Xia Wan looked at Li Zhenzhen with great interest, scrutinizing her from head to toe several times.
Upon closer inspection, he couldn't help but wonder: Judging from Li Zhenzhen's appearance, it didn't seem like she was simply asking for leave to return to the city! Her eyes flickered uncertainly, revealing a hint of guilt, as if she were hiding some unspeakable secret.
However, she didn't mind; she just remembered that Li Zhenzhen really did have something she wanted.
"How much money do you want to borrow?" Xia Wan asked directly.
Upon hearing this, Li Zhenzhen instinctively clenched the package in her hands, her knuckles turning slightly white from the excessive force.
She timidly raised her head, glanced quickly at Xia Wan, then quickly lowered her eyes, not daring to meet her gaze. She stammered, "I... I'd like to borrow fifty yuan, is that alright? I'll give you an IOU."
After saying this, she looked embarrassed and inwardly regretted it. If she hadn't been here so shortly and her family hadn't yet sent her money, she wouldn't be so humble as to borrow money from others.
However, to Li Zhenzhen's surprise, Xia Wan narrowed her eyes, a half-smile curving her lips, and slowly said, "I'm sorry, I've changed my mind. I suddenly don't want to lend money anymore."
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Zhenzhen's face turned deathly pale, and a fine layer of sweat even appeared on her forehead. She looked increasingly anxious.
Just then, Xia Wan paused slightly, looking at Li Zhenzhen's panicked appearance, and found it amusing. Then, she spoke again unhurriedly: "However, if you can take out some valuable things you have to exchange for money with me, such as pretty jewelry, or... other nice things, then we can talk about it."
As she said this, Xia Wan's gaze swept over Li Zhenzhen's entire body, seemingly hinting at something.
Actually, the reason she made such a condition was simply because a plot mentioned in the book suddenly popped into her mind.
Li Zhenzhen traded one of her exquisite stones for money with the female lead. But that stone wasn't just any ordinary stone; it was a priceless piece of jade.
It is said that after the reform and opening up, the female protagonist Huang Qiujie sold this jade to a big boss who returned from Hong Kong for as much as 100,000 yuan. She not only made a fortune, but also gained a favor from the big boss.
Thinking of this, a subtle glint of cunning flashed in Xia Wan's eyes.
Xia Wan didn't care about so-called favors at all. What she really cared about was that money!
You have to understand that right after liberation, 100,000 yuan was no small sum; it was definitely a considerable income.
But Li Zhenzhen looked worried after hearing her words: "I don't have any jewelry."
Even if she had some at home, she couldn't have brought them with her when she went to the countryside. In her opinion, Xia Wan's request was simply deliberately making things difficult for her.
Seeing this, Xia Wan shrugged, then pointed to the clothes scattered all over the kang (heated brick bed), and explained helplessly, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it. Look at these clothes of mine, I feel like they're missing some jewelry to match them to look good."
To be honest, these clothes were all bought for me by that cheap older brother after I arrived here. Frankly, they weren't particularly attractive, but Xia Wan just pointed them out casually.
She didn't know what the stone looked like; the book only described it as exceptionally beautiful, so her saying that was just an excuse.
However, it was precisely this unintentional action that ignited the flames of jealousy deep within Li Zhenzhen's heart.
Why is it that Xia Wan can live such a comfortable life while I have to suffer from being deceived and fooled by others, when we were both sent to the countryside?
To conceal the jealousy in her eyes, Li Zhenzhen quickly lowered her head and reached into the bundle beside her, pretending to search for something carefully.
Sure enough, after some searching, she actually found something.
Speaking of this item, it was actually a little trinket that she had picked up by chance.
She kept it without hesitation simply because she thought it was exquisitely beautiful. However, regrettably, although the stone was beautiful, it was only for looking at. Since it hadn't been drilled and couldn't be tied with a rope, it had simply been lying quietly in her bundle ever since.
At that moment, Li Zhenzhen tightly gripped the stone in her hand, carefully held it up in front of Xia Wan, and asked tentatively, "I have something like this here, would you like to exchange it with me?"
Xia Wan's eyes flickered, seemingly casually glancing at the stone in Li Zhenzhen's palm.
In reality, her heart was already surging with excitement, but on the surface, she deliberately showed a hint of disdain: "Hmm... it's alright, I guess. It is indeed quite pretty. However, this thing is impossible to wear. It doesn't look worth fifty yuan at all!"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhenzhen's eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly replied, "How about this, thirty yuan will do! Can I exchange this for thirty yuan? If this were a few years ago, this thing might have really sold for a high price!"
When she uttered the last sentence, even she herself felt unsure of herself. If it were truly a valuable treasure, how could she have picked it up so easily on the street?
However, Xia Wan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a charming smile, and she deeply agreed with these words.
"Hmm... that's fine then. Here's thirty yuan. But let me make this clear from the start: this thing belongs to me from now on, and you can forget about getting it back."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhenzhen nodded hurriedly, as if afraid that Xia Wan would change her mind, and said anxiously, "No, no, don't worry, this thing is yours from now on!"
Li Zhenzhen's little thoughts were completely revealed on her face; she was so excited that she could hardly contain herself.
After all, this seemingly insignificant piece of jade could be exchanged for a full thirty yuan, which was undoubtedly a lifeline for her in her current predicament, and it had already demonstrated its maximum value.
Seeing this, Xia Wan nodded in agreement. Then, she slowly took out three ten-yuan bills from her pocket and handed them to Li Zhenzhen.
At the same time, she casually put the jade into her pocket, but in reality, she had already quietly stored it in her spatial storage.
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