Chapter 232: Gaining Knowledge
Liulin Village is not far from Baisha Township, and it only takes more than ten minutes to drive there.
The temple fair here is quite lively, and the sounds of gongs, drums and operas can be heard from afar.
There were not many people on the street, and they arrived at the temple fair after crossing the street for a while. Amid the surprised looks of some passers-by, Lin Heng stopped the car, and the five of them went in to play together.
The scenery here is nice, with many wintersweets planted. The yellow flowers sway in the cold wind, bringing a hint of fragrance.
There were plays and acrobatics here, but Lin Heng had seen them last time and didn't think they were interesting. But his father-in-law and mother-in-law liked them, so Xiulan accompanied them to watch them.
Lin Hengze looked at some roadside stalls selling things. They were selling all kinds of strange things, which were quite interesting even if he just looked at them without buying anything.
"There are people playing diabolo here, which is rare."
Lin Heng looked at the two people playing diabolo not far away with great interest.
"Let's go burn some incense, shall we?"
After a while, Xiulan waved at him from not far away.
Lin Heng nodded and walked over, listening to Xiulan explain that her parents wanted to burn incense and pray for peace. He had no objection to this, it didn't cost much, so he followed them in and burned a stick of incense.
This is a Buddhist temple, with Guanyin Bodhisattva enshrined on several sides. The temple keeper looks fat. I heard that this temple was restored less than two years after the reform and opening up.
Lin Heng burned a stick of incense worth one dollar, and the family was invited to the backyard to drink tea and enjoy the flowers. The winter plums of various colors were in full bloom in the backyard, which was quite nice. The tea was also very good, and it was really nice to drink tea and enjoy the flowers.
My mother-in-law was delighted with the amulet in her hand, while my father-in-law was happy to see the backyard of the Bodhisattva temple, which would give him more topics to talk about in the village when he returned.
Xiaoxia asked questions like a curious baby, full of curiosity about the world.
After finishing a pot of tea, several people got up and went out, and the temple keeper saw them to the door.
"This temple fair is pretty good and lively. No wonder they all say it's fun here." After leaving the temple, Chen Changxia, Chen's father, said with a smile.
"I've broadened my horizons. This is my first time coming here during the Chinese New Year." Chen's mother Wang Zhi also sighed, saying that she had no time to come out during the Chinese New Year in the past.
"If you like to play, let's hang out for a while. There's no rush."
Lin Heng said with a smile.
After walking around for a while and looking around everywhere, Chen Changxia smiled and said, "I am satisfied too. Let's go back and eat."
"Is it already twelve o'clock?" asked Chen's mother Wang Zhi.
"Yes, it's already half past twelve." Xiulan replied.
"Then we have to go back quickly. You must be starving." Chen Changxia said hurriedly. He had played for such a long time without realizing it.
"I'm fine." Lin Heng said with a smile. He had actually been hungry for a long time, but luckily there was food for sale in this place.
After returning to the parking lot, Lin Heng drove everyone back.
As soon as I returned to Liulin Village, I found three people standing outside the door. They had obviously been waiting for a long time. From a distance, I could see them walking back and forth. It was obvious that they were getting impatient.
However, as Lin Heng's car drove over and stopped, the expressions of the three people obviously eased a little.
Xiulan recognized that this was her second sister and greeted her with a normal expression: "Second sister and brother-in-law, happy new year."
"Did you buy this?" Chen Xiuhua's eyes widened. How come her brother-in-law had already bought such a fancy motorcycle after just a few months of not seeing him?
"Yes, I just took my parents to the temple fair." Xiulan nodded.
Chen Changxia got out of the car and said with a smile, "Xiuhua and Chen Lin, I'm sorry, I ran out to play. I'm afraid you won't be able to wait long."
"It's okay, Dad. This is normal." The man named Chen Lin smiled and waved his hands.
"I've been waiting for more than an hour." Chen Xiuhua said angrily.
Chen Changxia opened the door and welcomed everyone in. Wang Zhi took Chen Xiuhua aside and said nice things to her. She had indeed forgotten that her second daughter had come to pay New Year's greetings.
Chen Xiuhua's husband Chen Lin greeted Lin Heng: "You must be Lin Heng, right? I heard about you from my parents last time. I have heard a lot about you."
As he said this he handed me a cigarette.
"Thanks, but I don't smoke." Lin Heng smiled and waved his hand.
"That's okay." Chen Lin originally wanted to smoke, but when he heard Lin Heng say he didn't smoke, he put it back.
After entering the house, he took the initiative to sit next to Lin Heng and started chatting with him. Chen Lin felt that Lin Heng was rich and powerful, and he and he were also related. It would not be a bad thing to establish a relationship with him, and he might even make a fortune from it.
Lin Heng had nothing to do so he started chatting with him and found that this guy was quite interesting and spoke in a pleasant and humorous way.
Chen Xiuhua, who was not far away, was so angry that her eyes turned green. Her husband actually took the initiative to chat with her brother-in-law. It was just a motorcycle, what was the big deal?
"Chen Lin, come out and help me." She found an excuse and shouted at Chen Lin.
After they got out, she couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean? Are you deliberately going against me?"
Chen Lin was helpless: "I think we should make use of this kind of resource. A brand new motorcycle costs 6,000 to 7,000 yuan, and a used one costs 3,000 to 4,000 yuan. People who can drive this car must be very rich. You and Chen Xiulan are sisters, so don't we have a natural advantage in cooperation?"
Chen Xiuhua was shocked that the motorcycle was so expensive, but then she sneered and said, "I won't bow to Chen Xiulan, so just forget it."
"Besides, who knows if that motorcycle was borrowed or rented?" After saying that, Chen Xiuhua turned and went into the house.
Chen Lin was speechless for a long time. He smoked a cigarette and then went back into the house. After entering the house, he apologized to Lin Heng and didn't say anything else.
Lin Heng understood what happened, but he didn't care. He didn't want to have any communication with Chen Xiuhua and her husband, but just now Chen Lin took the initiative to talk to him, and he thought this person was not bad, so he chatted with him for a few words.
As for Chen Xiuhua, he didn't want to pay any attention to her. This woman was jealous of Xiulan because of her appearance, and resented Xiulan because her parents were partial to her. It can only be said that she was too narrow-minded. These things had nothing to do with Xiulan herself.
There is nothing that can be done about the fact that there are many different kinds of people.
"The meal is ready."
Following a sound coming from the kitchen, Lin Heng quickly got up to help serve the dishes.
The dinner table was quite harmonious. Lin Heng did not drink because he had to drive. He held Xiaoxia in his arms and fed her. She really liked the dried persimmon cake on the table.
It was already two o'clock after dinner. Lin Heng and Xiulan didn't want to stay any longer, so they said goodbye and left.
Xiulan's parents gave Xiaoxia a red envelope, gave Lin Heng and Xiulan two large bags of dried fish, and watched the three of them leave.
"call!!"
After leaving Liulin Village, Xiulan took a deep breath and felt a lot more relaxed.
"Shall we go into the city to play next?" Lin Heng looked at her and asked.
"Go ahead. There's nothing to do at home anyway." Xiulan nodded.
"Okay then!"
Lin Heng nodded and headed towards the city. They arrived at the city a little after three o'clock.
After entering the city, Lin Heng first went to the car shop to take a look. Seeing that the door was open, he went in decisively to get his license plate.
After installing the car, I went to the custom clothing shop, but unfortunately it was closed.
But he didn't care and took Xiulan directly to Baishui Temple, the most lively temple in the city. This temple is close to Baihe River, the largest river in Taibai City. There are snack streets, commercial streets, antique streets, famous streets, etc. around it.
Whenever there are festivals, this place will be very lively.
Lin Heng first came to the Antique Street, parked the car in the parking area next to it, and took Xiulan and Xiaoxia in to play.
There are high-end jade and antique shops here, as well as private stalls selling various antiques.
Lin Heng doesn’t have golden eyes. He came in mainly to watch the fun and buy something if he likes it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s real or not.
“This market is so huge.”
Xiulan said in surprise, it is much bigger than the one in Baisha Township.
"I'll take you to the antique market in Ancheng or the capital in the future. They're really big there." Lin Heng said with a smile.
Perhaps due to the large number of ancient tombs in the Qinling Mountains, there are also many antique markets, almost everywhere, but the scales vary greatly.
Xiaoxia was pulled by Lin Heng, looking here and there. There were too many people around and she didn't dare to speak much. She also held Lin Heng's tree tightly.
After a while, Lin Heng stopped at a stall selling calligraphy and paintings, which sold various kinds of ancient calligraphy and paintings.
"Which one do you like, boss?" asked the middle-aged man selling calligraphy and paintings with a smile.
"This bamboo painting is nice. How much is it?" Lin Heng asked, pointing at a painting of bamboo in ink.
"Boss, you have a really good eye. This calligraphy and painting is incredible. It is a famous piece from the Ming Dynasty..."
Before the stall owner could finish his words, Lin Heng interrupted him: "Stop talking nonsense, tell me how much it costs?"
If he said something was painted by a scholar or juren in the Qing Dynasty, he would believe it. But the Ming Dynasty really took people for fools.
The stall owner nodded and agreed: "Okay, if you really want this painting, just give me fifty yuan. It won't be a problem to sell it for thousands or even tens of thousands later. This is a Ming Dynasty product."
Xiulan was shocked: "So expensive?"
Lin Heng smiled slightly, held up three fingers and said, "Three dollars, plus the orchid painting next to it."
"This is... Deal, deal!" The stall owner originally wanted to force the deal, but when he saw Lin Heng was about to leave, he hurriedly said.
"It's too late."
Lin Heng shrugged and indicated that he was going to the next one.
"Come on, big brother, I'll give you another pair."
However, it was too late, Lin Heng left without looking back.
"Do you understand now?" Lin Heng smiled at Xiulan.
Xiulan blinked: "They are all fake, right?"
“We can’t say they are all fake, but there is only one genuine piece in a hundred, or maybe even one in a thousand. An outsider would lose everything if he played with them.” Lin Heng said with a smile.
"I've learned a lot." Xiulan said with a chuckle.
Not far away, we saw a place for gambling on stones, and many people were watching.
Lin Heng held Xiaoxia and watched for a while, mainly to gain some knowledge. It was impossible to play with it, it was even worse than buying antiques.
After looking for a while, Lin Heng found another stall selling calligraphy and paintings. It was bigger than the previous stall, and also had some bracelets and other things.
After looking for a while, he bought three paintings of plum, orchid and bamboo for three yuan, plus two bodhi root bracelets.
These paintings are of course fake, but he originally used them to decorate the house. As long as they look good, it doesn’t matter whether they are authentic or not. He just enjoys looking at them.
It is not difficult to buy authentic products. You can just go to the state-designated cultural relics stores, but the things there are generally more expensive and unaffordable.
Xiaoxia was so happy wearing the bracelet that she shook it from time to time.
When he was about to leave the antique market, Lin Heng saw a stall set up by an old man.
"Uncle, how much is this box?"
Lin Heng asked curiously, what was on the stall was not anything else but bamboo mahjong.
This is a kind of mahjong handmade from ox bones and bamboo. Even if it is a fake, it is still worth a lot.
"This is from the Republic of China, thirty dollars a box." said the old man.
Lin Heng bargained: "How about three dollars?"
The old man waved his hands unhappily: "I already said it's from the Republic of China, the minimum is twenty-five."
Lin Heng stopped talking and took Xiulan and Xiaoxia to the snack street. Although he wanted it, he was crazy about the price before buying it.
"Twenty is fine."
Seeing Lin Heng leaving, the old man shouted from behind, but Lin Heng didn't even turn around.
After a stroll in the snack street, they bought a candy figurine and candied haws for Xiaoxia. Lin Heng and Xiulan bought two kilograms of sugar-roasted chestnuts and ate them while walking.
Afterwards, they went to take a look near Baishui Temple, but did not go inside. Instead, they leaned on the railing and looked at the Baihe River. The sun was setting, and orange-red clouds covered half of the sky. The light made Xiulan's hair seem to have a hint of pink.
After shopping, the three of them walked towards the parking lot.
Boom! With the roar of the engine, golden popcorn sticks kept popping out from the holes of the tractor, and a group of people were waiting to buy them.
This rice popsicle stick is made by a tractor using corn and sugar. Both adults and children love to eat it.
"Dad, I want to eat that too!"
Xiaoxia smelled the sweet scent in the air and whispered.
"Then I'll go buy you some."
Lin Heng nodded. This thing was not expensive and tasted great. He liked it very much.
He walked over and asked the price, which was one yuan per pound. Lin Heng bought one pound directly. It took three one-meter-long plastic bags to fill up to reach the weight of one pound.
"Give."
Lin Heng folded the paper in his hand into three parts and handed one to Xiaoxia and Xiulan respectively.
"Great!" Xiaoxia took bite after bite like a greedy puppy.
After buying the things, Lin Heng got in the car, started the car and drove towards Hongfeng Mountain.
We walked slowly on the road because the weather suddenly became much colder as the sun went down.
When the three of them returned home, it was already seven o'clock. Fortunately, the motorcycle had lights, so they were not worried about not being able to see the road clearly at night.
"I thought you guys weren't coming back?"
Father Lin said with a smile when he saw the three people coming back.
"I played in the city for a little too long and came back late." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"Grandpa, it's so much fun in the city. There are so many things to eat." Xiaoxia also said in a baby voice.
"Did you bring it for me?" Father Lin bent down and looked at Xiaoxia.
"I brought them. They're all over the car." Xiaoxia pointed at the rice popsicles in the car.
"She is truly my good granddaughter."
Hearing this, Father Lin smiled happily and picked her up.
"Put your food here and eat. We've been waiting for you."
Father Lin held Xiaoxia in his arms and continued speaking.
"Okay." Lin Heng and Xiulan agreed in unison.
While Xiulan was getting her things, Lin Heng drove the car into the yard and walked towards the old house.
(End of this chapter)
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