Chapter Fifty-Four Inside Chunxiang Building

  Zhou Feng and Cui Yu'er's relationship was getting better day by day. On this day, as soon as Cui Yu'er left Zhou Feng's boudoir, Zhou Feng let out a long sigh and looked depressed.

  Seeing Lin Chunhong walk in, Zhou Feng sighed: "Cui sister's fate is really bitter, every day forcing a smile to welcome and see off, and also having to carefully deal with a large number of idle men, ah..."

  Lin Chunhong stayed in Yiling these days, except for handling a few affairs, he was accompanying his mother and Zhou Feng. He saw that Zhou Feng's spirits were not high, and was just about to find some fun to cheer him up, but didn't expect that one sentence from Zhou Feng made his heart thump like a drum, beating non-stop.

  Zhou Fengdao said: "I think you'd better help Cui sister redeem herself!"

  Lin Chunhong was stunned, Zhou Feng was too advanced, wasn't she? She hadn't even married in yet, and she was already thinking of taking a concubine for her husband?

  "What's wrong? Are you unhappy? I know, it takes thousands of taels of silver to redeem Sister Cui, but what does that mean to you?" Seeing Lin Chunhong looking like a fool, Zhou Feng thought Lin Chunhong was reluctant to part with the silver and snorted.

  Lin Chunhong swallowed his saliva, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and calmly said: "Xiaofeng, I think we should have a good talk. Before our wedding, I don't plan on taking any concubines."

  Now, the foolish person changed to Zhou Feng. Zhou Feng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly rushed forward, and a loud slap hit Lin Chunhong's head, loudly questioning: "I knew you were an unfaithful husband, thinking of taking a concubine so soon! Quickly say, which fox spirit have you taken a fancy to? I'll go break her legs!"

  Lin Chunhong dodged Zhou Feng's attack without stopping and explained: "Didn't you just say to let me take Cui Yu'er as a concubine?"

  "When did I ever say that?"

  "You want me to ransom her out, but in this day and age, when a man ransoms out a songstress, isn't it just the same as taking a concubine?"

  Zhou Feng stopped chasing Lin Chunhong, suddenly burst out laughing and said: "It turns out I was the one who got it wrong, looks like only I can go to redeem him. Alright, give me the money!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, his face suddenly changed color again. Another slap was about to land on Lin Chunhong's head. Zhou Feng shouted: "Have you been lusting after Cui sister for a long time? Indeed, men are not good things!"

  After a long chase and evasion, Zhou Feng finally calmed down under Lin Chunhong's careful explanation and began to discuss with Lin Chunhong the plan to redeem Cui Yu'er.

  In the twelfth lunar month, Yiling City wakes up especially late from dawn. The biting cold wind and the oppressive tide make people miss the warmth of their beds even more. However, this pleasure only belongs to those who are at leisure. Peasant farmers who sell vegetables get up early in the morning, carrying poles far away, preparing to enter the city, hoping to sell some silver coins and have a good year. Not to mention the sanitation workers who clean the city, they collect the filthy things in the city at midnight, taking advantage of the citizens' sleep, and transport them outside the city. Therefore, there are not many people coming and going on the streets, all covering their clothes tightly, covering themselves up, fearing that the cold wind will invade their bodies.

  Peng Xin is a busy person, he gets up early in the morning and jumps out of his warm bed to deal with business at the warehouse, this is his habit. If he doesn't see the hustle and bustle of the warehouse for a day, he won't feel secure. But today, he didn't go to the warehouse, after leaving home, he went straight to Chunxiang Building. Is Peng Xin thinking of going to indulge in his desires just after leaving his wife's warm embrace? Does Peng Xin have excessive male hormones? No, no, Peng Xin was ordered by Zhou Feng to go to Chunxiang Building to negotiate with the boss about buying back Cui Yu'er.

  Peng Xinyi pondered, and Lin Dianshi was indeed an extraordinary person. His wife had not yet entered the door, but he was already planning to take a concubine. Ha ha, what a blessing for the Qi people! This Cui Yu'er was indeed a beauty, which man wouldn't be moved by her? It's also strange that Cui Yu'er has been in Yiling City for three or four years, how come no one has redeemed her yet? Looks like she will fall into Lin's family.

  Unbeknownst to him, Peng Xin had already arrived at the entrance of Chunxiang Building. At this time, Chunxiang Building was bustling with activity all night and had already entered a state of slumber, leaving only a few tortoise-like men guarding the gate. The tortoise-like man looked at Peng Xin, who had arrived early in the morning, and was shocked: "This guy is thinking about having fun at Chunxiang Building so early? Has he got the wrong time?" But the tortoise-like man put on a flattering smile and said: "Peng sir is thinking of the girls at Chunxiang Building so early? The girls are already resting, why don't I get you a cup of tea to warm up your body?" Peng Xin was now a well-known figure in Yiling, and the tortoise-like man was extremely polite.

  "Oh, where is Old Master Li?" Peng Xin plopped himself down in the chair that Gui Gong had moved over, with quite a bit of bossy swagger. No wonder, nowadays Peng Xin's hands passed through tens of thousands of taels of silver every day, his breadth of vision and magnanimity were far beyond what they used to be.

  "Little Ma went to call, General Peng will wait a bit." Turtle Gong didn't dare to slack off, poured a cup of tea for Peng Xin and hurriedly went to call Old Li.

  In less than a moment, a woman with a flower in her hair came out swaying, holding a handkerchief and elegantly flipping it upwards, saying in a soft voice: "Oh my, Director Peng, what wind brought you here so early to visit our Chunxiang Building?" This woman was the owner of Chunxiang Building, Li, also known as "Mom" by Cui Yu'er and "Old Crow" by the common people.

  Peng Xin was already used to the old owl's familiarity, and he just smiled slightly, sipped his tea leisurely, and said slowly: "This time I came over, there is an urgent matter that needs to be discussed with Mr. Li, I wonder if Mr. Li would grant me a conversation?"

  Mr. Li's big eyes suddenly opened even wider, and she had been thinking of intervening in the Yi Ling warehouse for a long time. Now that the manager of the warehouse wants to discuss something with her, isn't it a golden opportunity? She was overjoyed and welcomed Peng Xin into the elegant room, ready to discuss the business. But what Peng Xin said shocked her greatly.

  "Wei Daoren wants to ransom Choi Ok for you!"

  Peng Xin's mind was already made up, thinking that it must be Lin Chunhong who had come to redeem Cui Yuer, and besides, using Lin Chunhong's name would also make Lao Ya more cautious, so he directly brought out Lin Chunhong's name.

  Mr. Li's heart was filled with all sorts of emotions. The Spring Fragrance Pavilion had been struggling to stay afloat four or five years ago, but since Cui Yu'er arrived, the place had become more and more popular by the day. It wasn't easy for them to get to where they were today. However, Cui Yu'er's presence also attracted many rascals who came to try and buy her out. Mr. Li knew that Cui Yu'er was his cash cow, so he couldn't let her go easily. As a result, the price of buying her out had risen from a few hundred taels to three thousand taels today. Even at such a high price, there were still many people who wanted to buy her out, which left Mr. Li exhausted. Fortunately, Cui Yu'er didn't want to leave, and she unknowingly helped him avoid many troubles.

  As usual, Li boss said coldly: "This is something that General Peng should ask Yu'er about. If she doesn't want to, I won't be able to force her."

  Mr. Li's expression changed quickly, making Peng Xin sigh in admiration. He replied calmly: "Then trouble Mr. Li to call Cui Yu'er over, I'll ask her myself."

  Li boss finally squeezed out a smile, and sneered: "Director Peng is also an old hand in the field of romance, how could he not know that the girls are resting now?"

  Having been ridiculed, Peng Xin's face slightly turned red with anger, and he frowned, saying: "If you want to call, just call, why so many useless words!"

  Mr. Li's mocking tone grew stronger, saying: "I'll go call her, of course, no problem, but disturbing Yu'er's rest and provoking her would be very bad for the general manager, as Yu'er might become the general manager's wife!"

  Peng Xin thought for a moment and indeed, it was the case. Lin Chunhong redeemed Cui Yu'er back, wasn't it to take her as his concubine? If he offended Cui Yu'er, his own prospects would be greatly affected. Peng Xin didn't want to lose face in front of Li Laoban, so he threw out a sentence: "Then I'll come again tonight!" and left the door.

  Just as Turtle Grandpa had sent him to the door, Peng Xin discovered that there were three people coming towards Chunxiang Building. These three people were not tall, all dressed in magnificent attire, with wooden swords at their waists, and their faces' skin was black and shiny. Peng Xin felt that these three men were suspicious, and he wanted to see the joke of Chunxiang Building, so he stopped to watch.

  The tortoise blocked the three people and said, "The girls are resting now, please come back in the evening." The three people didn't take the tortoise seriously at all, pushed him aside with their arms, went straight upstairs, sat down in the hall, one of them looked gloomy and said, "Call your boss to see me."

  "Turtle Old Man hastily said: 'Our boss is not here today, may I ask what brings you three here?'"

  The man just now unsheathed his wooden sword and placed it heavily on the table, pointing at Turtle Lord with his finger and said angrily: "I don't care if your boss is here or not, I want her to come see us immediately!"

  The tortoise-faced man scowled and replied, "The boss is really not here, please come back again in the evening."

  The turtle's evasive words finally enraged the man, who raised his hand and slapped the turtle, knocking him to the ground with a thud. The turtle's wails startled everyone, and the Chunxiang Building also had a group of guards maintaining order. The guards surrounded the three men in the middle, but they were afraid of the knives in their hands and didn't dare approach.

  Just as they were facing off, a sudden round of applause was heard. It turned out that Boss Li had personally arrived after hearing the commotion. She ordered: "Everyone retreat." The guards let out a sigh of relief and retreated one by one. Boss Li walked up to the three people and asked in a cold tone: "What business do you have with this young woman? And why did you beat her up?"

  The three men didn't respond to Li's words and instead said: "Call out Cui Yu'er, we're taking her away!"

  Mr. Li was furious: "As the saying goes, a country has its laws and a family has its rules. Cui Yu'er is my person, how can you take her away just because you want to?"

  The man just stood up, grabbed Li's arm and pressed it against her back. Li let out a scream, followed by wailing. The man said: "We've been fooled around enough since we came here! Don't even give us some face? Hurry up and get Cui Yu'er out, otherwise I'll break your arm!"

  Mr. Li was quite bold, just about to shout at them, when suddenly a silvery bell sound came from upstairs: "Let go of Mrs. Li, I'll go with you! But since Mrs. Li has raised me for several years, you have to pay the ransom!" It was Cui Yu'er who had arrived.

  That man saw Cui Yu'er and smiled: "Miss Cui, long time no see, you're even more understanding now. Get ready to go with me, don't worry, we'll pay the silver!" After that, he let Li Boss go. Li Boss regained his freedom and hurriedly asked Cui Yu'er: "Yu'er, these people are awkward, how can you follow them?"

  Tears fell from Cui Yu'er's eyes, and she let out a long sigh. "It's been four years," she said. "Alas, it should end now." Then, turning to the three of them, she said: "Please wait for a moment, I'll take care of things here, and in three days, I'll follow you!" After that, without waiting for their response, she turned around and entered the house, where a sobbing sound came from inside.

  In the great hall of Chunxiang Building, from Li Boss down, everyone looked at each other in dismay. Only those three people had a happy expression on their faces and were about to leave after pushing through the crowd. At this time, a team of yamen runners wearing red and black uniforms, holding water and fire clubs, stood at the door of Chunxiang Building and shouted loudly: "Who is fighting here? Follow us to the government office for a trip!" Behind the yamen runner was a sedan chair, and County Officer Yu Yan got out of the sedan chair, staring at the crowd in Chunxiang Building.

  Three people saw Yu Yan, and hurriedly coldly said: "Old man Zhōu arrived quickly, just afraid that Cui Yuer will suffer a bit of grievance. Four years ago, the account of abducting Cui Yuer, we'll slowly settle it again!"

  Yu Yan's face turned red and white, he heard that someone had made trouble in Chunxiang Building by redeeming Cui Yu'er, so he hurriedly brought the yamen runners to come over. Unexpectedly, before he could say a word, he was ridiculed by three people.

  Yu Yan, in order to maintain his official dignity, ignored the three men and turned to the crowd, saying: "What's all the commotion about? If there's another incident like this, I won't be lenient! Disperse, return to the yamen!" After finishing speaking, Yu Yan got into his sedan chair and headed back to his residence.