Chapter Thirty-Four: Commission

  "What should we do then?" Hanna asked impatiently.

  "I didn't just say that? I've already found someone to help you." The middle-aged man said, "It's the Dragon and Tiger Team of Qiao Daxi and others. Don't worry, their skills are much better, they will send you to Kaiyuan County, but... Zhao brother, you have come back and forth many times before, why haven't I heard that you hired a guard? Why not save the money for something else?"

  "Brother Guan, you don't know," Zhao Baoping said with a bitter smile. "A group of bandits has appeared near Pingdingshan, we're scared."

  "Bandits? I've never heard of them?" The middle-aged man said in astonishment.

  "It's just what happened these past few days." Zhao Baoping said: "We left the city yesterday, but heard that things were not peaceful up ahead, so we ran back."

  "Even if there are bandits, you're pulling in Tsang Ching-juo, can they take a liking to him? Be more careful yourselves, and maybe you'll be able to get through unnoticed."

  "Brother Guan, who dares to make fun of their own head? Not afraid of ten thousand, just afraid of one in ten thousand..." Zhao Baoping said.

  Just then, a burly man with a thick beard walked into the tavern, looking around, and the middle-aged man hastily stood up, laughing: "Xiao Er brothers, over here, come over here..."

  That man named Xiang Er smiled and walked over, the middle-aged man made introductions for both sides, while Zhao Bao Ping and others were busy pouring wine for each other. Unexpectedly, Xiang Er pushed the wine cup away with his hand: "This wine can be drunk at any time, let's first clarify things."

  "Alright, alright." The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly.

  "Are you the owner?" Xiang Er's gaze fell on Su Tang, in his opinion, Zhao Bao Ping and a few others were not impressive at all, obviously just doing business, only Su Tang had an air of command about him.

  "I am me." Zhao Baoping stood up again.

  Xiang Er looked a bit strange and glanced at Su Tang again before shifting his gaze to Zhao Baoping: "Going to Kaiyuan County?"

  "Yes."

  "How much is the commission?" asked Xiang Er directly.

  Zhao Baoping thought for a moment and then held up two fingers.

  Xiao Er let out a series of "tsk" sounds in a row, and judging from his expression, it seemed like he was in some physical pain.

  "Zhao, you little brother, what's going on here... Do you want our brothers' lives?!" shouted Xiang Er.

  "Xiang Ge, I... Are you dissatisfied? But we..."

  "It's not that it's too little." Xiang Er sighed: "Alright, I can tell, you brothers aren't easy to deal with, you've all invested everything in this batch of goods, right?" Zhao Bao Ping and the others were dressed very ordinarily, which didn't match up to the value of the goods he had estimated.

  "Yes, yes." Zhao Baoping and others nodded hastily.

  "This number is enough." Xiang Er stretched out a finger: "Honest people don't speak in riddles, if you want to give more, we wouldn't dare accept it. Exceeding this number would require going to the Miao Dao Pavilion to put up a signboard, and it's not certain that we brothers would get a turn. If Zhao brother is willing, treating us brothers to a meal after the opening of the yuan would be enough."

  When they heard that the commission was cut in half, Zhao Baoping and others were overjoyed, praising Xi Er for being generous and magnanimous. After the business was settled, Xi Er was also very happy, and he proactively raised his wine glass, saying to the middle-aged man: "Guan Ge, thank you for taking care of our brothers' business, nothing else, when our brothers come back, we'll get together again, at that time Guan Ge must definitely give us face."

  "Stubborn as ever, you're still so naive." The middle-aged man said with a smile.

  The atmosphere became very festive, but Su Tang was somewhat disingenuous, voluntarily reducing his commission. This is the legendary digging a hole in the wall! He knew what it meant to have policies from above and countermeasures from below, but... he was digging a hole in the wall under Su Tang's nose...

  "Zhao, little brother, according to the rules, we have to pay half of the commission first, and the other half after we arrive at the place. We also need to get ready." said Xiang Erdao.

  "Xiang Ge is so generous, what's the point of prepaying or not?" Zhao Baoping said magnanimously: "We'll pay the commission all at once!"

  "Good!" Di Er was overjoyed and stretched out his hand, pointing at Zhao Baoping: "I've made friends with you brothers! From now on, if anything happens, just come find me."

  Zhao Baoping pulled out a gold coin from his pocket and slapped it on the wine table with a loud bang, but his eyes were looking at Su Tang, very pleased with himself, as if to say, Young Master, didn't expect that? I, Zhao Baoping, can mix so well in Changshan County?!

  Everyone has a dream of returning home in glory. Zhao Baoping temporarily can't go back home, but being able to show off in front of his former young master is already very satisfying for him.

  He glanced at the gold coin with his eyes, continued to drink the wine in his cup, and didn't rush to pick it up. It seemed like he was waiting for something, but after half a day, Zhao Baoping still hadn't made any subsequent moves. He finally showed a suspicious expression, stretched out his hand to pick up the gold coin, looked left and right, and slowly sank his face, saying in a gloomy tone: "Zhao brother, what do you mean by this?"

  Zhao Baoping and the others exchanged a glance, they also knew that the commission was a bit small, but the goods themselves were not worth much money. After discussing for a long time, taking out two gold coins was already their maximum limit.

  Hua Nuo said timidly: "Xiao Ge, didn't we agree earlier...... We're all small-time merchants, at most we can scrape together two gold coins...... Xiao Ge is a man of his word, and suddenly he wipes out half of it..."

  "You're cheating me!" Xiang Er's face turned red with rage, and he slapped the gold coin onto Hua Nuo's face: "Are you guys taking advantage of me? Seven or eight brothers accompanied you to Kaiyuan County, and it took half a month for the round trip. You gave me so little?! What do you think I am?!"

  Xian De'er suddenly turned hostile, Zhao Baoping and Hua Nuo were so frightened that they didn't know what to do with their hands and feet. Gu Xiren rushed under the table to look for the gold coins that had been smashed away. The middle-aged man accompanied him with a smile: "Brother Xian, don't be angry, don't be angry..."

  "Brother Guan! Luckily I called you Brother Guan!! You're also having fun with these little rascals, huh?!?" Xiang Er's face had already turned green with rage.

  "Nothing of the sort!" The middle-aged man shouted back, turning around and asking Zhao Baoping in a huff: "Didn't you say there were almost eight or nine gold coins?"

  "Brother Guan, I'm saying that those few carts of Tibetan blueberries are worth at most eight or nine gold coins." Zhao Baoping's face was full of worry.

  "You... you... you..." The middle-aged man's face turned even more gloomy. It turned out that he had misheard, who could be blamed?

  At this moment, Su Tang laughed more sincerely than before. People are indeed realistic. Just now they were calling each other brothers, getting along so well that it seemed like they would wear the same pants, but in an instant they became sworn enemies. How interesting!

  However, this smile fell into Xiang Er's eyes, and it seemed especially piercing. He suddenly shifted his target, and his finger almost touched Su Tang's forehead: "Do you dare to laugh?! Do you believe I..."

  Just then, a palm-sized hand swept from the side and landed on Xiang Er's cheek, sending him flying several meters away, crashing into another wine table.