Master Zhao picked up the包袱 on the ground, grumbling all the while.
“This is a famous painting! You really have no taste. Humph!”
“Your so - called famous painting? Even a layman can tell it's a fake.”
Master Zhao blushed with anger.
“Who says it's a fake! I bought it with real money!”
“Then please go back and check if there's a traitor in your family. The real one must have been swapped.”
“How is that possible? The key to the warehouse...”
Master Zhao paused, suddenly thinking of something.
He cursed under his breath viciously, then grabbed the package and scurried away.
Zhao Luoning sneered at the sight.
“He who plays with fire gets burned.”
“Why do you say so?”
“When he doted on his second wife, he gave her the key to the warehouse. It seems she's embezzled a lot over the years.”
Ji Shisu watched Master Zhao's retreating back and nodded in agreement.
“Yes, there's never a good ending for those who dote on concubines and neglect their wives. ”
Master Zhao wasn't the only one who ended up alone.
It was said that Ji Shisu's elder brother in the Ji family was also trying to split the family property.
But it didn't matter to Ji Shisu anymore.
“Hey? Rare for you to have such an understanding.”
Normally, don't men all wish to have as many concubines as possible?
“My understanding goes far beyond this. In my opinion, just having my wife is enough. It saves a lot of trouble.”
As Ji Shisu said this, he was about to hug her. Zhao Luoning quickly stopped him.
“Stop it. We're about to get off the carriage. Mind your image.”
“Isn't my image just your little follower? It's quite fitting.”
Zhao Luoning: “...”
Ji Shisu got out first, then turned around and reached out his hand to help Zhao Luoning out.
Since she was pretending to be Zhao Luojing to pick up something, Zhao Luoning was dressed in men's clothes.
It didn't seem right for a man to help another man out of the carriage.
Zhao Luoning looked around carefully. Only after making sure no one was looking did she dare to put her hand in Ji Shisu's.
Seeing her being so cautious, Ji Shisu simply pulled her. Zhao Luoning fell straight into his arms.
Her face flushed immediately.
She scolded him softly and quickly pushed him away, walking ahead on her own.
The two walked into the pawnshop hand in hand.
At this moment, the pawnshop owner was scolding his subordinates.
Seeing the guests coming, he gave a few hasty instructions and greeted them with a smile.
After all, doing business in Huangcheng, he naturally recognized Ji Shisu and Zhao Luojing.
“Yo, what wind has blown you two here today?”
Zhao Luoning said, “I'm here to pick up something.”
The pawnshop owner laughed.
“Your Zhao family is really interesting. Your father just came to pawn something, and now you're here to redeem it.”
Zhao Luoning's expression turned a bit ugly. She coughed lightly.
The pawnshop owner knew when to stop and quickly said, “Just joking, just joking. We know all about your Zhao family's affairs.”
As he spoke, he led Zhao Luojing into the inner room.
“If you hadn't come, I would have thought you'd forgotten. Do you have the pawn ticket?”
The pawnshop owner's words meant that Luojing had really pawned something here. Hope rose in Zhao Luoning's heart.
Of course, Zhao Luoning didn't have the pawn ticket. She prevaricated.
“I'm really sorry about the pawn ticket. It's been so long. I just suddenly remembered this. Isn't my presence enough? I'm not the kind of person who would renege on the debt.”
As Zhao Luoning said this, she winked at Guisu behind her. Guisu understood and brought over a tray covered with a red silk cloth.
When the silk cloth was lifted, there were rows of shining silver coins neatly arranged on the red cloth.
The pawnshop owner's eyes lit up at the sight of the silver.
“Yes, yes, yes. The second young master of the Zhao family has a great reputation.”
As he counted the silver, he said, “Second young master, please wait a moment. I'll go and get your things right away.”
After counting the money, the pawnshop owner's eyes were almost shut from smiling. Money talks. Soon, he came out with a blue - wrapped package.
“Second young master, all the things you pawned back then are here. Please check if anything is missing.”
Zhao Luoning opened the package. The ledger was on top!
Luojing was really smart!
Who would have thought he'd pawn it in the pawnshop!
It was a pity that Luojing died early. Otherwise, with this ledger, the Jun family's property wouldn't have been divided up.
Zhao Luoning picked up the ledger. There were also some gold and silver jewelry under it.
Touching these jewelry, Zhao Luoning's eyes gradually turned red.
These jewelry were what she and Luoyu had pooled together for Luojing back then. That red coral was bought with the money Luoyu got from selling her new year's clothes.
These things seemed ordinary now, but they were all the family's possessions for the siblings back then.
Zhao Luoning examined each item one by one. Each item carried memories.
Suddenly, her fingertips stopped.
There seemed to be something under the jewelry.
Zhao Luoning pushed aside the jewelry and took out two red books.
When she opened them, her tears couldn't be held back any longer.
They were betrothal certificates.
They were hers and Luoyu's betrothal certificates!
Back then, she was a substitute bride. It was Zhao Luoyue, not her, whose horoscope was matched with the Ji family. So she never cared about where her own betrothal certificate was.
As for Luoyu, everyone thought she had died when she was a child.
Even Zhao Luoning and Luoyu themselves had forgotten about the betrothal certificates.
Unexpectedly...
Luojing had remembered for them and even put them in the pawnshop, treating them as importantly as the Jun family's ledger.
Zhao Luoning could imagine how Luojing felt when he put the betrothal certificates here.
Suddenly, a sentence that Zhao Luojing often said popped into Zhao Luoning's mind.
“In the future, any man who wants to marry my two sisters has to pass my test! The best sisters in the world should be matched with the best men in the world!”
Looking at the two betrothal certificates in her hand, Zhao Luoning cried uncontrollably.
She could imagine the scene when Luojing put the betrothal certificates here.
She always thought that Luojing stood up back then because of their mother, to protect their mother.
It was only after seeing these two betrothal certificates that Zhao Luoning truly understood Luojing's feelings.
The one he had been protecting all along was her, his elder sister.
The one he had always cared about was her, his elder sister.
He was still looking at the ledger while bedridden, and still thinking about her when he was dying.
Zhao Luoning made everyone in the world feel at ease.
But she made Luojing worry so much.
The pawnshop owner was stunned by Zhao Luoning's sudden breakdown.
Ji Shisu waved at him, signaling him to take the silver and leave, leaving the inner room for the two of them.
Ji Shisu walked up to Zhao Luoning and gently put his arm around her.
Zhao Luoning gasped for breath between sobs and spoke intermittently.
“Shisu, I owe Luojing too much.”
“I know.”
“Back then, thinking that Luoyu was dead, I kept blaming myself and completely ignored Luojing. How sad he must have been at that time.”
“It's not your fault.”
“He was so young, but he thought so much. He was always in poor health. It's all my fault!”
Hearing this, Ji Shisu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. “How can this be your fault?”
“I was competing with him for nutrients in our mother's womb. He couldn't beat me, so he was born with a lot of diseases.”
“Don't talk nonsense. You're a woman and he's a man. Men are stronger than women. How could he not beat you?” Ji Shisu squatted down and wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, comforting her. “It must be that Luojing was letting you have it. As long as his sister is happy, he'll be happy too.”