Chapter 45 Ghost Market (First Update)

The paparazzi's video was incredibly clear. On one side, there was a glamorous and extravagant dinner party featuring award-winning actors and actresses, while on the other side, there was Jiang Mingyue dressed in shabby clothes, eating shepherd's purse wontons after a run.

In comparison, Jiang Mingyue appears even more impoverished.

Before the parties involved could clarify, netizens with sharp ears and eyes began to defend them.

[The paparazzi are really blind. The actors who went to Haicheng for the film festival were all having dinner together. How come you cut out Wei Lai and others?]

[Check out my brother Wei's Weibo account @魏莱, he's already posted photos.]

[Oh, it's Sister Jiang going for her morning run! My dad tells me every day when he comes back from his morning run that he met a little girl who's amazing at running laps; she can run ten laps around Mingzhu Lake at six in the morning!]

Sister Jiang is so self-disciplined, I admire her!

[The haters are suffering inside; they wanted to spread more rumors, but sharp-eyed netizens discovered the truth.]

[Sister Jiang also loves shepherd's purse wontons! So down-to-earth!]

I can't afford luxury goods, but if you're talking about shepherd's purse wontons, I'll go downstairs and eat there.

An hour later, the Happiness Breakfast Shop at the entrance of Lingcheng Jiayuan Community became an online sensation, with many fans and casual observers flocking to try Jiang Mingyue's signature shepherd's purse wontons and soup dumplings.

Entertainment reporters interviewed a breakfast shop owner who was completely baffled as to why his breakfast shop had become so popular. However, after seeing the photo of Jiang Mingyue provided by the reporter, the owner suddenly understood.

"Oh, so this young lady is a celebrity. No wonder so many people have come today."

The owner said with a smile, "Miss Jiang seems to have just moved here. She comes to the store to eat every morning after her run. She only orders shepherd's purse wontons and a basket of pork soup dumplings."

"I hadn't seen her for almost half a month recently, but she came over again yesterday."

The interview with the breakfast shop owner wasn't very interesting, but it was better than nothing, and entertainment reporters could at least report back home.

After checking in, netizens went online to promote it.

No wonder Sister Jiang likes it; it's really affordable and delicious. I ate two baskets of soup dumplings in one go!

This breakfast shop has been open for over twenty years, serving mainly the local community, and has a lot of repeat customers.

The ingredients are very clean, and the owner makes wontons and soup dumplings fresh every morning. The owners work very hard.

We suggest you avoid peak school and get off work hours, as the boss will be too busy and you'll have to wait a long time.

[Sister Jiang: It's all the paparazzi's fault for exposing this. How can I ever go to this restaurant for breakfast again?]

The paparazzi were furious. Not only did they fail to meet their year-end performance targets, but they also benefited others by giving Happiness Breakfast Shop free publicity.

It has to be said that Jiang Mingyue is a bit strange.

However, the paparazzi can't openly ambush people at Lingcheng Jiayuan, because there's a police station right across from the community, and there are quite a few nosy old ladies in the community.

The paparazzi couldn't help but complain, "What female celebrity would choose to live in a run-down old neighborhood in the city center instead of a high-end luxury apartment?"

Weird.

The female celebrity, now seen as an oddball by paparazzi, is oblivious to everything around her and has gone to the nearby antique market to find bargains.

While picking up bargains, Jiang Mingyue mainly went there to restock cinnabar, talisman paper, and consumable silver needles.

She received her entire 500,000 yuan reward from "Tianxiu" magazine, but she still owes Xinghui Entertainment 2.2 million yuan in breach of contract fees. She also has to go record a program early the day after tomorrow, so she has no time to make money.

So she came to the antique market today to try her luck, just in case she found something that someone else had mistaken for.

One of the skills she brought back from transmigrating into the book is that genuine items will get hot in her hands.

As for which dynasty it was from, she hadn't memorized all those complex and obscure technical terms at the time; as the saying goes, "a trade is like a mountain to someone outside it."

So if she's really lucky enough to find something good, she's not afraid. In the era of big data, AI software can take a picture and search, giving her a clear general direction.

In addition to being able to conceal her form, Jiang Mingyue can also disguise herself as an ordinary person. She doesn't need makeup; to others, she has an average face and is easily forgotten.

She first went to the shop she had visited once to buy all the cinnabar talisman paper she needed, then went to the pharmacy next door to get all the silver needles, and then leisurely strolled around the street vendors.

The antique trade is a murky business. Street vendors are mostly rife with scams targeting tourists, while shops along the street sell mostly handicrafts and imitations. Occasionally, they might have one or two prized possessions, but these are not of high value.

The valuable items have long been snapped up by wealthy businessmen and powerful families; how could ordinary people possibly find a bargain?

Jiang Mingyue rarely visits shops along the street. She is short of money and doesn't want to spend a lot of money to find bargains. She resolutely refuses to consider anything priced over a thousand yuan.

She followed the flow of people, her eyes wandering over the dazzling array of goods on the ground. When she saw something that caught her eye, she would squat down and chat with the stall owner.

Most of the items are old objects from the Republican era, and they are not very valuable, ranging from small items like hair combs to large items like coal tongs.

"Hey, sir, it's okay if you don't like what you see. There's a ghost market tonight, maybe you'll find something you like."

As the stall owners come and go, and many people come and go, even a pair of eyes can distinguish the good from the bad.

The girl in front of me, who was of average appearance, didn't touch or ask questions indiscriminately. She was only interested in those she found attractive and was very well-mannered.

Most importantly, the girl has very sharp eyes; she looks like someone you shouldn't mess with.

When encountering such people, the stall owner, being pragmatic, promptly informs them that there is a ghost market at night.

Communicating with smart people is highly efficient. Jiang Mingyue thanked the stall owner and decided to first visit the cultural and creative street next door, and then go to the ghost market after dinner.

It was seven o'clock in the evening, and it was completely dark.

The ghost market is open until midnight, and it's located in front of the shops along the street.

The stall owners have changed; most of them are older and speak with accents from all over the country, enthusiastically hawking their wares.

"Take a look at our family's heirloom calligraphy and paintings. Don't miss out if you walk by!"

"This family heirloom is a stone that was personally bestowed by the emperor a hundred years ago. It can ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune to the home."

"Five Emperors Coins, Five Emperors Coins, would you like to come and see the Five Emperors Coins?"

Many tourists come to the ghost market at night, most of them to broaden their horizons, while a few come hoping to find some bargains.

To prevent disturbances, a patrol car was parked at the entrance of the ghost market. The antique street here has now developed into a tourist destination and is no longer the dirty and chaotic place it was more than a decade ago.

There weren't any fools causing trouble, but with so many people, there were also many thieves.

Jiang Mingyue saw several tourists' water bottles and umbrellas being stolen. She didn't understand why anyone would steal these things, since they weren't worth much money even if sold as scrap.

With patrol cars around, Jiang Mingyue didn't bother with these trivial matters; young people don't learn from their mistakes.

Suddenly, a commotion arose ahead. Jiang Mingyue looked in the direction of the sound and saw a seemingly silly but handsome young man being stopped by a tall stall owner who wouldn't let him leave. The two were arguing.

"Hey, young man, you can't go back on your word! You agreed to buy this Jun ware peach blossom brush washer, and you picked it up to examine it and accidentally dropped it, breaking it on the ground. If you don't compensate, who will?!"

"Let me tell you, last year at the Gangcheng auction house, a Jun ware sunflower brush washer sold for 25 million! This brush washer of mine was passed down from my ancestors, and it even has a certificate certified by an authoritative institution in Beijing!"

"The edge was already flawed. I'll give you a discount, two million. You're not allowed to leave tonight until you pay for it, or I'll call the police!"

The young man looked childish, but he wasn't stupid. "Brother, if your pen washer is real, why don't you just send it to an auction house? Why bother setting up a stall in the ghost market? Nobody tries to extort money like this. I'll give you two hundred yuan at most."

The price dropped from two million to two hundred, and the crowd watching the spectacle burst into laughter.

These days, people aren't stupid. In the information age, it's not easy for vendors to cheat people out of money.

The tall stall owner's face turned pale. "Two million, not a penny less."

The young man was also stubborn, saying, "Then call the police."

The onlookers, eager for a spectacle, shouted for the police to be called.

The tall stall owner didn't argue, but stubbornly insisted, "I'll report it then, would I lie to you!"

The young man was stunned. The stall owner was really going to call the police. Usually, the stall owner would lower the price at this point, or at least offer a low price. Could this Jun ware brush washer be genuine?

Jiang Mingyue originally didn't want to get involved, but judging from the tall stall owner's appearance, what he said was true.

interesting.

She pushed through the crowd, squatted down, picked up the scattered pieces of the brush washer, and held them in her hand.

If your palms aren't hot, it's a fake.

The tall stall owner and the handsome young man were suddenly puzzled when a girl squeezed in and inexplicably picked up a piece of pen washer and held it in her hand.

Where did this weirdo come from?

Jiang Mingyue put down the broken pieces, dusted off her hands, and stood up to look at them.

"The brush washer is a fake, but the stall owner didn't lie. The only possibility is that the stall owner's genuine item was switched by the auction house."

One stone stirs up a thousand waves.

Jiang Mingyue's confident words left the stall owner and the handsome young man looking at each other in bewilderment, while the onlookers erupted in a clamor.

"Really? How can you be so sure it's a fake, young lady?"

"Don't try to set me up like this, will you?"

"Even in a honey trap, the perpetrators always side with one of the parties. I've never seen one that doesn't help either side."

"Old Luo, is your family heirloom brush washer genuine?"

Faced with a barrage of questions from the crowd, Jiang Mingyue didn't offer much explanation. She simply said, "Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter, as long as the handsome young man believes it."

He Yan was used to being called "handsome boy," it was just a nickname, he had been handsome since he was a child and hadn't become ugly as he grew up, he was numb to it.

But when the girl in front of him called him "handsome guy," he wasn't happy at all; instead, he sensed something else entirely.

They're foolish and have too much money.

Before they could react, Jiang Mingyue pushed through the crowd and left. If she didn't see anything good, she had to go back.

He Yan quickly pulled out a business card and handed it to the tall stall owner, saying, "I'll take your brush washer."

After saying that, he caught up with Jiang Mingyue, ignoring the tall stall owner behind him shouting and yelling.

Interesting, really interesting. I never expected that such an interesting person would be hidden in such a small place as Lingcheng.

Jiang Mingyue paused, not to wait for the little fool behind her, but because she caught sight of the jade seaweed on the stall at the corner.

The jade bowstring in the shape of a fox, with round holes at both ends, is likely a waist buckle worn by high-ranking nobles in ancient times.

She squatted down and asked the stall owner if she could see the sea cucumbers.

Before the stall owner could speak, He Yan ran over and interjected, "Beautiful lady, you like this thing?"

Author's Note: I have some urgent business to attend to back in my hometown. Second update this afternoon! [Cat emoji]