The shopkeepers entered the room one by one carrying thick ledgers and placed them on the table in an orderly fashion. Each person stepped back while waiting to be questioned, everyone, that is, except Qu Wenchang, who sat calmly in an old-fashioned wooden armchair on the side of the room.
As the servants served tea, Qu Wenchang sipped it slowly while occasionally glancing at Ji Yuxian out of the corner of his eyes.
Behind the desk sat Ji Yuxian in a large carved wooden chair made of yellow pearwood, calmly inquiring about each shop's business while skimming through its ledgers.
The respective shopkeeper then stepped up and respectfully answered his queries about the shop in question.
Gradually, everybody began to feel a bit surprised at Ji Yuxian's business acumen.
