Chapter 32 Chapter 32 After choosing a shop, Jiang Wan said goodbye to his son...
After choosing a shop, Jiang Wan said goodbye to Zi Yan and returned to her room in the Jiang family's wooden house.
After a while, a system prompt sounded in her mind:
"Owning a shop is the key to better selling handicrafts. Congratulations to the host for renting a shop in a central location and completing the mission [A Large Family and a Great Business], earning 100 points."
Jiang Wan closed his eyes, and the remaining points on the system interface changed from 262 to 362.
With so many points, she didn't hesitate and went straight to the mall, spending 80 points to purchase a furnace. This furnace had been in her collection for a long time. It only took half an hour to fire porcelain, and the large capacity saved a lot of time.
From now on, she can buy charcoal and burn it herself without having to go to the kiln.
The remaining points flashed and became 282.
With plenty left, Jiang Wan splashed out, spending another 100 points to unlock the "Master Classes" section. She entered the section's mall and took a quick look, discovering a wide variety of courses. At first glance, there were courses on porcelain, silk, pearls, gold and silver, and even winemaking, musical scores, swordplay, and so on.
There is a wide variety of items, but the prices are much higher than those in the tool box section, generally around 100 points.
Jiang Wan found a "Celadon Body Improvement Manual". This craftsmanship met her needs and was a detailed craftsmanship. The price was only 70 points, so she clicked to buy it.
The remaining points were now 112. Honestly, she felt quite bad about losing so many points all at once. But she could earn more later, and since she was going to buy these anyway, she didn't dwell on it.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a combustion stove as tall as a person standing in the corner of the wall, and a blue-covered "Handbook on Improving Celadon Body" was placed next to her bed.
She first studied how to use the combustion furnace, then opened the manual and studied for a while. When it got dark, she got up and went to Xu's pawnshop.
But this time he was not going to work, but to resign.
After opening her own shop, she also had to run the shop at night, which left her with no spare time to help Shopkeeper Xu with treasure appraisal. Fortunately, over the past month, she had taught the shop assistants a lot of treasure appraisal knowledge, and now the pawnshop can distinguish the authenticity of most jewelry on the market.
Working at Xu's Pawnshop was her first job after traveling through time. The owner was very kind to her and provided a lot of help before she could escape citizenship; the shop assistants were also very friendly.
She invited them to a meal at the city's largest restaurant. She was familiar with this kind of business entertainment in her previous life, but this time, for the first time in her life, she felt a sense of reluctance to leave.
After traveling through time, Jiang Wan's hard heart gradually softened, and he began to yearn for the kind of plain and long-lasting days, with family and friends around, happy and content, without having to work hard all day, worrying, and not daring to give his true heart to anyone.
It was almost 9 o'clock in the evening when they finished drinking. Jiang Wan sent off Manager Xu and a few of his employees and walked alone on the street.
Suddenly she heard someone calling her name. Jiang Wan turned around and saw that the person sitting on the bluestone bricks on the street was none other than the Loulan prince Aigu, who was dressed in a blue shirt.
He held the wine jug in his right hand, tilted his head back, and took a gulp. The pungent liquid ran down his cheek, and the strong aroma filled the air. Jiang Wan could smell it from a distance of ten feet, which showed that it was a very strong wine.
She frowned imperceptibly, then realized that they had only met a few times and there was no need for her to meddle in other people's affairs. She laughed and asked, "Your Highness, why don't you go to a restaurant to drink instead of sitting on the floor?"
"Enjoy the night view." Aigu patted the empty space beside her and motioned for Jiang Wan to sit down. "Your Great Zhou city is truly prosperous, especially at night, with all the lights and colors. It's much more lively than our Loulan."
Jiang Wan sat side by side with him on the bluestone. "You should go to Lin'an, that's where the real excitement is."
"Really?" Aigu asked curiously, "You're from Lin'an, tell me about it?"
Jiang Wan recalled the original owner's childhood experiences and said softly, "The road is filled with the fragrance of the BMW and carved carriages, the sound of the phoenix flute resonates, the light of the jade pot swirls, and fish and dragons dance all night long." [1]
She had just casually recited a word to suit the occasion, but as she continued reciting, her heart inexplicably felt a little bitter. She didn't know whether it was the lingering longing for Lin'an City from the original owner, or her own longing for her hometown in her previous life.
In fact, judging from the original owner’s memory, the place where he lived in his previous life was very similar to the scenery and climate of the current capital.
Aigu was so absorbed in listening that she couldn't help but put down the wine pot. After a while, she whispered, "Do you miss home too?"
Jiang Wan was stunned, not knowing how to answer. This Lin'an City was her hometown, but also not her hometown.
"My mother often misses home. I wonder if there is a chance to take her to Lin'an to visit." Aigu looked up at the bright moon in the sky.
This moon shines on Xiaofangpan City, Loulan, Lin'an, and also on Jiang Wan's hometown in another time and space.
"I'm going back to Loulan tonight." Aigu took a sip of wine, her cheeks flushed from the spiciness. After a long pause, she continued, "I've been here for more than half a month, and still nothing has been achieved... Mother's illness has worsened, and I have to go back to see her. Ahem, if Mother wasn't here, I wouldn't want to go back at all. It's better to be outside, free and unfettered."
Jiang Wan'an listened quietly, feeling a little shaken. She had previously suspected someone might have tampered with the princess's diet. But such palace secrets were best left unsaid. She simply wanted to live happily with her family and avoid any trouble, so she never mentioned it.
But now, seeing Aigu drowning her sorrows in alcohol, she hesitated again.
These days, she has become more and more soft-hearted - if it were her previous self, she would definitely keep her mouth shut.
Jiang Wan sighed, feeling somewhat guilty, and patted the other person on the back: "Don't be too sad, there is always a way to treat it. I believe that one day, you will definitely bring Her Royal Highness the Princess back to visit."
"Well," Aigu sat there for a while, then seemed to feel better. She stood up and said, "I should go back and pack my bags. Thank you for your guidance. I feel better now."
"Your Highness, take care on your journey and wish you good luck." Jiang Wan suppressed his guilt and waved to him.
Aigu turned her back and suddenly turned back: "By the way, Jiang Wan, next time we meet, don't call me Your Highness. Just call me by my name."
Jiang Wan was stunned.
"I was wrong before. This trip is not for nothing," Aigu said seriously. "I'm glad to meet you as a friend."
He gazed at her in the moonlight, the watery moonlight reflected in his clear eyes and also sprinkled on his thin blue shirt.
Jiang Wan felt as if something had collapsed in her heart, and her emotions surged like a tide. She spoke without knowing why, "When you return, please pay attention to the eldest princess's diet, especially... the utensils she uses all year round."
She spoke cryptically, but Aigu, though free and easygoing and simple, had grown up in the royal family, so she understood immediately. His pupils shrank in shock, and he opened his mouth to ask, but in the end, he hesitated and asked nothing. He simply said thank you in a low voice and walked away.
Jiang Wan looked up at the sky, then got up and went home.
She had one more thing to do.
Inside the Jiang family's wooden house, Jiang Wan carefully polished the broken sword. She had saved Zi Yan for this very sword. After the broken sword was repaired, she had no intention of returning it to him, but at least extorted a large sum for the repairs—after all, he was a prominent figure, so he could afford any amount.
But today, she changed her mind and decided to return the broken sword to him. Firstly, the information Zi Yan had given her was crucial to bringing down Li Weimin and Huang Xingquan; secondly, he could have stood by and watched to protect his identity, but he was willing to risk being exposed to tell her this information. She should be grateful for his sincerity and trust.
After wiping it, she sheathed the sword, carried it on her back and walked out the door to Zi Yan's residence.
But he happened to see a flickering flame in the other party's back room.
Zi Yan squatted facing the stone wall, a wad of paper money in his hand, a string of white flowers beside him. The flames flickered, consuming the paper money bit by bit. The firelight illuminated the young man's face as he silently lit the paper money, his eyes dark yet reflecting the warm glow of the fire.
Jiang Wan had seen paper money burned in her previous life, but most people would chant the names of their deceased loved ones, followed by a few prayers and blessings, believing that this was the only way to express their grief. She had never seen anyone as silent as Zi Yan.
But it certainly wasn't a lack of affection for the deceased. Zi Yan's kung fu was no less than Shen Jianqing's, and Jiang Wan knew this. She was so close, yet he didn't notice, which showed that his attention was completely focused on the paper money, and he missed the deceased deeply.
It must be someone close to him.
Jiang Wan suddenly felt curious. She only knew the young man before her by his courtesy name. According to the Great Zhou ritual, men could only take a courtesy name after they reached the age of twenty. But Zi Yan was something she had never heard of before, and she had no idea if it was true. As for his name and background, she knew nothing at all.
She only felt that those eyes were cold and distant, but there were turbulent waves underneath; his demeanor was as cold as ice, but there was a deep softness hidden.
What kind of person is he? What has he been through to become so calm and composed that is not in line with his age? Why is he injured so badly, but has no family to pick him up and no companions to look for him for more than ten days?
Jiang Wan walked over carefully and gently poked his shoulder with her finger. His body trembled when he felt the warmth from her fingertips.
Then a strong force pressed her against the wall, and slender hands pinched her delicate neck, and the grip became tighter and tighter, so tight that she could hardly breathe.
Jiang Wan felt her vision go dark. Zi Yan's godlike face magnified in her pupils, with pale skin, tightly pursed lips, and a wary and suspicious look.
She struggled to utter a few unclear syllables. The hand that was pinching her was so strong that she couldn't even utter a complete sentence.
In a trance, Jiang Wan saw the green-faced and fanged King Yama waving at her. As her consciousness gradually blurred, she was thinking about how she, the helmsman of the antique world and a time traveler with a system, was strangled to death in such a frustrating way.
It's really a disaster.
But death did not come as she expected. The hand loosened, and the fresh night air rushed into her mouth and nose. Jiang Wan sat on the ground exhausted.
[1]: From Xin Qiji's "Qingyu'an Lantern Festival"
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