Mojing, the city that never sleeps
The person who was accidentally bumped into turned out to be a shop assistant.
"Qixingtang?" Ding Can raised his head and noticed the plaque on the side of the street. He couldn't tell what the shop was for.
The waiter introduced enthusiastically, "We are in Qixingtang, and we are in the business of exchanging goods. We accept barter, but you can also use money to purchase goods, or use goods to exchange for money. Both parties get what they need, and we absolutely do not engage in forced transactions."
It's a place similar to a pawnshop. Maybe there are some good things there. It's nice to go in and take a look.
"Then please lead the way, little brother."
Gao Wenwen was impatient. As soon as he took one step onto the stairs, he was quickly stopped by the waiter: "Sir, wait a moment."
"What's wrong?" Gao Wenwen looked puzzled.
"It's not a big deal, but there are so many treasures in Qixing Hall that it inevitably requires multiple layers of protection. Therefore, if you want to enter Qixing Hall, you need to pay a certain membership fee. This is also a mutually beneficial thing. Some rare treasures cannot be bought outside."
What mutual benefit? It's basically just asking for money. Gao Wenwen curled his lips and said nothing.
Seeing that his intention was unclear, the shop assistant continued, "However, each member of our shop can bring three relatives and friends into the store, so it is still very cost-effective. The membership fee for each member is 300 Wen."
"Three hundred coins?" Even Shi Yan found this outrageous.
Because even this amount was a bit too expensive for them, when they entered the city gate, they received 100 coins each.
One hundred coins are enough to spend during the three days of living in Mojing.
I just spent some of it at the teahouse, and what's left is barely enough to apply for a membership. Once I take it out, I'll be very short of money later.
I can't always eat at Zhang Gusheng's house.
Gao Wenwen was watching the people coming and going on the street when he suddenly thought of a good way to make money. He patted his clerk on the shoulder and said, "Save a spot for us. We'll come over later."
He pulled Xia Jialian further away and said, "Old Xia, come and help me."
Xia Jialian knew nothing about it and was dragged by him to an open space not far away. There were some stalls selling small handicrafts, and there were flower beds and some green plants next to them.
"What is he doing?" Shi Yan looked at his receding figure, not knowing what was going on. She pulled Ding Can to follow and saw two men.
Bending over, pulling weeds under a tree...
Gao Wenwen sat on the ground, with a lot of freshly harvested dogtail grass placed around him. He flipped the grass over flexibly with his fingers and filled it in one by one, cross-weaving very quickly.
Soon, there were many small animal shapes in front of him, all kinds of shapes and sizes, with no repetitions.
Shi Yan bent down slightly, resting her hands on her knees, revealing an expression of surprise and praise: "I didn't expect your craftsmanship to be so skillful."
"That's nothing. I was faster when I was younger, but now I'm a little rusty."
Gao Wenwen grew up in the mountains and didn't have many entertainment activities. Most of the time, he followed others running around the mountains and fields to get closer to the natural world.
Braiding foxtail grass is also one of the daily activities.
My friends and I usually get together to study this, and each of us has invented many new animal shapes. When I think about it now, I feel a vague sense of nostalgia.
Not only Shi Yan was surprised, but the children on the street were more attracted.
As soon as they set their eyes on him, they basically couldn't take their eyes off him. They gathered in larger and larger numbers, surrounding Gao Wenwen in a cluster.
Later on, there were so many people that Gao Wenwen was almost nowhere to be seen.
"Brother, how much is this grass knot? I want to buy one~"
A little girl in the crowd looked over with her eyes wide open, sparkling and full of surprise.
As for the pricing, Gao Wenwen couldn't quite decide: "Little sister, which one do you like?"
The little girl pointed to one of the lambs, which was so fat that even its two curved horns looked lifelike.
"I want that lamb. It looks very much like my grandma's lamb."
"Xiaobai," Gao Wenwen said, drawing out his words, "How about I name it Xiaolu? But what do you think is a reasonable price to pay for it?"
The little girl touched her chin and thought carefully: "Last time when we went to the East City Market, my mother also bought me a straw grasshopper. Although it was also very beautiful, it was not as realistic as this one. That one cost one cent, so today's one will be two cents."
Gao Wenwen answered readily, "Okay, two cents is two cents. Then the whole place will be two cents today. I won't get hurt or cheated."
“I want a puppy!”
“I want one too!”…
Before he could even shout, more than a dozen pairs of small hands holding silver and money came in front of him.
"Okay, okay, everyone, please don't push. I promise everyone can get one."
Gao Wenwen was responsible for production, and Shi Yan was responsible for collecting the money.
Later, some children saw that there was less foxtail grass available for making the craft, and they even spontaneously pulled some from the side and sent it over.
It was not until both hands were a little sore that it was finally time to finish.
Although they didn't make a lot of money, it solved their urgent problem. At least after joining the club, they could still survive for the next two days.
Gao Wenwen patted the grass scraps on his palm and stood up: "Done, let's go back."
The waiter was still actively soliciting customers at the door of Qixingtang. When he saw them turn back, he ran over with eager eyes.
"Sir, have you made up your mind?"
"Of course, go register." Gao Wenwen threw the purse, and the clerk caught it accurately in his palm.
The guy smiled and said, "Okay, please follow me."
Qixingtang is not a high-rise building, but has two floors, above ground and underground. The upper floor sells ordinary goods, and more importantly, it is located on the underground floor.
Now that I'm here, I must go downstairs to take a look.
The guy just now was just doing routine work like attracting customers and registering members. Once you become a member and can officially enter Qixingtang with your credentials, a special servant will come to lead you.
Ding Can noticed that there were many different kinds of customers here, some dressed in gorgeous clothes, while others were dressed in rags.
These people were not treated unfairly here. On the contrary, the servants and waiters of Qixingtang all greeted them with smiles. After all, you can't judge a person by his appearance. They might be potential customers.
Besides, who would do business at a loss?
When you go down the spiral staircase, the first thing that catches your eye is a large jade ornament in the shape of a leaping dragon and a tiger. It is about one meter tall and looks very spectacular.
Illuminated by the ceiling light, it looks even more luxurious.
Gao Wenwen looked around and asked, "Do you have any new goodies here?"
The servant smiled politely, "Ten days ago, our shop received a pair of South China Sea pearls. They are of excellent quality. Please follow me, gentlemen."
The layout inside Qixing Hall is particularly like that of a museum with a long history. On both sides of the path that must be passed by, there are many rare treasures covered with transparent glass.
Even if the membership fee is just the entrance fee, it’s actually worth coming in and taking a look.
Gao Wenwen was amazed and thought that if he could take the things here back, he would definitely make a lot of money.
After walking more than ten steps, Xia Jialian noticed two people in front who seemed to be pushing each other. One of them was wearing the clothes of Qixingtang and was also a servant, while the other was also a man, but his body was slightly hunched, and his upper body seemed to be falling on the servant.
"What's going on?"
"Dear guests, please be patient. I will go and take a look."
They took their servants to check the situation, and several others followed.
"This is an heirloom from my ancestors. It was placed in the palace hundreds of years ago. I didn't even take this bottle out from upstairs. I came here specifically to exchange it."
The man shook his head as he spoke, and he could hardly hold the box tightly in his hand.
"Mr. Zhao, this item still needs to be taken to the master for judgment. Please wait here for a moment. I will be back soon."
The man disagreed. Seeing someone approaching, he opened the box and showed what was inside: "Come and take a look. This is a genuine enamel-painted hollow rotating vase. Others can't buy it even if they spend money. What's there to check?"
It was a porcelain vase with a white glaze base and painted with pastels. It was hollowed out from the short and thick neck, like a landscape window in a garden.
You can look through the picture window and vaguely see the pictures of flowers, birds and children playing inside. The design is exquisite and it is indeed a good thing.
It's so valuable that it would be a good place to keep it as a collection. Why would you be so anxious to sell it?
Xia Jialian tilted her head and said, "It's definitely an old item."
"Yeah, it's really valuable. If I didn't need it urgently, I wouldn't be willing to take it out."
The waiter patiently explained, "I know this bottle can't be fake, but our shop has its own rules and regulations, so it's not easy for me to make a decision on my own. After all, without the master's seal, I can't withdraw the money, right?"
The man thought for a moment and grabbed his arm. "Then I have to go with you. This way, after I get the money, I can go buy some hibiscus slices! Let's go!"
"Okay, okay, then you come with me."
The servant was pushed by the man and left quickly.
Xia Jialian watched their hurried backs and asked, "Brother, what are those hibiscus slices he mentioned just now?"
"Well, you gentlemen are new to Mojing, so it's normal that you don't know about this harmful thing."
Hibiscus slices have gradually become popular in Mojing in recent years.
The source is unknown, but people who have taken Hibiscus tablets will have continuous hallucinations in their brains, creating wonderful images, as if they are experiencing a state of bliss.
This feeling is so addictive that people initially smoke it to satisfy their curiosity, but after a few times they become addicted.
If you cannot take hibiscus tablets regularly to relieve your addiction, your body will feel cold, as if hundreds of needles are constantly piercing your body, which is unbearable.
However, the price of hibiscus tablets is very high and ordinary families cannot afford it. Even wealthy families can easily lose all their money after using it for a few years.
Just like the man just now, he was willing to pawn his ancestral treasure for this thing.
Isn't this drugs? Ding Can remembered the appearance of the man just now. He was indeed thin, with a dark face and very obvious depressions.
Common symptoms of addiction.
She asked tentatively, "From what you said, Hibiscus slices should have been popular in Mojing for a long time. We haven't seen anyone selling them all the way here today."
The servant sighed, "Who would dare to bring it out so brazenly? The government believes that this Hibiscus tablet is detrimental to people's morale and has long since banned it. It's absolutely impossible to see it on the market."
Ding Can blinked. "But judging from the look on Mr. Zhao's face just now, he obviously has some kind of channel. Since the higher-ups don't allow it, those people can just use their own unique abilities."
The servant understood what she meant and lowered his voice, "You can only buy it at the Lingxi Ghost Market in the south of the city."
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