A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1111 Opening of the Macau Branch

Wu Mingqiang led them up to the second floor through the side door. It was everyone's second time here, so they knew the way well.

Wu Mingqiang said to Gui'er, "Miss, you should rest for a while. I'll take Zhao Ding, A Guang, and A Zhong to meet up with Chen Jingtang. Dingxiang, go and get some food for Miss so she won't go hungry. I've already bought some ingredients and left them in the kitchen; you can use them." With that, he left.

Dingxiang and Acheng worked in the kitchen for an hour, cooking Portuguese chicken, turmeric pork, braised pork, and crab congee.

She proudly brought out the dishes and said, "When Brother Qiang took us out to eat last time, I thought these dishes were special. I just went to the kitchen and saw that they even had curry, turmeric, and coconut milk, so I tried making them. Miss, do you think they're delicious?"

Gui'er tasted the Portuguese chicken, which had a rich and mellow sauce, tender and flavorful chicken, and smooth and creamy crab congee with the crab's freshness fully infused into it. It was indeed very good.

At this moment, Wu Mingqiang returned, looked at the dishes on the table, and said with a smile, "Dingxiang is indeed capable. I knew you could definitely make this."

Gui'er invited everyone to sit down for dinner. Wu Mingqiang said that he had asked a feng shui master to choose an auspicious time, which would be the Si hour (9-11 am) tomorrow. In order to make the scene more lively, he also invited a lion dance team and prepared some small red envelopes to distribute to the surrounding neighbors for good luck.

Gui'er was a little apprehensive. She thought that putting on such a grand show must have cost a lot of money. She said, "We didn't have such a grand show when we opened our business in Hong Kong."

Wu Mingqiang took out the wine he had just bought and poured a glass for himself and Acheng. The two clinked glasses, drank it all in one gulp, and then said with a smile, "Miss, don't worry, money is not a problem. This business is all about connections. When we first opened our shop in Hong Kong, we didn't have any connections, so it was very difficult to get started. All we got were scrap metal. If we make a big show of it, we'll make the neighbors think we have a solid foundation, and naturally, business will be much better. Anyway, leave everything to me, so you can rest assured."

Before 9 a.m. the next day, the entrance of Juzhen Pawnshop was already crowded with people. Red silk was wrapped around the pillars of the arcade, and new couplets with auspicious phrases such as "Grand Opening," "Prosperous Business," and "Wealth from All Directions" were pasted on the lintel. Two shop assistants dressed in short clothes stood guard at the door, handing out red-wrapped candies to the neighbors who came by, saying, "Share in the joy!"

Wu Mingqiang led his employees to set up an incense table in the shop. On the table were a whole chicken, fresh fish, and pork cut into lotus flower shapes. Three sticks of incense burned in the incense burner, their smoke curling upwards. The local "shaman" he had invited, dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe, circled the incense table three times, holding a peach wood sword and chanting prayers mixed with Cantonese. He occasionally scattered glutinous rice on the ground, saying it was to "drive away evil and bring good fortune." Gui'er followed Wu Mingqiang to offer incense, listening to the shaman chant "May your business prosper and reach all corners of the world," secretly praying for peace in this chaotic world.

As soon as the auspicious hour arrived, the drums and gongs of the lion dance troupe suddenly roared. Two golden and red lions leaped in to the beat of the drums. The lion dance troupe, hired by Wu Mingqiang from Shui Keng Wei Street, had copper bells adorning their heads that jingled, drawing a large crowd of onlookers. With each leap to the beat of the drums, the lions would lightly tap their front paws three times on the shopfront, a traditional gesture for "warding off evil and bringing good fortune." The lion dancers, dressed in short jackets, performed a somersault in front of the shop, and the lions then bowed to the lintel. Wu Mingqiang then pulled back the red cloth covering the plaque—the three gilded characters "Ju Zhen Pawnshop" shone brightly in the sunlight, eliciting cheers from the crowd. Several children chased after the colorful balls dropped by the lions, only to be pulled back by laughing adults.

The workers had prepared stacks of small red envelopes, which they handed out to the neighbors as soon as they reached out. The children snatched them up happily, and even the rickshaw drivers passing by stopped to ask for a lucky gift. For a while, the whole street was filled with laughter.

When the auspicious hour arrived, Wu Mingqiang and Gui'er opened the heavy wooden door side by side. The hinges creaked, revealing a counter with iron railings inside—the counter was chest-high, painted dark brown, with a thick glass panel on the surface, and abacuses and account books neatly stacked underneath.

Several local Macau businessmen came over to offer their congratulations, presenting a plaque inscribed with "Great Success." Wu Mingqiang showed them around the shop, pointing to the jade and silver items displayed in the counter, saying, "We hope you'll continue to support us. If you have any unused items, feel free to bring them in; the price will be fair." One of the businessmen, a Chaozhou man in a suit, patted Wu Mingqiang on the shoulder and said in Cantonese, "Mr. Wu, you have a lot of influence. From now on, if any of our dock brothers need to pawn anything, we'll definitely come here!"

Gui'er stood under the eaves watching all this, and couldn't help but be very surprised. How did Wu Mingqiang know businessmen in Macau? It seems he has connections and influence in both Hong Kong and Macau.

The neighbors flocked in to see what was happening. There were old ladies bringing old silver bracelets to pawn, and sailors carrying Western pocket watches asking about prices. The shop assistants shouted out the quality and prices, their abacuses clicking away. Gui'er stood behind the counter, watching Wu Mingqiang and Chen Jingtang entertain the customers. When they saw Chinese merchants in long gowns, they would offer them "Green Treasure" cigarettes from Macau; when they encountered foreigners in suits, they would order the shop assistants to bring them chilled pineapple soda. Even Zhao Ding, A Guang, and A Zong, who came from Hong Kong, helped to serve the customers.

As the sun rose high overhead, a thin layer of firecracker debris accumulated at the doorway. An old woman selling flowers brought over two pots of kumquats, their branches adorned with small red lanterns, saying, "This is a custom in Macau; kumquats bring good fortune." Gui'er knew the old woman just wanted to sell her the kumquats to make money, but since it was her opening day, she didn't want to spoil the mood. She paid and thanked her, then had her shop assistant place the lanterns at the door; a gust of wind made them sway like strings of tiny flames.

As the afternoon drew to a close and the crowds thinned out, Wu Mingqiang finally breathed a sigh of relief and distributed start-of-work bonuses to his employees. Gui'er gazed at the increasing number of pawned items in the display case—silverware, old jewelry, ceramic snuff bottles, and even high-end cheongsam dresses.

Wu Mingqiang was very satisfied with the first day's sales. He walked up to Gui'er and said, "Miss, you've worked hard all day. You must be tired. Today is the first day of business, so let's close early and have a reunion dinner with the staff from both stores. I've already booked a hotel."

Gui'er nodded and said, "Okay."

At this moment, Zhao Dingcai pulled Chen Jingtang to Gui'er and said, "Miss, I'm sorry, I've been too busy today and only have some time now. This is Chen Jingtang. I've been watching him all day. His valuation and judgment are just as good as mine."

Chen Jingtang bowed respectfully and said, "Boss, it's a pleasure to meet you. I didn't expect you to be so young. I will definitely work hard in the future. Please come and visit more often when you have time."

Gui'er smiled and nodded, saying, "Definitely, definitely. I'll leave things here in Chen Chaofeng's care from now on."