Chapter 18: Chapter 18: The Flame Pearl Sold for a Good Price
If they were going to the city, they had to leave early.
Back home, Yun Linhe and Yun Chenxi were the shrewder ones, so it was decided the two of them would take the Flame Pearl to sell.
Yun Jiao also woke up very early today. With two crooked little pigtails, she hugged her little uncle’s leg before the two of them could leave.
Like a little sloth, she clung to her uncle’s leg with both her arms and feet.
Yun Linhe paused. "...Jiaojiao, you’re up so early today?"
He bent down and picked up the little tyke clinging to his leg.
Yun Jiao nodded, her big, bright eyes fixed on him. "Go. Together."
Yun Linhe tapped her little nose. "You’re much smarter than your brothers."
She didn’t make a fuss yesterday, but today she was up at the crack of dawn to stop them.
"Alright, Little Uncle will take you to the city to have some fun. And while we’re there, we’ll buy our Jiaojiao some new clothes and hair ties."
Yun Chenxi asked, "Should we bring some dried fish?"
Yun Jiao nodded emphatically. "Yes!"
With a bag of small dried fish, the two men carried Little Yun Jiao to town, where they boarded a public bus to the city.
The inside of the bus didn’t smell pleasant. It was also crowded and stuffy.
The two of them managed to find seats after some difficulty, and Yun Jiao was placed on her brother’s lap.
Yun Chenxi looked at her completely disheveled hair, skillfully undid the hair ties, and then re-braided it into small, uneven pigtails.
’Hmm... passable, I guess.’
Yun Jiao didn’t care. She was happily munching on a cucumber.
She sat by the window, her big eyes wide as she looked outside.
"Everyone sit tight, we’re about to move!"
With a shout from the driver, the bus started moving.
"Wow~"
Yun Jiao gasped in amazement. This vehicle was different from a tractor; it didn’t make a RUMBLE RUMBLE sound.
She continued to munch on her cucumber, excitedly peering out the window.
But her excitement only lasted for a short while. The bus ride from the town to the city took two hours.
It was a long time, and the smell on the bus was unpleasant.
Someone got carsick and threw up, making the smell even worse.
Yun Jiao, sitting with her short little legs spread apart on her second brother’s lap, buried her face directly in his chest.
Yun Chenxi took a piece of dried tangerine peel from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Hold this under your nose. It’ll help."
Yun Jiao held the peel, and sure enough, she felt a bit better.
Her little hands broke the tangerine peel, handing a piece to her little uncle and a piece to her brother.
"Such a good girl, Jiaojiao."
The two adults patted the little one’s fluffy head.
Yun Jiao squinted her eyes in enjoyment, looking just like a beautiful, noble little kitten.
Two hours later, they finally arrived in the city.
After getting off the bus, Yun Jiao’s eyes widened, unable to take everything in at once.
There were so many more tall buildings in the city than in town. The roads were wide and smooth, and there were lots of places selling things.
Yun Linhe asked, "Where should we sell this Flame Pearl?"
Yun Chenxi didn’t know either. "Let’s walk around and see first."
Ordinary shops didn’t seem like the kind that would buy pearls, and the state-run stores were even less likely to.
They had to find a private shop, and one that dealt in valuable goods at that.
After asking around, they finally found themselves in an alley.
There was an inconspicuous shop here, but the things it bought and sold were all rare and unusual.
The shop was called "Wu’s Grocery Store."
"Boss, do you buy pearls here?"
Inside the shop was a single man, around forty years old. He wore a traditional black Chinese jacket and stood before the counter, his fingers flicking across an abacus.
"Pearls?"
Boss Wu stroked the tuft of beard on his chin. "I don’t buy ordinary pearls here."
Yun Linhe sized up the shop and noticed some bottles of liquor on the counter, along with some things that looked like antiques.
In this day and age, many antiques couldn’t be displayed openly, but they were still traded privately, albeit rarely.
Anyone in this line of business had to have some connections.
"We have a Flame Pearl."
Hearing this, Boss Wu’s interest was piqued. "The Flame Pearl, also known as a Dragon Ball? Now that’s a rarity. You must be fishermen from the coast, right? Let me see the pearl."
Yun Linhe carefully took out a handkerchief that was wrapped in multiple layers.
As the handkerchief was unwrapped, a brilliant, orange-red pearl was revealed.
Boss Wu’s eyes lit up, and he took it just as carefully.
He even used a special caliper to measure it.
"Twelve-millimeter diameter, an orange-red color like the sun, a porcelain-like luster, a perfectly round shape, and it even has the flame pattern..."
"Excellent, excellent, excellent. This pearl is top-grade in every aspect, from its size to its appearance."
It was obvious Boss Wu was extremely fond of it.
Hearing his words, Yun Linhe and Yun Chenxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Boss Wu didn’t keep them in suspense. "A Dragon Ball is hard to come by. You wouldn’t find a single pearl like this in ten thousand shells, let alone one over 10mm. Your luck is really something else."
"I won’t try to fool you. Sea pearls are quite rare. I’ll typically buy any that are 8mm or larger with a good shape and luster. A Dragon Ball is even rarer. For this 12mm one, I’ll take it for 1,500 yuan. That’s the highest price I can offer."
"I’m also hoping to build a good relationship with you. If you’re ever lucky enough to find any other rare items in the sea, you can bring them to me."
1,500 yuan!
Before they came, they thought five hundred would have been the absolute maximum.
After all, they didn’t know much about pearls.
They never expected such a tiny pearl could sell for so much money!
Suppressing their excitement, they said, "Thank you, Boss Wu. We’ll sell it here."
They had gone to great trouble to find this place, and the price was far beyond what they had expected. As for shopping around, they would need other places that actually bought such things.
Perhaps there were other places, but they didn’t know the city well. Rather than risk being targeted by wandering around, it was better to just sell it here.
Boss Wu nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, I’ll go get the money for you."
One hundred and fifty ’Great Unity’ bills. Yun Linhe’s hands were trembling slightly as he took them.
He had never held so much money in his entire life.
Boss Wu watched them with a chuckle. "Here, I usually buy ordinary, good-quality 8mm Sea Pearls for around 200 yuan. For anything above 8mm, it also depends on the quality; better quality means a higher price."
"The price is even higher for those with rare colors, like black or gold, and the same goes for a Flame Pearl like this. If you find another one in the future, feel free to bring it to me. I guarantee I’ll give you a fair price. If you don’t believe me, you can ask around elsewhere and you’ll see."
"Okay, thank you, Boss Wu."
Boss Wu nodded, his gaze falling on the fair and chubby Yun Jiao.
"You’ve raised this child well."
He turned, picked up two pieces of hawthorn cake from the table, and held them out.
"Here, little one, have some hawthorn cake."
Yun Linhe and Yun Chenxi were about to refuse, but Yun Jiao had already eagerly extended her chubby little hand.
"Thank you, Uncle."
After taking the treat, she was still sweet with her words, and she gave Boss Wu a smile.
"Hahaha... I took a liking to this girl the moment I saw her."
Yun Chenxi and Yun Linhe could only thank him helplessly.
As they were leaving, Yun Jiao waved the hawthorn cake. "Bye-bye, Uncle! We’ll come again!"
Boss Wu smiled. "Then this uncle will be waiting for you."
This could be considered the start of a good connection. In the future, they could bring any other pearls or similar items directly here.
However, Yun Linhe didn’t think he would have that kind of luck again. After all, he had lived his whole life without ever finding a single pearl.
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