack of books on the table. A fierce fire erupted in the bookstore.
Fortunately, the assistant was awakened by the heat, quickly calling neighbors to help extinguish the flames, averting a disaster. However, the fire, fueled by the highly flammable books, almost completely destroyed the shop.