Chapter 22: The Lucky Draw

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuheng took a bamboo slip from Jiang Luan’s hand.

The slip was specially crafted—a thin piece of bamboo covered in red silk held by paste.

"Grandfather, please peel back the red silk," Jiang Luan said.

Qi Yuheng smiled and shook his head, tearing off the red silk to reveal four characters brushed in ink: "A Hundred Blessings Gathered."

"Congratulations, Grandfather, on drawing the third-tier prize, 'A Hundred Blessings Gathered!'" Jiang Luan bowed deeply to Qi Yuheng.

Just as Qi Yuheng looked on in wonder, a maid named Qiuli approached from behind, holding a tray and bowing to him.

"Congratulations, Old Master! Drawing 'A Hundred Blessings Gathered' signifies the fortune of ten thousand treasures returning to their source—a blessing of heavenly virtue and earthly auspiciousness!"

After delivering the auspicious words, Qiuli reached out and uncovered the red silk on the tray, revealing what lay inside: six strings of copper coins.

The crowd looked on, puzzled, and Qi Yuheng could not help but laugh and shake his head. "This is..."

Qiuli set the tray of coins down and turned to leave.

Jiang Luan smiled. "Grandfather, it’s not over yet. Please draw another one."

Qi Yuheng helplessly drew a second bamboo slip and peeled back the silk. It read: "Auspicious Virtuous Portal."

"Congratulations, Grandfather, on drawing the second-tier prize, 'Auspicious Virtuous Portal!'" Jiang Luan bowed once more.

This time, it was Zuo Lang who brought forward a tray. He knelt on one knee before Qi Yuheng and announced loudly, "Congratulations, Old Master! Drawing 'Auspicious Virtuous Portal' means abundance in wealth and a smooth path in officialdom!"

Zuo Lang uncovered the red silk on the tray, revealing eight silver ingots inside.

"Hahaha, you young scoundrel!"

Qi Yuheng finally understood the game. Laughing heartily, he didn't wait for Jiang Luan to prompt him and pulled out the final bamboo slip himself. He tore off the red silk to reveal four characters: "Blessings and Longevity as Vast as the Heavens."

"Congratulations, Grandfather, on drawing the first-tier prize, 'Blessings and Longevity as Vast as the Heavens!'" Jiang Luan declared loudly.

Zuo Lang set down the silver and left. In his place came a round-faced man dressed in a silk jacket.

"Congratulations, Old Master! Drawing 'Blessings and Longevity as Vast as the Heavens' signifies a lifespan like the tortoise and ten thousand years of prosperity!" the man said. He uncovered the silk to reveal nine gold ingots and placed them respectfully on the table.

Qi Yuheng didn't look at the money, but stared at the man for a moment. "Are you... Manager Zhen from 'Qian Lai Ye'?"

"It is indeed me," Zhen Youqian replied. "Old Master, it has been twelve years since you entrusted the Golden Abacus to Qian Lai Ye. I have managed it poorly and failed to live up to your expectations. I have been too ashamed to come and pay my respects until now. It is my fault."

"The path Qian Lai Ye has taken was not something one could control. There is no need to blame yourself," Qi Yuheng sighed. "What is past is past."

"Grandfather is right," Jiang Luan stepped forward and helped Zhen Youqian up. "The past cannot be changed, but with Qian Lai Ye in my hands, it will never repeat the same mistakes."

Qi Yuheng looked at Jiang Luan, his eyes holding a hint of intrigue. Jiang Luan smiled and nodded at him.

"Everyone," Jiang Luan walked to the center of the courtyard and addressed the guests. "Taking advantage of this auspicious day for our family head’s birthday, I would like to announce the reopening of the Qi family’s 'Qian Lai Ye' bank. To express our gratitude for your presence, Manager Zhen has prepared hundreds of 'lucky draws' for everyone. I hope you all enjoy the festivities."

Zuo Lang and Qiuli stepped forward with trays piled high with red-silk-covered bamboo slips, distributing them among the guests.

The guests, filled with curiosity after watching the family head’s performance, followed suit. However, upon tearing open the silk, the slips no longer bore auspicious phrases, but rather amounts like "five coppers" or "eight coins."

"Mine says 'eight coppers.' What does this mean?" someone asked.

Zuo Lang explained, "You may take this slip to the 'Qian Lai Ye' bank under the weeping willow by the South River wharf to redeem your money."

"How interesting! These little slips can be exchanged for money?"

"Hey, I won two taels!"

"That's not as much as me! Mine says six taels of gold!" a youth in red exclaimed.

"Whoa, six taels of gold! The Qi family is certainly generous!"

"Me too, I won!"

"Your luck is great! Hey you, how much did you get?"

The atmosphere in the banquet hall instantly surged with excitement. Although most of the slips were only worth a few copper coins, the novelty of the Qi family's stunt intrigued many, and they began comparing their luck.

Seeing the effect, Jiang Luan stroked his chin with a smile.

"You," Qi Yuheng understood immediately, pointing at Jiang Luan from across the table.

Yet, some fools simply couldn't see the point.

"Little sister-in-law is truly talented—and 'wealthy.' Giving away so much money without even hearing a sound in return," Qi Shaoyang said with disdain. "Our family is rich, but surely we can't afford to have a 'god of wealth' like you scattering it all away?"

Qi Yuheng gave Qi Shaoyang a cold, fleeting glance.

Jiang Luan was not annoyed, but smiled back. "Brother Yang is still too focused on immediate gains."

Qi Shaoyang tried to retort, but Huazhao pressed down on his shoulder. He looked back at Huazhao in confusion, stunned by the gesture.

Guests began to ask, "The Qi family actually has a bank?"

"Qian Lai Ye... I haven't heard of it."

The youth in red who had won the six taels of gold said, "My estate usually uses the Baolong Bank, but perhaps I should check this one out." As he took the lead, many others followed suit.

Madam Zhou listened for a while and smiled faintly. "This promotional effect is truly remarkable."

Qi Shaoyang muttered stubbornly, "It's just a broken bank, what's there to promote?"

Jiang Luan ignored the boy's sourness and pursed his lips in a smile.

Zhen Youqian walked to the center of the courtyard and announced, "With the reopening of the Qi family’s Qian Lai Ye, aside from the free lucky draws, we will also host a 'Number Lottery' starting at just one copper coin. We welcome everyone to participate."

"Hey, what’s a 'Number Lottery'? I’ll definitely go check that out."

"The Qi family is quite interesting; a single bank with so many tricks."

"It’s the new daughter-in-law who has all the tricks. It’s clear that Master Jiang is the one calling the shots," the youth in red noted—he was clearly a man who understood the situation.

Everyone present in the inner courtyard of the Qi estate was wealthy; they might not care about small change, but they craved novelty and fun. Moreover, with so many tongues wagging, the lucky draw would surely become the talk of the town.

A beggar, who had been squatting outside the Qi estate for years, leaned on his cane by the gate, cracking melon seeds and watching the commotion. Seeing that the show was nearing its end, he limped toward the outer courtyard to spread the news that the Qi family bank was "scattering money."

Seeing that his goal was achieved, Jiang Luan sat down obediently to continue his meal.

"Young man, you’ve spent a fortune," Qi Yuheng said meaningfully.

"Grandfather, I'm absolutely broke now," Jiang Luan said pitifully. "I’m afraid I’ll have to rely on your charity until the bank starts turning a profit."

Qi Yuheng burst into laughter. "You rascal, you’ve truly given me a 'grand gift.'"

Was the gift those few ingots of gold and silver? The auspicious phrases? Or the novel game of the lucky draw? None of these. Jiang Luan’s gift was the hope of reviving Qian Lai Ye. Even if it were just a small bank, whether it made money or lost it didn't matter to Qi Yuheng. What he saw was Jiang Luan’s capability and the answer to the test he had set for him.

Prince Su-Ping had remained silent the entire time, his hands clenching his chopsticks until they snapped. Qi Shaoyang, oblivious, continued to mock him in a low voice, "I don't get it. What is this? Scattering money with a few pieces of broken bamboo is so troublesome; they might as well just empty out the Qi family coffers."

Only Huazhao wore a grave expression, casting a glance at Jiang Luan.

Jiang Luan couldn't be bothered with them and continued eating.

Qi Shaolin, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, finally spoke up. "My dear, those bamboo slips..."

"Do you want to play?" Jiang Luan winked at him. "We can play in our room later. I have plenty of ways to play!"

Qi Shaokang, hearing this, wanted to "join in" on the couple's fun, but realized he would probably get a beating if he said it out loud, so he decided against it.

The youth in red finished his meal and left quietly. The guests at the birthday banquet were a mixed crowd, and as everyone was mellow with wine, no one paid attention to this stranger—in fact, no one likely recognized him at all.

The youth who had "luckily" won the grand prize walked toward the back gate, where Zuo Lang was waiting for him with a bag of money.