Mojing, the city that never sleeps
The Sparrow Bridge is a combination prop consisting of a sparrow and two bracelets.
The bracelet is equipped with a magnet that can generate different magnetic fields.
No matter how far the sparrow goes, it can follow the guidance of the magnetic field and reach another location from one bracelet.
Ding Can and the other man remained here, waiting for Qin Niang to go out, and then followed her. Once they had determined where to stay, the sparrow would fly towards the magnetic necklace on her hand and lead them there.
For now, they just had to leave as usual and wait for an opportunity to shake off their pursuers.
Returning along the same route, the old man who was setting up the stall had fallen asleep without me noticing.
When I reached the exit, I saw the bird-faced man selling masks with a few newcomers. It was the same situation as before.
Those people listened, thought it was necessary, and were about to buy it.
One of the women noticed that the mask on Xia Jialian's face was exactly the same as one hanging in the robe of the bird-faced man.
She pointed: "Aren't these two the same?"
The bird-faced man was selling enthusiastically. When he heard the words, he turned around and saw that it was the two people from before. He took a deep breath and silently prayed to these two people not to mention anything related to price.
"He is a former customer of ours. Look at him. Doesn't he look so handsome when he wears it?"
He was surprised to see that the two of them were obviously more intimate with each other than before.
I meet a lot of people every day and have a pretty good idea of their interpersonal relationships, but I didn't realize that these two people had such a relationship.
Could it be that I really was wrong?
Xia Jialian did not stop and was about to continue forward when he heard the woman ask again.
"How much did you spend on this mask?"
Unexpectedly, the buyer would ask directly, and the bird-faced man prayed silently.
I have already made less profit before, so I can't just do small business like this today.
Ding Can squeezed Xia Jialian's wrist and stood still: "One pair costs fifteen cents."
This wasn't really a lie, as she didn't specify whether the price was before or after bargaining.
"Okay, then let's just go with the ones we picked." The woman didn't hesitate any more and paid the money directly. The few of them quickly went to the inner road of the ghost market.
After they walked away, the bird-faced man counted the money happily. Seeing they were still there, he smiled and thanked them: "Thank you for taking care of my business."
"Big Brother, we went around the Ghost Market and heard people mention Qin Niang. She's said to be in charge of all the Hibiscus slice transactions here. She seems very powerful. You've met a lot of people, do you know anything about her?"
Ding Can didn't dare mention the deal with Qin Niang, otherwise he would think he was very rich and bargained just now, and he would definitely not be in a good mood.
The bird-faced man was in a really good mood now. Hearing that she was obviously asking questions, he was happy to say a few words, otherwise it would be boring to stay alone.
"You're talking about Qin Niang. She is indeed a woman worthy of admiration. A few years ago, the situation here was different from what it is now."
The ghost market was much more chaotic at that time. There were many people who were wanted by the court and had murdered people on their shoulders and were hiding there.
There are also those who have no fixed place to live, do not care about their safety, and live here permanently, as well as those who conduct various private transactions.
Minor fights and sword attacks occurred frequently, and truckloads of corpses were often shipped out, all of them unclaimed.
But starting one day, some people saw wood and materials for construction being continuously transported in, and in a relatively rugged corner of the ghost market, many workers began hammering and banging.
What makes it more convenient than building an ordinary house is that there is an inexhaustible supply of stones here, and the upward terrain allows the external structure to be built faster.
In less than a month, Jilefang was built from the ground up and became the most conspicuous building in the ghost market.
The day it was completed was the first time Qin Niang appeared in front of everyone.
She was dressed in purple, and her slender fingers held an oil lamp, the most ordinary kind.
The walking speed was not fast, so the weak flame was just shaking a little, but there was no danger of it going out.
The zither girl was standing at the door, attracting many people to watch. When the time came, the music started to play.
It wasn't the usual melodious music or the festive tunes played before a new store opened.
The clanging sound of the drums was like knocking on one's heart, drawing all attention to it. Everyone was curious about the identity of this person.
The zither girl just walked forward to the beat of the drum, taking every step very firmly.
The nine-story building is so slow and steady that from the perspective of someone standing outside the building, one can only see a very faint warm light, flowing upward in circles like fireflies.
The light spot settled on the top floor. At this time, the necks of those who were waiting outside the building to join in the fun were a little sore from climbing up for too long, and their curiosity was about to disappear.
The drumbeats suddenly stopped at this moment, and the surroundings became extremely quiet in an instant.
The next second, the entire Paradise Square, starting from the first floor, was lit up with bright candlelight.
The lighting ceremony was officially completed on the top floor, one floor after another.
It is said that Qin Niang was standing on the rooftop terrace that day, very close to the edge, looking precarious, as if she would fall from the sky in the next second.
Some people have subconsciously stretched out their hands, wanting to catch the person.
But that was just the beginning of a dance. She calmly completed the dance in such a dangerous place.
Without any background music, everyone's eyes are fixed on her body.
That day, many people remembered Qin Niang's figure, and from then on, Ji Le Fang officially began its operation.
Qin Niang did not hide anything and directly stated that she would be in charge of the hibiscus slice business. As long as you want to buy it, just come and you will not return empty-handed.
With her strong social skills, she soon made Ji Le Fang prosperous and also opened up other ways to make money.
She is the boss of Jilefang. Her identity is always a mystery to the people here, but no one dares to offend her.
Or maybe, everyone who had ever offended her had been dealt with secretly.
It is still a matter of curiosity how Qin Niang, a person full of secrets, could be related to Zhang Gusheng and willing to work for him secretly.
Such people can reach high positions on their own no matter where they go.
After thanking the mask vendor, the two pushed open the exit door again, walked out along the narrow passage, and returned to the abandoned stall on the ground.
Xia Jialian took off the mask, but was very careful when walking so that the people following him would not see his face clearly.
After all, he swaggered into the official's residence yesterday, so it's not surprising that someone would recognize him when they saw his face.
The two of them headed towards Zhaoxia Tower. As expected, when they arrived in the downtown area, they were still followed by several people.
It was now almost noon, earlier than yesterday, and they went into the restaurant hand in hand.
When the people who followed them saw that they really didn't go anywhere else, they hurried back to report.
As for Ding Can and his friends, they just took a quick walk inside and didn't sit down at all. After all, neither of them could afford the cost of renting a separate table here.
When I left Zhaoxia Tower through the back door, it wasn't long before I saw Sparrow coming back.
The petite sparrow circled low in front of her for a while. Ding Can stretched out her palm and the sparrow landed on it. Its small pointed beak touched the magnetic bracelet on her wrist, as if to confirm.
"Let's go."
With a slight lift of his palm, the sparrow flapped its wings and flew up again, carrying them through the streets and alleys.
The direction is towards the south of the city.
The number of pedestrians on the street gradually decreased. This area, far away from the main street, was where the poor lived or where the heavy industrial factories in the city were located.
The sparrow turned a corner at the entrance of an alley and disappeared.
The two of them also turned into the alley and saw Gao Wenwen and others hiding under the wall.
"Have you found the place?" Ding Can walked up.
Gao Wenwen raised his foot: "Well, follow me."
There are mostly terraced factories here, each of which occupies a large area, with alleys occasionally separating them for people to walk through, creating the feeling of a narrow path.
If they go further into the alley where they are currently, and reach the intersection, they will be able to see the houses opposite.
Xia Jialian noticed the sign: Zhang Family Pottery Factory.
Isn’t this the factory where Zhang Gusheng does ceramic business? Could it be that because there are so many people in the main city, they chose to meet here?
"Mrs. Qin has already gone in, but Zhang Gusheng hasn't come yet. It must be because the notification took some time."
Shi Yan leaned against the wall and noticed the workers coming and going in the factory.
To cast porcelain here, a casting furnace is inevitably needed. It is currently in operation and thick smoke is rising in the air.
Gao Wenwen took out several sets of the same clothes from a bamboo basket on the ground. "This is what I just took out when I sneaked in. If we go in together, it will be too obvious. It will be better if we change into this."
They are called clothes, but in fact they are just outer robes for convenience of work. They just wear them on the outside and they can make them look real.
Shi Yan was the first to put on her work clothes. She looked outside and suddenly raised her voice: "Look, isn't that the steward of the Yuanwai Mansion?"
Following the direction he pointed, Ding Can saw Zhang Li, who was driving a two-horse carriage and was about to arrive at the gate of the pottery factory.
After the wheel track stopped, only Zhang Gusheng got out of the car, and the other two walked inside.
It is impossible for Qin Niang to meet him in public. There must be a relatively hidden place inside. She has to follow him now.
Disguised as work clothes, they swaggered into the factory without being noticed.
In addition, when Zhang Gusheng came to inspect the factory, the workers didn't even have time to greet him, so how could they have the time to look at anything else?
It was not until Zhang Li said a few words that everyone dispersed. He walked behind Zhang Gusheng and together they arrived at the door of a building that looked like a warehouse.
There were eight guards with swords at the door. If they were just doing porcelain business, there would be no need to mobilize so many people.
This is really an attempt to cover up one's own mistake.
Still confused, Xia Jialian decided to ask someone in advance. He happened to see an old man pushing a cart of red soil, so he went forward to help.
"Uncle, this is my first time working today. Why are there so many guards there? What treasures are hidden in there?"
Being helped, the old man naturally felt relieved: "That is the boss's small warehouse. Ordinary workers like us are never allowed to go there, otherwise we will be scolded."
"Ah, then why not leave it at his house? The city is no safer than here."
"The items inside are all porcelain designs specially designed by important customers. They are usually shipped out according to the delivery schedule. After they are made, they are kept in the factory for maintenance and shipped out regularly. They can also be packed with other goods for shipment."
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