In the blink of an eye, it is late summer and early autumn. On a hill named Qifeng on the eastern outskirts of Mulu City, the maple leaves all over the mountain have changed color and are as red as fire. Looking from Jiayunzhai, you can see that smear on the horizon. Gorgeous golden red.
"I've finished eating. Thank you Sister Jia for the hospitality."
Jiang Yan wiped the orange juice on the corner of his mouth, put down the delicate bone spoon in his hand, thanked Sister Jia and hurriedly planned to leave.
Tomorrow is Ning Yue's birthday, and the black-eyed boy planned to take this opportunity to give her a surprise. But after much thought, he still couldn't decide what gift to give her, and his two thick black eyebrows were like a hemp rope. Twist together.
"How come this child only eats so much? Is today's orange ointment not to your liking?" Hearing the sound of dishes, Leng Jiayun raised her head in surprise and asked.
"No, no. I just remembered that there is something else going on in the camp. I'll come back to enjoy it later."
Jiang Yan knew that his face was full of troubles and he didn't want to say more. He only answered twice and ran straight towards the market, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The woman in purple clothes had already guessed the young man's thoughts. She leaned lazily against the pillar in front of the store, pursed her lips and smiled: "Now, that girl Xiaoyue is going to be in trouble."
In fact, a few days ago, Jiang Yan began to hang out in various shops on Zitong Street, but he never found a suitable gift. Although Ning Yue was greedy, she lived in Mulu City for more than half a year. , Jia Yunzhai has become a stronghold frequented by the three children. But as a result, those ordinary snacks and fruits may not be appreciated at all by the girl who has long been addicted to eating. And if you go to a famous place in the city In Lingqi's workshop, I ordered some new brocade clothes and skirts, but I was afraid that they would not fit the girl's body and the precious fabrics would be wasted.
Therefore, the black-eyed boy planned to try his luck at a nearby jewelry and jade shop today to see if he could be lucky enough to find some affordable gold and silver jewelry despite not having much money.
Huijinlou is the largest jewelry shop in Mulu City. Its front door faces the most prosperous market entrance of Zitong Street. People come and go all day long. Seeing Jiang Yan wearing a brocade robe of Mo Lingwei come in from the door, The shop owner immediately greeted him with a smile on his face:
"Xiao Junye, please come in! What do you want to buy today?"
"I'm thinking of buying a small item."
"Is this military master planning to buy it for a girl? In my shop, there are white jade hairpins, pure gold hairpins, whalebone combs, emerald earrings, sapphire bracelets, and crystal necklaces. , agate flower earrings, and mithril earrings. The price is usually not less than six gold bahts, and there are many for eight or nine gold bahts. I don’t know what kind of things Mr. Xiao Jun wants—"
The shopkeeper was very observant and immediately guessed the purpose of the visitor.
The black-eyed boy touched the few dozen silver coins in the purse in his arms, and secretly took a breath of cold air - this was the little savings he had managed to save in the past two months, but he really wanted to buy it. When buying some valuable things, they are still stretched thin and obviously not enough:
"I'll just check it out in the store first."
"Yes, the accessories suitable for young girls are all on the shelves on both sides. You can choose slowly and call me anytime if you have anything."
The shop owner was quite sensible, so after hearing what the customer said, he didn't ask any more questions and just stepped aside.
"Thank you, thank you store for the advice."
Jiang Yan's face couldn't help but feel a little burning. He nodded in embarrassment and quickly walked around the shelves. However, he rubbed the necklace with the red fish that Ning Yue gave him under the collar of his chest and still couldn't help it. Know exactly what you should buy.
After walking around for a while, a rare object in the corner that was different from jewelry suddenly caught the young man's eyes. It was an exquisite pendant, with a drop-shaped appearance, one end pointed and the other rounded. At first glance, it looked like a pendant. It looks like just an ordinary black pebble, but upon closer inspection, it turns out to be much clearer than a stone. The sunlight coming from outside the shop door is refracted and scattered, giving off colorful shimmers, like mussels breathing in the sea. Breathing in and out is normal.
Although it is not as valuable as the expensive jewelry placed beside it, this black stone is still eye-catching and immediately attracted Jiang Yan's attention.
"Seller, how much does this drop-like thing cost?"
The thing in front of him was the only one without a price tag in the whole store. It was also the most unpretentious thing that the young man had the best chance of buying. Jiang Yan did not dare to pick up the goods on the shelf without authorization, but just stretched out his hand. He pointed at it from a distance and asked.
"Young master, Mr. Jun, fell in love? You really have a good eye! That pendant only costs five gold baht." The shop owner responded with a smile.
"A stone is so expensive..." Jiang Yan's face suddenly turned from red to white, and his mood suddenly hit rock bottom.
"Little Junye doesn't know that this stone is not an ordinary stone. Some people say that it may be an ancient dragon scale, while others say that it is actually the tears shed by the sea monster when it cries! A few days ago, there was someone who knew the stone. The customer said that it was quite cheap for only five gold bahts. You are very discerning. If you like it, can I wrap it up for you?"
The shop owner tried his best to speak kindly, but the young man opposite had a troubled expression on his face:
"That - the store, can you negotiate with you to make it a little - cheaper?"
"Cheaper? Young Master, you must be joking. To be honest, this pendant is already the lowest price in the store. If it is sold at a lower price, you won't even be able to get back the original price."
Seeing that Jiang Yan didn't have enough money, the enthusiasm in the other person's tone immediately dropped by half, he shook his head like a rattle, and decisively rejected him.
The dark-eyed child also knew in his heart that even if the stone was half the price, he would have to go without food and water for half a year before he could save enough money. In desperation, he had no choice but to continue to bargain: " Then I will try to raise more money and ask the store owner to keep this thing for a few more days."
The shop owner muttered something unclear, then turned around and stopped talking to the young man in front of him: "Unless Mr. Xiao Jun, you can put down half of the deposit in advance. The business of the shop has been good recently, and you may not know what you want in the photo." You will be picked up by others at some point, so I won’t keep you any longer.”
The young man stopped lingering and walked out of the store. At this moment, he didn't know how he was going to raise money. He just walked aimlessly along Zitong Street, but his heart became more and more irritable. , my thoughts gradually wandered away.
At first, Jiang Yanxiang rushed back to the palace to ask Qi Ziyin to borrow some money to meet his urgent needs. But after thinking about it, he gave up. At first, he felt that it was a bit embarrassing to borrow money to even buy a gift. Secondly, I was worried that things in the palace would get in the way and delay my time, so I had no choice but to find another way.
When he came back to his senses, he realized that he had no idea where he had gone, and actually stopped at the door of an inconspicuous shop. The shop, which was only a few feet wide, was located at the end of a narrow alley. The door was empty, and the name of the shop was written on it.
Its cover was hanging listlessly on the door. Even when the three children were wandering around the city together, they never noticed its existence.
However, at this moment, the young man's eyes shone with excitement, and he took two quick steps and ran towards the shop. Because this shop happened to be a common pawn shop in the city.
The turbulent current situation has made life gradually more precarious. When money is tight, people in the city will often pawn some gold and silver jewelry in exchange for some money to maintain their lives. Most of these things cannot be redeemed again.
The shopkeeper who makes a living will sell it quickly at a price lower than the market price, and make a lot of money.
At the moment, the fat pawnshop owner was sitting lazily in a deck chair. He glanced at Jiang Yan who hurried in and put on an impatient look: "Are you here to pawn something or redeem something?"
"Please tell me how much this item can be exchanged for?"
The black-eyed boy bit the flesh on his cheek until he bit the flesh, and stood there and pondered for a long time. Then he took out a slender object wrapped in cloth from his arms and handed it to the other party. It was actually You.
Bai Pi left to him by his uncle.
Hearing that the visitor was pawnbroking, a hint of unnoticeable excitement immediately appeared on the face of the fat shopkeeper. He held the short knife in his hand, squinted his eyes and carefully looked at the gems inlaid on it, and made two gestures.
finger:
"Only two gold bahts..." Jiang Yan, a little disappointed, even lowered his voice.
"If you think it's not suitable, you can take it to another store and ask. A used knife like this, if it weren't for the few gems on it that are not of good quality, it would be worth a dozen silver cents."
The owner of the pawn shop sat back in his recliner and complained to the young man, "You soldiers are really weird. When you are stationed in the city, you rely on the imperial court to support you. Food, clothing, money, food, and military pay all come from the people."
After scraping off the taxes, you still want to take advantage of us?"
Jiang Yan was just about to open his mouth to defend, but then he realized that what the other party said was not wrong. In troubled times, arguments about superiority and inferiority are meaningless. After all, everyone is just trying their best to make a mess in this mess.
Just survive in this world.
"What, should I do it or not?" the fat shopkeeper urged impatiently.
"Two gold bahts are two gold bahts!"
Jiang Yan pinched his fingers and calculated that the agreed period of pawn shops was usually half a year. If he lived frugally in half a year, he should be able to save enough money to redeem Baipi, so he finally made up his mind.
First get these two gold bahts and go to Huijin Tower to place a deposit. This will not only prevent Siren Tears from being bought by others, but also buy you one more day to find a way to raise the remaining half of the money.
payment.
Half an hour later, the setting sun in the west was half covered by the tall eaves of the Bell and Drum Tower. Jiang Yan hurried back to Huijin Tower with the two gold baht he had finally collected, and he could vaguely see the last one.
There was still a weak light burning in the unsealed door, so I couldn't help but secretly rejoice, and immediately stepped in:
"Shop, I'll place the order for the Siren's Tears first, and then I can make up the remaining payment tomorrow, right?"
The shop owner didn't expect that there would be customers at this time, but he only glanced at the anxious young man in front of him, and opened his mouth to invite him back: "Oh, it turns out to be you, Mr. Xiaojun. What a coincidence, the shop is closed today.
."
"No, I have to place an order for that pendant today. I'll sell it tomorrow, and I'll sell it today. I've already brought the deposit, so please make it easier for the store!"
In Jiang Yan's limited memory, this was the first time that he begged someone like this. However, the shop owner's next answer made his heart suddenly freeze:
"Oh, it's not that I don't want to sell it to Mr. Jun. It's that that item has already been bought by someone."
"Sold it so quickly?!" Jiang Yan didn't expect that what he was most worried about would happen. He was stunned for a moment and immediately asked, "Who bought it? When?!"
"Just now, I've been working hard with you. Didn't I tell you during the day that the buyer came to the store a few days ago and also fell in love with the Siren's Tears. He is about the same age as you.
, he also ran over to pay in a hurry, and then ran away with the things in a hurry. Even if you want to catch up, I'm afraid you won't be able to catch up now."
"Damn it. Hurry up and hurry up, it's still a step too late..."
Jiang Yan kneaded the money bag in his hand repeatedly, listening to the gold and silver coins in it grinding, but his mind went blank and he couldn't think of any solution. After a long time, he turned around as if he had lost his soul.
He turned around and walked towards the cold streets and alleys that were getting dark.
"Tsk, today's young people are really crazy. They are just external possessions. If you can't buy them, you can't buy them. It won't kill anyone..."
The shopkeeper of Huijin Building muttered quietly, and closed the last door panel after looking at Yan Yan's melancholy figure.
Thank you for your tasteful attention to "Twin Moon". I hope the wheat grown by Xiaoli will suit your taste. You can follow the official account of the same name~