readsfreenovel Chapter 56
Chapter 56
Nalan Jingwen walked down the street. It wasn't completely dark yet, but there were few pedestrians. Most of the shops had already closed up shop, with only a few remaining open.
As she was strolling along, a voice called out to her.
"Young lady, would you like to come in and take a look at jewelry or something?"
The boss was a middle-aged woman whose eyes gleamed with a green light as she looked at Nalan Jingwen, as if she were looking at some fat meat waiting to be slaughtered.
Nalan Jingwen is dressed in gorgeous clothes and has an extraordinary appearance. She might be a young lady from a wealthy family who is passing through this place. She should make the most of this opportunity.
Nalan Jingwen glanced at her, then looked at her shop, a jewelry store, which, judging from the decor, had probably been open for quite some time.
She wasn't particularly interested in jewelry, and in modern times she only wore it to attend banquets. Normally, she only wore a watch and no other accessories.
But since I'm out today, I might as well take a look.
As soon as I entered the shop, the proprietress's face lit up with a big smile, and her eyes shone even brighter.
“Miss, what would you like to see? Although we are a small place, we have things like Baiji’s water jade, Qilin’s red sandalwood, and Sushui’s black glass.”
Nalan Jingwen didn't speak, casually glancing at the jewelry in the store. Although she didn't wear jewelry, she had basic common sense and aesthetic sense. Looking at it, she couldn't find anything that caught her eye; they were all too vulgar and unworthy of her Liu Qishan.
The proprietress was a shrewd woman, and naturally noticed that Nalan Jingwen was not very satisfied with these things, so she flattered her and asked, "Miss, are you married?"
Nalan Jingwen pictured Liu Qishan's beautiful face in his mind, a slight smile appearing on his tightly pursed lips as he nodded.
Seeing this, the proprietress's smile widened.
"Given your qualities, young lady, your husband must be of divine stature. These mundane things are naturally beneath you. However, I have some jewelry that I keep privately. It is not usually sold to the public. Would you like to take a look?"
Since she was already inside, she might as well take a look around, she nodded.
"Okay, please wait a moment, I'll go get it right away."
As she spoke, she turned and went into the storeroom. Nalan Jingwen waited in the same spot, casually looking at the jewelry displayed outside. Some pieces were too plain, while others were too ornate and ostentatious; she didn't like either of them.
My gaze swept across the rows of cabinets until I reached the corner, where the darkest cabinet held a ring.
Nalan Jingwen stopped and took off the ring. It was a butterfly carved from blue Xiuyan jade, with its wings spread out and fine patterns carved on it, making it lifelike.
The ring itself is quite ordinary, and because of its dark blue color, it appears even more dull. Unless you look at it deliberately, it will not attract any attention at all.
Nalan Jingwen saw this ring, inlaid with a dark blue butterfly that seemed withered and desolate, unable to take flight. Although it had aged, it was still brightly colored, stubbornly trying to leave behind its most beautiful and splendid appearance.
Jinse has no end in fifty strings, a string of thoughts and a string of years.
Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, and the Emperor Wang's heart was entrusted to the cuckoo.
The moon shines brightly over the vast sea, pearls seem to weep; the sun warms the fields of Lantian, jade seems to emit smoke.
This feeling can only be cherished in retrospect, for at the time it was already a regret.
This ring perfectly captures the essence of the poem.
She rarely had any particular liking, whether it was a person or an object, nothing really piqued her interest. But now, she had encountered something that delighted her: this ring, and Liu Qishan.
The proprietress happened to come out and saw the ring on Nalan Jingwen's hand, so she quickly went to greet her.
"Does the young lady like this? It's been sitting there collecting dust for a long time and no one has bought it. If you like it, I'll give it to you. It's fate that we're here together."
Nalan Jingwen glanced at her with some surprise, then placed the ring on the table and said to her, "No need, whatever it is, is fine."
The proprietress's eyes lit up, and her smile became even more genuine. She had originally intended to give it away as a gesture of goodwill, but she never expected this young lady to be so straightforward.
They are in business because they love this industry. They don't want to give away any piece of jewelry as a free gift. They hope that someone will be willing to pay for it. Only when someone pays the price will they cherish it more.
She placed the jewelry she had taken from the storeroom in front of Nalan Jingwen and introduced it to her one by one. Nalan Jingwen listened quietly to her introduction, her gaze sweeping over the jewelry before finally settling on a ring carved with two swallows.
Two swallows, one black and one white, fly side by side.
Like birds that yearn for each other, or swallows that fly wing to wing in loving companionship.
No matter how many mountains and rivers we cross, we will surely wait for the swallows to return.
She picked up the ring and said, "I want it."
The proprietress beamed with delight, “Young lady, you have a good eye. This ring was carved by our shop’s most skilled craftsman. It’s made of black and white Hetian jade, and it took quite a bit of material and several months to carve. It’s called ‘Double Swallows.’”
"This is it, let's wrap it all up."
"Oh? Okay, I'll wrap it up for you right away."
I thought this young lady would try to bargain, since this ring wasn't cheap, but she wrapped it up without even asking the price. She's definitely a big customer.
She deftly handed the packaged ring to Nalan Jingwen, who took it and gave her a silver note. When he saw the value of the note, his eyes widened and he stammered.
"Miss, this... I can't make change."
"No need, I really like these two rings. Please give the rest as a tip to the craftsman."
After all, art is priceless.
The proprietress nodded hurriedly, watching Nalan Jingwen leave until the red figure disappeared from sight before turning and going back into the shop.
Nalan Jing realized that he had originally intended to buy himself a weapon for self-defense, but unexpectedly gained something else.
I asked around for directions to a famous blacksmith shop nearby and headed straight there. I arrived quickly and found it still open.
She walked over and saw the proprietress, who was tall and strong with thick eyebrows and big eyes. She was rolling up her sleeves and forging iron. A thin man was wiping the sweat from her forehead and asking her from time to time if she was tired. She would laugh and say something, and then kiss the man on the cheek, making him blush.
Nalan Jingwen stood there, watching the two of them interact, unaware that any guests had arrived.
After coughing twice, the two men looked at her. The man became even more shy when he saw that there were people around, and went into the shop.
The woman gave an awkward smile and said to Nalan Jingwen, "My dear sister, please excuse me. My husband is just too clingy."
Nalan Jingwen nodded in understanding.
"Little sister, are you here to buy weapons? What kind of weapon do you want? I have all kinds, pick whatever you like."
As a wise and idle prince, Nalan Jingwen naturally couldn't carry a long sword around with him, as that would be too conspicuous. He needed something more discreet, yet easy to carry.
You can use it to kill some small fry, but you also need a proper and handy weapon.
She thought for a moment and said, "Recommend me a short blade."
"okay!"
Do you have paper and pen?