Zhennan Escort Bureau is one of the only three remaining escort bureaus in Hangzhou.
The escort business is not easy to do these days.
In the ten years since the founding of the People's Republic of China in Daxia, banditry among the people has been much better than in the years of strife.
Businessmen from the two places usually travel in groups or form their own teams, and there is no need for the escort agency to intervene when encountering petty troubles.
If you encounter a group of gangsters, it is useless to have an escort.
Therefore, the escort agency's position becomes increasingly embarrassing.
When there were more than a dozen escort bureaus in Hangzhou, Zhennan Escort Bureau has always been the best among them, so it has survived to this day.
As for the two thousand taels of silver the Chen family owed the Xiao family, it was because they were escorting a batch of goods from the Xiao family to Yangzhou and were robbed on the way.
In order to preserve the reputation of the Zhennan Escort Bureau, the head of the Zhennan Escort Bureau promised to pay full compensation to the Xiao family.
It's just that it was so cool to brag at first, but now it's so embarrassing when the Xiao family asks for money.
The Xiao family came to ask for money again and again, but the Chen family stayed behind closed doors and did not dare to see them, leaving only people from the escort agency to deal with them.
The people in the escort agency were very arrogant, and their attitude during the negotiation process was extremely bad, which left the impression on the Xiao family that it was difficult to communicate.
The eldest lady has no choice. She knows that although the Chen family is vicious, at least they are moral and want to save face. Compared with other arrears, Zhennan Escort Bureau is the best one to come up with all the money.
So the first thing I did when I went out was the Zhennan Escort Bureau.
At the entrance of the Zhennan Escort Bureau, an old servant was cleaning dry leaves in front of the door. When he saw the Xiao family's carriage, he looked like he had seen a ghost. He dropped his broom and ran home. He quickly closed the door and shouted: "Here he comes, he comes. ! People from the Xiao family are here again!"
The courtyard of the escort agency is very large, and there are several old escort masters practicing inside. Upon hearing this shout, everyone stopped their activities and rushed into the house, locking the doors.
In just a few seconds, the people from the Zhennan Escort Agency seemed to disappear out of thin air, and there was no sound in the yard.
In the living room, the head escort sighed heavily, his face turned red, and he was really helpless.
"Master, how long will our family hide?"
A woman in her early forties in the hall sighed and wiped away tears, "How many life-and-death situations have our Chen family faced in the decades they have been wandering around the world? They have never been as depressed as they are today! A woman blocked the door of her home, forcing her to The 20 or so members of the Chen family are afraid to see anyone!"
"Can you please stop saying a few words?"
"Why don't you talk less? If you don't want to save face, why would you have done anything today? The loss of the goods is our problem, but the rule is not to pay full compensation!"
"It's just half compensation per person, can we take it?"
In a word, the woman also died down.
Yes, not to mention two thousand taels, even one thousand taels of silver, Zhennan Escort Agency can't come up with it.
There was also a young girl in the hall, pacing back and forth in the room, frowning, and suddenly said: "Why don't we sell this house! Pay the money back to the Xiao family. If this continues, how can the Zhennan Escort Bureau raise its head?" one day?"
"Nonsense!" the head escort frowned and scolded.
"Yes, this house can't be sold!" The woman quickly agreed, "If the house is sold, our family of three will feel relaxed. At worst, we can continue to make money in the world, but what about our old brothers who have been with us for decades? They are still pointing fingers at us. After getting married and starting a business, it’s okay to work with us when you were young. My old brothers are already in their forties and fifties, how can they follow our family to work again?”
The young girl also lost her voice.
At this time, there was a knock on the door outside.
This knock on the door was even more terrifying than when faced with dozens or hundreds of bandit bullies in the past. When everyone in the escort agency heard this sound, their scalps went numb and they were extremely nervous.
The old servant who was sweeping the floor at the door lay on the crack of the door and stared for a while. His face changed drastically, and he turned around and ran over, whispering: "Master, this is terrible! The eldest lady of the Xiao family came to the door in person! What... how can this be done?"
"Ah?" The head escort stood up and broke into a cold sweat.
The eldest lady of the Xiao family came forward in person, but she couldn't invite people to go out and have fun like in the past.
"master……"
"Shh... don't make a sound. Don't make a sound. Just act like there is no one at home."
The eldest lady stood at the door, straightened her clothes, and kept smiling, showing the demeanor of a wealthy family.
Lin Wanjie knocked on the door more than a dozen times, but there was no movement at all.
Xiaolian frowned and said, "It's been so long and there's no movement at all. Could it be that there's no one there?"
"It's normal for a wanderer to be at home today and away tomorrow." A young servant said.
"Is there really no one?" The eldest lady frowned, "If no one is here, what should I do? Hey!"
Lin Wanjie stopped and looked in front of the door. He swept the floor and saw no one. Could it be that he was avoiding the Xiao family on purpose?
Thinking about it, Lin Wanjie lay on the crack of the door and looked inside.
Inside, Miss Chen Xiaoman of the Chen family was also lying on the crack of the door looking outside.
The gap is small, but they are a pair of eyes.
Both people inside and outside were stunned and shrank back at the same time.
Lin Wanjie couldn't see clearly and was a little dazed.
The eldest lady asked from the side: "What's wrong? Is anyone there?"
"There seems to be someone, but there seems to be no one..."
Muttering, Lin Wanjie lay on the crack of the door again and looked inside, but this time he couldn't see anything.
Little did he know that Chen Xiaoman was hiding behind the door, his little heart beating wildly.
People in the world need a face, especially those who are escorts. Face is everything. Without face, there is no credibility, let alone a foothold in the world.
Chen Xiaoman is not very young, but he is deeply influenced by his parents.
Being chased to collect debts, but he avoided showing up. Chen Xiaoman couldn't bear such an embarrassment.
Lin Wanjie murmured in her heart, took a few steps back, looked at the courtyard wall, and said, "Madam, how about I climb over the wall and take a look?"
Chen Xiaoman heard it clearly from behind the door. His head buzzed, and his whole body was red. His neck was red all the way down.
If someone climbed over the wall and saw a family hiding at home...
Are you not going to be ridiculed by your colleagues for the rest of your life?
Chen Xiaoman felt that he couldn't stay any longer. Rather than being caught by someone who climbed over the wall, he might as well open the door and greet the person, at least leaving some dignity.
Chen Xiaoman had made up his mind, and when he was about to open the door, he heard the lady outside say, "No, no! How are you any different from a thief if you climb over the wall to get in without others' permission? We are here to collect debts, so we should be honest. Don't do such improper things." Let’s avoid getting into trouble. Since the Chen family is not here, let’s go to another house.”
"Madam, it's not right for you to ask for a debt like this! Since there is no one in the Chen family, let's follow the formal procedure and go directly to the government to report the case. First, put a seal on the escort agency. If they can escape, the monks can't escape from the temple. If you don't believe it, they won't show up. Lin Wanjie said seriously.
The eldest lady frowned: "Oh, that's not the case, is it? It's only two thousand taels of silver, why should we have a falling out with others?"
"It is natural to pay back debts. The Xiao family is the creditor. If the Chen family wants to save face, they will not delay it for so long. They are shameless, why should we fall out with them?" Lin Wanjie was very annoyed. The eldest lady might have some tricks in business. But being too soft on a favor is not good, so he directly ordered, "Xiao Lian, take the IOU and report it to the prefect's Yamen."
"Yes!" Xiaolian was the first to agree. She was fed up with these cowardices and followed the eldest lady through the streets to ask for money. She didn't know how much cowardice she suffered.
You have to follow Lin Da’s method!
Just as Xiaolian was about to leave, the door of the escort agency opened.
