Without caring about anything else, he took the jadeite ring and turned to run.
How could Lin Chuxia let him run? She grabbed the man’s arm in one swift motion.
“Guilty conscience makes you want to run? Let’s go, we’re going to the police station to see the public security.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, and the area was secluded, not drawing the attention of others; however, it was enough to scare the man terribly.
He struggled, trying to run, but for some reason, though the woman seemed slender, she had surprising strength. Being pulled by her like this, he simply couldn’t escape.
“Miss, please spare me, this thing really is an heirloom passed down from my ancestors, I’m not lying to you, I swear to heaven. If it weren’t for my old mother being gravely ill and in need of money, I wouldn’t have taken this out to sell, and I definitely couldn’t go with you to see the public security…”
The man squatted on the ground, visibly scared and looking like he was about to cry.
Lin Chuxia had already noticed that the man seemed sincere and simple. She had merely intended to scare him a bit to hear the truth but hadn’t expected him to be so faint-hearted.
“Alright then, tell me where this thing came from. If you tell the truth, not only will I not take you to see the public security, but I will also buy your jadeite ring.”
The man watched her warily, as if weighing the situation, and finally gritted his teeth and spoke up.
These items really were ancestral possessions. His family had fallen on hard times, but they had retained quite a few valuable pieces, just that in the past he dared not take them out – all were buried underground. Now that the policy had changed and coinciding with his old mother falling sick and urgently needing money, he had no choice but to take them out to exchange for money.
“I’m telling the truth. I can’t go to see the public security. If they find out we still have things at home that weren’t turned in…”
“Alright, since you’ve told the truth, I’ll keep my word. How much do you want to sell the jadeite ring for?”
Lin Chuxia picked up the jadeite ring and looked at it. The quality of the jade wasn’t exceptionally good, but such antique jade still held considerable value for collectors, especially since this jadeite ring had two traditional characters carved inside it.
The man timidly extended two fingers, “20 dollars,” he said, then hastily added, “Miss, I’m really not asking for an exorbitant price. This ring has a history. My grandmother told me it was passed down from my great-grandfather. It’s a family treasure. I still need 20 dollars for my mother’s treatment; otherwise, I wouldn’t sell it.”
Selling a family heirloom for just 20 dollars, Lin Chuxia didn’t know whether to admire his filial piety or… well, his filial piety.
If his ancestors knew, they might be unable to rest in peace in their coffins.
She didn’t bargain and took out 20 dollars from her bag to give to him.
Seeing her agree so readily, the man thanked her profusely.
Lin Chuxia secured the item, “Don’t thank me just yet. Do you have any other items to sell? Bring them all out at once. It’ll save you from squatting here every day. You’ve been trying to sell the bracelets for several days now. If you hadn’t run into me, who knows when you might have been able to sell this ring. It’s better if you sell everything you want to sell to me.”
The man was slightly startled by her words, watching her with caution.
Lin Chuxia laughed outright, “Don’t worry. You’re in need of money, and I want the items. It’s a perfect match; you have the items, I have the money. There are no hidden tricks. You can tell from my accent I’m not a local. I was actually about to catch that train earlier, but because I saw you selling things, I missed it. If you have anything else you want to sell, bring it to me these next two days. I’ll be staying at the guesthouse nearby. But make sure to come by before this time tomorrow at the latest. If I miss today’s train, I have to catch tomorrow’s.”
After Lin Chuxia had finished speaking, she did not dally any longer and went to the guesthouse not far away with her possessions.
The owner still remembered Lin Chuxia and greeted her with a smile as she came to stay again.
Lin Chuxia booked a room and went upstairs with her luggage.
In her own space, she had enough food and drink and didn’t need to leave her room at all. However, she didn’t have to wait long; the man came looking for her in the evening.
When the employee informed her that someone was at the front desk looking for her, Lin Chuxia went downstairs and saw the man sitting there, glancing around uneasily and seeming a bit guilty, she knew she had him.
Seeing Lin Chuxia, the man stood up abruptly.
“Let’s talk outside.”
Although discussing the following matters in her room would be more discreet and convenient, this was a guesthouse, and Lin Chuxia could not possibly bring a man into her room.
In such times, even more so in this era, people’s words could be frightening.
The two went to the same alley where the man had been selling his items before. Seeing that there was no one around, the man pulled out a small cloth bag from his chest. Accompanying his movements, a crisp sound of jade striking jade could be heard.
Unwrapping the cloth bag revealed several pieces of jewelry.
A pure white jade hairpin, two jade bracelets – one green and one red, an agate bracelet, and a golden hairpin.
Lin Chuxia examined them one by one, their quality varied.
Having bought many fine items in her previous life, she was quite knowledgeable. The white jade hairpin and the jade bracelet had particularly good luster.
“How much do you want for these?”
The man really was honest, and upon Lin Chuxia’s question, he seemed a bit uncertain.
Before, he had inquired around and understood that the most valuable things were gold and Silver. This was why he first attempted to sell a pair of silver bracelets.
Items like jade bracelets weren’t worth much, except for the golden hairpin which was made of gold but not solid throughout.
Even less to say if he didn’t run into Lin Chuxia, he wouldn’t dare to sell these items openly.
He first raised one finger and then formed an eight with his hands, “Give me one… oh no, give me 80 dollars. For 80 dollars, I’ll give all these to you,” nearly three months’ wages for a worker without eating or drinking; it was a significant amount.
Lin Chuxia raised her eyebrows; she had expected the price to be low, but not this low.
However, she quickly understood why; the Northwest was impoverished, people couldn’t even solve their basic needs for food and warmth, let alone spare money for ornaments.
Moreover, with tomb robbers rampant in this area, even if the items the man held were indeed ancestral, it would not be easy to sell them in such a chaotic market.
Seeing her silent for a long time, the man grew anxious, “80 dollars really is the lowest I can go. My whole family is counting on this money to live a better life for a while.”
Lin Chuxia took his cloth bag and packed it up again, “I’ll take them all. Seeing as you’re so earnest, I’ll give you 100 dollars,” giving any less would weigh on her conscience.
She took out the banknotes Qin Yang had given her and counted out ten of them to give away.
The man was stunned for a moment until the money was physically handed to him by Lin Chuxia, and he snapped back to reality.
Almost trembling, he took the money from her hands, his eyes filled with gratitude, “Thank you, thank you so much. You’re truly a good person. Our whole family will remember your kindness.”
Lin Chuxia waved her hand dismissively, “I’ll say it again, this is simply a business transaction. Money for goods – now we’re even, and you don’t need to thank me for anything.”
I just hope your family is thanking me now, and not cursing me later.