Chapter 260: Ghost Market

Shen Yunlian: "What kind of bracelet? Is it made of gold or something? Why is it so expensive?"

Wang Mei: "Pah! Even if it were made of gold, it wouldn’t be this expensive. Jiaojiao, did someone swindle you?"

Clearly, the two sisters-in-law were having the exact same reaction as the Yun Linhai brothers had.

Yun Jiao: "No, it’s a very, very beautiful bracelet."

"It’s prettier than a gemstone."

Merfolk like sparkling, translucent gemstones and beautiful, lustrous pearls, but they aren’t particularly fond of gold.

However, Yun Jiao knew that the great dragons from her previous world had been very fond of gold.

Humans liked gold, too.

But she still preferred those pretty stones.

She especially liked that Jadeite bracelet.

Yun Jiao looked expectantly at her mom and dad, her little uncle and little aunt.

Her beautiful, slightly rounded eyes were filled with longing.

Being stared at by her was like being targeted by an unbelievably cute kitten. Who could possibly resist that?

"Fine, fine, we’ll go with you and take a look."

Wang Mei immediately rolled up her sleeves, ready to see what kind of heartless swindler would even cheat a four-year-old child!

But before leaving, they had to deal with that chest of gold first.

After some discussion, Yun Linhai and Yun Linhe dug a large hole in the backyard, put all the gold into a new wooden chest, and then buried it.

"Alright, we shouldn’t touch this stuff unless we’re in dire straits. Or we can just pass it down to future generations."

"Big Brother, you guys stay home. The two of us will take Jiaojiao," Yun Linhe said.

His older brother was more honest than him, not as shrewd, and not very good at arguing.

His sister-in-law was also relatively mild-mannered, not as fiery as his own wife.

Dealing with swindlers was naturally a job for him and his wife.

Yun Linhai wanted to go too, but Shen Yunlian grabbed his hand.

"We’ll have to trouble you then. We’ll wait at home for Xiao Wu and the other kids to come back."

"Now you’re being a stranger. We love Jiaojiao like our own daughter, you know."

Yun Linhe rode out on his motorcycle. "Jiaojiao, Wang Mei, get on."

Wang Mei first lifted Yun Jiao onto the motorcycle, then got on herself.

The motorcycle was even faster than the bus, so it only took them about twenty minutes to reach the county town.

Yun Jiao: "Let’s go find Master first."

Yun Linhe and Wang Mei naturally had no objections. They had also brought a gift—two of the giant-croakers they had caught that day.

"Master~"

Yun Jiao’s soft, sweet voice was very distinctive.

Her tone was pure, and combined with the unique softness of a child’s voice, it was a pleasure to listen to. No matter how much she talked, no one ever found her noisy; instead, listening to her was an auditory treat.

"Jiaojiao, what brings you here again? And at this hour. Have you eaten?"

Yun Jiao trotted over to him.

"I’ve eaten. I came to buy something. My little uncle and little aunt came with me too."

The couple greeted Elder Xu and handed over the two fish.

"These are giant-croakers we caught at sea today. They’re still fresh."

"You shouldn’t have. Ever since I took Jiaojiao on as my little disciple, my family hasn’t needed to buy seafood from the market."

Every time Yun Jiao came, she would bring some seafood. Yun Linhai and the others did the same; whether they were picking up or dropping off Yun Jiao, or just in town on business, they would always bring some seafood for the clinic.

And the things they brought were never cheap.

Yun Linhe: "Well, we’re fishermen. We don’t have much else, but we can certainly spare a few things from the sea. It’s nothing expensive."

After they exchanged some pleasantries, Yun Linhe brought up the reason for their visit.

Because the amount of money involved was so large, they went into a room in the clinic’s backyard to discuss it.

"Elder Xu, you’re a man of the world. Help us figure this out. What kind of bracelet could possibly sell for a hundred thousand yuan? Was Jiaojiao swindled?"

Elder Xu stroked the small tuft of beard on his chin and bent down to ask Yun Jiao where she saw the bracelet and what color it was.

Yun Jiao: "It was in an alley, on the street to the west. The bracelet was so beautiful! It was like blue and also like purple, wider than two of my fingers, and so, so clear, like glass..."

Elder Xu nodded as he listened to her description.

Meeting the expectant gazes of Yun Linhe and his wife, Elder Xu spoke.

"If it’s authentic, then that price might be real."

"What?!"

Yun Linhe and Wang Mei were dumbfounded. There were really bracelets more expensive than a house?

Elder Xu chuckled. "You sure know how to find your way around. To think you ended up at the Ghost Market."

Yun Linhe was startled. ’Ghost Market? That doesn’t sound like a good place.’

Fortunately, Elder Xu quickly explained, "The Ghost Market is a kind of night market, an antique street here. It’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s fake inside. There’s a saying: ’Gold in times of chaos, antiques in times of peace.’ Our country has stabilized and begun to develop, so naturally, antiques have started to surface."

"If the Jadeite Jiaojiao is talking about is ’glass-type,’ and an antique on top of that, then that price is actually on the low side. If the seller held onto it longer, or if it were sold in the past, it could have fetched an even higher price."

"Throughout history, rare jewels and jades have always been hard to come by. The most valuable ones could easily be worth several houses."

Yun Linhe and Wang Mei were completely stunned.

’Seriously? These little trinkets are that expensive?’

Seeing their expressions, Elder Xu stroked his beard and laughed.

"But these things aren’t targeted at ordinary people. In essence, they’re just special stones. They’re only expensive because, from ancient times to the present, they’ve been loved and sought after by the nobility, who endowed them with the meaning of wealth and status.

"Things like jade are mainly a matter of personal preference. If someone truly loves it and can afford it, they won’t care about the money. And people without money wouldn’t get into such a money-burning hobby anyway."

Yun Linhe and Wang Mei’s gazes both fell upon Yun Jiao.

’He has a point,’ they thought. ’Our Jiaojiao’s hobby is certainly a bit of a money pit. But then again, Jiaojiao has her own ways of making money.’

Elder Xu stood up. "My two apprentices are holding down the fort at the clinic today, so this old man will go with you for a look. However, I’ll need to find someone to help appraise it. If he says it’s worth the price, and Jiaojiao wants to buy the bracelet, then just let her buy it."

As Yun Jiao’s master, he was well aware that she was currently quite wealthy.

The little one had given him half a kilogram of ambergris after she returned from the Capital, which had given him quite a shock.

The ambergris was of the highest quality. Even for him, finding ambergris of such fine grade was extremely difficult.

He was, of course, also aware of the price of ambergris.

He never would have thought his little disciple’s luck was just too absurdly good. She was the type to be spoon-fed by the heavens themselves.

"You don’t need to be so pessimistic. Things like jade have collection value. And in times of peace, the more developed the country becomes, the higher their value will climb.

"If Jiaojiao likes it, just let her buy it. If she doesn’t want it anymore in the future, or if you have an urgent need for money, you can just sell it. As long as the quality is good, you won’t lose money on it. Of course, the price of jade is ultimately not as stable as gold."