Chapter 394: Seeking revenge and changing clothes, really giving him face
The bluestone pavement of Liulichang Street was moistened and shiny by the morning dew, and the old shops with flying eaves and pointed corners on both sides took down their door panels and prepared to welcome customers.
This street was the place where candidates who came to Beijing to study for the imperial examinations stayed during the Qing Dynasty. Although there are no scholars in blue robes and Confucian hats nowadays, it still carries on the long-lasting literary charm, and the air is filled with the unique and rich scent of ink and old paper.
To put it simply, there are many century-old shops selling pens, ink, paper and inkstones on Liulichang Street. Any old shop with a grand plaque can tell you a lot of stories about their ancestors and the top three candidates in the imperial examinations.
Some time ago, during the college entrance examination, many parents of students from Xindian came here to enjoy the literary atmosphere.
Although the ancient imperial examinations did not test foreign languages and science, the candidates who were able to go to Beijing to take the exam were also those who had fought their way through a vast army, and they could share some of their talents with the high school students who were also trying to cross the single-plank bridge.
Moreover, after the exams, many students go out to travel. Beijing is one of the must-visit cities in life, so naturally there are many young people visiting it.
Therefore, the appearance of Lu Mingfei and Eiry, two young people in their teens, here does not seem out of place.
Even many vendors and shop owners knew that they were fat sheep when they saw how they were dressed.
After coming to China, Eri started using the shrine maiden costume as pajamas, and usually wore her favorite fashionable little skirts when going out.
She did the same thing when she went out today. She wore a blue and white knee-length lotus leaf skirt with a high waistline, a sky blue butterfly ribbon around her waist, and a bow of the same color on the back of her head.
With her perfect body proportions and exquisite appearance, coupled with her expressionless temperament of a noble lady, anyone can tell that she is a daughter of a wealthy family.
However, those rosy red eyes could not hide their deep curiosity, and the girl's purity and innocence were revealed in her glances. In the eyes of those old hands, such a contrast made her an example of a fool with a lot of money.
Especially since there is a handsome guy with this girl, and if she says a few nice words to him, won’t he have to empty his wallet to please the girl?
No matter how much or how little he charges, let’s get off to a good start first.
Lu Mingfei is a game geek and doesn’t know much about antiques, but he understands people’s hearts and knows that this group of people are simply out to rip off customers.
But since I've already agreed to let Eri come shopping, I naturally have to make her happy first. At most, I can bargain for a better price.
As for Friedrich von Long, he was not in a hurry. He had already locked onto the target with the help of the Word Spirit Blood Knot. Unless the other party could teleport a thousand meters away, it would be impossible for him to escape his perception.
I don’t know what unlocked plots will be revealed through torture. It would be bad if I get upset after knowing that and come to bargain with a bad temper.
It's true that Eri is a curious baby, but she is also a wealthy person. In the past, when she had some free time, she would go out with Gen Chisei to shop in a private place. She would always pack up whatever she liked, regardless of the price.
Although bags, clothes and shoes are luxury goods, she likes them and can use them after all.
She decided to forget about the bronze vessels on the street stalls that were marked as being from the Western Zhou Dynasty last week. She was afraid of getting tetanus if she scratched them. If she was really interested in them, she could find time to ask Old Tang and Constantine to help her customize a few pieces.
As the mighty King of Bronze and Fire, he could create not only the tripod and the goblet, but even the Gundam and the first generation machine.
In addition, Lu Mingfei would also let her have some beautiful calligraphy and paintings, pendants, jewelry, etc. as long as she liked them.
The basic process along the way was that Eiry stopped in front of a stall and stared at the "treasure" she liked, the stall owner talked incessantly to the pretty girl about fabricated historical stories, and then asked her boyfriend to buy it for her in a roundabout way. Lu Mingfei asked the price, bargained, and then paid.
For example, now, Eri squatted in front of a street stall, picked up a gilded hairpin with kingfisher feathers and examined it carefully. The "jade" embedded in the hairpin glowed green under the light, a mixture of the textures of Qingdao's Pearl River and snowflakes.
The stall owner was a lean middle-aged man. Seeing this, he immediately smiled and said, "You have good taste, little girl! This was the favorite hairpin of Empress Dowager Cixi in her later years. Look at the water head and the carving..."
Eiry didn't quite understand these professional terms, so she could only look up at Lu Mingfei, her pupils filled with pure joy, and she obviously liked this hairpin very much.
"How much?" Lu Mingfei interrupted the stall owner's chatter.
"It seems that you two are destined to be together, so I'm charging you 8,800 yuan for good luck!" The stall owner gestured and shook the stall three times, indicating that this was a fair price.
Upon hearing this, Eri opened her bag without hesitation and prepared to take out the domestic bank card that Gen Chisheng had prepared for her to pay the bill.
Lu Mingfei quickly held her hand and said to the stall owner, "Eighty."
"Young man, you are bargaining too hard. This is something that the Empress Dowager once wore..." The stall owner was shocked. He had always thought that young people were easy to fool, but this time he broke his bones.
"This is the glass that Cixi hurriedly polished in Yiwu," Lu Ming raised his eyebrows, as if smiling. "Eighty-eight, if it doesn't work, forget it."
"Deal!" the stall owner agreed through gritted teeth. "It just seems like we're destined to be together. And today's our first order since opening. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't sell it to you..."
He kept complaining and grumbling, but only made 68 out of 8,780, which is a huge loss.
The girl ignored him and just held up the hairpin to gesture towards the sunlight, then handed it to Lu Mingfei and asked him to help her put it on.
It wasn't out of place for the girl to wear a bow and a hairpin. It looked pretty good when Lu Mingfei put them on her.
As they bought things along the way, Eiry couldn't tell the difference between the high-quality imitations of Jingdezhen and the real official kiln porcelain, nor could she tell the difference between the aged bronzes and the real bronze antiques, but she could always accurately spot anything that was shiny, colorful or uniquely shaped.
The further into the street she walked, the more Eri let herself go.
Sometimes she would hold on to a blue and white porcelain vase from the Jiajing period, sometimes she became interested in Wu Daozi's authentic work "Zhong Kui Catching Ghosts", and she pointed to "Mandarin Ducks Strolling in the Water" which was said to be the work of Tang Bohu and said that the duck was very similar to the platinum duck on her pendant.
So bargaining became Lu Mingfei's forte. He could always accurately find the flaws in the stall owner's exaggerated boasting. Whenever this happened, Eiry would tilt her head and look at him with deep admiration in her eyes.
The little witch was shy after all, and it was difficult for her to talk to these old hands. Lu Mingfei just talked so eloquently and directly lowered the price by ten or even a hundred times. It would be easier for her to find a dragon to fight one-on-one now.
The vendors on the whole street soon exchanged what they had with each other.
"A pair of lamas have arrived from the east. No, they've come over as a couple. The man is knowledgeable and the woman is silly. They only buy the nice-looking things!"
"Men have sharp eyes but they dote on their girlfriends. They buy things when asked to. Hurry up and put out all the nice and fun things!"
"Fuck, I know who that boy is. He was the one who sang so pretentiously at the Little Japan concert. His name was Lu something!"
"I don't know why, but even though I made money, I wasn't happy at all."
After walking around for more than half an hour, they were finally about to arrive at Yangjiao Hutong. But just as Lu Mingfei was about to go to settle the bill with his bags, Eiry suddenly stopped, her rouge-colored eyes staring at a Hanfu shop called "Nishang Pavilion".
Inside the glazed window, a fiery red, chest-length skirt shone brightly in the morning light. The hem of the skirt was embroidered with a phoenix with spread wings in gold thread, and each feather was so delicate that it seemed as if it would take off into the sky at any time.
"Let's go in and take a look?" Lu Mingfei asked.
In her previous life, after Eri married and moved to China, she also fell in love with Hanfu and stocked up a lot of custom-made Hanfu at home.
The girl nodded heavily, and the ends of her hair started to fly.
When I opened the door, the wind chimes rang.
The store is filled with antique charm, and it seems as if time and space have intertwined with the old street outside the store. The moon-white silk shirt and crimson purple skirt hang down like clouds, dazzling the onlookers.
The proprietress was a graceful woman with a low bun, a chest-length dress as blue as rain, and a jade hairpin inserted diagonally in her bun. When she saw Eri, her eyes flashed with surprise and she came towards her with a smile.
"Gentlemen and ladies, feel free to look at anything you like."
Eri walked straight towards the red dress, pressed her fingertips on the glass, and stroked the golden phoenix fluttering its wings on the hem of the dress.
"Miss, you have good eyes. This is a one-to-one replica of the coming-of-age dress worn by aristocratic ladies in the Tang Dynasty. It was originally just for display..." The proprietress had long known that two wealthy young men had come to Liulichang Street, especially since Lu Mingfei was carrying a lot of bags in his hands, which was very obvious. After saying a few polite words, she took off the phoenix skirt herself and asked Eiry to try it on.
This thing is beautiful, but there are too few girls who can match it. It has been here for more than half a year, and no one can take it away.
Not long ago, a cute little girl came to see me. She was even more attractive than the red-haired girl in front of me. Her appearance and temperament were more than enough. Unfortunately, her figure was a little thin and she couldn't hold up the posture. In the end, she left in a depressed mood.
Lu Mingfei glanced around, confirmed that there was no problem, and nodded. Eiry then happily took the skirt into the changing room. The proprietress asked him to wait for a moment and went in to help.
There was a rustling sound, and Eri seemed to be struggling with the complicated laces. After a while, the fitting curtain was suddenly lifted up.
Its flowers are bright and brilliant like the morning glow.
The red-haired girl walked towards them step by step in her pearl-embroidered shoes, her pomegranate skirt blooming layer by layer, and a golden phoenix fluttered its wings on her skirt, ready to fly.
The long-sleeved shirt was as thin as a cicada's wing, revealing the creamy skin underneath.
The proprietress combed her hair into a stunning bun, took out a fake jade hairpin, and inserted a hairpin into her hair. The hanging pearl tassels trembled with her steps, like the night sky dotted with stars, swaying in Lu Mingfei's heart.
Lu Mingfei was speechless for a moment because of her beauty. He had seen her in a witch's costume and a Lolita dress, but he had never seen her dressed so gorgeously. It was as if a thousand years had gone back in time and she was the noble lady of the Tang Palace, dancing to the music with her flowery ornaments on her head.
Facing the girl's expectant gaze, he raised a thumbs-up: "Speaking of beauty, I, Lu Mingfei, would like to call you the most beautiful!"
Eiry immediately smiled with her eyes curved, and even without makeup she was still very beautiful.
Seeing that he was a perfect clothes hanger despite his handsome figure and simple shirt and casual pants, the proprietress also smiled and handed him a black round-necked robe. The robe was embroidered with Qilin patterns in dark gold thread, and the leather belt was inlaid with black jade. He was so handsome.
"Young lady is so beautiful, young master should change his clothes to match."
Lu Mingfei thought that blood might be seen later, and it would be too much of an honor for the old man to dress so formally. But seeing Eiry's expectant face, he couldn't bear to disappoint her, so he picked up the clothes and went into the fitting room.
The experience from his previous life was still there, and he didn't need any help from others. When he came out wearing a brocade robe, Eiry's eyes suddenly lit up.
The young man in black clothes and black hair, coupled with his bright clothes and riding a horse, directly touched the girl's heart.
She trotted over, reached out and touched the belt around his waist, then touched the cuffs embroidered with cloud patterns, and finally smiled with her face tilted up. She didn't need to say anything, as joy was overflowing from the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.
But she still had to praise: "Sakura is so handsome!"
After thinking for a moment, she added, "Prettier than my brother!"
The proprietress smiled and led them to the mirror. The people in the mirror were wearing Tang Dynasty Hanfu. One was as heroic as a young general, and the other was as bright and beautiful as a peony in its prime.
Eri held Lu Mingfei's arm and felt that Sakura was so handsome today that she wanted to tie him up and hide him home to look at him alone.
Lu Mingfei also thought so, but he wanted to show off to others that such a beautiful girl was his.
So Tuhaofei didn't even ask the price and directly took out his wallet: "Boss, card!"
"You two are a perfect match." The proprietress smiled and took out the POS machine, continuing to serve: "Why don't you take a photo in the backyard? We have a professional photographer."
When Eri heard this, her eyes lit up again.
Lu Mingfei was naturally willing to cooperate.
At the same time, deep in the narrow alley where sunlight could not penetrate, the door of Fenglongtang, a small shop with a shabby sign, was closed, and an old man in a bamboo cloth shirt was hurriedly packing his valuables.
When he went out to buy breakfast, he had a feeling and told himself that a distinguished guest was coming to visit.
Then I went out for breakfast and took a stroll. I found that there were really two little gods of wealth on the street. They were not picky about anything and would buy anything they liked, no matter how cheap or expensive it was.
Although the boy was good at bargaining, he couldn't make a big profit, but he could still make a small profit.
Of course, this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that he knows the boy.
The legendary dragon slayer who killed two dragon kings in a row - Lu Mingfei!
The surname Lu made him a little nervous, especially since it was rumored that this young prodigy had some connection with Angers. The several failed actions of Kassel Academy seemed to be paving the way for Lu Mingfei to become famous.
Not to mention others, even he thought that this kid was Ange's illegitimate son.
If Lu Mingfei was just a spokesperson trained by a domestic mixed-blood family, then he could still feel at ease and comfort himself that he had rushed to the capital day and night because the hunter market said that there was a dragon in the capital.
But Lu Mingfei is not like that.
Fortunately, this guy came to Liulichang Street just to stroll around and please the girls. He bought a lot of strange and weird junk, and it didn't seem like he came with any purpose.
Just in case, the owner of Fenglongtang decided to close the door and hide away until the storm was over.
However, just as he finished packing up the valuables in the store and was about to run away, the secret cell phone that he never left behind suddenly vibrated.
His body froze, and he fumbled to get his phone out. After seeing the caller ID, he felt relieved.
To be on the safe side, he released his spiritual words and closely monitored any movement around him.
"Hello? What's up? I'm busy right now, so hurry up and say it!"
An old, deep voice came from the other end of the line: "Friedrich, I want the 'Tianbian Dichao' in your hand."
"I told you, don't call me by this name!" The boss of Fenglongtang's face darkened, as if he was afraid that this name would attract something unclean.
"Five million." The man opposite said lightly, directly suppressing the dissatisfaction of the Fenglongtang boss, and the rational side of making money through harmony prevailed again.
"Okay, we'll discuss the details tonight. I have something urgent to do right now."
"What's the rush..."
"Remember to transfer the deposit to my account!" The boss of Fenglongtang didn't even give him a chance to ask and hung up the phone directly.
He put away his phone, packed his bag and prepared to hide away for a while.
However, the moment he pushed the door open, two figures, one in black and one in red, slowly walked in from the entrance of the narrow alley.
Distinguished guest, here you come.
(End of this chapter)
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