bestfiction Chapter 350 The Strange Puppet
Chapter 350 The Strange Puppet
"Boss, deliver these to Shunhong Inn on East Street in a bit." Qing Tong paid for the mask and instructed the stall owner to deliver the goods to their destination.
"Yes, yes, I'll definitely deliver it." The stall owner happily accepted the money and thanked them, saying, "Thank you, esteemed guests. Please take care."
The stall owner was all smiles, having sold most of his goods in one go. The main reason was that the customers didn't haggle and even gave him extra money! He could pack up and go home early today.
The group continued walking towards the bustling area, stopping frequently along the way to sample the hot snacks.
Ruoyang also bought an adorable rabbit lantern and a colorful koi lantern, one for her and one for Long Chuqing.
Before they knew it, they had reached the very edge of the night market.
There were far fewer people here, and the light was dimmer. Only a lonely old lantern hung on a wooden post, its dim yellow light swaying in the cold wind.
At the end of the street, there was a shop selling raw jade. There were no customers in the shop at the moment, only a shop assistant standing in front of the counter, nodding off.
Normally, the shops would have already closed by this time, but during the Lunar New Year, the night market is crowded and the surrounding area becomes lively, so the shops stay open until this time.
Long Chuqing glanced at the doorway twice, then stepped inside, and Xiao Han followed her in.
The shop assistant instantly sobered up when he saw customers enter the shop.
"Greetings, esteemed guests. What can I do for you? Our shop has all kinds of jade; please feel free to take a look."
As he spoke, the waiter lit two candles nearby so that the guests could see more clearly.
Princess Ruoyang did not follow them inside. Her gaze fell upon the solitary lantern, beneath which lay a wooden board with scattered objects resembling rag dolls.
She glanced into the shop and saw Long Chuqing selecting jade. Thinking they wouldn't be out anytime soon, she became curious about what those things were. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, she strode towards the lantern.
"Zhi'er, where are you going?" Prince Qi asked.
"Fifth Brother, let me go see what those are?" Ruoyang said, pointing to the things under the lantern.
Despite having guards protecting him, Prince Qi was still somewhat worried: "I'll go with you."
"You two go ahead! I'll go into the shop and take a look." With Prince Qi and his guards accompanying him, Prince Xuan felt at ease.
"Honorable guest, take a look. This piece of white jade is one of the few good seed jades in our shop. Its quality is second only to mutton fat jade. It can be carved into a jade pendant or pendant. There is also this slightly larger piece that can be made into a hairpin. Please take your pick." The shop assistant enthusiastically promoted the jade.
Mutton fat jade has a warm and smooth texture, and is as white as grease. It is considered the finest type of Hetian jade.
In ancient times, mutton fat jade was difficult to mine and was considered a rare gemstone. Therefore, only emperors and high-ranking officials were qualified to wear high-quality mutton fat jade. Private jade shops could not sell it privately and could only buy and sell other gemstones that were inferior to mutton fat jade.
"Chu Qing, do you want to buy jade?"
Xiao Han was a little puzzled. Was she just looking at jade on a whim, or did she really intend to buy it?
Previously, he had selected a large box full of jewelry from the warehouse and sent it to Qiushui Pavilion. The box contained bracelets, hairpins, earrings, and other items made of mutton fat jade, but he had never seen her wear them.
After spending more than three months together, he had come to understand her somewhat, knowing that she disliked wearing fussy jewelry. Fortunately, he often saw her wearing the white magnolia hairpin he had carved himself. Thinking of this, a smile unconsciously crept onto Xiao Han's lips.
Long Chuqing nodded: "Yes, I want to buy one to carve for fun."
Xiao Han was somewhat surprised and curious after hearing this: What does Chu Qing want to carve?
He thought for a moment and said, "There are many fine jade stones in the storeroom of the manor. If you want, you can go to the storeroom to choose one."
Upon hearing Xiao Han's words, the waiter's expectant smile, though slightly dark under his eyes, instantly froze.
“Miss Long, are you planning to buy jade?” Prince Xuan walked to the two of them. He glanced at the piece of white jade in Long Chuqing’s hand and said with some disdain, “The quality of this white jade is so-so. If you want it, I will send you a few pieces of better quality jade another day.”
The guy's slightly stiff face immediately fell. Are young people these days so bored? Having nothing better to do late at night than come here to show off and make fun of him?
"Gentlemen, if you don't want to buy, you'd better leave now! Our shop is about to close." The shop assistant snatched the piece of white jade from Long Chuqing's hand and quickly put it back in the counter.
It was late at night, cold and sleepy, and he still had his temper, hmph...
Long Chuqing: "..."
Dude, she didn't seem to say no, did she?
"Let's go, Chu Qing." Xiao Han saw the waiter's dark face and didn't bother arguing with him. He pulled Long Chu Qing out and called back, "Let's go, Sixth Brother."
"Huh, aren't you buying it?" King Xuan was a little confused. "What's going on? I just came in, why are you leaving already?"
King Xuan turned to look at his servant.
"Whoosh—whoosh."
The waiter blew out the two candles he had just lit, his chin held high, lips pursed, giving off a "take it or leave it" look.
King Xuan's lips twitched: How can this guy have such a bad temper?
He lifted the hem of his robe and strode towards the door. "Seventh Brother, Miss Long, wait for me."
Under the lantern
As they got closer, Prince Qi and Ruoyang could see that there were more than a dozen puppets of different shapes on the wooden board.
Most of the puppets have lost their paint, revealing the original color of the wood. Some puppets are missing arms or legs, and some have tattered costumes. Clearly, they were abandoned here by their owners.
"Huh! They're just puppets. Were they abandoned here? They look rather pitiful." Ruoyang squatted down to examine them closely, her tone tinged with regret.
Prince Qi walked to Ruoyang's side and carefully observed the wooden puppets on the ground. He saw that the puppets' empty eyes seemed to be staring into the dim, yellow void, creating an eerie sense of separation from the hustle and bustle of the main street.
Prince Qi frowned slightly. For some reason, looking at these puppets, he felt an inexplicable unease.
Prince Qi wanted to leave as soon as possible. Seeing these puppets late at night still made him feel a little uneasy. A cold wind blew by, and he felt that the dimly lit open space had an unusually cold atmosphere, which was completely out of place with the festive atmosphere not far away.
Princess Ruoyang curiously approached, wanting to take a closer look at the puppet with its hair in two buns, its cheeks painted red, and its clothes a faded red coat. She reached out to touch it, and just as her hand was about to touch the puppet, Prince Qi called out.
"Zhi'er, let's go! There's nothing to see here."
"Hmm." Ruoyang withdrew her outstretched hand and gaze, stood up, and followed Prince Qi toward the jade shop.
Just as they turned around.
"Click——"
A barely audible sound of wood rubbing together rang out, so faint it was almost inaudible and instantly drowned out by the noise.
The little wooden puppet in the red coat, its slightly crooked wooden head, turned very slowly, with a sense of sluggishness.
Its empty, dull, cold, and lifeless pupils seemed to focus, staring intently at the departing figures of Prince Qi and Ruoyang.
Then, the lifeless eyes of the other puppets slowly focused as well.