Chapter 48 Selling Pearls

After dinner, Zhang Juexia chatted with other people in the clinic. Through various observations, she felt that Liu Mingda, the doctor, should be reliable.

After Liu Mingda learned about Zhang Juexia's various inquiries in the clinic, he laughed out loud, "This is the first time someone has questioned my medical skills."

"That's because they don't know how powerful you are."

"Don't say that. There are always people who are better than you."

Ye Beixiu experienced the first heart-wrenching pain in his life.

He lay on the bed, his body tense, a thin layer of sweat already on his forehead.

Liu Mingda stood by and treated him attentively, pressing down hard on his legs.

Ye Beixiu couldn't help but let out a painful groan, and his body began to tremble involuntarily.

Liu Mingda did not stop his actions, but continued to press hard on his leg bones until he heard a crisp "click".

Ye Beixiu felt as if the bones in his legs were rearranged, and the pain eased a little.

Liu Mingda took the plaster handed over by the young apprentice next to him, applied it to Ye Beixiu, and then used a bamboo board to fix his leg. "Don't move for the next few days, just rest in your room. If anything happens, or if it hurts, call me."

Ye Beixiu was sweating profusely, and Zhang Juexia was wiping his sweat with concern. After hearing Liu Mingda's instructions, he just nodded slightly.

Zhang Juexia escorted Liu Mingda out of the room and bowed to him sincerely, "Thank you, Doctor Liu."

"No need to thank me, young lady. You can rest assured now. Your husband still needs your careful care these days."

Zhang Juexia took care of Ye Beixiu in the clinic for several days. Ye Beixiu was very strong. Even if it hurt a lot, he endured it without saying a word.

Even Liu Mingda looked at him with admiration.

After staying in the clinic for a few days, Ye Beixiu wanted to go home.

After Liu Mingda examined him, he said, "You can go home, but you have to be careful on the way back. Just come back on time to change the medicine. Go home now and recuperate until the Chinese New Year. You'll be back to normal by next spring."

When Ye Beixiu learned that he could walk like a normal person and could go home, a long-lost smile appeared on his face.

Zhang Juexia was going out to find a carriage, and while she was at it, she planned to take a walk around the county town.

Ye Beixiu kept reminding her to be careful and come back as soon as she finished her work.

In order not to make him worry, Zhang Juexia agreed repeatedly.

Before going out, she asked Gancao how to get to some places. Gancao explained and gestured, and she almost understood what he said.

She planned to go to a jewelry store first to inquire about the market price of pearls. If the items were suitable, she would sell the pearls she was wearing.

Shunhe County is much more prosperous than Jinshui Town, and there are many pedestrians on the road. After asking around, Zhang Juexia finally arrived at Mingzhufang.

I heard from people in the county that Mingzhufang is the largest jewelry shop in Shunhe County.

Zhang Juexia’s idea was simple. Since it was the largest jewelry store in the county, it must pay attention to its reputation and would not deceive consumers.

She stood in front of the Pearl Square, looking at her bright sign. Just as she was about to go in, she heard someone shouting, "Catch him! He's a thief. He stole my money."

A sense of justice rose up in her heart, and Zhang Juexia ran in the direction the man pointed. She grabbed the thief and snatched the purse from his hand.

The person behind him rushed over breathlessly and kicked the thief on the ground. "How dare you steal my things? Xing'er, take my letter and ask someone to send him to the county government office."

"Mercy, miss, mercy, miss."

It was no use for the thief to lie on the ground and beg for mercy. The patrolling yamen runners came over, saw the man's post, bowed respectfully, and took the thief away.

The man then looked at Zhang Juexia and said, "Thank you for your help. I thought the person who helped me would be a big man, but it turned out to be a beautiful girl like me."

Zhang Juexia smiled and said, "Miss, you are too polite."

"My name is Li Yingyue, what's your name?"

"Zhang Juexia."

"Are you also here at Pearl Square to buy jewelry?"

"I'm here to sell something."

Li Yingyue stepped forward and took Zhang Juexia's hand, "I'm going to Mingzhufang too, let's go together."

Zhang Juexia didn't hesitate and followed her into Mingzhufang.

Li Yingyue shouted as she entered the room, "Call your shopkeeper over, I need to see him."

"Ms. Li, please go upstairs."

The waiter respectfully led Li Yingyue upstairs, and Zhang Juexia followed behind.

Soon the waiter brought the tea, and the owner of Mingzhufang came in. "Miss Li, you're looking for me?"

Li Yingyue pointed and said, "Shopkeeper Liu, my friend said he has something to sell to you. Please keep your eyes open."

Shopkeeper Liu looked towards Zhang Juexia and said, "Young lady, do you have any treasures to sell? Would you let me take a look?"

Zhang Juexia took out the pearls and handed them to Shopkeeper Liu. "These are some pearls that my husband and I got when we went up the mountain. Shopkeeper, please take a look and see how much they are worth."

After receiving them, Shopkeeper Liu examined each pearl. "These pearls are all of good quality, especially the largest one, which must have been wild-caught for many years. How about this: I'll give you fifty taels of silver for this one, and the rest, which are of different sizes, at twenty taels each. Is that okay with you, young lady?"

Li Yingyue picked up the pearls from Shopkeeper Liu's hand and looked at them. "Shopkeeper Liu, she's my best friend. Your price is too high. The pearls are of such excellent quality! Such good things are hard to come by. If you feel you can't make the decision, we can go to Cui Yuxuan across the street."

"No, no, Miss Li, how about this? I'll add five taels of silver for each pearl."

"Ten taels..."

Li Yingyue pulled Zhang Juexia and was about to walk out.

Shopkeeper Liu gritted his teeth and said, "Deal."

Zhang Juexia brought a total of ten pearls with him this time. He originally wanted to try his luck, but he never expected to sell them for so much silver.

"Young lady, do you want banknotes or cash?"

"Give me the full three hundred taels in silver notes! And change the remaining thirty taels into small change."

Zhang Juexia took the banknotes and small change handed to her by Manager Liu. She took the banknotes and looked at them. Feeling unsure, she asked Li Yingyue to help take a look at them.

Li Yingyue took it and looked at it carefully. "This banknote is correct. It's three hundred taels of silver from Xinglong Bank."

"Thank you!"

Zhang Juexia smiled gratefully at Li Yingyue. She didn't know the market price of ancient pearls. If it weren't for Li Yingyue's help, she was afraid that she would not be able to sell them at such a high price.

"You're so polite! You helped me just now. I need to choose some jewelry. Can you help me choose?"

Li Yingyue took Zhang Juexia to choose jewelry.

"My sister is already married. I didn't notice it just now. I'm sorry!"