Uncle Fang's eyes gleamed again, but he only focused his gaze on the bracelet.
He took out his monoculars, held the bracelet up to the light, and examined it closely: "A gold-inlaid agarwood bracelet with the character '福' (fortune/blessing)..."
After a while, he put down the bracelet and looked at Ning Yuan with a deep gaze: "This is actually a pair with the gold-inlaid agarwood bracelet with the character for longevity that Empress Dowager Qing used to wear. Old Liu was right, the source of your goods is quite extraordinary."
Ning Yuan smiled sweetly: "Uncle Fang, you're too kind. You've helped me find suppliers for bedding and stationery because of Uncle Liu. I have to live up to your trust."
Since the release of the documents at the end of last year, more and more people are starting small businesses.
There are always capable people who can buy up cloth coupons, cotton, and those stationery items.
Uncle Fang is the well-connected general store owner that Uncle Liu introduced him to; he sells everything.
Before she left the county, the short, fat man under Uncle Liu came to her door and even tried to climb over the wall to get in. He almost got bitten to death by Ahei and was so scared that he wet himself.
She then learned that Uncle Liu wanted to see her one last time before he left.
She went.
In a clean little courtyard, Uncle Liu set up a tea table with a four-cornered table and poured her tea.
He said, "I didn't know your name before, little sister. I was mistaken. If you're willing, I'll treat you like a younger sister, and we should do more business together in the future."
Although he used an ordinary porcelain teapot and brewed coarse tea, the four enamel mugs and teacups laid out looked somewhat familiar...
Ning Yuan frowned slightly, then remembered...
Uncle Liu's manner is reminiscent of the apology tea ceremony held by the Guangdong or Hong Kong governments.
He simply doesn't understand; he's just blindly copying what he sees, resulting in something neither fish nor fowl.
She calmly accepted the teacup, a suspicion forming in her mind...
It seems that Uncle Liu's online friend is probably someone from the Guangdong-Hong Kong region.
Ning Yuan took the tea but didn't drink it. Suddenly, she swiftly swung her wrist and fell to the ground beneath the tree.
"Uncle Liu, that's not how you brew Gongfu tea. You have to prepare the utensils, add the tea leaves, pour the tea, skim off the foam, rinse the pot, scald the cups, and then pour the tea!"
In her past life, she had done a lot of work preparing Gongfu tea to help Li Yan entertain his colleagues and superiors, so of course she knew how to make it.
Uncle Liu's body trembled, and his eyes looked at Ning Yuan with even more fear.
How come this young girl seems so familiar with the Hong Kong government's "apology tea" ritual?
What exactly is her background?!
Ning Yuan was unaware of what Uncle Liu was imagining. She asked directly, "Uncle Liu, didn't you hate me before for ruining your plans and forcing you to bleed a lot of money?"
She had been wondering about this for a long time.
Uncle Liu stared at Ning Yuan and thought that her big, crescent-shaped eyes still resembled those of the "simple" little girl he had first met, dressed in tattered clothes.
Just like himself, he was just an ordinary vendor who set up a stall in the secondhand market to collect cheap antiques.
However, he was no ordinary middleman, and she was certainly not that naive girl.
The girl in front of him was always selling high-quality goods, had a keen eye for antiques, dared to force him to bleed money, and... there was also that shadowy figure who left him powerless and almost wiped out his entire territory.
She should have been someone like him, someone involved in the underworld, but instead she was the top scorer in the liberal arts section of the college entrance exam, and a family member in uniform.
She even knows the Hong Kong government's apology tea ceremony techniques!
Who would have thought that such a powerful and influential person could be hidden in such a small county town, and she's a girl!
No, she's definitely not alone; there must be an unfathomable group of people with her!
Why did they approach him?
Uncle Liu was cautious, ruthless, and suspicious; in an instant, he imagined a whole host of things that were "deeply unfathomable."
He narrowed his long, thin eyes, gesturing for the fat man to bring over a file and place it in front of Ning Yuan.
"This is Uncle's sincerity, Xiao Ning will understand when she sees it."
A person with power, connections, and cunning is someone you should befriend but not offend!
However, he originally invited her over for tea to apologize, hoping to get to know her!
Ning Yuan was unaware that in Uncle Liu's wild imagination, she had become a mysterious figure with "someone behind her"!
She was completely baffled. This uncle wasn't answering her questions, but instead coming to offer his sincerity. What was he trying to do?
She took the file, opened it, and her pupils constricted slightly!
It turns out to be all the information on that human trafficking group that colluded with Zheng Baoguo and that the police are chasing!
They even knew exactly where they were hiding, who their superiors and subordinates were, and where the "goods" they had kidnapped and trafficked were being held!
Uncle Liu chuckled as he picked up his enamel mug and took a sip of tea: "These idiots from other provinces are running wild on our turf and even dared to lay a hand on Xiao Ning. Of course, it's my duty to clean up their mess!"
Ning Yuan closed the file, suppressed her suspicions, and smiled at Uncle Liu: "Uncle Liu, tell me the truth, why are you helping me so much?"
Ning Yuan knew very well that she couldn't show any fear when facing someone like Uncle Liu.
If you show your weakness, you might get hacked to death by a seemingly honest and kind uncle and his men!
Uncle Liu frowned. Did she think this small gift wasn't enough to show her sincerity in making friends, and that's why she asked this question again?
Uncle Liu glanced at the fat man, who then respectfully handed an envelope to Ning Yuan: "This is for you, Sister Ning."
Ning Yuan was baffled: "..."
Brother, you're almost forty, calling me "sister" is so easy for you to say.
Ning Yuan opened the envelope and saw that it contained contact information and addresses in Shanghai.
Uncle Liu gave a kind and honest smile: "I know that Xiao Ning is not short of money. I will introduce you to my connections in Shanghai. They will find a way to get you whatever you need. They can also buy whatever you want to sell!"
Ning Yuan: No... I'm short of money, I have a severe phobia of money deficiency!
Why do these people act like they're facing a major enemy every time she asks Uncle Liu why he's trying to please a complete stranger like her?
It was as if she were some kind of tyrannical landlord, forcing them, a bunch of poor laborers, to deliver things!
Although no one knows what Uncle Liu is up to, his flattery is genuine.
In the end, she smiled and nodded: "Then thank you, Uncle Liu. I'm too young to acknowledge you as my older brother, so please treat me like your niece."
These connections in Shanghai, once she carefully and discerns them, might actually prove useful.
"Alright, then Uncle Liu wishes my dear niece a bright future and that she doesn't forget her uncle when she becomes successful!" Uncle Liu stood up affectionately and extended his hand to her.
Ning Yuan also enthusiastically said, "Let's get rich together!"
Captain Rong was unaware that his outburst of anger had made Ning Yuan "unfathomable," and Ning Yuan herself was also unaware that she had "someone behind her."
An old man and a young man smiled at each other and shook hands as if they were family, but by a twist of fate, each harbored their own secrets.
...
After arriving in Shanghai, Ning Yuan followed the clues and found Uncle Fang. Uncle Fang read Uncle Liu's letter and received her.
It is said that before liberation, Uncle's family was so wealthy that even the Green Gang and the Red Gang had to give them face.
Although his family is long gone and he's just an old tailor, he's very well-connected and influential—in Shanghai dialect, he's known as an "old expert."
The first two times, she asked Uncle Fang to help her get some daily necessities to set up her stall, and he did just that both times.
They had settled the payment and goods transaction, but this time...
Ning Yuan's big eyes sparkled as she looked at Uncle Fang in front of her, her smile widening: "Uncle Fang, what do you think this bracelet can be exchanged for?"
Uncle Fang looked at her and keenly noticed that she wasn't asking how much money it would cost, but rather what she could exchange it for, though the items were indeed good ones.
He pushed up his old-fashioned round glasses and laughed, "Little Ning, what do you want to change to?"
Ning Yuan said, "I want to find a channel that allows me to obtain food flavorings from Shanghai daily chemical factories at a normal price."
Uncle Fang's expression changed: "Do you know that these things require approval from higher-ups to obtain? It's not something an ordinary person can get!"
This is not something that money can solve. The production of these chemical raw materials, especially food chemical raw materials, was already low due to the impact of major movements.
It has only recently recovered. Although it is not a strategic material, it can only be obtained with a special permit, and it is definitely not something that individuals can get their hands on.
Ning Yuan smiled and said, "That's why I came to Uncle! It's precisely because it's not something an ordinary person could get!"
Uncle Fang stared sharply at her: "What do you need these for? Reselling ordinary food, drink, and household items isn't a big problem."
"Reselling chemical raw materials is a real crime and will land you in jail!"
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