Chapter 329: This Old Fox

Gu Fei glanced at the silver note; it was for twenty thousand taels. "Mr. Huang, I’ll accept the house, but please take the silver note back. You’ll need to provide for Que’er and your son from now on, and that’s going to cost a lot of money."

Old Huang burst out laughing. "Don’t you worry about me, Miss Gu. This old man isn’t short on money!"

He leaned in conspiratorially toward Gu Fei. "I don’t mind telling you... the silk shop next door is mine."

Gu Fei’s eyes widened. Only one thought crossed her mind: ’What an old fox!’

Old Huang smiled smugly. "The shop next door was originally passed down from my ancestors. When we divided the family property, it went to my brother. The year that good-for-nothing brother of mine wanted to sell it, I had someone buy it for me. Later, I secretly transferred it into my own name."

"For a few years, I didn’t have the energy to manage it, so I rented it out to others. But later, after I closed my own shop and Wu Dahai was doing everything he could to crush me, I took that property back. I quietly found a reliable person to run it as a silk shop, and I just advised him from the shadows."

"The business isn’t as good as it was back when I ran it myself, but it’s still pretty decent."

Gu Fei gave him a thumbs-up. "Impressive, truly impressive. You’re a remarkable man, sir! So resilient and shrewd. Even when you were pushed into a corner like that, you never gave up!"

Then came the stunning comeback.

Old Huang roared with laughter. "That’s where you’re wrong, Miss Gu. You haven’t mentioned my greatest strength."

"My greatest strength is that I’m a good judge of character, and I know how to seize an opportunity!"

"If I hadn’t met a benefactor like you, I’m afraid my life would have been over!"

Gu Fei found herself both nodding and shaking her head. "With all your skills and your talent for patient endurance... I’d be lucky to learn even a fraction of it."

"Hahahaha—" It was as if years of pent-up frustration had been swept away. Old Huang pointed at the silver note on the table. "Just take it, Miss Gu. I was originally planning to wait until Wu Dahai was no longer the steward, then pay a hefty sum to hire some men from the worldly society to take care of him. I never expected you to solve the problem for me."

"Besides, you also found Que’er for me. You’ve earned every bit of this."

"But—" Gu Fei looked at the silver notes, embarrassed. ’Who wouldn’t want this much Silver?’ she thought. ’But I feel a bit guilty taking it.’

Old Huang said seriously, "To be honest, I’m not giving you enough. By all rights, even fifty thousand Silver wouldn’t be too much, and it’s not that I can’t produce it. However, I know you wouldn’t accept it if the amount was too large. Just think of this small sum as a bit of money to buy yourself something pretty."

"If you ever need anything in the future, Miss Gu, just say the word if I can be of any use."

Gu Fei burst out laughing. ’Twenty thousand silver,’ she thought. ’How many flowers could a person possibly buy with that?’

"Oh, right, Miss Gu. Starting tomorrow, Que’er and I will be moving into the courtyard next door. From now on, if you want any new fabrics or fine clothes, just come over to my shop. This old man won’t charge you a—sigh, on second thought, I’d better. If I really don’t take your Silver, you probably won’t come over."

"From now on, I’ll just charge you for the cost of the materials. How does that sound, Miss Gu?"

Gu Fei nodded, smiling brightly. "That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Huang."

Old Huang also rose with a smile. Holding his teacup, he ambled out the door to find the old man across the way for a game of chess.

Gu Fei put away the silver note and once again silently thanked the God of Wealth Xiao in her heart.

A short while later, Gu Fei closed up the shop. Back in her room, she looked at the boxes on the floor, and after a moment’s thought, decided to open them.