Adorable Kids in Space: Lucky Wife is So Carefree

The shop sells jade and jewelry, new, old, and some that are quite old, all mixed together, as well as many decorative items.

As Ru Xiu ate her sweet soup, she casually browsed around. The shop didn't have many customers, and the shopkeeper was very friendly. Seeing that they were with their children and eating, they didn't seem like they were going to shop, but the shopkeeper didn't give them a hard time either.

When Ru Xiucai saw the jade plaque, he remembered that he had forgotten to return the gift to Tang Ershi, so he wanted to see if there was anything better.

During this period, they didn't have to do much work and it was the Lunar New Year. The family of three were dressed as if they had some savings, and Ru Xiu's head and hand accessories were also quite expensive.

Ru Xiu kept staring at the jade plaques and pendants. The shopkeeper, with his keen eye, took out a jade pendant that wasn't on display from behind the counter.

"Madam, please take a look and see if this suits your taste."

The jade pendant was about half the size of a delicate palm, with a smooth and warm texture. It was carved in the shape of a tiger, and the tiger's eyes were dotted with red lacquer. When you gently touched it, you would find that the red lacquer was not applied, but rather that the jade itself was red in that spot. It was translucent and crystal clear, and very beautiful.

Ru Xiu could tell it was a fine piece of jade, but she wasn't in a hurry to buy it. The shopkeeper didn't usually display it, naturally waiting for someone destined to have it. You can't rush things.

Seeing that Ruxiu remained silent and stopped paying attention to the jade, the shopkeeper couldn't figure out what she was thinking.

"This is a top-quality ancient jade, one of a kind."

"These are for men, right? They seem a bit big." Ru Xiu deliberately looked at the smaller jade pendants that were suitable for children.

Ru Xiu looked at Tang Ershi outside the door. He had been directed by Ge'er to go join the fun at the door again, and he probably wouldn't be back for a while.

"It's for adult men, but it would also be a perfect match for a lady's husband." The shopkeeper didn't want to miss out on any of his customers; what if it turned out to be a good match? It's not good to keep good things sitting at the bottom of a trunk all the time.

"What's the price? I wouldn't dare buy it in a place like this if it's too expensive," Ru Xiu said haughtily.

"If Madam wants it, sixty taels will suffice."

If such goods were placed in a gold shop, they would not be priced this way. Although Ruxiu understood this, she still wanted to negotiate a lower price.

"This is too expensive. You could buy several square meters of gold jewelry for that price."

Although online shopping is more common nowadays, people still often shop outside when traveling and know how to bargain.

I've seen the jade and gemstones at Jinlou; the best pieces are always incredibly expensive.

Most high-ranking officials and nobles go directly to the gold shop to buy new goods, not caring about the price difference. The origin of the goods here is not necessarily legitimate, and it is not easy for the shopkeeper to sell them at a high price.

"This isn't something the Golden Pavilion has, otherwise, if Madam thinks it's suitable, she could give you a price." The manager, especially during the New Year, is probably looking to recoup some funds.

"Thirty taels, I'll take it for thirty taels. Anyway, we don't lack things like this at home." Ru Xiu pretended not to know the value of the goods, thinking that pretending to be rich in public didn't cost her any money.

"Thirty taels would be a huge loss for me. If you are sincere, madam, I will offer fifty taels. I cannot go any lower."

The price this lady offered was far too low; if it weren't for her well-dressed appearance, the shopkeeper would have already started cursing.

Ru Xiu wasn't in a hurry. She looked around the shop, occasionally glancing up at the man and child outside.

"How about forty-eight taels? This is my prized possession. Look at the quality of this water. You won't find it anywhere else."

"Forty taels, and please add a silk tassel for me." He pointed to the silk tassel he had chosen.

"If it doesn't work out, I'll look at other stores. I didn't want to buy this kind of thing in the first place."

As Ru Xiu spoke, she lifted her foot to walk out.

“Madam, you’re back. I would have lost a lot of money if I hadn’t sold it to you. I wouldn’t have been willing to part with it if I hadn’t tied up my capital.”

"This shop looks big, but business is actually not easy. The profit margin is not as high as the dessert shop next door."

The shopkeeper was heartbroken. If he hadn't been short of capital, he could have easily doubled the price by holding onto the stock for a year or two.

Ru Xiu carefully wrapped the package in the shopkeeper's clothes and put it in her bosom, still not knowing how to give it to Brother Tang.

We stopped going to crowded places and just strolled around the small streets and alleys. We bought a lot of little things for Ge'er, and bought some for the other children as well. It was less tiring to avoid the crowds, just like strolling around Lijiang Old Town.

I found an old bookstore at the corner of a small street. It was very simple and rustic. The wooden shelves were full of old books, some of which were even bamboo slips. Many of the books smelled musty. There wasn't even a name on the storefront.

Inside, two old scholars were flipping through books, very seriously, while the shopkeeper lazily didn't tend the shop, but squatted at the door watching the flow of people.

I want to see which dynasty this Great Qing Dynasty belongs to, and which region it belongs to on the map of the new China. As the saying goes, reading is always beneficial, and flipping through the pages might lead to new discoveries, like Xiu squatting in there without warning.

Tang Ershi, holding Ge'er, squatted down as well, and together they looked at an old board. Youxiu turned his head to take a closer look and found that it was actually an ancient map, but it was drawn very roughly and simply, so it probably wasn't an official version.

"Is this the map of the Great Qing Kingdom?"

"I guess so, but it was probably just a random drawing based on the original. Only government offices and military camps would have the original."

"Shanghang Prefecture? This is Shanghang Prefecture? Then Taocheng is nearby? Is it in the middle of the Great Qing Kingdom?"

"It's located in the south-central part of the Great Qing Kingdom. Further north is the capital, and our military camp is in the northwest."

With other people around, Tang Ershi could only speak softly and couldn't be too clear. Since Ru Xiu didn't press for details, it seemed that the country was still fragmented and not unified at this time. Looking at the map, the Great Qing Kingdom should only be less than one-sixth the size of our great motherland, encompassing parts of Jiangnan, the Central Plains, and Sichuan and Shaanxi.

Ru Xiu couldn't find anything worth buying. Even if there were good things, only someone like Tan Xiucai could find them. However, she saw a few travelogues with introductions to local culture and customs, so she bought them to give to Xi Ge.

Tang Ershi found two old military books, both written in classical Chinese, which even Xiu couldn't understand. It seemed that Tang Ershi still wanted to trouble his father.

Tang Ershi sold the wooden map to Ruxiu. The price wasn't expensive; the whole stack cost less than two taels of silver.

Back at the place where the carriage was parked, Fifteen said that Sister Shi and Scholar Tan had already gone back. Brother Lin and Brother Xi had come to drop off the books they bought and said they would visit their classmates' homes and would be going back later.

Little Sweetie has fallen asleep, and Ge'er is resting on Tang Ershi's shoulder, looking exhausted.

A car was left for Xi Ge and Le Ge, while Ru Xiu and Tan Jiaqiang went home first.