Miss Truth
Chapter 229 - 144: Gambling on Stones (1)_2

Chapter 229: Chapter 144: Gambling on Stones (1)_2

"Let’s go, let’s go! Otherwise, why don’t I send Wan Lu down to buy you two masks? That way, if we get separated, can’t we just meet up at the Jin River Fair?" Ran Yun was thoroughly enjoying herself, but she was only looking and not buying. With Ran Yan and Ran Yunsheng along, she had access to a purse.

Ran Yunsheng looked at Ran Yun’s sly smile and knew what she was thinking.

"Wan Lu, go down and buy two masks," Ran Yan instructed, then turned to Ran Yunsheng and said, "Brother Yun, it would be a pity to stay out of the bustle. You don’t know when you’ll be back once you leave Suzhou. Why not go down and have some fun?"

The markets of Chang’an were dozens of times busier than those of Suzhou, but Jiangnan had its own charm. Many charming little things that you couldn’t necessarily find for sale in Chang’an.

Ran Yunsheng was also tempted. "Good."

Wan Lu went downstairs for a while and then brought back two masks, "Both of these masks are the ugliest. The owner said they’re hard to sell, so I thought they’d be easy to recognize."

Ran Yunsheng casually picked one up and put it on, while Wan Lu handed the other to Ran Yan, who said, "Even if I don’t wear such an ugly mask, I doubt it would be hard to recognize me. There probably aren’t many wives on the street walking with their arms in slings."

Once they left the Jin River Inn, they immediately felt the overwhelming din and atmosphere engulfing them. If they spoke during the conversation, they had to shout into each other’s ears, or else they could hardly hear what the others were saying.

Only the vendors hawking their goods had voices that carried exceptionally well.

Ran Yun tugged at Ran Yan’s sleeve and said, "Sister Seventeen, we sisters are meeting; shouldn’t you give your younger sister a gift?"

"I did overlook that, Ah Yun. Is there something you want?" Ran Yan asked.

"Just now I saw a place selling jade carvings. The jade wasn’t much, but the carvings were not bad. If you feel like giving, I’ll grudgingly take that," Ran Yun seriously said.

Ran Yan smiled faintly. "Okay."

"We’ve just come downstairs, and your slyness is already showing, Ah Yun. Are you that eager?" Ran Yunsheng said helplessly, pushing his way through the crowd to protect Ran Yan while gently reprimanding Ran Yun.

Ran Yun pouted, "Is there any sister that twists her brother’s arm like this? In the world, all sisters are good sisters, yet poor Ah Yun, though legitimately related, is treated like dirt..."

"Alright then, what else have you taken a liking to?" Ran Yunsheng asked straightforwardly.

"There are a few sets of newly released jewelry at Yuan Fu Tower that are not bad. I’ll grudgingly take those," Ran Yun glanced at Ran Yunsheng, saw his disapproving face, and quickly added, "Yuan Fu Tower is good, but it still falls short of many jewelry stores in Chang’an. However, those pieces of jade are top-notch. I plan to buy them and have a craftsman in Chang’an enhance them, then sell them in our family’s jewelry store. The profits made, I’ll share twenty percent with you. You see, you give me a favor and still get a good chunk of the cost back. Isn’t it a good deal?"

Ran Yunsheng nodded, "This accounting is done beautifully, but, brother is puzzled about one thing—what benefit do I get by selling you this favor?"

"What benefit?" Ran Yun stroked her forehead and sighed, "Father’s estate in brother’s hands is indeed a worrying prospect! Just look at my sister’s face."

Ran Yun cradled her own small face, "Even as a child, I already have some color. They say a girl changes greatly by eighteen. Looking at your face, brother, one can imagine I’ll turn out quite well in the future. Although being a merchant is a bit low, I could marry into a rich merchant’s family or become a concubine to a noble. What benefit is there in selling me a favor?"

Ran Yan looked in surprise at the little girl who barely reached his shoulders, who spoke of her own looks not with pride but with a sincere assessment of her value, almost like a shrewd trader disguised in innocence, weighing pros and cons in everything, more like a merchant than Ran Yunsheng himself.

"Yun!" Ran Yunsheng seemed truly annoyed, "You mustn’t talk or think like that in the future, not even as a joke. No talking of marriages or becoming a concubine. Don’t even think about it; choose someone you truly like."

Ran Yun drooped her head and nodded slowly.

Ran Yan tugged at Ran Yunsheng’s sleeve, signaling him not to take it too seriously. Ran Yun seemed to be a child with high IQ but somewhat low EQ in certain areas, and she hadn’t yet reached the stage of youthful infatuation. Once she started having such ideas, Ran Yan believed no woman would frivolously gamble with her happiness.

Ran Yunsheng also felt he was being too concerned and was just about to say a few words of comfort when he realized the road ahead was blocked.

The road was impassably surrounded, and Ran Yun couldn’t maintain her gloomy act. She was the first to energetically push through the crowd, pulling persistently, but only managed to move forward a few steps. In desperation, she pulled at a middle-aged gentleman, "Excuse me, what is everyone looking at?"

The middle-aged man, initially very displeased with being pushed and pulled, looked down and saw Ran Yun’s delicate small face and her eyes brimming with anticipation. Instantly, all his irritation dissipated, and he replied with a smile, "They are gambling on stones!"

Gambling on stones involves placing many raw stones together. Some are just stones, while others, when cut open, contain jade, gemstones, emeralds, and so on. With good luck, one might buy a stone containing top-quality jade for a very low price, and with bad luck, one might spend a lot of money on just a stone.

Ran Yun nodded, becoming even more excited inside. She particularly liked these kinds of high-stake bets, and even though she didn’t know much about stones, just watching was enjoyable enough for her.

Ran Yan also looked forward with great interest, tiptoeing to see through the crowd.

It seemed that the event hadn’t started yet; more than ten high stools each held something covered with red silk, presumably the raw stones.

Ran Yunsheng surveyed the scene, noticing that most of these people were ordinary people, mostly gathered to watch the excitement. Only a few could afford to gamble on stones. He then had the servant take out a string of coins and lead the way by paying each person who made way for them ten coins.

Ten coins could buy quite a lot of food. It was merely a matter of moving aside, and besides, this stone gambling had nothing to do with them. Therefore, Ran Yan and the others made their way smoothly to the front.

*****

I wish everyone a new year filled with eating and drinking without gaining weight!!! By the way, regarding whether the Tang Dynasty had stone gambling or auctions, I have not researched it. If you’re interested, you might look it up. Writing about stone gambling is just a small fun event. The focus is not on "gambling on stones", you know what I mean. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest encouragement.)

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