Lucas looked rather grim. He glanced at the mall manager, then reached out and patted Song Yan's shoulder, repeatedly saying "Song...Song..." as if trying to comfort the somewhat agitated Song Yan.
Song Yan turned around, reached out and patted Lucas's hand to indicate that he was alright.
The person in charge hesitated for a moment: "Mr. Song, how much do you think this should cost?"
Song Yan said with a serious expression, "Multiply by at least three."
"Isn't this too high?" the person in charge asked with a worried look.
Song Yan was somewhat reluctant to pay attention to him, but gave Wen Ruan a look. Wen Ruan translated for him: "Mr. Lucas, this person in charge said that lacquerware is a national treasure. It has been passed down in China for eight thousand years. It has been nourished by profound culture and has also undergone exquisite craftsmanship, which has made it beautiful today."
“Each piece of lacquerware requires the collaboration of four or five skilled artisans and takes up to a month to complete, making it a highly valuable work of art for appreciation and collection.”
Lucas listened intently, exclaiming "amazing!" and begged the two of them to let him buy the artworks at the original price!
He then acquired the lacquer jewelry set for 105, and it was as if he had opened the door to a new world. He began a shopping spree and told Wen Ruan that his wife was very passionate about Chinese culture and loved collecting antiques, cheongsams, and other items. He said that she would be very surprised to receive these items.
The two were initially quite proud of themselves for showing off traditional Chinese craftsmanship to the German, but upon hearing that many Chinese antiques had been lost overseas and were now being flaunted by foreigners, they couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. Those were all our own national treasures!
Wen Ruan forced a smile and said, "Mr. Lucas, you can choose whatever you like, and it's no problem to buy as much as you want. We will communicate with the person in charge here, and he will send someone to deliver the goods you purchased to your residence."
Lucas nodded with a satisfied expression.
After selecting about thirty items, Lucas finally stopped, somewhat reluctantly.
Wen Ruan said that if Mr. Lucas still likes these handicrafts and wants to buy them, she can take him to visit them again when she has time.
Lucas nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Seeing that it was getting light, Song Yan took Lucas and his entourage to the largest and most distinctive roast duck restaurant in Beijing, intending to show him some authentic Beijing cuisine.
Wen Ruan explained in detail how to eat roast duck: you can put roast duck, shredded scallions, cucumber strips, and hawthorn strips on the pancake, dip it in roast duck sauce, roll it up, and then you can start eating.
Lucas tried making it himself, savoring the food he had wrapped with his own hands, and looked on with admiration.
Then, following the two people's instructions, we dipped the roast duck skin in white sugar. It was crispy and delicious, with a perfect balance of sweet and savory. Paired with a bowl of duck bone soup, it was quite a pleasant experience.
Lucas buried himself in his food.
After the meal, Song Yan introduced him: "Mr. Lucas, you just mentioned your wife, who loves cheongsams. I happen to know a cheongsam shop, and I can take you there."
"I really admire your relationship with your wife. My wife and I have only been married for less than a month. I hope that our relationship will be as loving as yours."
Wen Ruan was a little embarrassed to translate after hearing this, blushing and remaining silent. Song Yan gestured for her to continue, while Lucas and his entourage looked at Wen Ruan with curiosity, wanting to know what Song Yan had just said.
There was no other way, so Wen Ruan blushed and translated it for Lucas and the other two.
"Oh my goodness, Song, congratulations on your marriage! I didn't know you got married so recently. According to custom, shouldn't I give you a wedding gift?" After saying that, she took out a women's watch from her pocket, intending to hand it to him, saying that she bought it in Shanghai.
"Song, you are a handsome man, I'm sure your wife must be a beautiful lady too!" Lucas said with a smile, offering his blessings.
Song Yan waved his hands repeatedly to refuse, saying, "Mr. Lucas, you've met my wife before. She's the beautiful translator next to you, Wen Ruan." Song Yan looked at Wen Ruan with a happy smile.
Wen Ruan translated truthfully, which amazed Lucas, who said the two were a perfect match and that Ms. Wen Ruan was the most charming woman with oriental allure he had ever seen, extremely beautiful and captivating.
After their conversation, with Lucas's consent, Song Yan led them to a tailor shop not far from the Beijing Textile Factory. It was said that the tailors at this shop had been practicing tailoring for generations, boasting a history of over a century. The shop displayed a wide variety of cheongsams, each embroidered by hand, stitch by stitch.
Along the way, Song Yan and Wen Ruan kept telling Lucas about the history of the Chinese cheongsam, especially the fifteen types of cheongsam from the Republic of China and the stories behind them, which made him exclaim in amazement and say that he wanted to make several more for his wife to take back to China.
As soon as Song Yan entered the shop, tailor Master Yao came out. Upon seeing Song Yan, he greeted him warmly, "Mr. Song, you've finally arrived! The cheongsam you ordered for your wife is finished here. It took a whole month to make, and it's just been waiting for you to pick it up. Are you taking it with you today, or...?"
Song Yan felt a little uncomfortable and hurriedly interrupted, "No, Master Yao, today we are showing Mr. Lucas the beauty of our traditional Chinese clothing. He wants to have a few cheongsams made for his wife."
Wen Ruan was surprised to learn that Song Yan had actually ordered clothes for her. She had never heard him mention this before and was somewhat taken aback, so she didn't have time to translate.
Looking at the various cheongsams in the shop, Lucas couldn't help but feel anxious and asked Wen Ruan what Song Yan and the tailor had just been talking about.
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