Testing the Waters
The waiter's job was simply to greet and see off guests; he had never followed anyone. Seeing Xu Xi and her companions standing there so leisurely, seemingly waiting for him, he immediately blushed and, quick-wittedly, denied everything, waving his hands repeatedly, "No, no, young lady, please don't misunderstand. I live here." He pointed ahead, "I had an emergency at home, so I was in a bit of a rush."
"Oh? Is that so?" Xu Xi smiled meaningfully and gestured for him to go back. "Then hurry back, so as not to delay your urgent business."
The waiter had no choice but to bow to Xu Xi and grit his teeth and run forward.
"Uncle, you stay here. If he turns around and tries to chase after us, stop him, ask him what he wants, say you suspect he's trying to rob you, and pretend to drag him to the yamen to scare him," Xu Xi said.
Seeing Xu Yongyi nod with a look of shock on his face, she added, "On your way back, take a roundabout route and make sure no one is following you before you go home."
"But I'm worried about the three of you going back," Xu Yongyi said.
Although he had been roaming the streets and alleys for many years and had seen many despicable methods, he had never seen a robbery in broad daylight like this before, and he was quite frightened.
Madam Xie and Xu Xue looked extremely frightened.
Xu Xi reassured them, "Don't worry, they're not trying to rob us. They just want to know where I live so they can send someone to ask me if I've finished the design drawings. It's just a normal business tactic."
"Really?" Xu Xue asked hurriedly.
"Of course it's true. Their family is wealthy and powerful; they wouldn't risk everything for such a small amount of money."
The Xu Family of three all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright, then you should leave quickly." Xu Yongyi knew that the silver shop was really as Xu Xi had said; the shop assistant would definitely come back so he could go back and report.
"With me here, don't be afraid." Madam Xie grabbed Xu Xi's hand like a mother hen protecting her chicks, pulling her quickly out of the alley and waving to the mule cart driver in the distance. Without waiting for the cart to arrive, she hurried to meet it, got on, and instructed the driver, "Let's go!"
The mule cart driver, unaware of what had happened, drove the mule cart forward.
"Where are we going? Back to our house in the city, or straight to the academy?" Madam Xie asked.
In her opinion, it was better to go to the academy. The academy was run by the royal family, and no matter how bold the owner of the Abundant and Prosperous Pavilion was, he wouldn't dare to rush into the academy to look for someone.
"Let's go to the house in the city," Xu Xi said.
She still had things to discuss with Xu Yongyi and his wife. There was still half a day before Qingfeng and the others came to pick her up, so she could take this opportunity to talk. From now on, she would have someone to pick her up and drop her off, and it would be inconvenient to come to the Xu Family mansion again. She couldn't let the Abundant and Prosperous Pavilion incident disrupt her plans.
"Alright then." Madam Xie was also reluctant to send Xu Xi to the academy so easily. She had heard from Xu Xue that the academy was only accepting applications today and there weren't many people there. It wouldn't be good for Xu Xi to stay at the academy alone.
Even so, Madam Xie was clearly frightened. She made the mule cart circle the street twice, and only after finding that no one was following her did she tell the driver to head towards the Xu Family's residence.
When they arrived nearby, she didn't let the mule cart drive directly to her doorstep. Instead, she got off the cart nearby and led Xu Xi and Xu Xue through two alleys before finally returning home.
After a while, Xu Yongyi returned and said to Xu Xi, "Just as you predicted, he came back as soon as you left. If I hadn't been there to stop him, he would have definitely followed us back."
"Uncle, you should take a rest." Xu Xi poured Xu Yongyi a cup of tea.
Madam Xie patted her chest and said to Xu Xi, "Xiaoxi is so thoughtful. If you hadn't been careful, we would have fallen into their trap today."
Xu Yongyi was very worried. "This county is only so big. We'll run into each other someday. What if we meet on the road, or if they find out you're studying at the Women's Academy and come looking for you?"
Madam Xie and Xu Xue also watched Xu Xi nervously.
None of the family realized that, from some point onward, they had all come to regard Xu Xi as their pillar of support.
"I'm not afraid," Xu Xi said. "I'm a student at the Women's Academy, and a young lady from the Marquis's mansion. Why would they get into trouble for a little bit of profit?"
These words truly comforted the three members of the Xu Family.
Seeing that they had calmed down, Xu Xi said to Madam Xie, who was about to go back to the kitchen, "Auntie, sit down too. Let's talk about your business while we have some free time."
Madam Xie quickly sat down again.
"Uncle, how are the preparations for the business going?" Xu Xi asked Xu Yongyi.
"After seeing you off yesterday, we went to the county. Over the years, I've been doing small business on the streets and alleys, and I've gotten to know some people. I asked around, and to set up a stall on the street long-term, besides paying a certain fee to the yamen, you also have to pay protection money to a gang of thugs here. In total, it adds up to about one or two taels of silver a month. If business is good, you might have to pay even more."
When this was mentioned, Xu Yongyi's expression turned rather unpleasant.
He used to be a small vendor, traveling between villages. He didn't have to pay stall fees, taxes, or protection money. After a month of hard work, he would only earn a little over one tael of silver after deducting his capital. Now, before he had even started doing business, he had to pay so much money. He was a little uneasy, worried that business would not go well and he would end up losing money instead of making any.
Xu Xi guessed Xu Yongyi's concerns, and she asked with a smile, "Uncle, guess how much money I just made?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Xie tensed up. She shushed him, pointed next door, and said, "Keep it down. That family's grandson has the sharpest ears; don't let anyone hear us."
She closed the courtyard gate when she came in. Now she simply got up and closed the door to the main room as well.
Xu Xi stuck out his tongue, took out the silver notes from his pocket, and placed them on the octagonal table in the main room.
Although the Xu Family treated her well, money can be a powerful motivator. This small courtyard was only worth one hundred taels of silver. One thousand taels could buy ten such courtyards. Xu Yongyi and his wife weren't greedy for this one courtyard, but what about ten?
Xu Xi didn't actually want to test the Xu Family's limits with money. She also didn't intend to give all the money she earned to the Xu Family.
However, since this money was earned right under the noses of Madam Xie and Xu Xue, rather than trying to hide it and disappoint the Xu Family, it's better to openly hand it over and take the opportunity to observe the Xu Family's character once again.
She'll definitely earn more than a thousand or several thousand taels of silver in the future. If the Xu Family is truly of good character and trustworthy, then she can confidently entrust her business to them.
Upon seeing the face value of the banknotes, and noting that there were at least eight or nine of them, Xu Yongyi was taken aback. He had never seen so much money in his entire life.