Two men, one tall and one short, were walking across the street. The taller one, clad in fine silks and with a refined face, exuded an air of nobility. The slightly shorter one wore the attire of a guard, his expression alert and spirited.
"Master, you... you see!" the guard exclaimed, his mouth agape in surprise, pointing across the street.
Prince Yu, holding a candied hawthorn skewer, followed the direction of A Qiu's finger. Across the street, a young boy in red stepped into a jewelry shop named "Yuan Bao."
"What are you looking at! Haven't you seen a 'person' before? Stop making a fuss!" Prince Yu chided A Qiu, glancing at him sideways.
A Qiu was excited. "Master, that's no ordinary person, it's Miss Bai Sheng, the remarkable individual who resolved the road congestion!"
"Bai Sheng? That little dark-faced one?" Prince Yu popped a delicate candied hawthorn into his mouth.
Master, how can you call my idol 'little dark-faced'? A Qiu pouted, nodding glumly, "Yes, that's her."
"Eh?" Prince Yu stopped chewing. "This little dark-faced one, cleaned up and changed clothes, looks much more pleasing to the eye."
A Qiu thought: That's because you haven't seen her face properly, otherwise you'd be gagging again.
"Let's go, this prince is hungry," Prince Yu said impatiently.
"Yes," A Qiu replied, following him.
He hoped the next restaurant they visited would allow his master to successfully sit down and eat a full meal. This was already the sixth one!
It was never about disliking the restaurant's cleanliness, or the unrefined presentation of dishes, or even the plain appearance of the waiters...
Oh, this hungry ancestor, A Qiu cried out in his heart.
Inside Yuan Bao Jewelry.
After examining the goods in the display cabinets again, Bai Sheng concluded that Yuan Bao's quality was indeed significantly inferior to Ming Bao Zhai, with the jewelry itself being several grades lower in quality. However, it excelled in novel designs and extremely exquisite craftsmanship.
There weren't many shop assistants; just a round-faced young man responsible for greeting customers and a middle-aged man of average appearance sitting at the counter managing the abacus.
Although unsure if this shop had the capacity to purchase her stones, Bai Sheng still decided to give it a try.
She glanced at the shop assistant and the middle-aged man, deciding to question the former first, as less experienced individuals were more likely to reveal information.
Since Bai Sheng's entry, the shop assistant had been enthusiastically greeting her and introducing the various jewelry pieces in the display cabinets.
After listening attentively for a while, Bai Sheng smiled and asked the shop assistant if they purchased valuable items.
The shop assistant was startled and, narrowing his eyes slightly, asked, "How 'valuable'?"
"Much, much better in quality than all the jewelry in your shop," Bai Sheng said confidently.
Hmph, what a boastful tone!
The shop assistant took a serious look at Bai Sheng and then called out loudly to the middle-aged man at the counter, "Third Uncle, this young gentleman says she has valuable goods to sell."
The middle-aged man, addressed as Third Uncle, looked up from his abacus, cast a glance at Bai Sheng, and then walked over.
"What kind of valuable goods does the young gentleman have?"
Bai Sheng pulled at the corners of her mouth and smiled. Seeing that there were few people in the shop, she directly took out the stone from her bag.
Third Uncle nodded slightly. "So, it's a rough stone. Young gentleman, please wait a moment, I'll go invite the owner to take a look."
"Alright," Bai Sheng nodded and made a "please" gesture.
Third Uncle turned and entered a room inside.
"Young gentleman, where did you get this stone?" the shop assistant asked with a broad smile.
Bai Sheng smiled faintly. "The snake my family raises picked it up from a snake's den."
The shop assistant said "oh" with a hint of joy in his eyes. "Then, where is that snake's den?"
"Underground," Bai Sheng winked at the shop assistant, tapping the ground with her toe.
Hmph, trying to pry information out of me, you're still too young, kid.
The shop assistant realized he had asked an inappropriate question, his ears turning slightly red. He chuckled awkwardly and said no more.
At this moment, the latticed door inside opened, and Third Uncle emerged with a young man dressed in moon-white robes.
This young man was tall and slender, his dark hair tied up in a bun on top of his head, with a lustrous white jade hairpin passing through it. His face was fair, and his features were as finely drawn as a painting.
What a handsome young man!
Bai Sheng felt her eyes clear, her pupils instantly refreshed.
However, compared to her cheap husband, he was still inferior. If he wore her husband's worn-out clothes, he would certainly not be as good-looking as her husband; if her husband wore his luxurious silks and brocades, he would definitely be more handsome than him.
Hum hum, watching his master's infatuated expression, he wished he could cover his pig face with pig hooves. You simpleton, where have you gone? If you don't come back soon, your wife is going to be flirted away.
Looking at the three eager onlookers before him, Hum hum took several deep breaths to calm himself.
Forget it, he'd skip this part and not tell them, to avoid damaging his master's brilliant image.
Bai Sheng and the handsome young man exchanged greetings.
"I am Wen Zhi Mo, Wen for warmth, Zhi for stopping, and Mo for paths. May I ask the young gentleman's name?"
Wen Zhi Mo truly exemplified the saying, "a gentleman, gentle and like jade."
Does this person also have the surname Wen? Could he be related to the shopkeeper Wen at Ming Bao Zhai? Upon closer inspection, they did bear some resemblance.
"Bai Sheng, Bai for white, Sheng for sheng xiao," Bai Sheng curved her lips upwards.
"Bai Sheng? A good name," Wen Zhi Mo said with a refined smile.
Bai Sheng looked at Wen Zhi Mo and asked directly, "Forgive my intrusion, but is Young Master Wen's 'Yuan Bao' the same establishment as 'Ming Bao Zhai' on Tongfu Street? The shopkeeper there is also surnamed Wen."
A hint of coldness flashed in Wen Zhi Mo's eyes, and he chuckled lightly. "I... have no connection with them."
"Oh, that would be for the best," Bai Sheng smiled.
On the way, that auntie said that Yuan Bao's boss and Ming Bao Zhai were deliberately opposing each other. Could these two be in a family feud?
Wen Zhi Mo smiled and subtly glanced at Bai Sheng. "May I see Young Master Bai's valuable goods?"
Bai Sheng nodded, took out the stone, and made a "please" gesture.
Wen Zhi Mo took the stone in his hand and, using a small stone hammer, tapped it to listen to the sound.
After listening to the stone's resonance for a while, his expression gradually became cautious. He looked up and asked, "Young Master Bai, may I presume to ask if I could cut off a small piece of the stone's rind (the layer of stone covering a gemstone mine)? I assure you, I will not harm the interior."
Having someone help cut the rind was a godsend. Bai Sheng smiled. "As long as you don't harm the interior, please proceed, Young Master Wen."
Wen Zhi Mo glanced at Third Uncle beside him. Third Uncle turned and left, returning shortly with a rosewood box.
The rosewood box was placed before Wen Zhi Mo.
Wen Zhi Mo opened the box to find various sizes and styles of knives, hammers, and polishing tools neatly arranged inside.
He took out a slightly wide knife and began to carefully cut the stone's rind.
After a long while, the rind was finally cut open at a small opening, revealing a sliver of translucent jade green.
Bai Sheng looked at it, utterly astonished.
It was Ice-Type Imperial Green!
It was many times better in quality than the jade bracelet sold for a thousand taels at Ming Bao Zhai!
Wen Zhi Mo could not conceal the surprise in his eyes and could not help but praise, "Truly the finest of the finest!"
When Hum hum reached this point, his head, Flash, raised proudly. Who was he? Would he deign to look at ordinary goods? The gift for his master had to be unique and exceptional!
Cloud was feeling a bit inferior. It felt that the Cistanche she had given her master was the best thing their camels could find, but compared to Flash's, it was utterly inadequate.
Rain was even more self-conscious. It felt useless now, eating, drinking, and living in their master's space for free, truly a top-tier freeloader.
Hum hum saw the little thoughts of the other items and immediately brought out the helpfulness of a neighborhood committee auntie, stepping forward to comfort them. "Oh dear, what are you all doing! Is our master that vulgar? She has always regarded money as dirt!"