The Nangong Siblings

Su Jiu had just noticed the man and woman behind them. The diners in the lobby were almost all gone. Besides their gang, only the two of them were still sitting there.

From the Bai family smashing the shop to Su Jiu retaliating, the two had stayed seated there calmly eating noodles, it was hard not to draw attention.

The girl came forward and put 58 silver taels on the table. "Take it!"

"Miss, why are you helping us?" Qiao An asked in astonishment.

"There's no 'why!' I like the beef noodles here best. If it closes down, where will I eat when I'm hungry?" Nangong Bi laughed cheerfully. "So you must continue to serve beef noodles when you take over this shop!" 

"Naturally!" Qiao An smiled and asked, "May I ask your surname?"

"Nangong!" the girl replied.

Nangong?

Qiao An was stunned; he and Su Jiu looked at each other in surprise.

Could she be the young lady of the general's manor? they wondered. Looking at this girl's demeanor, it seemed highly likely.

"I'll borrow the money from Miss Nangong, and pay it back in the future!" Su Jiu declared, clasping her fists in greeting.

"It doesn't matter whether you return it or not, as long as I can still eat beef noodles here in the future!" Nangong Bi said with a smile before shouting, "Brother, if you have nothing to do for the next couple of days, bring someone over to patrol the area. Don't let this little brother be bullied by the Bai family!"

The man who had his back towards them turned around and sat straight. He had distinct and chiseled features and bright eyes that swept over Su Jiu's face. "Do you think I'm very idle?" he asked his sister. 

Looking at the man's face, Su Jiu and Qiao An couldn't help but be surprised.

Nangong Shu! So, they were the Nangong siblings from the general's manor!

Qiao An pretended not to know their identities, smiled and clasped his fists in greeting. "This must be Young Master Nangong, thank you for your generosity! How about this? Since your sister has contributed money too, this tavern will be bought by us together. Your sister contributed more, so the profits will be divided, 4:6. What do you think?"

Qiao An said this because he had his plans. Firstly, they had just arrived in Shengjing, did not have any foundation, and have already offended the Bai family. In the future, the Bai family would likely make trouble, and they couldn't stay here all the time. It was best for them to have some help. The important thing was that the man who could help was from the powerful General's Manor. 

Secondly, the Nangong family was powerful and rich, and naturally did not care much for a measly tavern. Thus, there would be no fight on the division of profit in the future.

It was a win-win situation for them either way!

Without waiting for Nangong Shu to reply, Nangong Bi chirped, "This is fun, my favorite restaurant will become mine in the future!"

A young lady, of course, will not care about a humble shop, but Nangong Bi was different from the other ladies. She was intrigued with new things and naturally was excited upon having opportunities to come out and have fun.

Seeing Nangong Bi so happy, Nangong Shu did not refuse. It was just a small shop. "To be so clear, my sister just wants something new to play with, and she might not necessarily do much to help the shop. We'll split the profits equally!"

"I'll thank you both then!" Su Jiu clasped her fists together in gratitude. "We'll take care of the matters in the store, but the two of you also saw that the Bai family would certainly not let things go. I'll have to ask for your help!"

"I'll try!" Nangong Shu said, inclining his head. 

After they came to a consensus, Shopkeeper Xie began drafting the contract.

The contract stated that Shopkeeper Xie would transfer the ownership of Qinghe Tavern on Xieyang Street to Su Jiu and Nangong Bi at a price of 100 silver taels, including the upper and lower floors and the backyard. 

The staff in the shop, and the cooks who are willing to continue their work can remain. If they didn't want to stay, they could leave at any time after their salary has been paid.

In the future, all profits and losses would no longer have anything to do with Shopkeeper Xie, and the future profits will be split 50 / 50 amongst Su Jiu and Nangong Bi.

Other matters would be negotiated separately.

After preparing the contract, they pressed their handprints as proof of their agreement and took it to the authorities for the official seal. This matter was officially concluded!

After Shopkeeper Xie received the 100 silver taels, he said, "Today I will pack up my things and clear the room upstairs as soon as possible."

Other than Xie Chu, he also had a wife and daughter who lived upstairs and he would take them all to the countryside this time.

"Don't worry, there's no rush. We won't live here. You can stay for as long as you want!" Su Jiu replied.

Hearing this, Nangong Shu glanced over. The young man was handsome, and his slender posture was straight. He looked cunning, and when he fought Bai San he was extremely brutal. But now he was like an understanding young master.

Shopkeeper Xie had no choice but to laugh bitterly. "We can't stay in prosperous Shengjing anymore. If we don't leave, we don't know what's going to go wrong! Be careful. The Bai family is used to domineering this street. You enraged them today, they will not give up!"

"Thank you for reminding us, we will be careful!" Su Jiu agreed.

Shopkeeper Xie also knew that these skilled people were bold. He no longer said much, and called the staff and cooks over, explained the situation, and then let them meet the new owner.

They had been working in this shop for many years, and Shopkeeper Xie had treated them well over the years. They were very reluctant to see him go and said they would continue to work here as they wiped their tears.

After saying goodbye to the crowd, Shopkeeper Xie went upstairs to inform his wife and daughter to pack their things.

Su Jiu looked at these guys and said to Nangong Shu, "Brother Nangong, we can't do business. There must always be a Shopkeeper in this shop in charge of the usual affairs. What are your plans?"

She could see that although Nangong Shu had not spoken much, he was still in charge between the siblings. Nangong Bi was, after all, a woman, and it was inconvenient for her to go out. In the future, they still had to rely on Nangong Shu more.

Nangong Shu's face was cold. "This shop is just a moment of excitement for my sister. She has no time to take care of it all. It's up to you!"

Su Jiu thought for a moment, then suddenly looked at Qiao An and said, "Master An, what do you think of the beggar?"

When she gave the money to the beggar, he looked up at her carefully, clearly trying to remember her and had clearly hoped to repay her, indicating that he was a benevolent man. He was not the kind of ordinary beggar who took other people's charity for granted. 

She had noticed that although the beggar looked dirty, the original material of his clothes was good, indicating that the beggar had been from a rich family before. Somehow, he had fallen into the streets.

She trusted her instincts that he could take care of the shop for them.

Qiao An was stunned. We had just met by chance, he thought. Putting a beggar in charge as shopkeeper?

Qiao An frowned. "Young Master, are you sure he can take care of a shop?"

"It's worth a shot!" Su Jiu turned her head and looked at Chang Huan. "Remember which physician he went to? Go see if the man is still there."

"Yes!" Chang Huan replied and he left the shop swiftly.

Looking at Chang Huan's figure as he left the shop, Nangong Shu was more and more curious about Su Jiu's identity.

These people are skilled in martial arts and have an aura of hostility, he thought to himself. They are by no means general attendants, and this young man named Su Jiu, looks looks like a rich young master but does not speak or act like it. He could make so many capable people submit to him. Who is he?

Nangong Bi was also very interested in Su Jiu. At least this young man was very interesting, unlike the other young masters in Shengjing, who were either too much of a dandy or too uptight.

"What's your name, little brother?" Nangong Bi asked with a chuckle.

Su Jiu grinned and told her.

"Su Jiu?" Nangong Bi repeated and asked doubtfully, "Your name is Jiu? Or are you ranked ninth at home?"