"Uh... well, hehe, Xiao Qing, let’s eat! Hungry, aren’t you?" Ruan Xue switched to a servile smile and eagerly pulled out a chair for An Yiqing.
Everyone watched the humorous contrast between the animated Ruan Xue and the calm An Yiqing, and they all burst into laughter, enjoying a sumptuous dinner that completely swept away the day’s worries brought by ng Po and Ah Gang.
After dinner, everyone rested for a while before dressing up and leaving the hotel for a stroll at the night market that Duan Jingning ntioned.
The night market Duan Jingning ntioned is quite famous, known as the most bustling street in Arthur at night. Before the skies fully darkened, small stalls lined up neatly along the path, each with a distinct style and varied goods for sale.
An Yiqing and her group, having nothing better to do, leisurely started browsing from one end of the night market. By the end, they had collected quite a few trinkets unique to Country Fei, even An Yiqing, who typically wasn’t interested in shopping, bought a few pieces.
"Miss, if we walk a bit further, we’ll reach the place Elder Duan ntioned where they sell raw materials. Shall we go now or wait for General Gu to join us?" Zhang Yuksheng asked.
"Let’s go ahead first; he might take so ti with his matters, so let’s not wait." An Yiqing glanced at Xia Hao carrying a heap of items and at the frenzied shopping of Ruan Xue, shaking her head helplessly, deciding to rescue Xia Hao from his predicant. Originally, Gu Yelin planned to join them, but then Cao Xiaosha appeared unexpectedly, indicating sothing important was likely at hand.
An Yiqing collected her thoughts and, with Zhang Yuksheng and others, navigated through the bustling crowd to the area selling raw materials.
Even though Country Fei is rich in jade, people’s love for money never wavers. Even the locals of Country Fei often visit here daily to try their luck. When An Yiqing and her group arrived, the stalls were surrounded by people. Though not crowded, it was evident that the raw materials were quite popular.
A few days ago, Ruan Xue had selected a piece of raw material, and this morning it yielded a block of icy Positive Green. Although not a top-grade jade, for Ruan Xue, who had never engaged in stone gambling, this unexpected fortune was pleasantly surprising. Thus, she developed an interest in raw materials. Seeing these stalls now, she imdiately got ready, squeezing into the crowd. Xia Hao, noticing Ruan Xue had disappeared, hurriedly followed with a pile of items, throwing an apologetic glance at An Yiqing before leaving. His own mischievous monkey was troubleso, indeed...
Everyone went their separate ways, and the staff from Xuanjin Yulong who ca with An Yiqing also began to move independently. At this mont, only Zhang Yuksheng remained behind her.
An Yiqing stood in place, casually scanning the stalls of raw materials, and suddenly her gaze fixed on a corner.
The corner was very dim, with insufficient lighting. Without careful observation, it was hard to notice soone had set up a stall there. All other stalls were encircled by people, but this stall stood deserted and eerily quiet.
An Yiqing shifted her gaze to the stall’s owner. It was an elderly woman around seventy, typical of Country Fei’s appearance. Her hair was all white, her face lined with wrinkles, and her small, frail body seed older than her actual age, appearing over eighty at first glance.
An Yiqing raised her brows, intrigued not by any treasure but by the elderly woman’s aura of calm assurance.
This elderly woman appeared to be soone who had endured a hard and tumultuous life. Logically, she should seem dispirited, having lost hope. Yet, she showed no signs of decline; instead, brimming with vitality, like an ancient tree, aged yet robustly emanating its life force.
An Yiqing had t many talented individuals, but this elderly woman was undeniably an ordinary person. The vitality around her sparked An Yiqing’s curiosity deeply.
She stepped forward, with Zhang Yuksheng quickly following her lead.
The dim lighting in the corner provided only a faint glimr. If not for An Yiqing and Zhang Yuksheng both being practitioners of ancient martial arts, they might not have clearly seen the items on display.
Hearing footsteps, the elderly woman lifted her slightly drooping head. Only then did An Yiqing notice the woman had so visual impairnt, likely with severely blurred vision.
"Welco, feel free to look around." The elderly woman said in fluent Feinese, then fell silent.
An Yiqing wasn’t fluent in Feinese but could understand basic phrases. She squatted down, scrutinizing the raw materials on the stall.
The stall wasn’t large, with just over a dozen pieces of raw material. Using her clairvoyant eye, An Yiqing scanned them, feeling sowhat disappointed. Although the jade within these materials was decent, they were mid to low quality, not eting her standards.
An Yiqing felt a bit let down, having thought the vitality around the elderly woman might indicate a hidden treasure. Was she mistaken?
Rising to her feet, An Yiqing politely thanked the elderly woman in Feinese and was about to leave when sothing out of the corner of her eye suddenly made her pause.
It was a stone, not very large, with a dull gray surface; on construction sites, such stones were abundant. The elderly woman was using it as a makeshift stool, its surface slightly shiny from frequent use despite its dull appearance.
An Yiqing focused on the stone, initially puzzled by the contents she perceived inside, then suddenly overtaken by amazent, and ultimately, ecstasy.
"Granny, where did you get this piece of raw material?" An Yiqing crouched again, composing herself before calmly asking.
The elderly woman touched the stone under her, speaking with so confusion: "I don’t rember, likely found it behind my house. It’s been so long, I can’t recall. It looks ugly, nobody wanted it, so I used it as a stool."
"Granny, I’d like to buy this stone, would you sell it?"
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