Chapter 10 - The Pawn Shop

"Wow!"

The Li sisters could not contain their surprise as they hurriedly took in the beautiful scenery of the night market of the Imperial City.

They spent their childhood in a village and after coming to the Imperial Palace, they were dumped into the Cold Palace.

It was the first time when they got to see such beautiful scenery created by humans and not the nature.

"Miss, it's so beautiful. What are we going to do now since we are already in the market area?" Li Qi asked as she followed her Miss along with her sister.

At that exact moment, a growling sound caught their attention, and both of them turned their attention towards Li Wu.

The girl looked so embarrassed as she hid her tummy behind her small hands while constantly staring at her feet.

Ying Yue softly patted her head as she replied to Li Qi's question..

"The main reason for which we came here today is to have a grand feast. So that's exactly what we are going to do."

Even though her answer sounded so beautiful and alluring, the Li sisters only turned worried as they looked at the sparkling eyes of their Miss.

"Miss, we don't have a single penny on us. There's no way we can afford to have a meal in this place." Li Qi said in a heartbroken tone as she once again found herself filled with sadness for her Miss.

Ying Yue turned to look at the girl who was carrying a pitiful look.

"Why are looking so sad? Your Miss is still here. Today, I will show you my hidden talents. Come!"

The girls had no idea what their Miss was planning but they could do nothing rather than following her.

Soon the three of them were standing outside a two-story building which was actually a pawnshop.

"Miss, why are we here?" Li Wu asked as she first glanced at the building and then turned her confused gaze towards her Miss.

"We are going to earn some money, but for that, I need help from the two of you." Ying Yue said as she looked at the two girls with sparkling eyes.

"Our help?" Li Qi asked uncertainly.

"En!"

Ying Yue immediately nodded her head as she signaled the two girls to come closer.

As the Li sisters followed their Miss' instruction and inched closer to listen to whatever she was about to tell them, none of the two were ready for what their Miss told them next.

"That..."

"Ssh!"

Ying Yue immediately signaled Li Qi into silence before the girl could ruin her plan.

"Miss, are we really going to do this? Moreover, do you have anything in the first place to pawn?" Li Wu asked as she looked at her Miss with worried eyes.

Ever since they returned from the forest the previous night, it looked like their Miss had become much bolder and mischievous. The ideas that she was coming up with were far too dangerous and impossible.

The two girls could not help but worry for their Miss. They were mere servants with no power. What would they do if their Miss ended up in some sort of danger?

The thought made them concerned about the safety of their Miss.

"Why the two of you keep suspecting my ideas? Let me tell you, I'm not that stupid. Did any of my ideas fail so far? No, right? Then can you guys just show a little bit of faith in me!"

Ying Yue was sure getting tired from the constant punches that the girls were aiming at her confidence and sanity.

It was like the previous Jiang Ying Yue was nothing but a stupid woman who could barely make a single right decision.

It surely gonna take her some time to change her previous image from the mind of her two maids.

The Li sisters just remained silent as they nodded their heads in agreement before following their Miss inside the shop.

Even at the late hour of the day, the shop was bustling with customers.

As they made their way towards the table where the shopkeeper was currently sitting and negotiating a deal with two customers, Li Wu suddenly stopped them.

Ying Yue and Li Qi turned to look at the girl in confusion, not knowing what was wrong with her.

"Miss, this man looks like he's very skilled in this area. Will we succeed?" Li Wu whispered her uncertainty to her Miss.

Ying Yue just patted the girl on her arms softly before she made her way towards the shopkeeper.

The three of them were dressed in normal clothes with veils covering their faces. There was nothing in their appearance that could tell exactly what kind of treasure they had in their possession.

However, the shopkeeper welcomed them warmly before he asked, "How can I help these young ladies?"

"Kind Sir, we are here today to pawn a very precious possession of ours. If not for our current poor state, we would never have thought about selling it even in our dreams. But...." Ying Yue trailed off as her eyes suddenly filled with sadness and despair.

Just as they were ordered, the Li sisters followed the lead of their Miss and immediately turned their expression as gloomy as possible.

"This..."

The shopkeeper was shocked after seeing such sad expressions of the young ladies.

Even though their faces were hidden behind the veils, their eyes held so many emotions that even the shopkeeper felt like he was suffering from some kind of sadness.

"Miss, since you are here for business, I won't disappoint you. I hope that you all will soon find a way out of your current crisis." The shopkeeper politely said as he signaled his servants to bring refreshments for the young ladies.

"Sir, you are really kind. We have heard such high praises about your shop and you on our way. Who would have thought that we will come across such a kind-hearted person?"

Ying Yue spared no space for any mistake as she kept showering the man with her honey-covered words.

"This.....you don't have to be so polite, Miss. I'm more than happy to help people like you who are in dire need of some sort of help." The shopkeeper was almost embarrassed to his core as he suddenly felt shy after hearing such praises about himself.

Who would have thought that people actually praised him and his shop? Why did he never hear about it?

"Ah, by the way, what's the thing that you want to sell?" He asked to divert the attention as he was feeling too embarrassed because of all the attention that he was suddenly receiving.

On the other hand, Li Qi and Li Wu were left totally speechless by the shameless act of their Miss.

Why they never found out about this hidden talent of their Miss in all these years?

Well, the answer to this question was simple - because it's a hidden talent!

"Yeah, right! Let me show you."

Ying Yue took the bag that Li Wu had been holding all this time.

Very gently and carefully, Ying Yue pulled a white furry ball out of the bag. The moment everyone's eyes landed on that white ball, gasps echoed through the room which suddenly had gone completely silent.

"Miss.....t-this....this is..."

The poor shopkeeper could not find any word to complete his question as he stared at the furry ball in shock.

"This is what I want to pawn. Ain't it unique and precious?" Ying Yue questioned as her eyes shone with delight.