Mojing, the city that never sleeps
The dim light shone on the bird's face, making its eyes appear dark. As it spoke, the feathers on its cheeks kept shaking.
It seemed as if the sharp bird's beak would peck at him in the next second.
Gao Wenwen looked carefully again and found that it was actually a person wearing a mask.
He patted his chest and said, "No, you walk silently, you scared me."
"I've been here the whole time. It's just that you were so amazed by the spectacle of this ghost market that you didn't notice me for a moment."
The man was dressed in rags, and his clothes were covered in a lot of hair, blending in with the color of the grass next to him. Maybe he really didn't notice it.
However, his voice was shrill and hoarse, and coupled with the strange atmosphere around him, he did scare himself. He frowned and said impatiently, "Whether I'm new here or not is none of your business."
The man was not affected by this and laughed a few times, which made people's spine tingle. "I can only help you solve the problem."
He opened his arms and opened his robe, revealing that the inside was covered with several rows of masks of different types and sizes.
There were people growing on dozens of masks.
It turns out that he was squatting at the door waiting for business. He heard them chatting and knew that they wanted to use something to disguise themselves, so he brought the goods to sell.
If no one talks, maybe he will come over and chat later.
"Gentlemen, please take a look. No matter what style of face covering you need, I have it all here. Lively animals, elegant flowers, auspicious symbols that can ward off evil... You can always choose something that satisfies you."
As he introduced them, he pointed his finger at the people in the market in the distance, and said, "Those are all from my family too."
Shi Yan was indeed attracted by the gorgeous patterns on it, and a few of them had their own aesthetic points: "How much is this?"
The vendor stretched out his fingers and gestured twice: "Miss, you want it, right? I see you look kind, how about fifteen cents each? I guarantee it's fair to everyone."
It didn't seem too expensive, and Shi Yan felt that she could accept it. Just as she was about to agree to it, Gao Wenwen stopped her quickly.
He said calmly, "We three want to pick. It's twenty cents in total. Take it if you like."
"No, sir, you don't bargain like that. I'll charge you fifteen for this one, and three should be forty-five. Even if there's a discount for buying more, it won't be this price."
The vendor looked embarrassed. He didn't expect that someone would bargain so hard.
More importantly, I didn’t expect anyone to bargain in a place like the ghost market.
Ordinary people who come here for the first time don’t understand the situation in the ghost market. They are all in a hurry and want to finish their work immediately. But this young man is actually thoughtful.
Gao Wenwen's lips curled up slightly. "Don't be so surprised. It's not like I haven't learned about the prices in the city. This thing only costs five cents in the main city, and people still make a profit."
The peddler hissed and was about to describe the hardships of his transportation when someone beat him to it.
"Well, I figured you'd take the trouble to bring it here, so it must have cost you some hard-earned money. So, twenty-five cents. Since this is our first time here, consider it a favor. Don't add any more."
Seeing the vendor about to speak, Gao Wenwen grabbed his hand and said warmly, "Brother, let's just be friends. Although this is our first time, maybe you will introduce your friends to your store in the future."
He continued to paint a rosy picture: "With a constant stream of customers, other businesses are envious."
"I..." The peddler was speechless for a moment. Facing the opponent's smooth combo, he couldn't think of how to complain anymore.
It felt like no matter what he said, this person would be able to counter it and stop him from raising the price.
There are actually more than one entrance and exit to the ghost market, but he always stays at this location, so the normal customer flow is pretty good.
Although he could make money by selling it for twenty-five cents, he still felt inexplicably frustrated.
But no one has come to the door today, so it’s not bad to have a good start.
"Okay, okay, okay. You look kind, and even if it means losing money, I'll still be your friend. Tell me, which one do you want?"
Until everyone took a mask and walked away for a long distance, everyone was still in shock.
"He's really good at being thrifty and managing the household." Ding Can praised sincerely.
She doesn't usually spend money lavishly, and if she encounters a situation where she can bargain, she will try, but this is the first time she has seen someone bargain so hard.
Shi Yan exhaled: "I didn't dare to speak loudly just now."
Worried that she might say something she shouldn't and affect Gao Wenwen's performance, she kept silent, nervously controlling her facial expressions and feeling extremely surprised in her heart.
Xia Jialian had already put on the mask: "I didn't expect that he would actually lower the price and sell it to us."
"You don't really think he's suffered a loss..." Gao Wenwen chose a mask of a deer head, with two antlers sticking out and round eye sockets. He leaned over to scare him.
Xia Jialian wasn't used to this kind of distance and stepped back a little. "What do you mean?"
"He's a businessman, how could he not make money? And yesterday on Phoenix Street, I actually heard someone peddling the price of the mask. If he's willing to sell it, then it must be profitable."
He patted Xia Jialian on the shoulder and walked away: "I still have a lot of say in this matter. Learn from me, Old Xia."
The area just after entering the ghost market was relatively quiet. After they walked for a distance, the streets gradually became crowded.
Not only were there vendors sitting on the ground on both sides of the path, but simple buildings also began to appear, such as sheds and half-built earthen houses, making the place look even more lively than before.
Except for the man who was selling masks at the entrance just now, no one selling goods here shouted.
Most of them just sit in one place quietly, waiting for people to come and ask questions, and then they will speak out a few words, not seeming to worry about not having business.
Come to think of it, if you can choose to trade something in the ghost market, you don’t have to worry about there not being a market.
However, Ding Can stopped briefly at each stall and did not see anything similar to hibiscus slices.
Is it because hibiscus slices are not allowed to be sold openly in the city, so they need to be hidden even in the ghost market?
But she heard from Yang Pu that Furong slices would not be restricted here at all, so she should have asked him more about it earlier.
"Should we buy something and ask others?" Gao Wenwen felt a little regretful. He should have asked the mask vendor just now. He must be familiar with this place.
Ding Can glanced around where he was standing. They were at a T-junction, with the direction they were coming from behind them.
Going forward, on the left, the terrain seems to be slightly higher. Looking up, you can see some high-rise buildings that look like old tube-shaped buildings.
It is estimated that it was built following the terrain of Dongxue.
The other direction is relatively low-lying, with more pedestrians and louder noise.
"I want this Xiang Xiao grass, but I don't have any money. Do you have anything I can exchange for these?"
Ding Can turned sideways to look at the source of the sound. There, an old man was sitting cross-legged on the ground with his hands in his pockets. He had his head lowered and was playing with a small gourd in his hand, which had the shape of a auspicious beast carved on the surface.
It has an oily luster and looks like it has been carefully cared for for a long time.
After hearing someone talking, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at the objects displayed in the hands of the visitor. There was no expression on his wrinkled face.
He had a head full of white hair, which was not tied up like other men, but just hung down in a mess. While he spoke, his hands did not stop moving.
"This piece of cloth is good. You can use it to clean my gourd. Please keep it."
The visitor probably didn't expect that he would choose this least outstanding piece of suede from a bunch of relatively valuable things.
He just picked it up one time because he thought it would be more convenient to wrap things.
What he wanted was Xiangxiaocao, which was known as a miracle hemostatic medicine.
Not only are they rare, but they can be sold for hundreds or thousands of gold coins outside. Yet this old man gave them away so lightly, almost for free.
"Senior, are you telling the truth?"
The old man waved his hand: "Don't waste time, take it away quickly if you want it."
So the man quickly hugged everything he had in his arms, put the suede on the stall, and picked up the Xiang Xiaocao. Fearing that the stall owner would go back on his word, he quickly disappeared from sight.
Gao Wenwen seemed to be lost in thought: "You say, the four of us should stand in front of him and ask if there is anything he wants. How about exchanging some information about Furong slices?"
This old man seemed to have been here for a long time and was not someone who came here to make money.
Maybe he just has nowhere to go and is killing time in the ghost market. Or maybe he is some legendary figure who lives away from the world.
They hit it off immediately and thought they could give it a try, so they lined up in front of the stall.
It's called a stall, but in fact it's just a lot of scattered things placed on the floor in front of it, which is only about half a meter wide.
There were the herbs and pills that I had just seen, as well as unknown jewelry, ancient coins, etc., which were not arranged in a neat manner, as if they were picked up directly from somewhere.
I really do business as fate dictates.
When the old man saw the person had left, he used the newly acquired suede to wipe his beloved gourd. Even though he knew there were several people standing in front of him, he didn't intend to say anything to them.
There is no other way. If they need help from others, they have to take the initiative.
Gao Wenwen squatted down, spoke to the man at eye level, and pretended to be warm and friendly. "Uncle, we want to ask you something, just like the man just now. If you see anything about us that you are interested in, please feel free to ask."
"What do you want to ask?" The old man still didn't look up, as if he was trying to weigh whether this business was worth doing before asking for compensation.
Gao Wenwen lowered his voice: "We want to buy hibiscus slices, but we can't find a place."
The old man then raised his eyes with a gloomy look. Since he couldn't see the face, he could only look at the figure.
But these people have tall and straight figures and look young. They don't look like they are addicted to hibiscus tablets. It looks like this is their first time. "Never used it before?"
Gao Wenwen exclaimed, "I can't hide anything from you. We came to this ghost market because we can't buy anything on the ground."
"No reward is required. Everyone here knows that Hibiscus slices are only sold in the Paradise Shop."
The old man's eyelids drooped again, as if he was ordering them to leave. It was obvious that he had no interest in their clothes.
But this Paradise is a place I have heard of for the first time.
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