The boss at the stall wasn't an adult, but a boy of thirteen or fourteen, sitting nervously in front of his wares.
The boy wanted to call out to customers but seemed too timid to speak.
Tongtong crouched down and asked the boy, "Brother, are these things for sale?"
Liu Yifeng could tell at a glance that this boy was also forced by circumstances to make a living.
Thinking Tongtong couldn't bear to see the boy's plight and wanted to help him out, Liu Yifeng also squatted down by the boy's stall and softened his voice. "Little friend, are your things for sale?"
Hearing Tongtong and Liu Yifeng's questions, the boy nervously stood up. "Yes, yes, you can buy them!"
"Then how much is this one, brother?" Tongtong pointed to a piece of pitch-black stone near the boy's feet.
The boy spoke with some difficulty, "Little brother, my uncle set the price for this stone, and it's too expensive! You shouldn't spend money on this stone, buy something else instead?"
Tongtong looked up at Liu Yifeng. "Daddy, let's buy this stone!"
When Liu Yifeng heard Tongtong say again that he wanted to buy the stone, he understood what Tongtong meant. This stone was definitely not ordinary. So he said to the boy, "It's alright, little friend! Since you said so, it must be that this stone is hard to sell. Today is your village's big market day, and uncle isn't short of this little bit of money. Just sell this stone to uncle! You can go home early too."
Seeing Liu Yifeng say this, the boy said, "Uncle, you can't go back on your word!"
"Yes, yes, my daddy won't!"
Hearing Tongtong's words, the boy felt a pang of sadness. If only my daddy were still here. His eyes reddened slightly as he looked at Liu Yifeng, and he extended his palm. "This stone is eight hundred yuan!"
A young fellow nearby heard the boy name such a price and laughed. "Old Sun is really something! Making you, a child, sell this broken stone during the New Year, and at such a high price, isn't that ripping people off?!" He had initially intended to help the boy out, seeing how often he was scolded and tormented by his uncle, but upon hearing the price of the stone, he shook his head and left with his companion, grumbling.
Tongtong and Liu Yifeng exchanged glances at the man's words. "Brother, it's okay, this stone is within my daddy's means!"
"Yes, little friend, just listen to my son. Sell us the stone, and you can go home early for the New Year."
The boy held the stone, hesitated for a moment. "Let's forget it. This stone really isn't valuable, and it's pitch-black like charcoal, getting everywhere dirty. Little brother, this isn't suitable for you to play with. Don't waste uncle's money."
After much persuasion, Liu Yifeng and Tongtong finally managed to buy the stone.
When Liu Chunsheng, who had gone to buy Li Village's specialty filled pancakes, returned with them, he saw his son and grandson buying a piece of pitch-black stone and asked, "Yifeng, what is this for? Where and how did you find this stone?"
Tongtong said to Liu Chunsheng, "Grandpa, this isn't a stone, it's a very fine, aged inkstone. Earlier, Daddy said he had to visit his teacher for New Year's greetings and was worried about what gift to give. Previously, Daddy saw some strange fruits in Cai Nan City and bought some to give as gifts, but just now, while we were browsing the market, we saw this inkstone, so I asked Daddy to buy it!"
Liu Yifeng only now understood after Tongtong's explanation. "We're truly lucky to have found something good again!"
Liu Chunsheng chuckled upon hearing Liu Yifeng say this and said, "What's the point of finding something good? If not for Tongtong's sharp eyes, you might not have been able to buy it!" He then touched the inkstone. "Tongtong, what's special about this inkstone? That it was made into this state by someone who didn't recognize its value?"
"Daddy, Grandpa, this is no ordinary inkstone! This inkstone was refined using ancient methods. Traditional methods involve various ways of production, but this inkstone, whether analyzed by its carbon blackness, fineness, oil content, or ash content, is a top-quality inkstone." Tongtong gently scraped the inkstone with his hand and handed it to Liu Chunsheng and Liu Yifeng. He continued, "Daddy, Grandpa, smell this inkstone, what does it smell like?"
"I can't tell," Liu Chunsheng said frankly.
"Hmm, it smells of ink. If you smell it carefully, it feels very comfortable and refreshing." Liu Yifeng sniffed it closely.
"Daddy is right. To distinguish the quality of an inkstone, you need to smell its scent. If the scent is pure and strong, it requires adding some spices, because usually, inkstones contain smelly coal and perishable animal glue, and these spices are used to neutralize those odors." He paused, observing their focused attention on the inkstone, and continued. "However, the amount of spice inside also needs to be moderate. Too much will reduce the carbon and glue content, while too little won't achieve the desired effect. There's a great deal of knowledge involved here!"
Liu Chunsheng curiously flicked the inkstone, which produced a crisp sound. Tongtong smiled and continued, "And then there's listening. When Grandpa flicked the inkstone just now, the sound was clear and crisp, which also proves that this inkstone is of good quality."
Then Tongtong wiped the inkstone with some paper. "Moreover, look, the color of this ink is also extraordinary. It exhibits a bluish-purple sheen. Remember, bluish-purple is the best, black is second, and red, yellow, or white are the worst." He paused, then beckoned his daddy with his small hand, wanting to demonstrate the inkstone's properties right there. He continued, "Daddy, bring me a cup of water!"
Hearing Tongtong, Liu Chunsheng quickly snatched the opportunity. "I'll do it, I'll do it!" He rushed to get a disposable cup, filled it with water, and handed it to Tongtong. "Tongtong, here's the water!"
"Now let's test its performance when used." He poured a small amount of ink powder he had scraped off into an empty bowl, dipped a disposable chopstick from the table into a little clear water, and stirred gently. Before long, the ink powder dissolved in the water in the bowl. The ink color gradually permeated the entire cup of water, as if the sky had been dyed with poetic hues. Afterwards, he took a napkin from the table and pretended to hold a brush. "Generally, many famous artists use different inks for their paintings and calligraphy."