Chapter 298: Miss, you really are witty

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Lu Qi stroked his chin, looking at the brothers with interest.

"Steal?" Xiao Ran glanced at the two, "I really hadn't thought of that."

Xiao Ningxun shook his head: "This is no trivial matter; your father is still ill, how could we let you risk it? No need."

"Benefactor!" Zhou Ping hurriedly said, "We brothers have no other skills, but this little craft we can still show off! Please, benefactor, let us go!"

Zhou An also interjected: "We are willing to go! If Father knew we could ease the benefactor's worries, his illness might improve a bit!"

Tuan Tuan slipped off the stool, walked between them, tugged their arms and looked at her brother: "Third Brother, just let them try! They're so capable! Yesterday my hairpin vanished with a 'whoosh'! I didn't even notice!"

Xiao Ningxun sighed, "Fine, then go and try. Remember, you must retreat in one piece. Take the ledger if you can; if not, returning safely is most important."

"Benefactor, rest assured!" Zhou Ping puffed out his chest, his face shining, "We may not boast about other things, but in the art of stealing, we've never failed!"

The discussion concluded, and the group left the inn, arriving on the main street where Baixiang Pavilion stood.

Xiao Ningxun booked a street‑facing private room on the second floor of Qingyun Tea House, diagonally opposite Baixiang Pavilion; opening the window gave a full view of the pavilion.

He sat alone, pouring tea, staring intently at the opposite side.

As Jiangzhou's largest spice shop, Baixiang Pavilion's façade was sizable, its plaque hung high, and customers constantly came and went, making for bustling business.

Xiao Ran, Xiao Er, and Lu Qi led Tuan Tuan inside.

A complex, rich fragrance hit their faces.

Tuan Tuan's eyes lit up instantly: "Wow! So fragrant!"

The inner hall was very spacious; along the walls stood rows of tall rose‑wood medicine cabinets, each tiny drawer labeled with a spice name.

In the center was a long table covered with plain silk, piled with various porcelain jars and bottles, all filled with powdered spices and scented pellets.

The walls also displayed many scented sachets and bags, a dazzling array.

Several shop assistants were attending customers; seeing Xiao Ran and his party's fine attire, a quick‑witted one rushed over: "Honored guests, which spices would you like to see? Baixiang Pavilion is a venerable Jiangzhou brand; we have north and south spices, exotic overseas aromas, everything you could imagine!"

Xiao Ran fanned himself with his folding fan, assuming the bearing of a wealthy young master: "Hmm, I heard all Jiangzhou folk say so, which is why I came to see for myself."

"What fine spices do you have? Bring them all for me to inspect."

"My household uses many spices; if something fits, I'll buy it all outright."

"Yes, yes, yes! Sir, please wait a moment! Manager Luo, this guest wants a bulk order!" Upon hearing this, the assistant realized a major client had arrived, hurriedly sent someone to fetch goods while running to the inner hall to find the manager.

Tuan Tuan released Xiao Ran's hand and began to wander around the shop.

At the same time, outside the rear‑yard wall of Baixiang Pavilion.

Zhou Ping and Zhou An crouched in the alley's shadow, watching the courtyard wall.

"That old locust tree," Zhou Ping whispered, "its branches have reached into the courtyard; we'll enter through there."

Zhou An nodded, "Alright, brother, you go first, I'll follow."

Zhou Ping scaled the tree in a few swift moves, peeking into the courtyard beneath the foliage.

In front of Baixiang Pavilion, the shop and back workshop were clearly laid out; the front was bustling now, while here it was silent.

Zhou Ping lay quietly among the dense branches, waiting.

Soon, a shop assistant shouted as he ran into the rear yard: "Manager Luo! Manager Luo! A major client just arrived up front! Go take a look!"

A door opened, and a short, stout middle‑aged man stepped out, locking the door as he asked, "Where's this major client from? What does he want?"

The assistant, panting, replied, "I don't know! He looks either rich or noble; as soon as he arrived, he demanded to see all the top‑grade spices!"

Manager Luo locked the door, took the assistant, and walked toward the front.

Zhou Ping saw him leave, then waited a moment longer in case he forgot something and came back.

After waiting a while with no one returning, he deftly vaulted over the wall top, slipped down the trunk into the courtyard, and Zhou An followed closely.

The two brothers crouched along the shadow at the wall base and reached the door to Manager Luo's room.

Zhou An fished a probe from his sleeve, inserted it into the lock, and with two quick moves, a light "click" sounded and the lock opened.

Zhou Ping gently pushed the door, and the two slipped inside, then shut the door behind them.

"Search quickly," Zhou Ping whispered.

The brothers split up, scouring the place.

Xiao Ningxun had instructed them that they were to look for the hidden ledger, which would certainly be concealed or locked away.

Zhou Ping quickly scanned the room, his gaze landing on the bed, cabinet tops, and the wall‑side calligraphy—common spots where items might be hidden.

Zhou An crouched, gently tapping the floor and wall bricks with his fingers, listening for hollow sounds.

"Brother, here!" Zhou An called softly; when he tapped a floor tile beside the desk, it sounded distinctly hollow.

They pried open the tile, finding only a few silver ingots beneath—no ledger.

Zhou Ping frowned, "Not this."

Zhou An replaced the tile, restoring it carefully to its original state.

Zhou Ping straightened, his eyes landing on the stack of books haphazardly placed on the desk.

He flipped through them rapidly, until he picked up one: "The weight is off."

Opening it, he saw the book was hollow; a tiny iron box lay inside, sealed tightly.

"Found it!" Zhou Ping felt a surge of joy, pulling the iron box out.

Zhou An examined the lock on the iron box carefully.

"Is it easy to open?"

"Watch me!" He pulled a fishhook from his coat, slipped it into the box's seam, fiddled a few times, and the lid popped open with a "snap".

Inside was not a ledger but a stack of papers.

Zhou An was startled, "Brother, this isn't a ledger either; a ledger doesn't look like this."

Zhou Ping grabbed the papers in a handful, "Let's go! Forget it, we'll show the benefactor."

"Mm!" Zhou An closed the iron box, put it back in the book, and returned the book to its original spot.

The two locked the door, silently scaled the back courtyard wall along the original route, and rushed into the elegant room where Xiao Ningxun was.

Luo the shopkeeper entered the front hall, beaming at Xiao Ran: "You look unfamiliar, sir! First time in Jiangzhou? Please have a seat—someone, bring out my fine tea!"

Xiao Ran glanced at him sideways: "Are you the shopkeeper here?"

"Yes, I'm surnamed Luo, may I ask, sir..."

Xiao Ran wore an expression of impatience: "Your helpers are working far too slowly!"

Luo the shopkeeper hastily called out: "Why aren't you helping?"

"Yes! Yes!"

Xiao Ran plopped down casually and began chatting about everything under the sun: "Your Jiangzhou has nice scenery, but the food still falls short of the capital's."

Luo the shopkeeper hurriedly nodded in agreement: "That's right, you're correct—the capital is the emperor's own turf..."

Several helpers returned, arranging the various fine spices neatly on the table for them to choose from.

Tuan Tuan walked over, tilted her little face up at the shopkeeper, and asked: "Uncle, is it really true, as outsiders say, that you have every kind of spice here?"

"Of course! Miss, this shop is the most complete spice store in Jiangzhou."

"Oh, then what's the most fragrant?"

"Around here we have lots of the most fragrant ones, for example..."

Tuan Tuan listened, nodding nonstop, then suddenly asked with a serious expression: "So, which one is the smelliest spice?"

"Huh?" Luo the shopkeeper blinked in surprise.

"My mother said that if you have too many spices, they'll turn stinky!"

"Since you have every spice, you must have that smelliest kind too, right?"

Xiao Ran covered her face with her fan, shoulders shaking with laughter.

Xiao Er and Lu Qi bowed their heads, straining not to laugh out loud.

Luo the shopkeeper broke into a sweat on his forehead—this is pure nonsense!

He had no choice but to patiently explain: "Miss, spices are fragrant—how could any be stinky?"

"Oh! I see, you don't actually have every spice after all!"

Luo the shopkeeper was furious—no one would have the stinky spice you're talking about!

He gave an embarrassed laugh: "Miss, you're really humorous!"