I trade in both worlds

As soon as you step into Baoyuanzhai, a faint woody fragrance hits your nose. Manager Qian is busy with the account book with his head down.

Hearing the sound, he looked up and saw Li Wan'er and Xu Ziqing. A smile immediately filled his face. He quickly put down the work in his hands and came over to greet them.

"Master Li, Miss Xu, what a rare guest!" Shopkeeper Qian greeted them warmly.

Xu Ziqing smiled and said, "Manager Qian, this is my brother Xu Ziqi."

Xu Ziqi also bowed politely: "Manager Qian."

"Mr. Xu." After returning the gift, Shopkeeper Qian led the three people to the inner room, "What special things have you two come for?"

Xu Ziqing replied, "Shopkeeper Qian, we came here today to buy some treasure boxes, official leather boxes and the like. The material should be good, preferably rosewood."

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Qian smiled, nodded, and said, "Please follow me."

Shopkeeper Qian led the three people through the bustling lobby and came to a small warehouse.

Shopkeeper Qian gently pushed open the door, and an even stronger woody scent wafted into his nose, mixed with the smell of dust, yet extremely fresh and pleasant.

Inside the warehouse, light shines through the glazed tiles on the roof and into every corner, making the entire space bright but not dazzling.

The walls around are hung with various calligraphy and paintings, adding a touch of elegance.

The innermost shelf is filled with wooden boxes of various sizes. Some of these boxes are simple and elegant, while others are exquisite and delicate. Every grain and every joint reveals the exquisite craftsmanship of the craftsmen.

"Gentlemen, here are some fine wooden articles collected by our Baoyuanzhai. Each piece has its own unique features." Shopkeeper Qian spoke with a bit of pride as he began to introduce them one by one.

The first thing that catches your eye is a red sandalwood official leather box with a plum-shaped pattern. The box is rectangular in shape with rounded corners. The surface is as smooth as a mirror, and the unique warm luster of red sandalwood can be faintly revealed.

On the lid of the box is carved a picture of a magpie climbing a plum tree. The magpie is lifelike, and the plum branches are twisted and vigorous, and you can almost hear the cheerful bird singing.

"This box is made of the finest rosewood. The plum blossoms represent a continuous flow of happiness. It is most suitable to be placed in a study or boudoir to add a touch of elegance."

Xu Ziqi gently stroked the surface of the box, feeling the warm touch, and an inexplicable love surged in his heart.

He turned to look at his sister, only to see that Xu Ziqing also had a fascinated look on his face, his eyes fixed on the pattern of magpies climbing on plum trees.

"Xiaoqing, what do you think of this?" Xu Ziqi asked.

Xu Ziqing nodded, his eyes sparkling with joy: "Buy."

"Okay, then let's buy it." Xu Ziqi said readily.

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Qian smiled slightly and pointed to the official leather box opposite him and continued to introduce: "The next one is a red sandalwood official leather box with a Qilin delivering a child. The Qilin is a lucky animal, symbolizing good luck and a large number of descendants. This box is not only exquisitely crafted, but also contains deep meaning."

Both the brother and sister were deeply attracted by this official leather box symbolizing a unicorn delivering a child. On the lid of the box was carved a lifelike unicorn with its feet on auspicious clouds and a ganoderma lucidum in its mouth. They seemed to be able to hear its majestic roar.

"Manager Qian, we also want this official leather suitcase that carries the Qilin delivering a child." Xu Ziqi said.

Shopkeeper Qian nodded and continued to take the Xu brothers and sisters to appreciate other boxes.

The rosewood Wan Zi Fu rotating treasure box has countless Wan Zi patterns carved on the box body. The ingenious mechanism design allows the box lid to rotate slowly to reveal the treasures hidden inside.

The rosewood treasure box inlaid with various gems and pictures of babies playing is inlaid with various gems to form vivid pictures of babies playing, which are colorful, lively and interesting.

"Look at this, a rosewood single-board treasure box with a mechanism. It looks simple, but it actually contains a lot of secrets. There are boxes within boxes, and layers within layers. It really tests the wisdom and patience of the craftsman." Shopkeeper Qian explained as he demonstrated how to open the treasure box.

The Xu brothers and sisters were deeply attracted by these exquisite wooden objects, and they were amazed by each one.

In particular, the rosewood treasure box inlaid with a variety of treasures and antique pictures, with jade, ivory, rhino horn and other materials inlaid on it, constitutes a series of simple and elegant antique pictures, which have both the weight of history and the agility of art.

In the following time, Manager Qian introduced the other wooden boxes one by one.

The rosewood treasure box inlaid with various treasures and antique pictures, and the jade, ivory, rhino horn and other materials inlaid on it form a series of simple and elegant antique pictures.

The red sandalwood inlaid jade cloud blessing treasure box has a warm jade texture, elegant cloud patterns, and the word "Fu" inlaid in it, which symbolizes good luck and good fortune.

The mirror box is made of rosewood and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The surface of the mirror box is inlaid with exquisite mother-of-pearl patterns, which is dazzling.

The Huanghuali wood carved incense box has a warm color, natural texture, and exudes a light wood fragrance that makes people feel relaxed and happy.

The Xu brothers and sisters were deeply attracted by these exquisite wooden pieces. They admired them one by one and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement after seeing each one.

After some selection and discussion, Xu Ziqi and Xu Ziqing picked out more than 20 wooden boxes, including a rosewood official leather trunk with a plum blossom pattern, a rosewood official leather trunk with a unicorn delivering a child, a rosewood rotating treasure box with the character "Wan Zi Fu", a rosewood single-board mechanism treasure box, a rosewood treasure box inlaid with hundreds of treasures, and a rosewood treasure box inlaid with jade clouds of fortune.

"Manager Qian, how much silver do these cost in total?" Xu Ziqi asked.

Shopkeeper Qian did some calculations and said, "These boxes are made of either red sandalwood or huanghuali wood, so they are naturally expensive. But since you two really like them, I will give you a discount price. How about three thousand taels?"

Xu Ziqi thought about it and felt that the price was reasonable, so he nodded: "Okay, three thousand taels."

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Qian smiled happily and said, "You two are really straightforward people. Should we send these to the escort agency?"

"Yes." Xu Ziqi nodded: "We will go back in two days."

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to send it to the escort agency tomorrow." Shopkeeper Qian responded readily.

Most of the money he had on him had been spent, and the remaining few hundred taels were used as travel expenses and for hiring an escort. As for the gems, they would have to wait until next time.

After returning to the inn, the brother and sister had time to look at the gifts Liu Fu had sent them.

"Brother, which one should we look at first?" Xu Ziqing rubbed his hands excitedly, his eyes moving among the gift boxes.

"Well... let's start with the biggest one." Xu Ziqi pointed to an exquisitely carved wooden box.

When the wooden box was opened, a piece of light green jadeite came into view, lying quietly on the soft silk mat, emitting a faint luster.

"Wow, it's raw jade." Xu Ziqing exclaimed: "The color of this jade feels better than the one you brought back last time."

Xu Ziqi also looked at the jade stone carefully, and then looked at another box next to it. This box looked the same as the previous one.

He opened the box and found another piece of raw jade, but this one was pure white, like the first snow in winter.