Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Lu Wanxiao pretended not to notice the flash of shock in the shopkeeper's eyes, and said curiously, "Of course it was left to me by my mother. Where else could it come from?"

"Left to you by your mother?" The shopkeeper, hearing her words, looked her over seriously again, a hint of contemplation flashing in his eyes.

Although the shopkeeper quickly returned to normal, Lu Wanxiao still caught it, further confirming that this hairpin had an important backstory. Judging from his reaction, they had likely been searching for the owner of the hairpin, and it was probably more of a friend than an enemy.

But none of that had anything to do with her. This hairpin was simply something she had come across by chance. She just wanted to pawn it and leave, uninterested in the story behind it.

"That's right. Is something wrong?" Lu Wanxiao said, putting on a look of sudden realization, "Oh, I get it. You must think I stole it because I'm dressed so poorly? Let me tell you, I may be poor, but that doesn't mean I lack integrity. This jade hairpin is the only keepsake my mother left me. If my father weren't seriously ill and in need of money for medicine, I wouldn't be willing to pawn it."

After all, she had no parents now. Her so-called father at least had a grave, but the so-called mother didn't even have that. So she could say whatever she wanted.

Jinghe County was neither big nor small, but it had plenty of mountains and countless remote villages tucked away in the corners. If they wanted to investigate, let them try.

"A keepsake? Your mother has passed away?" The news was too shocking, and the shopkeeper forgot to hide his emotions, silently cursing himself for losing his composure.

But seeing Lu Wanxiao's innocent and naive expression, seeming not to notice anything wrong, he felt reassured.

"You're a strange one. If she were still alive, it wouldn't be called a keepsake, would it?" she said indignantly, snatching the hairpin out of his hand. "I came to pawn something, not to have you ask about my whole family history. If you don't want it, just say so. I'll take it somewhere else. My father is waiting for me to get his medicine."

With that, without giving the shopkeeper a chance to speak, she turned and walked out with the jade hairpin in hand.

"Hey, hey, miss, why are you leaving?" The shopkeeper hadn't expected her to pull that, and quickly called out, "Miss, don't go! This jade hairpin will be accepted at Worry-Free Pawnshop."

But Lu Wanxiao only paused slightly in her steps, then continued walking out.

Now the shopkeeper was anxious and hurried out from behind the counter to stop her. "Oh, miss, please, don't leave. This jade hairpin will be accepted at Worry-Free Pawnshop. It's just that the quality is exquisite, not something ordinary folks could afford. And seeing your attire... I couldn't help but ask a few more questions."

Hearing this, Lu Wanxiao sneered to herself. If she hadn't seen his earlier reactions, she might have believed his nonsense.

Who pawns things and gets asked questions like that?!

He was just taking advantage of her naivety, thinking she was a naive village girl who had never seen the world.

But she wasn't really leaving. Since the shopkeeper had offered a way out, she would take it, though she still wore a displeased expression.

"Hmph, you judged me by my appearance. That's not right!"

"Yes, indeed, it was my fault. Please don't take offense, miss."

Thinking that this woman might be connected to the person his master had been searching for, the shopkeeper's attitude improved considerably.

"So how much will you give me for this hairpin?" Lu Wanxiao acted as if her only concern was the pawning itself, showing no interest in anything else.

"Do you want to pawn it outright (dead) or as a loan (living)?"

"What's a dead pawn and a living pawn?" Lu Wanxiao asked with a confused look.

She had to keep up the act. This was her first time pawning something, playing the part of a village girl.

Seeing that she didn't even know the terms, the shopkeeper regretted asking. He should have just handled it his own way since she wouldn't know the difference anyway.

But since he had already brought it up, he had to explain it simply.

"A dead pawn means you can never redeem the hairpin after pawning it. Of course, you'll get more money for it. A living pawn means you can redeem it later, but you'll get less money."

After listening, Lu Wanxiao pretended to think for a moment. "So how much for a dead pawn, and how much for a living pawn?"

"How much would you like, miss?" The shopkeeper answered with a question of his own.

Lu Wanxiao rolled her eyes inwardly. This old man was really crafty—he wasn't an easy mark.

"So whatever I ask for, you'll give?" Lu Wanxiao said innocently. "Then I want five hundred taels."

Before the shopkeeper could respond, she quickly added, "Shopkeeper, I'll do a living pawn. This is the only thing my mother left me. When I have money, I want to redeem it."

Ah, pawning something required such a performance. She should have gone to another shop. Even if they cheated her a little, it would be better than this trouble.

But since she was here and had encountered such a good opportunity, she might as well take advantage and ask for a high price.

After all, even finding a hairpin in a poor place like Taoxi Village was no simple matter, and it happened to be something they were looking for.

This was clearly the heavens sending her money. How could she disappoint their goodwill?

Turning down money was stupid.

"Five hundred taels?" The shopkeeper was surprised she dared to ask for so much. He had expected her to ask for around a hundred and eighty taels.

After all, a hundred and eighty taels was already a huge sum for an ordinary family, enough to live on for years.

"Can't I? But you just said I could ask for whatever I wanted," Lu Wanxiao said, putting on a disappointed and sad look. "The doctor said it costs that much for medicine to cure my father's illness."

Her voice grew softer, and she looked about to cry.

Let's see who can act better. He thought he was so clever with his glib tongue and scheming mind.

"..."

The shopkeeper had been about to explain that's not what he meant, but after hearing her last sentence, he held his tongue.

"Fine."

Ah well. If she really was connected to the owner of the hairpin, she'll end up getting way more than five hundred taels anyway. If not, consider it a reward for bringing the clue to them.

"Really?" Lu Wanxiao beamed with joy.

"Really." The shopkeeper nodded. "But you need to tell me your name and where you live."

Seeing her puzzled look, he explained, "We record all pawns, so you have proof when you come to redeem it."

"Oh. My name is Xie Yiyi, and I live in Wild Boar Village, Qingshui Town." Lu Wanxiao made up a name on the spot, using a town she knew and making up a village name.

"Wild Boar Village?" What kind of village name was that? The shopkeeper suspected she was pulling his leg.

"Right," Lu Wanxiao nodded. "My father said our village used to have tons of wild boars, so that's what it's called. If you don't believe me, you can go check."

Seeing her innocent look, as if she were telling the truth, he dropped the matter.

He put the jade hairpin away, wrote out the pawn ticket, had her press her thumbprint, and then handed her the banknotes.

"Here you are, miss. This is the money for the jade hairpin. Keep it safe."

"Thank you, shopkeeper." Lu Wanxiao took the banknotes and counted them—exactly five hundred taels. She tucked them into her bodice. "I still need to get medicine for my father. I'll be going now."

"Take care, miss. If you ever have another fine item to pawn, come back to Worry-Free Pawnshop. I'll give you a good price."

"Sure, sure." Lu Wanxiao said and left without a backward glance.

Dammit, pawning that jade hairpin was such a hassle, but at least she got a good amount of money. It would be enough for her and Song Changting to get by for a long while.

When Lu Wanxiao's figure disappeared through the door, the shopkeeper called over a subordinate and gave a few instructions. Then he took the jade hairpin into the back room, wrote a letter and sent it by fast horse, along with the jade hairpin, to the capital city.