Maofeng Town was as bustling as always, especially on market days when it appeared even more crowded than usual with people carrying their burdens, sellers and buyers haggling with much gusto—a truly fascinating spectacle.
Miss Wufu enjoyed watching this lively scene, akin to the renowned "Along the River During the Qingming Festival." Everything was vivid and animated, the everyday life of commoners held a charm that strict etiquette of the nobility could never match—the two were beyond comparison.
Upon arriving at the Hundred Treasures Silver Building, no sooner had Miss Wufu ascended one step, than a sharp-eyed shop assistant caught sight of her. He froze for a moment before rushing towards the back hall.
Miss Wufu raised an eyebrow at the commotion and swaggered into the store, where another assistant, seemingly new, approached with a smile. He wiped down a table and chairs in the center of the store and said, "Miss, it’s hot today, please have some cool tea. What kind of jewelry would you be interested in? Allow me to introduce our selection."
As he spoke, he enthusiastically poured a cup of tea for Miss Wufu.
Miss Wufu eyed him sidelong and chuckled, "You’re new here?"
"Miss has good eyes. I’ve only been here for half a month, my humble name is Jin Xi," the young shop assistant introduced himself.
"Not bad," Miss Wufu complimented.
No sooner had she spoken, than the shop assistant who had run off joined Shopkeeper Lin, emerging from the inner hall.
"Miss Wufu," Shopkeeper Lin greeted with a bow.
Miss Wufu stood and curtsied slightly in response, smiling, "Shopkeeper Lin, I trust you have been well?"
"I’m delighted to see Miss Wufu looking even more radiant since our last encounter. Ever since your jadeite betting with our Master, we haven’t had the pleasure of your visit. Have you been well?" Shopkeeper Lin asked with a smile.
"Well, quite well, I appreciate your concern!"
"Glad to hear it. Youth does have its advantages. As for Mr. Lin of our Silver House, he’s been struggling with illnesses due to his advanced age. Take that jadeite betting incident, for instance—you wouldn’t know, but he had an eye condition that momentarily impaired his vision, leading to his misjudgment of that jade piece," Shopkeeper Lin said with apparent regret. "We were fortunate that you were present, otherwise a true gem might have been overlooked."
Miss Wufu raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Mr. Lin has an eye condition?"
"Indeed. After being diagnosed by the physician, Mr. Lin lamented the loss of such fine jadeite, even considering retiring out of remorse," Shopkeeper Lin continued. "But how could it be his fault? Everyone eventually encounters health issues as they age. Take me, for example, sometimes my vision isn’t clear, and I don’t always hear well!"
"That’s only natural; Master Lin is being too hard on himself," Miss Wufu said, her lips curling into a smile as she took a sip of her tea.
In reality, the so-called eye condition was merely an excuse to save face for the Silver House—how could a master known as Ghost Hand lose to a young girl? It wouldn’t sound good if word got out.
Whoever thought of using the eye condition as a face-saving tactic had done well, especially since Master Lin was of considerable age, and an eye condition wouldn’t be implausible.
But whether it was truly an eye condition or something else, everyone knew the truth.
Observing Miss Wufu’s airy smile, Shopkeeper Lin silently wiped his brow, feeling as if the young lady had seen through the charade.
Claiming an eye condition was indeed a convenient excuse to outsiders and certainly better than doing nothing. They should thank the Fourth Young Master for coming up with the idea, or else he might have been forced into retirement.
And this young lady, discerning the truth yet saying nothing, relieved Shopkeeper Lin even as he dared not underestimate her. After all, recognizing when to withdraw gracefully at her age was truly rare!
And now, with a beaming smile, Shopkeeper Lin asked Miss Wufu, "What brings you to our store today, Miss?"