It is extremely painful for someone who is sleepy to be unable to sleep. Gangzi originally wanted Yunling to go back to the house to sleep, but this would inevitably make Datou guess where their house was and ask all sorts of questions. So he could only tell some jokes to entertain Yunling.
Fortunately, perhaps because of the mutton soup, the man pedaled with extra effort, the spinning wheel whirring powerfully, working in tandem with Jie Yusha. Just as Gangzi finished his third story, a shout was heard from inside.
"It's open! It's open!"
Yunling jumped up excitedly and rushed inside to look. Datou had already picked up the stone to examine it.
Although it is said to be opened, it is not the kind of opening that Yunling traditionally believes is a complete cut-out. Instead, it is a slit. The slit is opened to a quarter of the entire cross-section, enough for people to look inside to see whether there is jade, and what kind of jade it is.
Big Head squinted as he peered through the crack, his words hesitant.
"We do have jade, but it's of poor quality; it'll do."
Yunling was very curious. She took the stone and peered inside. It wasn't very bright inside, and she didn't know if it was because the crack wasn't big enough. She looked a few more times and could vaguely see a trace of white, but it didn't seem very clear.
Yunling was a little confused, so she looked at Datou and asked:
"Young master, what kind of jade is this?"
"What other kind of jade could it be? It must be Hetian jade."
"Hetian jade?"
This is not Yunling's fault. Firstly, she doesn't know anything about jade, and secondly, for some reason, whenever Hetian jade is mentioned, she always thinks that the jade is flawless white jade, which should be a warm and creamy white color. Looking inside, she felt that it was not quite like that.
Big Head laughed:
"In our line of work, there's a saying: 'First, red; second, yellow; third, black; fourth, mutton fat jade.' Red like a rooster's comb is a rare find, a top-quality jade that comes along only once in a thousand years. Next is yellow like a steamed pear, and then black like pure lacquer. Young man, this is black jade with a few black spots. It has value, but not much."
Yunling understood. No wonder her special ability only fluctuated slightly when it came into contact with the stone. But it was better than nothing. If it could be polished into beads and strung into a bracelet or a jade thumb ring, it would probably look very nice. But she would leave these thoughts for tomorrow.
After seeing the jade, the stone naturally had to be returned to the person to be polished. Seeing that the experience had spoken up, Da Tou was also willing to say more to win over Yun Ling, so that they could go to a good place together tonight. So he pulled Yun Ling to see the precious stones he had collected.
**
As night falls and nightlife begins, the streets instantly come alive. The stalls selling wild game and aquatic products pack up, while the stalls selling handicrafts, headdresses, hair ornaments, antiques, and daily necessities set up shop.
Yunling told Tangling to go home and report that she was safe. She then took Gangzi and went with Datou and the others to Dongjier Lane. Yunling and Gangzi found the night stalls on both sides of the street very interesting and walked around for a while.
Arriving at an antique stall, Yunling stopped in her tracks, curiously picking up the Shangfang sword to examine it closely. Just as she was about to draw it, Datou hurriedly grabbed her hand.
"Young master, let's go."
"Hey, our boss!"
"Gangzi, let's go."
Yunling hadn't missed the wink Da Tou had given her earlier, and suspected there was something fishy about the imperial sword. As the saying goes, "He who listens to advice will eat his fill," so she carefully placed the sword down and, after leaving the stall, asked:
"Young master, why is this?"
Big Head Laughs:
"It's obvious that you don't often buy things from these street vendors. There are quite a few people selling He Lou on this street. The Shangfang sword you just picked up is one of them. It's actually a short sword inside. If you pull it out, this priceless 'Shangfang sword' will be yours."
Yunling was surprised to find that there were people selling counterfeit goods in ancient times. As expected of her ancestors, she shrugged and obediently followed behind Da Tou.
Meanwhile, in that small, three-courtyard house, Lu Yinghuai and Chen Jie returned early. Thinking that Yunling loved excitement and would surely be interested in the night market of Bianjing, they decided to go for a walk at Zhouqiao together.
But he waited and waited, from dusk till night, but Yunling never appeared. He wondered if she was unfamiliar with the place and had wandered around so much that she couldn't even remember where her home was.
The more Lu Yinghuai thought about it, the more convinced he became that Yunling had gotten lost and was not coming back. He decided to go out and look for her. Just as he was about to set off, Tang Ling returned.
"Young Master Lu, all is well."
Lu Yinghuai nodded in agreement and quickly looked outside. After waiting for a while without seeing Yunling come in, the joy that had risen in his heart gradually faded.
"Where is Lingniang? Where did she go?"
Chen Jie broke off half an orange and handed it to Zi Fu, then said:
"I knew we should have stopped her at the bridge. With that old lady's stubborn nature, once she's out the door, she's like a bird set free; she'd never want to come home."
Chen Jie secretly made a mental note of Yun Ling's disapproval. This girl could always explain why she didn't take him on the boat before, but now that they've arrived in Bianjing, she still only takes Gangzi and not him. She's really not a good person.
"The young lady didn't go to Zhouqiao; she went to look at jade with the stone she won at the polo field."
"Looking at jade? Is it in the streets and alleys around here?"
"Yes, the young lady was afraid you would worry, so she sent me back first to let you know I'm safe."
"At least she has some conscience."
Because of this, Chen Jie erased the note he had just made about Yun Ling. She was still his good aunt, and she really was a good person.
Lu Yinghuai was about to go out to find Yunling, but after taking only two steps, he felt something was amiss, so he asked Tang Ling again.
"Now that you're back, are you going out again?"
"I'm not feeling well, so I won't be going out."
Lu Yinghuai's smile faded slightly, but he still maintained his gentle and refined demeanor.
"Where did Lingniang go?"
The word "not to be trifled with" instantly popped into Tang Ling's mind. This young master Lu in front of her was not as easy-going and easy to talk to as she had imagined.
Tang Ling didn't dare to speak easily, so Lu Yinghuai spoke for her.
"The shops selling jade and raw stones around here don't open at night. She asked you to come back and let her know she's safe, but she won't be back tonight. She only took Gangzi with her. Did she go to Chicken Alley?"
Tang Ling was sweating profusely. She felt as if she were facing not the young master of the Lu family business, but the head constable interrogating prisoners in the county government, and that this place was not a IKEA house, but a prison cell.
"Did she tell you not to tell me? Hmm?"
The tone of that "hmm?" was rather meaningful; Tang Ling couldn't tell whether the person was happy, angry, or harboring murderous intent...
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