"Please have some tea."
Ruizhu's voice pulled Nanxian's wandering thoughts back to reality. She quickly snapped out of her reverie, blinked apologetically, and took the teacup that Ruizhu offered.
As soon as she caught a whiff of the aroma, Nan Xian couldn't help but exclaim in her heart, "This is truly excellent tea."
The finest Lushan Yunwu tea can cost over a thousand yuan per kilogram, which is beyond the reach of ordinary families.
Without making a sound, Ruizhu looked around. She lived in a small, unfinished house with very simple furniture and many things that showed signs of being handmade.
Her gaze fell on Ruizhu's hands again, and she immediately understood—these must have all been made by her own hands.
Ruizhu's voice, just like her name, was like plump pearls gently falling onto a jade plate, with a light rhythm and a slightly raised tone. Even the most ordinary greetings seemed to contain great joy.
“I’ve seen you on TV. You’re even more beautiful in person than on camera.” She tilted her head and looked at Nan Xian, her eyes crinkling with a gentle smile. “Many people here like you.”
Being praised by a girl is a completely different feeling from being praised by a boy, especially since the person praising her in front of her is a beautiful woman with a refined air. Nan Xian was stunned, blinked subconsciously, and felt her face burning for once.
"But I still don't understand why you came to see me." Ruizhu glanced at the large stack of porcelain of various shapes and styles piled up at the feet of the two people, and looked puzzled.
Nan Xian and Diao Yu exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.
As a public figure, and a highly publicized one at that, while we can't say for sure about every word and action, her life is often devoid of privacy. The ever-present paparazzi and even some overly aggressive fans attempt to pry into her life in unreasonable ways.
Therefore, in order not to expose her whereabouts and arouse suspicion from those with ulterior motives, she did not tell anyone about this trip, including Ding He.
Conversely, she was also unable to use her personal connections to find out where Ruizhu lived.
Left with no other option, the two resorted to the simplest and most basic method—
Throw money at them and extract information from them.
So, they split up and pretended to be tourists buying souvenirs, "shopping spree" in the porcelain shops of all sizes in Dejing Town, while also trying to get information about Ruizhu from the shop owners.
However, despite Ruizhu's fame, very few people have actually met her in person, let alone know where she lives. Most people can only offer vague guesses.
However, perseverance pays off. After asking around the entire street, Nan Xian finally heard some truly useful information from an old man who had a stall by the roadside.
The old man was shrewd; seeing her flitting from shop to shop all morning, he probably figured out what Nan Xian was there for. Before Nan Xian could even try to get information out of him, he went straight to the point—
"If you buy all these things, I'll take you to find that little girl!"
Nan Xian:......
She looked at the rows of crooked, obviously unfinished porcelain pieces on the ground, and then at the old man's confident expression. Her feelings were complicated.
What else could I do but grit my teeth and buy all these rotten fruits and vegetables?
Although they wasted a lot of money, thankfully the old man didn't try to scam them. After taking their money, he immediately took them to Ruizhu's house. Only then did they realize that the old man was Ruizhu's neighbor.
Returning to the present, upon hearing Ruizhu's question, Nanxian put down her teacup, her expression gradually becoming serious.
"To be honest, I came here because of Bai Xiangwen. I heard about your story with Bai Xiangwen online and I'm very curious. I have some questions I'd like to ask you. I wonder if it would be convenient for you?"
Ruizhu nodded. "Of course, please go ahead."
"I'd like to know, what was your reason for creating the white elephant pattern? And the drawing of other animal patterns can be replaced by machines, but you insisted on hand-drawing this one. Why is that?"
Ruizhu smiled gently, poured another cup of tea for the two of them, and began to speak:
"This is a long story, please listen to me slowly—"
On my eighteenth birthday, I suddenly had the idea to travel alone, to explore the land I live on foot. So I set off from the northernmost part of China and began my adventure.
I've experienced blizzards with temperatures dropping to minus forty degrees Celsius, witnessed the aurora borealis that was truly awe-inspiring, traversed vast grasslands and desolate deserts, and deeply understood Du Fu's line, "I will climb to the summit and survey all the mountains below."
I've traveled to countless places, met all sorts of people, and experienced diverse cultures and customs. My life is filled with such vibrant colors, yet for some reason, I always feel as if a piece of my heart is missing.
Ruizhu raised her hand and gently covered her chest. Her gaze fell on the steaming tea in front of her. She looked slightly dazed, but then seemed to suddenly remember something. She slowly raised the corners of her lips, and her eyes once again gathered a sparkle.
Until—I came here.
Two years ago, I arrived in Dejing Town. I only planned to stay briefly, but the day before I was to leave, something happened that changed my life...
Upon hearing this, Nan Xian unconsciously tensed her back, subconsciously slowed her breathing, and stared at her intently.
Just then, "Ring ring ring—", Nan Xian's cell phone suddenly rang, startling her as she was engrossed in her conversation.
"Feel sorry."
She quickly took out her phone, and the caller ID showed a name she hadn't expected.
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