"Secretary Zhang, I'm sorry. But Boss Lu has spoken. If you think the price is unsuitable, please go back." Liu Fugui said with a smile.
"You are hiking up the price!" Secretary Zhang pulled down a stern face, "Is this the trend among the shops on Antique Street? It needs to be regulated properly!"
"What do you mean, Secretary Zhang? We clearly mark our prices and run an honest business; how could we be accused of jacking up the price?" Liu Fugui said with an innocent look on his face.
"We are good citizens. Please don't scare us. Not long ago, Boss Lu bravely helped the police catch a notorious pair of human traffickers."
"This matter even made it to the local trending topics!"
Secretary Zhang was left speechless by his words. After a moment of thought, gritting his teeth, he said, "One million six hundred thousand, no more than that!"
"Show the guest out." Lu Fei didn't even raise his eyelids.
"Secretary Zhang, please." Liu Fugui made a gesture to invite him to leave.
"You people!" Secretary Zhang pointed at them, then swished his sleeve and left Sinisterium Pawnshop in a huff.
Huzi immediately asked, "Boss, you won't sell it for 1.6 million?"
Liu Fugui was also smiling, with an expression of confidence.
"Don't worry, he'll come back," Lu Fei said calmly with a smile.
Huzi was even more puzzled. He knew the items at Sinisterium Pawnshop were valuable, but was two million a bit too excessive?
He paced back and forth in the shop, even more anxious than Lu Fei.
Surprisingly, Secretary Zhang returned after two hours.
"Two million is acceptable! But our leader said, if it doesn't work, your shop will be shut down!" Secretary Zhang said sternly, with his hands behind his back and a livid face.
Lu Fei and Liu Fugui exchanged a glance.
"Rest assured, this small coffin will genuinely bring wealth and fortune. Our Sinisterium Pawnshop never sells useless items." Lu Fei took out the small coffin but didn't rush to hand it over to Secretary Zhang.
"However, you should be aware of the precondition, right? This little coffin can ensure a smooth career in the bureaucracy, but there must be no corruption or bribery, not even a single cent. Otherwise, the higher you climb, the harder you will fall."
"Of course, we know. Our leader is inherently honest and fair. Buying this coffin is just for good luck!" Secretary Zhang snorted coldly.
"Then there's no problem. I wish your leader a quick promotion!"
Lu Fei packed the little coffin and handed it to Secretary Zhang.
Secretary Zhang paid and hurried away with the little coffin.
"So he's a leader, huh?" Hu Zi suddenly realized, "But if he really is that honest, would he need to buy something like this?"
"So, might as well make some money off it!" Lu Fei laughed heartily, "Actually, this little coffin has some effect, but it's not that miraculous. If it can truly restrain that leader, then we've done a good deed."
"That's a nice profit!" Liu Fugui gave a thumbs up, "I feel like you, kid, are better at business than your grandfather! Your grandfather is an old-fashioned man, not as adaptable as you."
Following the usual practice, Lu Fei generously transferred 200,000 yuan to Liu Fugui.
Unexpectedly, Liu Fugui transferred it back again.
"I can't accept this money! Brother Xiao Lu saved me last time, and I said I would show my gratitude. I'm glad you're satisfied with this deal."
Although he was greedy, he could still distinguish between a single full meal and being well-fed all the time.
"One thing is one thing." After some thought, Lu Fei still transferred 100,000 yuan to Liu Fugui.
Thanks to the corpse oil he had taken so conveniently, he was able to exchange it for a thunder-struck jujube wood stick in the ghost market.
"I don't know how to express my gratitude." Liu Fugui was deeply moved, "I'll treat you tonight, let's have a good drink!"
"If even an old penny-pincher like you is willing to spend, then I won't be polite!" Lu Fei laughed heartily.
Hu Zi watched them with great envy.
In the evening.
Liu Fugui treated them to a generous seafood buffet.
After a few bottles of beer, he was tipsy and talked a lot.
He talked about how in the business world, people are always scheming and deceiving, with hardly any true friends. He said he shouldn't have gotten divorced and that now he is alone every day, and so on.
"If only there were some sinister object in this world that could take people back to the past..."
He rambled on, but Lu Fei listened with one ear and ignored it with the other, focusing on his meal.
But Hu Zi seemed rather sullen, drinking alone all the time.
Back at the pawnshop.
As usual, Hu Zi finished cleaning and was getting ready to close for the night.
"Hu Zi, wait a moment."
Lu Fei, sitting behind the counter, called him over.
"What's up, boss, is there something else?"
"How long have you been working at Sinisterium Pawnshop?"
Hu Zi was taken aback and couldn't help but feel nervous: "Boss, did I do something wrong? Tell me, and I'll definitely fix it."
"What are you thinking? You've been here for so long, it's time I paid you!" Lu Fei laughed.
Hu Zi had already proven himself with his actions; it would be unreasonable for him, as the boss, not to show his appreciation now.
"Sa,Salary?" Hu Zi was dumbfounded for several seconds, hardly believing what he had heard.
"Your base salary is three thousand a month, and that includes room and board," Lu Fei said, transferring three thousand yuan to him first.
Hu Zi felt a bit disappointed, but he still nodded.
"And then, for every successful deal, you'll get a bonus," Lu Fei smiled and transferred another sum of money to Hu Zi.
"A bonus too?" Hu Zi's eyes lit up again. When he checked the payment information, his hand trembled, and he felt like his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"How many zeros is this?"
"Just like Old Liu, there's no reason why our own guy should earn less than an outsider, right?"
Lu Fei stood up and stretched.
"Alright, we still need to open the shop tomorrow, go to bed early."
"Boss..."
Huzi wanted to say something more, but Lu Fei had already gone back to his room.
He stood there for a long time, holding his phone and not sleeping well all night.
Early the next morning, he worked very hard, cleaning every corner of Sinisterium Pawnshop thoroughly until the floor was gleaming, before asking Lu Fei for leave to go to the bank and send money home.
"Go and come back soon."
Lu Fei made a cup of tea and had just sat down for a moment.
Suddenly, he felt someone enter Sinisterium Pawnshop.
The footsteps were as light as a cat's, definitely not Huzi!
He raised his head and suddenly saw a face so old it was almost unrecognizable, nearly giving him a fright.
"Old lady, may I ask how I can assist you?"
But he quickly composed himself and stood up to greet her.
The visitor was an elderly woman whose age was indiscernible. Her sparse, white hair was tied at the back of her head, and her narrow, pointed face was wrinkled like dried bean curd skin.
Her small feet and hunched figure made it a mystery how she had entered the Sinisterium Pawnshop without making a sound.
If Lu Fei hadn't enhanced his senses with his magical powers, he wouldn't have even known she had come in.
"You are Lu Qingxuan's grandson?" The old woman looked at Lu Fei with her cloudy, lifeless eyes.
"I am." Lu Fei examined her. "May I ask who you are, and do you know my grandfather?"
He noticed that the old woman's clothing was quite peculiar, with a dark red base and embroidered with the pattern of five bats surrounding a symbol of longevity.
His heart skipped a beat; wasn't this the style of funeral attire?
"I'm here to redeem my item."
The old woman's chicken-claw-like hand took out a yellowed pawn ticket from her pocket and threw it on the counter.
"Just a moment, please."
This was the first time Lu Fei had seen a customer come to redeem an item. He suppressed his surprise and picked up the pawn ticket to examine it.
The old lady's surname was Feng, and the item she came to redeem was a black umbrella.