Traveling through ancient times: living a different life

Handing the bandits over to the county government solved the problem, and Xiaomai and he continued on their journey with peace of mind.

After the horses' tireless journey, we finally arrived at the last county at 5:00 a.m. in the afternoon. It was called Yuya County. The air here was filled with the smell of the sea. The county seat was built an hour's journey away from the sea. We would have a good rest here tonight and get to know the situation here.

In the backyard, I asked the waiter who looked after the horses to wash Chasing Sun for 200 coins. He happily agreed and said, "Don't worry, Miss. I will wash the horse thoroughly and I guarantee you will be satisfied."

The two of them returned to the guest room and asked the waiter to get a bucket of hot water and two buckets of cold water, and gave him a tip of 500 coins. He happily agreed.

The water was brought up and placed in the two people's room. After the waiter went out, he closed the door and bolted it, then took out two medium-sized bath tubs from the treasure bag, placed them in the two rooms respectively, poured cold water in them, and then added hot water. When the water temperature was suitable, he started taking a bath.

The warm water dissipated the fatigue from the journey and made me feel more relaxed.

After getting dressed and eating at the inn, they went shopping hand in hand. After walking for half an hour, it was probably the time of the dog day, and they had almost finished shopping. They bought two fans from a peddler and prepared to go back to the store to rest. They casually asked him, "Do you know any interesting places in this county at night? What's new? Tell me. How about giving you ten cents as the fee for getting the news?"

The vendor thought that they only needed to say a few words and give them ten coins. The two girls were quite straightforward, so he said to them, "You two little girls, judging from your accent, you are from other places. There is a Wanghai Teahouse in the East Market, where storytelling is more lively. You two can go and sit down. There is also an antique night market not far from here. People from other places also like to go there to buy things. I wonder if you are interested. And..."

Bi Yue thought: I can go to this place for a visit. It’s still early and I won’t be able to sleep if I go back. This ancient antique market must have a lot of genuine goods.

So she interrupted him and asked, "Where is the antique market and what time does it open?" Bi Yue was thinking: Why is this antique market open at night? Can't it be open during the day? This seems a bit strange. Forget it, never mind. Anyway, I'm just going to wander around. It has nothing to do with me.

The vendor said: "It starts at 7pm and ends at 6am the next morning."

It's about seven in the evening now, so it's just the right time to go inside and take a look.

"Would you be willing to be our guide? We are new here and not familiar with this place. How about I give you two taels of silver for one night?"

The vendor's eyes sparkled, and he nodded happily and said, "I do." He pushed his stall to a man in his 30s next to him and said, "Dad, these two girls asked me to take them to the antique night market for two taels of silver."

The middle-aged man was very surprised and said happily: "This is a good thing. You must lead the way for these two girls."

Biyue handed ten cents to the vendor as a fee for gathering information.

After the father and son finished talking, the three of them left the street market. The vendor said that the place was not far away and it would take less than fifteen minutes to walk there.

After walking two streets, I saw passers-by hurrying home on the road. Fortunately, there was a lantern hung on the high wooden stakes on both sides of the streets every ten meters, so I didn't have to walk in the dark.

When we got there, we found the street was quite lively. The lanterns on both sides and the lanterns on the business stalls made the street very bright. The stalls on both sides displayed all kinds of things, and people were coming and going. There were the boasting of the stall owners and the bargaining of the buyers. Some of the stall owners had a lantern next to them, and some lit candles to make it easier for both parties to buy and sell goods.

There were already quite a few customers inside, choosing what they liked at each stall.

The three of them walked in and started looking at the stalls. Some of the stall owners had various bronzes, porcelains, calligraphy and paintings on their shelves. There were good porcelains and broken ones. Bi Yue didn't know how to appraise treasures, so she had to ask the system for help.

So he quietly asked the system: "Do you know where these things come from? If there are any good ones, please remind me."

"Host, most of the things here are from shipwrecks on the seabed. There are both genuine and fake items."

"It's from a shipwreck. I'm going to take a good look around and see if there's anything I like."

The three of them looked carefully at each stall as they walked. There were a lot of porcelains, and some were broken.

Xiaomai asked the vendor, "It's been so long and I still don't know your name?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. My name is Li Qun, I'm 15 years old, and I live in Qingshui Lane in this county town."

Xiaomai asked again: "Does your family know any fishermen who go out to sea?"

"Of course, my grandfather and two uncles are fishermen."

Bi Yue listened quietly to their conversation.

There were about ten stalls. Some people were looking to buy one or two items, while others were bargaining with the owners. Whenever this happened, Bi Yue would stand by and listen, and she also found it quite interesting.

In her previous life, she had been to the antique market with a few friends. Today she came here purely for fun and to see the world. There were gold, silver, jade, calligraphy and paintings in her treasure bag. These things were salvaged from the sea, and she didn't want to spend money to buy them. In a few days, she would go for a walk in the sea and pick up some good things.

At this time, the system reminded her: "There is a black stone on the table of the old man in front. Host, go and buy it."

The three of them came to the old man's stall and saw two men in their twenties, dressed in fancy clothes, also watching, both wearing half masks on their faces. They were asking about the black stone and the white jade bowl. The stone was not big, a little bigger than the jade bowl, and the surface was not smooth. Under the light, it looked like a round lump of earth.

Bi Yue watched from the side but couldn't figure out what it was. The two masked men hesitated for a while, but the man in black clothes holding a folding fan chose the jade bowl. After the two men left, Bi Yue asked the stall owner, "How much is this black stone?"

The beach owner saw a little girl about ten years old asking about the stone, so he said, "Fifty taels of silver."

Biyue picked up the stone and weighed it. It was very heavy. The small stone weighed about twenty kilograms.

"Host, buy it."

Bi Yue paid without hesitation. After walking a few steps, the two masked men came back and looked at the beach. The black stone was gone. They hurriedly asked who bought it. The stall owner pointed to the three children who had just left and said, "They bought it."

Two of them caught up with the three and stopped them, saying, "I heard from the stall owner that you bought some black stones. Can you sell them to me? I'll pay double the price, and you can make fifty taels in a short time."

Bi Yue stared at his masked face and said, "Excuse me, I just want this stone too."

After that, the three of them walked forward. Seeing that the girl didn't give in, the masked man said, "Five times."

"Not for sale."

Ignoring the two of them, he strode forward. The two masked men saw that they couldn't buy it, so they had to leave disappointed and helplessly. By the time they finished visiting all the stalls, it was midnight.

Since there was really nothing he needed and he wanted to go back to the inn to rest, the three of them went together. They sent Li Qun to his doorstep before giving him two taels of silver, and told him to ask his relatives for help if they wanted to go to the fishing village.

After parting, the two returned to the inn, washed up and rested.