The standard of living here is extremely low, and prices are also very low. A family of ten can spend a maximum of four taels of silver a year.
Therefore, finding enough stones to sustain a year's worth of life is considered a great blessing for the local residents.
Thinking of the mountain with abundant rubies and emeralds that had been surveyed, Qiao Lian'er gently shook her head: "I'm afraid I won't accept them. You should ask someone else."
Yes, as long as she owns these mountains, she can have as many gems as she wants, so why would she need to spend money to buy them?
Xida lowered her head, a look of disappointment and deep worry on her face.
But Suo also thought that accepting a gemstone would be a trivial matter for Qiao Lian'er, and since she didn't want to accept it, he wouldn't force her.
As long as this matter can be kept secret, and a good opportunity is found to strike, the brother and sister will be safe.
This wouldn't affect their friendship. To avoid the Water Maiden noticing anything and making things difficult for herself, Dan Su smiled.
"I was just asking casually. We not only produce jade here, but sometimes we can also find some gemstones. However, there are no mountains specifically for mining gemstones because we haven't found any yet."
Xida also said casually, "Yes, twenty years ago someone found a ruby the size of half a duck egg and made a fortune. Warlords and wealthy merchants rushed to that mountain to dig. They dug very deep, but only found some low-quality gems that were not worth much. That mountain was not worth mining."
They did this to convince Qiao Lian'er that they were just trying to find a topic to talk about gems.
"With so many mountains, the fact that you've found one good one means there are many more good ones hidden. I hope Naga will grant you good fortune so you can find a fine gem, which is much more valuable than jade." Qiao Lian'er offered her blessings.
Xida hugged his knees, watching the clouds in the west gradually lose their vibrant colors, a hint of fear in his dark, bright eyes.
The soldier was dead, and no one knew that the brother and sister possessed a valuable ruby. But for some reason, she had a troubling intuition, as if what they possessed was not a ruby, but a bright, burning ember.
Perhaps it was because it was the first time she had witnessed her brother kill someone, and she was not used to seeing someone die with a bloody head in front of her.
As night fell, the residential shantytowns at the foot of the mountain were only dotted with lights, while the warehouse district above, controlled by warlords and wealthy merchants, was brightly lit. Looking through the doors and windows, many people could be seen drinking and eating heartily, with bursts of laughter frequently emanating from them.
The soldier who returned to deliver the message was so excited about such important news that he slipped and rolled several times on the hillside. He was unconscious for a while before waking up. When he remembered what he had to do, he quickened his pace and hurried back to the warehouse area.
Uncle was drinking with his men when he saw a wounded soldier stumbling in, and he frowned.
Before he could even speak, his adjutant beside him snapped at him.
“You’re such a grown man, don’t you know how to be more mature? Get out of here and get twenty lashes.”
"Uncle Yin, I have something important to say, something very important. I'll be very happy to hear about it, Uncle Yin." The soldier said, panting and bowing.
Seeing the excitement on the other person's face, Uncle Yin waved for him to come over.
The soldier bowed and whispered something to Uncle Yin.
Uncle Yin: "Are you telling the truth?"
“It’s true. Wangchai went to fight for this for Uncle Yin and was killed by that brother and sister. They smashed his head open and left him bleeding profusely.” The soldier pointed to his forehead: “They almost smashed a hole in it.”
Uncle Yin pondered that even the lowest grade of ruby, as long as it is complete, is not cheap. He just wondered how much the one that the brother and sister had was worth.
Let's test the waters first.
"Go and fetch Danso, and tell him that a translator is needed here."
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