Chapter 68: Redeeming the Buy-Back Pawn
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation.
The moment Yu Zhao and Wang Youtai exited the small restaurant, the patrons buzzed with excitement. Whispers filled the air as everyone tried to make sense of what they had just witnessed.
“Did you see that? Was that young lady really a cultivator? She didn’t seem like one,” a curious patron asked.
“Shh! Don’t speak so carelessly about cultivators! Do you want to bring bad luck on yourself?” another cautioned, casting a nervous glance around.
Someone else chimed in, “Wasn’t Wang Yuanwai’s family one of the wealthiest around? How did they get involved with a cultivator? Maybe Wang Youtai’s luck is finally turning around.”
One of the servers from the pastry shop exclaimed, “The cultivator ate our pastries!”
“And drank my family’s rice wine!” added a server from the small restaurant, both dancing with joy.
The other diners exchanged glances of disbelief and regret. “If we had known Wang Youtai had connections with a cultivator, we would’ve sold everything to gather those five hundred spiritual pearls for him. Who knows, we might have had a chance to speak with a cultivator too.”
Wang Youtai led Yu Zhao to a pawnshop, his face flushed with shame. “Cultivator, our family’s heirloom is in this shop,” he admitted. He had pawned everything of value, leaving nothing behind, which was why debt collectors were after him.
“But don’t worry,” he reassured her. “Since it’s our heirloom, I pawned it as a buy-back pawn. It can be redeemed for a thousand spiritual pearls.”
In the world of pawning, there were two options: a buy-back pawn, where the owner could reclaim their item by paying the agreed amount within a set period, and a dead pawn, where the item was sold outright, with no chance of retrieval. Despite his dire situation, Wang Youtai couldn’t bring himself to dead pawn the heirloom, showing how much it meant to him.
A thousand spiritual pearls were insignificant to Yu Zhao, but she was intrigued by what secret this heirloom might hold.
As they entered the pawnshop, the shop assistant’s expression brightened at the sight of Yu Zhao but quickly soured upon seeing Wang Youtai. “Oh, it’s Young Master Wang. Have you run out of things to pawn? Or are you trying to pawn yourself now? We don’t deal in shady businesses here,” he sneered.
Wang Youtai, used to such treatment, usually let it slide. But being insulted in front of a cultivator stung, and he retorted, “I’m here to redeem our family heirloom! Get your shopkeeper!”
The assistant, surprised, looked skeptical. “Redeem something? Not pawn it?”
Wang Youtai slammed the pawn ticket on the counter. “Get your shopkeeper, now! Are you in business or not?”
Startled by Yu Zhao’s calm presence, the assistant quickly fetched the shopkeeper. Moments later, a thin middle-aged man with a cheerful smile appeared.
“Young Master Wang,” he greeted, then turned to Yu Zhao. “And this young lady, how may I—”
He stopped, eyes widening in shock at the sight of Yu Zhao. Wang Youtai, noticing the change in the shopkeeper’s demeanor, pressed him. “Manager Qian, you usually talk business behind the counter. Why come out now?”
Realization dawned on Wang Youtai as he grabbed Manager Qian’s collar. “You sold our family’s heirloom, didn’t you?”
Manager Qian’s face reddened. The assistant rushed to intervene, but Manager Qian, still coughing, waved him off. “Close the shop and go home. No more business today,” he ordered.
The assistant hesitated but complied, leaving the shop’s interior dim. Manager Qian, with a bitter smile, led them to the back courtyard. As they arrived, he dropped to his knees, kowtowing to Yu Zhao. “Forgive me, Cultivator! I have sinned!”
Yu Zhao had already guessed the nature of the Wang family heirloom—it must be a painting, a lifelike one at that. “Where is the painting?” she asked calmly.
Manager Qian, trembling, confessed, “Sold to the County Magistrate.”
Wang Youtai’s fury surged. He had endured hardships, hoping to redeem the heirloom someday. Now, this greedy man had sold it, and to the County Magistrate, no less!
Maintaining her composure, Yu Zhao addressed Manager Qian, “Wang Youtai said it was pawned as a buy-back pawn.”
Manager Qian nodded miserably. He had indeed sold the painting, believing Wang Youtai would never repay his debt. It was meant to be a birthday gift for the County Magistrate, who had been delighted with it. However, seeing Yu Zhao, the cultivator from the painting, now standing before him, Manager Qian was filled with regret.
He had thought the painting was merely a fanciful creation, never imagining it could depict a real person.
“Manager Qian, since you gifted the painting to the County Magistrate, you must retrieve it. Otherwise, you will face the consequences,” Yu Zhao warned, her voice steady but cold.
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation.
Manager Qian, drenched in sweat, knew he was in a bind. Offending either the County Magistrate or a cultivator would bring trouble. After a long silence, he finally decided, “I will go to the County Magistrate and ask for the painting back. This was my fault, and I will make it right.”
Wang Youtai, still seething, felt a measure of satisfaction. At least Manager Qian was taking responsibility. However, Manager Qian added, “Young Master Wang should come with me. With the pawn ticket, we can better explain the situation to the County Magistrate.”
Without hesitation, Wang Youtai agreed, used to visiting the County Magistrate’s residence with his father.
Yu Zhao, choosing to stay behind, sipped tea in the pawnshop’s back courtyard, waiting for the outcome. She knew she could easily retrieve the painting herself, but she preferred not to interfere with mortal matters unless absolutely necessary. Now, it was up to Manager Qian and Wang Youtai to resolve the issue.