blueteamnovel Chapter 40 I am Lin Xiu, here to pay you a visit.
Chapter 40 I am Lin Xiu, here to pay you a visit.
Xikou East Wharf, afternoon.
Fang Shuwen came to find Xiao Hu, carrying Hu Da's blue cloth bundle.
He found Hu Desheng in front of Lu Ji Shipping Warehouse.
"Brother Hu, Uncle Hu asked me to bring you some things." Fang Shuwen handed over the bundle.
Hu Desheng took it; inside were a braised pork knuckle and two summer shirts. He said in a muffled voice:
"Thank him for me."
Then, he took out a few more silver dollars and gave them to Fang Shuwen to take back.
Fang Shuwen pushed the silver dollar back and shook his head:
"You should tell Uncle Hu his feelings yourself, Brother Hu. I've delivered the things. You're busy, I'll be going now."
Hu Desheng held the few silver dollars in his hand, watching Fang Shuwen turn and leave. His lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing more.
......
Fang Shuwen left the dock area and walked west along the riverside avenue.
He walked at a moderate pace, his mind calculating what to do next.
The martial arts school is located at the end of East Street, about a quarter of an hour's walk from the pier.
Besides carrying things for Hu Da, his main purpose in going out today was to buy the mysterious jade.
With the money he had taken from Tiger and Lao Liu in his pocket, plus the fifty yuan he had won from Old Master Zheng, he had a total of more than one hundred and sixty silver dollars, plus a few colorful banknotes.
The paper money was a new currency issued by the Dayan Bank, with denominations of ten and five yuan. It could be used in Xikou County, but it was not as valuable as silver dollars.
Small vendors don't accept paper money, but martial arts schools do.
"If I buy all the Mysterious Jade, I might be able to upgrade the Tengshe Fist from Proficiency to Mastery."
Fang Shuwen did some mental calculations and quickened his pace.
After crossing half a street, the National Martial Arts Hall, a building in the Procter style, came into view in the distance.
The arched doorway, carved stone pillars, and domed ceiling stand out starkly against the backdrop of the surrounding gray and dusty old Chinese houses.
He walked up the steps and pushed open the heavy copper-framed glass door.
The lobby was much quieter than when I last came.
A few people were sparsely lined up in front of several windows, and two or three people were sitting on benches waiting. Some were talking in hushed tones, while others were flipping through a thin booklet.
Fang Shuwen went straight to the window for exchanging supplies.
"Old man, I want to buy a mysterious jade."
Fang Shuwen knocked on the counter.
The old man raised his eyelids and glanced at him, then lowered his head back to read, uttering two words indifferently: "That's all."
Fang Shuwen frowned: "What's gone?"
"The Jade is gone."
The old man turned a page of his book, his tone as calm as before.
"We're out of stock of both regular and substandard Jade. Come back early next month."
Fang Shuwen was stunned for a moment.
When he last came, there were two rows of substandard jade artifacts displayed at the window for him to choose from.
It's only been a few days and it's already out of stock?
"Sir, why is this strange jade suddenly gone? Did the martial arts academy stop selling it, or...?"
"It's not that we don't want to sell, it's that we don't have any stock."
The old man finally put down his book, took off his reading glasses, and wiped the lenses with a cloth. "The higher-ups have issued a notice that all magical jade will be prioritized for supplying middle schools at all levels. The quota for the National Martial Arts Academy will be reduced accordingly."
"If you really want to buy it, leave your name, and we'll notify you when it arrives."
Fang Shuwen thought for a moment, then took a brush from the pen holder on the counter and wrote his name and address on the register that the old man handed him.
He put down his pen and asked again, "Uncle, will the quota for this mysterious jade always be this tight?"
The old man put his reading glasses back on, picked up the book, and turned to the page he had just read.
"Who knows? But I heard there's going to be some new policy coming out soon, so I guess the quotas won't be loosened anytime soon."
Fang Shuwen nodded, asked no further questions, and turned to leave the counter.
He walked through the hall, pushed open the door, and walked out of the martial arts hall.
Standing on the steps, the afternoon sun made him squint.
The Jadeite is out of stock; it won't be available until next month.
This means his plan to accumulate skill points will have to be postponed again.
So, should I go to the bookstore again?
See if there are any other similar books.
Fang Shuwen pondered this in his mind, then walked down the steps and back along East Street.
I had only taken a dozen or so steps when I heard a familiar voice behind me.
"Young friend! Wait a minute!"
He was old, yet full of energy, with a smug air that made people grit their teeth.
Fang Shuwen paused and turned around.
He discovered that it was Zheng Yuanpei who had called him.
There was another person following behind him.
The girl was looking down at a book, her long, black hair covering most of her face.
It looks somewhat familiar.
Fang Shuwen didn't mind and replied directly:
"Grandpa, what's wrong...?"
"Haha, I was having tea across the street just now, and I spotted you right away."
Zheng Yuanpei walked up to them, slammed his cane on the ground, and said with a smile.
"I was just looking for you, but you delivered yourself right to my door."
"Looking for me? Want to play chess again?"
"There's no rush to play chess."
Zheng Yuanpei waved his hand, stepped aside to let Zheng Shulan behind him pass, and spoke with a hint of smugness in his tone.
"This is my granddaughter, Zheng Shulan. Shulan, haven't you always wanted to meet the person who beat you at chess for that mysterious jade? It's him!"
Fang Shuwen's gaze fell on Zheng Shulan.
Zheng Shulan was also looking at him.
The moment their eyes met, their expressions changed simultaneously.
Fang Shuwen frowned slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Unexpectedly, it was the girl whose butt he had pinched and whom he had saved once before.
What a coincidence!
Zheng Shulan's almond-shaped eyes widened, her mouth slightly open, her face screaming "How could it be you?"
"You...know each other?"
Zheng Yuanpei looked at Fang Shuwen, then at Zheng Shulan, and the smile on his face slowly turned into doubt.
"I don't know him!"
The two spoke in unison, then simultaneously turned their heads away.
Zheng Yuanpei stroked his goatee, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two men twice, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.
"Don't you recognize him? Then why did you all look like you'd seen a ghost?"
Zheng Yuanpei muttered something, then pulled Fang Shuwen along.
"Come on, come on, get in the car! What kind of behavior is this, standing here like this? Let's go to my house for a game of chess. I'm going to beat you today!"
"Grandpa, playing chess is fine, but what you're doing..."
"Stop talking nonsense! If you don't go, you're disrespecting me!"
Fang Shuwen glanced at Zheng Shulan.
Zheng Shulan happened to secretly look up at him, their eyes met, and then she quickly looked away.
"Well... I'm sorry to bother you." Fang Shuwen did not refuse again.
The Zheng family's car was parked across the street, a black Ford with a gleaming body.
The driver was a burly man in uniform. When he saw Zheng Yuanpei coming over, he quickly opened the back door.
"Come up."
Fang Shuwen hesitated for a moment, then bent down and got into the car.
This was the first time he had ridden in a car since he traveled through time.
The car crossed East Street and turned onto a wide road.
The buildings on both sides gradually thinned out, replaced by rows of tall sycamore trees and neatly trimmed holly shrubs.
Fang Shuwen noticed that this road leads to Xikou North District.
The North District was the affluent area of Xikou County, home to military governors, chamber of commerce presidents, compradors of foreign firms, and prominent families that had been established since the Great Yin Dynasty.
The Zheng family's residence was indeed located in the North District.
The car stopped in front of a large house made of blue bricks.
Above the door hangs a plaque with two large gilded characters that read "Zheng Mansion," written in a vigorous and powerful style, clearly the work of a master calligrapher.
Zheng Yuanpei and the others did not enter the main hall, but led Fang Shuwen through the connecting corridor to a side room on the east side.
"sit."
Zheng Yuanpei sat down at one end of the chessboard, rested his cane against the back of his chair, and gestured for Fang Shuwen to sit opposite him.
Fang Shuwen sat down as instructed.
Zheng Shulan followed her in and sat down in a chair by the window, but her gaze was fixed on the chessboard.
At the same time, her gaze couldn't help but drift towards Fang Shuwen.
At first glance, I thought this kid was just a hooligan.
Later, I often heard my grandfather say that he had met a chess master.
Zheng Shulan also offered her grandfather advice several times, but she never won against him.
Zheng Shulan was very curious at the time about who that person was.
Most recently, she was kidnapped while out.
It was the young man in front of them who came to their rescue.
Fang Shuwen is truly shrouded in mystery.
Just then, footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
Fang Shuwen's ears twitched slightly, and his hand paused for a moment.
Zheng Yuanpei heard this too, frowned, put down the chess piece in his hand, and looked towards the door.
"I apologize for disturbing you, Mr. Zheng. My name is Lin Xiu, and I have some questions I would like to ask Miss Zheng Shulan of your household."