jdhmnovel Chapter 178 Too Hasty (Part )
Chapter 178 Too Hasty (Part )
Tao Yao was a little surprised and asked, "Do you recognize me?"
Old Master Chen didn't say anything else, just sighed and said, "Alas... I once spent some time in Mobei. Back then, I was young and doing business everywhere. The thing I remember most vividly is a business deal I did with the Mobei Moon Worshiping Tribe... Back then, I had traveled the desert for a long time and had never heard of this tribe. Perhaps they were just a small tribe wandering around the desert. But one day, by chance, a member of this tribe came to my shop with a live wolf, saying he wanted to sell it and asked me how much I could get for it..."
Tao Yao's eyes widened after hearing this story, and she quickly asked, "Did you really buy that wolf?"
Old Master Chen smiled and took a sip of tea, as if he had returned to his youthful days of wandering around full of vigor and ambition. His face was radiant and he spoke with great emotion, "How is it possible? When I saw that wolf, I was so scared that I almost peed my pants! I quickly told that person to go away, go away, and stop blocking my shop with this big guy and affecting my business. If they saw a wolf parked at my door, they would all be scared away." Old Master Chen paused, as if remembering something sad. The expression on his face suddenly dimmed again, and he said slowly, "Then, a few days later, my wife suddenly caught a cold, so I went to the pharmacy in town to pick up some medicine. Speaking of which, Xiao Chu still recognizes the owner of this pharmacy. It's Cheng Tianshui, the one who always makes a fuss. Do you remember him?"
As Mr. Chen spoke, his gaze fell on Chu Huanjun again. Chu Huanjun nodded, and Tao Yao also said, "So you and Doctor Cheng are old friends?"
Old Master Chen smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's not an old friendship, just a semi-acquaintance. My wife and youngest son are both often ill, and I used to go to the pharmacy to pick up medicine. Over time, we got to know each other. That time, I went to his shop to boil some medicine, and he gave me a prescription he had never given me before. One of the ingredients in that prescription was wolf meat..."
"Could it be that the wolf was finally bought by Doctor Cheng?" Tao Yao asked.
"Hmm..." Old Master Chen nodded. "Apart from that tribe, who else in this world would dare to capture a live wolf? Although I was afraid, I still bought the medicine for my wife's illness. After returning home, I didn't dare tell her that the meat was wolf. I just said it was ordinary domesticated meat, stewed into a nourishing soup, so as not to offend her."
"Later, I went deep into Mobei to sell goods, but I heard that the Moon Worshiping Clan had been massacred and wiped out... But later, I met the Master of Wuyan Pavilion, and he told me that the Moon Worshiping Clan actually had two descendants. Both of them had come to the Central Plains. One was raised by him in the pavilion as a killer, and the other was adopted by General Zhenbei Hou as his daughter... A few days ago, the Master of Wuyan Pavilion came to me to ask about you. It wasn't until I met you today that I can confirm that you are the other descendant of the Moon Worshiping Clan left behind after the genocide... In this world, things are so dependent on chance that it's hard to say. Seeing you by Xiao Chu's side now is probably God's best arrangement."
Tao Yao's face showed a look of doubt, and she murmured, "But I heard that the Moon Worshipers believe in the moon and the wolf is their totem. How could they sell the wolf? Doesn't this go against the natural law they believe in?"
Old Master Chen picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea. The tea was slightly hot. After taking a sip, he sighed deeply. The misty tea aroma came out of his mouth like a cloud of white mist, as if the sigh had taken shape.
"This world often confuses right and wrong, confusing black and white. How can there be so much black and white? Perhaps the Moon Worshipers can't rise again because their faith has long since crumbled. If they can't even maintain a firm faith, how can they expect to last forever?"
At the end of his words, Mr. Chen smiled, turned his gaze to the distant mountains and rivers outside the large French window, sighed, and sang sadly: "The flowers in the forest have faded, too quickly... Helpless, the cold rain in the morning... The wind in the evening..."
Several people gathered around the tea stove and chatted for a long time. Originally, Chu Huanjun said that they would just sit for a while and leave, but Old Man Chen insisted that Tao Yao stay to have lunch before leaving. Chu Huanjun couldn't stand him and had to stay and have lunch.
After dinner, Old Man Chen finally came over with a cloth package and said to Chu Huanjun with a smile, "My son was rude, but he was just trying to prove himself to me. Don't blame him, Xiao Chu. This was supposed to be the highlight of this year's incense tasting conference. My son wanted to sell it for 9,999 gold, but I rejected it. He was unhappy about it, so I secretly had someone make a replica and replaced it. He took the replica and sold it. I'll keep the real one with me, waiting for Xiao Chu to come and pick it up."
As he spoke, he gently peeled back the outer cloth, revealing a moist, jet-black Taihu stone. The color and shape of this Taihu stone were rarely seen in ordinary gardens, and it could be said to be of top quality.
This Taihu stone is not only beautiful to look at, but also has a refreshing sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance when you get close to it. Looking at the twisted stone peaks and smelling the sweet sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance, it feels like strolling in a courtyard after an autumn rain, which is extremely comfortable.
Chu Huanjun took the Taihu stone in his arms as if he had seen a rare treasure. He looked at it left and right, touched it here and smelled it there, and was satisfied no matter how he looked at it.
"Well, the quality is excellent, and the design is ingenious. It's ten thousand times better than the incense sold at the fair this year." Chu Huanjun commented, "Old man, please name a price. I want this one no matter what."
"Ah?" Tao Yao was a little confused. She had just seen them eating and drinking well and looking very harmonious. She had thought that this stone, which was touted as the highlight of this year's incense tasting conference, would be given to Chu Huanjun for free. But he actually wanted to sell it?
Old Master Chen smiled and touched his head, as if he was really thinking about how to offer a price that would satisfy Chu Huanjun and himself.
After thinking for a while, Old Master Chen finally said, "Eight thousand eight hundred and eighty gold. Xiao Chu, what do you think of this number? When doing business, it's good luck."
Tao Yao's eyes widened as she quickly examined the stone. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't fathom how this shabby, black stone could be worth such a high price. No wonder she couldn't understand the minds of the rich. Even if she racked her brains, she couldn't imagine how she could blackmail someone by coating a piece of stone with a fragrant gold rim.