Having eaten and drunk her fill, and feeling much warmer, Yunling wiped her mouth with her sleeve and looked at Tang Ling, asking:
What are some fun things to do around here?
Tang Ling thought for a moment,
"Young master, are you going to Panlou Street, which I mentioned yesterday?"
"Is that the one that sells pearls, spices, and medicinal herbs?"
"right."
"Pearls..." Yunling suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "Do you have jade? Are there any places that sell jade or stones?"
"Yes, it's in the street ahead. That street sells clothes, calligraphy and paintings, and rare items. There are also many jade items. A whole row of shops sell stones."
Gangzi set off immediately.
"I'll go back to get the stone. You guys just wait for me at the intersection ahead."
Yunling nodded, paid the bill, and stood at the intersection with Tangling. Gangzi arrived carrying the stone, and the group headed towards the street ahead.
After passing through a row of shops selling calligraphy, paintings, and rare artifacts, we finally arrived at the jade shop. There were all kinds of jade products, including jadeite, Hetian jade, Xiuyan jade, Lantian jade, Dushan jade, and various other jade products whose names I didn't know.
Yunling didn't know much about jade, but she remembered hearing in the basement that jadeite should be judged by its clarity and translucency, and the color should be chosen from its natural colors, such as the well-known green, as well as white, purple, blue and black, and other colors are slightly inferior.
However, Yunling's mind was not on choosing jade, so she only glanced at it briefly and then gave up.
"Boss, my stomach hurts a bit, I need to go to the bathroom first."
Yunling took the stone from his hands and replied,
"You go ahead, let's go for a walk up ahead."
"good."
Yunling and Tangling continued walking forward and soon arrived at the shops selling raw stones. There were quite a few of these shops, and they were in a row, lining both sides of the street. However, according to Lu Yinghuai, most of the stones that could be displayed had already been sifted through like a sieve, and what remained were what laymen considered "treasures".
Yunling slowed her pace, scanning each room one by one. Her special abilities didn't seem to react, so it seemed that what Lu Yinghuai said was true.
Since she couldn't find the treasure, Yunling decided to cut open the stone in her hand to see what was inside. However, she had to find a shop that was willing to cut it for her and had the ability to polish it.
Yunling walked from the first shop selling raw stones to the last one, and then from the last shop across the street to the first shop across the street. Before she knew it, she was being watched.
A thin man with gaunt cheeks greeted them warmly and asked:
"Young master, are you interested in purchasing raw stones?"
"Yes, my eldest sister is getting married after the New Year. She has always treated me well, so I wanted to come here to buy some good raw stones to make some bracelets and other items. But after looking around, I haven't found anything that I like."
Big Head was so happy that the wrinkles on his face were squeezed together so tightly that even a fly flying by could be trapped and killed.
"Hey, come to me! I have the most complete and best selection of goods in all of Bianjing. You won't regret buying from me."
"Hey, what do you think of my rock?"
Big Head's approach to Yun Ling was thanks to this stone. He snatched the stone, examined it closely, spread his fingers wide, and placed them on the stone's surface. After a while, he clicked his tongue and said, "Tsk tsk."
"This stone is no good, it's just a piece of waste."
"Really? But my future brother-in-law, who's an official, didn't say that?"
"To become an official?"
Big Head's hand trembled twice, almost causing the stone to fall to the ground. He had intended to bluff people and then replace this precious stone with scrap stone. Little did he know that it belonged to an official family. This was unacceptable!
How can the common people fight against the officials? If they were to deceive this person, they would lose not only their small workshop but also their lives.
Da Tou quickly and respectfully returned the stone to Yun Ling, but Yun Ling refused to accept it this time, saying with a smile:
"Take another look, see if this is really a piece of junk?"
"It's my fault for being blind and clumsy. This is indeed a treasure; there is jade inside."
"Then can you open it for me?"
"I...I...I'm just a guy who sells broken raw stones, I..."
Yunling maintained her smile and replied:
"But you just said you had the most complete selection and the best quality stones. You sell raw stones, but you don't help people cut them open. How would I know your stones were the best? Oh, you're lying! I'm going back right now."
"No, no, no, young man, please come with me..."
Big Head was about to lead Yunling into the alley when he suddenly turned back and asked:
"I wonder what official position your future brother-in-law holds?"
There's a saying in Bianjing: "A falling stone could kill a fifth-rank official..."
Da Tou understood what Yun Ling said and nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice. He picked up the stone and headed towards the alley.
Yunling and Tangling were about to follow when a shout from behind stopped them. They turned around and saw Gangzi running back, his face flushed.
"Hey, you're not going to the outhouse, are you...?"
"How did the boss know???"
These words startled Yunling. She had intended to tease the man for blushing so much, implying he was up to no good, but it turned out he really was!
Gangzi took out a plain handkerchief from his pocket, then carefully unfolded it, revealing a small, emerald-green pendant inside.
"Here you go, boss, take it quickly."
"For me???"
Yunling picked up the small pendant in surprise. It didn't look very clear; the green had a grayish tinge.
"I saw the boss staring at this little pendant for a long time, so I bought it."
"Huh? I don't remember at all. I was staring at... Oh, I was thinking about something, not looking at this thing. Is this jade? How much did you pay for it?"
"That's not jadeite, that's jasper, a type of Hetian jade. Judging from its color, it's not quite right; it's a second-rate product."
Da Tou's words made Gangzi a little embarrassed. He had thought that Yun Ling had taken a liking to something good, but he didn't expect that Yun Ling not only didn't like it, but it wasn't a good thing either.
Yunling asked again:
"How much silver did you spend? Did you spend a hundred strings of cash?"
Gangzi scratched the back of his head, feeling quite embarrassed. He assumed Yunling liked it, so he didn't haggle, paid directly, and left.
"More or less."
“Silly boy,” Yunling took out a banknote from her bosom and stuffed it back into Gangzi’s arms, “I think this thing is quite nice. We bought it, so we don’t owe this money.”
Gangzi was delighted to hear Yunling say she liked it, and didn't dwell on anything else.
Tang Ling was genuinely envious, and at the same time, she thought Gangzi was a good person. Just the fact that he knew how to care for people made him better than many men in the world. Speaking of which, her future master really had a sharp eye.
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