"She shouldn't know that Yiyuan Pawnshop is a Feng family business, should she?" Feng Jinlin asked casually. Feng Jinyao pondered for a moment and said in a low voice, "She probably doesn't. Judging by her demeanor, she clearly doesn't want the Bai family to know about that person's existence. If the item were pawned at a Feng family shop, wouldn't it be easy to trace it back?"
Her reasoning was sound, and Feng Jinlin's impression of his third aunt further diminished.
"Go, find Shopkeeper Wang and have him bring over the items your third aunt pawned today."
"Yes."
This was said to Xiuqiu. Feng Jinyao knew the situation between the two of them, so she sent Xiuqiu, allowing them more time together.
"You suspect that item is problematic?"
"Mmm. She went to the pawnshop only after leaving Shuanggui Lane. It goes without saying that she must have tricked some treasure out of the Qiao family. I'm afraid that person might get into a dispute with the Bai family because of it, so it's better to take it and examine it before making any plans."
Feng Jinyao had been busy all morning and hadn't had a chance to eat lunch. Yunxu brought some tea and pastries, all made by Xiuqiu that morning.
The aroma was enticing. Feng Jinyao barely touched the two plates of cakes and pastries; they all went into Feng Jinlin's stomach.
"I almost forgot, where did you get the Buddha Heart Fruit? The imperial physician said that thing is not something ordinary people can possess."
Feng Jinyao had wanted to ask him yesterday, but he had been asleep. After a series of events, she finally had the chance to ask now.
Feng Jinlin, who was happily eating, almost choked on the pastries when she asked.
After downing two large cups of tea, he finally recovered. Feng Jinyao looked at him suspiciously, "Is it that serious?"
Feng Jinlin felt he had been a bit dramatic. He scratched his head and playfully remarked, "Xiuqiu's cooking is too good; I ate too quickly."
"Don't change the subject. You still haven't told me where the Buddha Heart Fruit came from."
His sister was truly persistent, fixated on getting an answer.
Recalling the night before, Feng Jinlin felt particularly annoyed. Not only had he been beaten up, but he had also agreed to do some shady things for the other person. How could he admit to such a humiliating matter? Thus, he shifted the blame to Su Cheng.
"It's all Su Cheng. His father stumbled upon this thing by chance. That brat constantly showed off in front of me. Yunli was burned so badly, and I was afraid he might become an imbecile as my elder sister-in-law suggested. What would happen to his life then? So, I agreed to be his servant for half a year to get the Buddha Heart Fruit. Sigh, don't even mention it; the more you do, the angrier I get. When has this young master ever suffered such humiliation!"
The latter part was spoken with genuine sincerity. His fists clenched, and Yunxu suspected that if Young Master Su were present, he might be beaten to the ground.
However, Feng Jinyao was not so easily fooled. Only her second brother could come up with such a flawed lie.
Her eyes, which could see through people, made him feel uneasy. He then reined in his suspicion.
Fine, if he didn't want to say, she wouldn't force him. One day, she would find out.
After all, Yunli was safe and sound now. His second brother's actions were for the sake of the family. Only then did Feng Jinyao let him off the hook.
After a brief chat, Shopkeeper Wang and Xiuqiu hurried back.
As soon as they entered, Yunxu and Lamei, who knew what was going on, exchanged knowing glances with Xiuqiu, making her blush deeply.
"Alright, you two, you haven't eaten. Go down and have something. Xiuqiu, go brew a pot of tea. The rest of you, wait outside. No one is allowed near without my command!"
"Yes."
Others didn't understand their mistress's intentions, but Yunxu knew this matter was of great importance. The fewer people who knew, the less risk there would be.
So, she personally led the others away, even sending off the maids sweeping the corridors. She then stood guard by the door, unmoving, preventing anyone from approaching.
Inside the warm room, heated by the silver charcoal, Feng Jinyao and her brother carefully examined the jade pendant handed over by Shopkeeper Wang for a long time.
Both saw surprise in each other's eyes. They hadn't expected their third aunt to pawn such a valuable item.
This item definitely didn't belong to her. If it were hers, she would have likely flaunted it the day she returned to the capital. The Qiao family, seemingly ordinary, possessed such a treasure!
"What did the person say? How much was it pawned for?"
Shopkeeper Wang stood by the table, respectfully lowering his head, awaiting instructions. When he suddenly heard the question, he looked up at Feng Jinyao.
This young lady of the Feng family had managed the finances for a period and even distributed dividends to shopkeepers like him. Therefore, he and several other shopkeepers were very grateful. He thought he might not have the honor of seeing her again until the annual store inspection after the new year.
To his surprise, she was so young today, yet her words commanded respect.
After recalling for a moment, he replied with neither humility nor arrogance.
"The woman wearing this jade pendant today was dressed like a commoner, but her fingers were slender, indicating she came from a wealthy family. When the accompanying nanny produced this box, she seemed a bit anxious, not like someone pawning her own treasure, but rather inquiring about its value.
As he spoke, he added his own observations.
"This jade pendant is no ordinary item. In my many years at the pawnshop, I have never seen such a well-watered piece of jade. It's worth at least ten thousand taels, but because the person was in a hurry and needed the money quickly, I offered a low price, starting at three thousand taels. I expected her to haggle, but to my surprise, she looked shocked and asked me to give her the silver notes immediately, also stating it was a permanent pawn. At that moment, I knew this item definitely did not belong to her."
"Moreover, she knew very little about this item. Otherwise, why would she have urged me to finalize the deal immediately upon hearing a price of only thirty percent of its value?"
With his explanation, the siblings understood.
This Madam Shen truly had no worldly experience. After all, she was merely the daughter of a prefect, and Lingzhou was not a prosperous place. Three thousand taels might be more money than she had ever seen in her life.
With a couple of chuckles, Feng Jinlin lost interest in evaluating Madam Shen.
"Well done. No wonder the pawnshop's profits are the leading contributor to this year's business earnings. This transaction of yours is truly profitable, earning seven thousand taels in just a few sentences. Mother chose the right person."
Feng Jinyao looked at Shopkeeper Wang seriously. His capabilities were evident from this.
He was not only skilled at observing people but also adept at using their psychology to achieve his goals while maximizing his own profit. He was indeed a rare talent.
Thinking of Xiuqiu and him, a smile played on her lips.
"Let Xiuqiu take you to the accounting office to collect fifty taels. Consider it an additional reward for this transaction."
Fifty taels was almost his annual income. Shopkeeper Wang was somewhat surprised but quickly suppressed it. After thanking Feng Jinyao and her brother, he left the room.