Un corazón puro en una vasija de jade

Capítulo 11

"Master, do you think the handsome gentleman will like this hairpin?"

The man in blue glanced at it, then turned and walked out: "I don't know."

"One tael!" Xinghun chuckled as he made his offer.

The shopkeeper smiled and shook his head: "The rule is that I set the price, and you, sir, bargain! However, you can only do it once. My shop is short-staffed, and if the bargaining goes on and on, I'll be exhausted."

Xinghun's eyes lit up. Unlike other men who got headaches whenever they went shopping, he had enjoyed shopping in his past life, and his girlfriends all said it was one of his greatest strengths.

He smiled, his voice brimming with excitement: "Shopkeeper, please name your price!"

"Two hundred taels!"

Only one bargaining? He remained calm, put down the hairpin, and picked up a wide robe: "No need to haggle over this, I'll buy it for ten taels of silver."

The shopkeeper agreed with a smile and began packing the clothes: "Young master is a very straightforward person. The weapons shop is upstairs; you may go up and take a look."

Xinghun glanced at the outer room and saw the master in green sitting leisurely drinking tea, so he went upstairs.

Eighteen kinds of weapons stood upstairs, along with bows, arrows, hidden weapons, and other items, none of which were priced. Xinghun thought these must be more expensive, but Master Qingyi said he would buy him gifts when he didn't have enough silver, and the Qishu (奇书) was probably a weapon.

He walked around for a while, and finally couldn't resist picking up a short knife. The weight and size weren't exactly what he wanted, but it was usable enough. He held it in his hand and swung it gently, regaining a familiar feeling from his past life.

"Can I give it a try?"

"Please feel free, young master."

"Really? No money required?"

"Sure," the shopkeeper replied with his smile unchanged.

Xinghun nodded, then casually swung down at another longsword, the two blades clashing with a clang. He sighed, then threw away the short sword; it wasn't as incredibly sharp as he had imagined.

So he tried out all the weapons there one by one, and finally picked up a row of small throwing knives.

"Young master..." The shopkeeper was sweating profusely, staring dumbfounded at the broken weapons scattered on the ground.

"I'll only buy this, nothing else."

"But……"

"You said we could try. Sigh, the steel isn't very good, it broke easily. Let's just pick these little junks and settle for it, check out!" Xinghun shook his head and sighed, inwardly bursting into laughter.

The shopkeeper, stumped by his own words, looked like he was about to cry, but unable to retaliate, he reluctantly calculated the bill. "Thank you... sixty taels of silver."

Xinghun picked up the white jade hairpin again, looked at it, sighed, and put it down: "This will cost two taels of silver."

Just as the shopkeeper was about to shake his head in refusal, he heard Xinghun murmur, "I wonder if it's sturdy enough." He had already gripped the hairpin as if to break it.

"Two taels it is, sir, have a safe journey!" The shopkeeper, who could accept two taels, quickly agreed.

Xinghun grinned and put the hairpin into his pocket. "Master, the things here are cheap and good quality. I'll come back next month after I get paid. Shopkeeper, remember to stock up on more good stuff!"

The shopkeeper's eyes practically blazed with fury, but Xinghun winked at him. He knew it was this hairpin that had caused the trouble, but could only curse his bad luck inwardly, wishing with a bitter face that Xinghun would never come again.

Once out of the woods, Xinghun burst into laughter. He proudly handed the robe to the man in blue: "This is a tribute to my master. The hairpin is a tribute to the beautiful lady."

The man in blue shook his head and smiled, "That shopkeeper is no ordinary person."

Xinghun pretended not to hear, toying with the hairpin. He knew perfectly well that no one in this valley was an ordinary person. He wondered what kind of report the innkeeper would write to the person in charge of the valley for his actions today.

"The Valley Master's intentions remain unchanged. In six months, good luck to you. If you don't want to be exposed, listen to the Master's advice. She will like that hairpin."

Xinghun paused, then smiled. This was the real reason he'd taken him to the market today. Six months from now, he would be living outside the valley under that boy's identity, so he felt sorry for him and wanted to cheer him up. He'd already anticipated the mission couldn't be changed… finding someone else who resembled that boy would be difficult, but he wasn't entirely unprepared. "Everyone has to plan for themselves, don't they?" Xinghun murmured to himself.

When the matchmaker brings people together

Xinghun watched the child playing the zither in the bamboo grove, and he and the child simultaneously played the last glissando, even the arc of their hands rising was almost identical. The lingering sound echoed in the bamboo house. He smiled and turned back; a single tear trembled on the handsome gentleman's cheek, hanging precariously.

He walked over, reached out and wiped away the tear with his finger, then stroked her long, flowing hair, his little finger intentionally brushing against her pearly earlobe.

"You brat!" Cheng Dieyi scolded, sitting up with a flush rising to her face.

Xinghun was very pleased with his teasing. He opened his eyes wide and looked at her innocently, praising, "Sir, you are so beautiful! Master Qingyi has always said that if a white jade hairpin were used to tie up your black hair, I wonder how stunning it would be!"

Cheng Dieyi's face darkened, and she reached out to take the hairpin off: "Did your master send you to deliver this?" She made a move to throw it away.

Xinghun was shocked and quickly stopped him: "I went to the market and saw Master staring at this hairpin but hesitant to buy it. As a disciple, I should always think of my master. I bought it with my own money. How can you refuse Xinghun's filial piety?"

Cheng Dieyi touched Xinghun's forehead with her jade finger and smiled, "If it were a gift from your master, I would of course throw it away. But I will cherish the sentiment behind Little Xinghun's gift."

Xinghun was overjoyed and seized the opportunity to hug the handsome gentleman and give him a loud kiss. Before she could get angry, he had already jumped back a few steps, clapping his hands and saying, "Master Qingyi is right, the handsome gentleman's face is so white and smooth!"

Anger and shock spread across her beautiful face, her eyes flashing with fury. "That monster in green has gone too far!"

"Is the master angry? Master Qingyi didn't say that. He... he only said that the master is an extremely refined person, and that Xinghun wanted to kiss the master." As she spoke, her lips pursed slightly, and she looked extremely aggrieved.

"Alright, alright, you silly child!" Her heart softened, and she reached out to hug Xinghun.

A faint, sweet fragrance wafted from the handsome gentleman, and Xinghun took a deep breath, intoxicated by it. How pleasant it was to have such beauty in his arms, but alas… he sighed, looked up, and smiled, saying, “Sir, you haven’t given me a return gift yet.”

What do you want?

"Sir, how about you paint a self-portrait for Xinghun? I can take it out and look at it when I miss you. Seeing you practice your skills will give me more energy, it's better than facing Master Qingyi!"

Cheng Dieyi readily agreed.

Xinghun quickly laid out paper, ground ink, washed brushes, and prepared colors.