"Just the two of you are here to pawn something?" A tall figure appeared behind the counter. This man was the Shopkeeper, summoned by the clerk.
He frowned at the ragged refugees standing before him. Given their fragile appearance—looking as if a gust of wind could blow them over—what valuable items could they possibly possess? He glared fiercely at the clerk standing off to the side, wondering if he should find someone else to watch the shop. This kid's eye for people was truly terrible.
Gu Wenheng seemed oblivious to this exchange. He offered the Shopkeeper a scholar's bow, a gesture that inadvertently made the man take him a bit more seriously.
"Shopkeeper, it is I who wish to pawn an ancestral heirloom. I was hoping you could appraise it."
"Are you a scholar?"
"I am untalented and have only just passed the exams to become a child student. Unfortunately, I was born at the wrong time. Faced with our current predicament, I have no choice but to let down my ancestors."
