Nan Xian and Diao Yu chatted in the room for a while. As the sun gradually set, Rui Zhu still hadn't returned. The two looked at each other, their expressions changing slightly.

Nan Xian composed herself and went outside to find the elderly neighbor who had brought them there.

The old man was making a new batch of porcelain in his backyard. He sat in front of the workbench with his sleeves rolled up, kneading a lump of clay on the turntable with both hands. Before long, a strangely shaped, narrow-necked bottle was "born" from his hands.

Nan Xian twitched her lips.

Okay, now I finally know where all those oddly shaped and cracked fruits came from.

Shaking her head to dismiss other thoughts, she stepped forward and asked, "Grandpa, do you know where Ruizhu's kiln is located?"

The old man looked up at the two men and recognized them as the two suckers he had tricked that morning. His originally calm face immediately broke into a smile.

"Oh, it's you guys!"

Upon seeing his smile, Nan Xian immediately felt a chill run down her spine.

This is how the old man was smiling before he got scammed that morning...

Sure enough, the old man squinted and looked at the two of them with a smile: "I'm old, and my memory isn't so good anymore. Where did that girl Ruizhu work at the kiln? Oh dear... I can't remember!" He then pointed to his head with feigned distress and shook his head helplessly.

Nan Xian sighed helplessly to herself. Seeing the sun setting further and further in the west, she knew that if she delayed any longer, something would probably happen anyway. She had no choice but to accept her fate and took out her wallet from her pocket.

"Grandpa, please don't say anymore. All these porcelain pieces of yours—" She pointed into the yard and drew a circle with her index finger, "I'll buy them all. How much?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man's smile became incredibly sincere, and the wrinkles on his face gathered together like bright chrysanthemums in autumn.

He held up a number with his fingers, then clasped his hands together and exclaimed happily, "Oh! I remember now! I'll find you a bag to pack it up, and I'll take you there right away!"

"We'll get the stuff when we get back. Please take us there first." Nan Xian stopped him and counted out a few banknotes, placing them next to the counter.

The old man readily agreed with a smile, washed his hands, counted the money carefully again, and only after confirming that it was correct did he very carefully put the money into the inner pocket of his clothes.

The three of them walked together into the depths of the village. Diao Yu stared at the old man's back with a gloomy look for a long time, then leaned close to Nan Xian's ear and whispered, "This old man is greedy and insatiable. He sold you worthless junk at a high price. It's really despicable! Sir, how about I give him a little punishment..." As he spoke, his hand, hidden in his sleeve, moved slightly, and the silver light at his fingertips was ready to be released.

Nan Xian frowned and raised her hand in a gesture of stopping her.

“When I entered the house just now, I smelled a strong Chinese medicine smell coming from the direction of the kitchen. It was so strong that it almost covered the smell of oil and salt. It must be the result of years of brewing medicine. The old man also had a similar smell, but it wasn’t strong. Obviously, he didn’t drink the medicine himself.” She paused and sighed almost imperceptibly. “The bedroom door was closed. Someone lives in there. Those medicines must have been prepared for that person.”

Diao Yu was slightly taken aback. He had indeed sensed another human presence at the old man's house, but it was extremely weak and already terminally ill.

“It’s not easy for a healthy person to live a peaceful life, let alone someone who has been ill for a long time. He only wants some money, which isn’t much. If we are able to help, we will, and that will be a blessing.”

Nan Xian had already made a decision on the matter. Although Diao Yu was still indignant, seeing her expression and recalling the previous incidents, she knew that given the adult's current temperament, she would probably be punished if she said anything more. So she shut her mouth and quietly followed behind her.