Chapter 163 – Paying attention to fate and affinity
Xu Jinning had studied ancient and modern jewelry appreciation in modern times, so when she saw this anklet, she casually commented on it, her eyes full of liking for this anklet.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she said this, the stall owner, who had been indifferent to her, opened his eyes and looked at Xu Jinning with a look of appreciation, finally acknowledging them.
“Young lady, you have a good eye.”
“You’re right, this anklet does indeed come from the Han Dynasty palace. Everything must find its destined person, so I’ll give this anklet to you.”
“Oh, no, that’s not possible,” Xu Jinning hurriedly put down the anklet.
“This thing is too precious, how can I accept it?”
The stall owner was momentarily stunned, then smiled, his eyes seeming to show a hint of redness, “Only you would consider this thing precious. In others’ eyes, it’s just a worthless trinket.”
“Since I said I’ll give it to you, then you should accept it. If you don’t want it, just throw it away.”
With that, the stall owner casually picked up the anklet and tossed it towards Xu Jinning, who was squatting down.
Xu Jinning was startled and instinctively reached out to catch it.
Fortunately, she caught it; otherwise, it would have been a pity if such a precious anklet had been broken.
Xu Jinning still intended to return the anklet, but in the next moment, Xu Xiangbei grabbed her hand and shook his head, gesturing with his eyes for her to keep it.
Huh? Xu Jinning was quite puzzled.
However, she thought that since the second brother asked her to keep it, there must be a reason, and the stall owner seemed determined to give her the anklet.
So…
In the end, Xu Jinning accepted the anklet.
Afterward, she also bought some gold jewelry and gemstone jewelry from the stall owner, including the necklace with emerald gemstones embedded in it.
As for the value quoted by the stall owner, for Xu Jinning, who had previously lived in an era of high-priced luxury items, it was simply a steal, even close to being given away for free.
However, both Xu Xiangbei and the stall owner considered this price reasonable.
“There’s something else, I don’t know if young lady would be interested…” The stall owner seemed to really like her. After hesitating for a moment, he closed the stall, and then led Xu Jinning and Xu Xiangbei to a secluded and deserted corner.
From his chest, he took out something.
When Xu Jinning saw that thing, her eyes widened instantly.
It was a necklace adorned with diamonds, each diamond quite large. The necklace was crafted with pink, yellow, blue, green, and red diamonds, a total of five types of diamonds embedded in it.
Each diamond was polished to be round and full, shimmering in the sunlight.
“It’s so beautiful.”
The stall owner handed it to Xu Jinning, who took it without hesitation. It felt substantial in her hand, and she estimated the necklace to be at least over 250 carats.
Moreover, all these diamonds were real.
She remembered that in modern times, there was a 181-carat diamond necklace made of pink and yellow diamonds that sold for a whopping $3.7 million.
Thus, the value of this five-colored diamond necklace before her was self-evident.
It was just a pity that there were no knowledgeable buyers around now.
“Young lady, how about I sell this necklace to you?” the stall owner proposed.
Xu Jinning didn’t even need to think about it; she immediately shook her head. “No, I won’t buy it.”
“This necklace, Uncle, is really precious. I would say it’s even more valuable than anything else I’ve bought from you before.”
“It’s best if you keep this thing, treasure it well, even if it’s for future generations.”
The stall owner smiled helplessly, “This thing is worthless now, not even worth a bag of rice. Where’s the value in it?”
“Maybe it’s not valuable now, but who knows about the future. It might become extremely valuable, to a degree you can’t even imagine.”
“Who can say for sure about the future?”
“Uncle, keep this necklace for yourself, don’t sell it to anyone. Trust me, this necklace will definitely become valuable in the future.”
Xu Jinning said with conviction, almost making the stall owner believe her.
Looking at the necklace handed back to him, the stall owner was momentarily stunned, then he clenched it in his palm.
Not sure if he was asking Xu Jinning or speaking to himself, he murmured, “Worthless now, valuable in the future? Does that mean many things in the future will be different from now?”
Thinking he was addressing her, Xu Jinning replied, “Of course, in the future, the winds of freedom and reform will blow across the country, equality, unity, freedom, harmony, development… Everyone will have enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, children will receive free education… The future will be better and better.”
“I believe that kind of life is not far away.”
As Xu Jinning described, the stall owner’s gaze drifted into the distance, becoming more profound.
His previously slightly stooped back also gradually straightened up.
On his body, the original sense of despair and listlessness gradually dissipated, as if with Xu Jinning’s words, a sense of vitality was slowly infused into his body.
This vitality wasn’t abundant, more like a trickle.
Yet, bit by bit, it flowed into his body, into his limbs, into his bloodstream, reviving him little by little.
“Alright, young lady, I believe in you.”
“If, as you say, such a future can be realized, if we are destined to meet again in the future, I will surely remember your guidance.”
In the end, the stall owner took back the diamond necklace. After bidding farewell to Xu Jinning and Xu Xiangbei, he left with his crippled leg.
On the way back, Xu Jinning learned from Xu Xiangbei about the background of this stall owner.
This stall owner, in his thirties, was said to be surnamed Xiao, but nobody knew his full name.
Because of his limp leg, everyone called him Lame Xiao.
Regarding Lame Xiao, the others in the courtyard didn’t like to get close to him, let alone befriend him, all because of his status.
“It’s said that his ancestors were nobles close to the imperial family, but their fortunes declined over time.”
“Because of this status, their family faced hardships fifteen years ago.”
“It’s said that fifteen years ago, in that incident, his grandparents, father, even his wife and two children all perished.”
“Of course, their once prosperous family was no more, they were driven out and left to wander the streets.”
“His leg was injured in that incident, but he couldn’t afford treatment, and nobody was willing to help him, so he ended up with a limp.”
“After that incident, the only ones left were his paralyzed mother and his infant daughter at the time.”
“Perhaps for the sake of his mother and daughter, he struggled to survive, taking care of them all this time.”
“The gold and gemstone jewelry he sells now should be what he had hidden elsewhere before, because everything in his own home was taken away long ago, leaving it empty.”
“It’s unclear if it’s because of that incident, but his temperament is a bit peculiar. Even though he sells jewelry here, which isn’t worth much now, he’s selective about whom he sells to, paying attention to fate and affinity.”
I’ll be honest, I’m not really convinced that gold and jewels were so worthless as to be less valuable than a rice of bag. I couldn’t find any sources about that.
It was actually the case that gold and jewels weren’t worth much at the time because they were seen as signs of capitalism, which could get you sent to labor farms or even sentenced to death. Since no one wanted such an association, naturally things representing capitalism lost their value and were even avoided, hence becoming worthless.