Chapter 247: Accounting
Editor: Atlas Studios
When Qi Haoran brought Mu Yangling to pick the horses, she didn’t say that she wanted one of the eight adult horses, and Qi Haoran didn’t mention letting her take a look at those. Regardless of whether this defensive map was real or fake, this matter was very dangerous. Hence, the eight horses could only disappear in the end.
In the end, Mu Yangling chose an above average foal among the foals that were about to mature. Qi Haoran picked a better foal for her, but Mu Yangling shook her head and rejected, “It’s better to keep a low profile.”
Qi Haoran frowned. Why was there a need to keep a low profile in his territory? However, when he saw Mu Yangling stroking the chosen horse happily, Qi Haoran didn’t object anymore and only asked her, “Give it a name.”
“Snowy? Traceless? Sprinting? Lightning? Swifty?”
Qi Haoran’s face darkened at Mu Yangling’s suggestions. In the end, he interrupted her and said, “Let’s just call him Blackie. It’s a joke to call him by other names.”
Qi Haoran patted the black horse’s body and said, “Its speed is average, so it can’t be considered a good horse. When you grow up in the future, I’ll help you pick a better one.”
As if he knew that Qi Haoran was talking about him, Blackie snorted indignantly. Mu Yangling hugged his neck and said, “Even if it’s not the fastest, I like it. It’s already my horse. Unless it dies of old age, I won’t replace it.”
One should treat their horse the same way they treated their gun. Even if it wasn’t the most advanced, it was still her partner and she was most familiar with it. A gunman wouldn’t casually change his gun.
Blackie seemed to be able to hear their words and turned his head towards Mu Yangling.
Qi Haoran raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips when he saw Mu Yangling playing with the horse.
“Since you’ve chosen, let’s go and choose a saddle. We have to return to the city first and set off for Xingzhou Prefecture tomorrow morning.”
As Mu Yangling’s horse was not an adult yet, Qi Haoran did not have a matching one, so they could only buy it in the city.
As Hanzhong Prefecture had once been occupied by the Hus, many saddles could be found there. One could see many shops in the bustling area of the city.
Qi Haoran handed the horse to the guards and brought Mu Yangling in to choose.
When the assistant saw a group of people behind Qi Haoran, he knew that a big client had arrived. He hurriedly welcomed him in. “Young Master, what are you looking for? I’ll show you.”
“A saddle.” Qi Haoran pointed at Blackie at the door and said, “A saddle for that horse.”
“Aiyo, that’s one handsome horse. Young Master, wait for me. I’ll prepare it for you now.” The assistant turned around to look for a few good saddles.
Mu Yangling blushed and pulled the assistant. “This horse is mine. Just an ordinary saddle will do.”
“Erm…” The assistant looked at Qi Haoran. A huge deal was going to fly away?
However, Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, “Just bring it out.”
The assistant responded happily and turned around to take out a few top-notch saddles.
Qi Haoran asked Mu Yangling, “Which one do you want?”
Mu Yangling’s male comrades had told her that the most terrifying scenario about shopping with a girl was when a girl declined despite wanting that something, and they had to spend a long time persuading her.
Mu Yangling glanced at Qi Haoran. Seeing that he was determined, she started to seriously choose from these saddles.
Qi Haoran was indeed happy to see this. He pointed out a few to her. “These few sets are not bad, and they’re all suitable for Blackie.”
“Then let’s try it and see which one Blackie likes.”
Qi Haoran helped her put it on the horse. When he was putting a maroon saddle on Blackie, it snorted and tilted its head towards Qi Haoran for the first time. Mu Yangling walked over and touched its neck. “You like this?”
Blackie lowered its head. Smiling, Mu Yangling said, “Alright, this one it is.”
Qi Haoran went to settle the bill and walked to a place where Mu Yangling couldn’t see. He took out a token and said to the assistant, “Put it on Young Master Fan’s account.”
The assistant took the token in a daze and immediately reacted with a smile and a bow. “Young Master, please wait a moment. I’ll write it down for you now.”
The assistant took out a ledger and recorded it down. Only then did Qi Haoran remember to ask, “How much is this saddle?”
“Young Master, 62 taels. Look, I’ve written it down for you.”
Qi Haoran looked down and nodded. “Got it.” He took the token and stuffed it into his arms before turning to leave.
Mu Yangling was already waiting for him on her horse. When she saw him come out, she asked, “How much?”
Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, “Not much. Let’s go back quickly and rest well today. We’ll be on our way tomorrow morning.”
Fan Zijin, who was doing the accounts in Ruyi Restaurant, suddenly sneezed. He frowned slightly, wondering if he caught a cold.
He put down the account book and asked, “When can our foals be delivered?”
“Young Master, with the horses’ speed, they should arrive in another five to six days. Should we tell Fourth Young Master and ask him to prepare?” Yanmo asked.
The corners of Fan Zijin’s mouth curled up as he said happily, “He goes to check on his horse farm every day and has made the preparations long ago. This is a surprise for him. Let’s not tell him yet. When the horses arrive, we’ll directly bring them to the horse farm. When the time comes, I’ll bring him over to take a look.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the shopkeeper below brought an assistant shopkeeper up. “Young Master, this is an assistant shopkeeper from Chen’s Tack Shop. He’s here to settle the bill.”
“Bill?” Fan Zijin asked curiously, “When did I go to Chen’s Tack Shop to buy something?”
“A customer asked to put it on your account just now.” The assistant shopkeeper hurriedly said, “He used Ruyi Restaurant’s token. As it’s the end of the month, our shopkeeper asked me to come out and settle the bill.”
Fan Zijin took it and took a look. When he saw Qi Haoran’s signature on it, he knew what was going on. Although he felt that 62 taels of silver for a saddle was too expensive, he still waved his hand and asked Yanmo to bring the money over.
The assistant shopkeeper heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “Young Master Fan, Young Master Qi left in a hurry previously. I forgot to instruct him that if he wishes to change the saddle to a bigger size in the future, he can come to our shop directly. Our shop will replace it for them for free.”
“Them?” Fan Zijin raised his eyebrows and asked, “Who else was with Young Master Qi?”
“There’s also a girl with the surname Mu. That saddle was bought by that Miss Mu.”
The smile on Fan Zijin’s face faded. After waving the assistant shopkeeper and shopkeeper out, he asked Yanmo, “What is Miss Mu doing in Hanzhong Prefecture?”
Yanmo was equally confused. “There aren’t any adult males at home in the Mu family. How can she be at ease coming here?”
Fan Zijin pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “Forget it, let them be. However, don’t let too many people know that Miss Mu came to Hanzhong Prefecture.”
Although he did not know what the two of them were up to, his intuition told him that it was not a good thing.
“How’s the preparation of the silk shop going?” Fan Zijin asked.
“Young Master, don’t worry. The shop has already been renovated. We’ll be able to open once Butler Chen delivers the goods.” Yanmo said hesitantly, “Young Master, is it really a good idea for us to leave them behind and open the shop alone?”
Fan Zijin sneered and said, “I didn’t want to open my own shop in the beginning. If they hadn’t lowered the price so harshly, why would I want to open my own silk shop?”
He had just opened a restaurant and had taken out such a large sum of money to buy horses. He was really short of money. If it weren’t for the fact that the landlords and merchants of Hanzhong Prefecture had bargained down the price too much, would he need to tighten his belt and open a shop at this time?