Gu Fei thanked him sincerely and went behind the counter. She rested her chin in her hand, trying to come up with a plan.
She thought for a long time, but aside from being extra careful, she couldn't think of anything else to do.
She asked Lian'er to watch the counter, then got up and went into the courtyard, where Old Huang was lying on a rattan chair, soaking up the sun.
Gu Fei squatted beside him. "Mr. Huang, that relative of yours, Er Laizi, was just here."
Old Huang opened his eyes. "He came? What did he say?"
"He told me to give him thirty taels of silver a month, or else I can forget about keeping this shop open."
Old Huang sighed. "What's to be done? I can't control him. If I could, I wouldn't have ended up in this state."
Gu Fei said, "I just wanted to ask, does Er Laizi have any other family?"
