“Fresh steamed buns! Fresh out of the steamer! One copper coin each! Come and have a look!”
“Young Master, our date paste cakes are delicious. Would you like to try one?”
Jiang Hongyan walked leisurely down the street as the cries of vendors echoed from the shops lining both sides of the road.
Because several layers of cloth were wrapped around his head, none of the passersby paid any attention to his short hair.
He strolled while looking around until he spotted a pawnshop ahead and walked inside.
Taking out the small glass ornaments he carried with him, he prepared to ask how much they were worth.
When the shopkeeper saw him enter, he asked, “What are you looking to pawn?”
Jiang Hongyan placed the glass ornaments on the counter.
“These are family heirlooms. I’d like to trouble you to take a look and tell me how much they’re worth.”
The shopkeeper carefully examined the items for quite a while but still could not determine what they were made of.
They looked as though they had been carved from ice, yet they clearly were not ice.
Their surfaces were perfectly smooth and crystal clear.
“What are these made of?”
“They’ve been passed down through my family, so I don’t know.”
“Do you intend to redeem them later?”
“No.”
Although he had never been to ancient times before, Jiang Hongyan knew a little about how pawnshops operated.
If he did not intend to redeem the items, the price would likely be higher. If he planned to redeem them later, they probably would not be worth much.
These glass ornaments were extremely common in the modern world and had no particular sentimental value, so he had no intention of redeeming them.
As for the gold necklace and ring Sheng Yan had given him, he would never pawn them.
They were the jewelry they had bought when they got married and held great sentimental value. He could not bear to part with them.
After studying the ornaments for a while longer, the shopkeeper held up one hand.
“Fifty taels.”
Jiang Hongyan immediately picked up the ornaments, turned around, and started to leave.
“It seems Shopkeeper doesn’t think much of my family heirlooms. I’ll ask at another pawnshop instead.”
In truth, he had no idea how much these items were worth in this dynasty, but he figured bargaining might get him a better price.
“Hey! Don’t leave! I’ll offer a little more!”
Jiang Hongyan turned back.
“How much more?”
“I’ll give you sixty five taels!”
“Still too low.”
“Seventy taels! That’s my final offer. I can’t go any higher.”
It was twenty taels more than before.
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Hongyan nodded.
“Alright. Seventy taels it is.”
After leaving the pawnshop, Jiang Hongyan found a secluded spot, took out his phone, and sent Sheng Yan a message.
【Yanyan: I pawned the glass ornaments you gave me and got seventy taels for them.】
Sheng Yan was at home.
To make sure she could reply to his messages immediately, she kept her phone with her at all times.
Seeing his message, she was a little surprised.
【Sheng Yan: Only seventy taels? That’s so little?】
【Jiang Hongyan: Prices here aren’t very high, and the place I’m in isn’t exactly a prosperous area, so they probably can’t be sold for much.】
【Sheng Yan: In a lot of transmigration novels, the main character can sell a single glass cup for thousands or even tens of thousands of taels of silver.】
【Jiang Hongyan: Novels are fictional, after all. I’m actually here, so reality is bound to differ from made up stories. Honestly, seventy taels isn’t a small amount. Steamed buns here cost only one copper coin each. Brother Chen, the man who saved me, can only earn a few copper coins from selling a bundle of firewood. Money isn’t that easy to earn. These seventy taels are enough for me to live on for quite a long time.】
【Sheng Yan: That’s true. Selling a few inexpensive little ornaments for seventy taels is already a great deal. With that money, you shouldn’t have any problems covering your living expenses for now. Once you’ve moved out, I’ll send you more things.】
【Jiang Hongyan: Exactly! My immediate living expenses are no longer a problem. I’m on the street right now. In a little while, I’ll buy a piece of porcelain and send it to you. See if it can be sold. If it can, I’ll send you more in the future.】
【Sheng Yan: Alright, stay safe.】
Jiang Hongyan put away his phone, walked a little farther down the street, and entered a porcelain shop.
The moment the shop assistant saw him come in, he hurried over to greet him.
“Young Master, what would you like to buy?”
“A bowl.”
“Certainly! Please come this way.”
The shop assistant raised a hand and led him over to the shelves displaying bowls and plates.
“We have all kinds. Feel free to take your time looking.”
Jiang Hongyan casually picked up a bowl.
“How much is this one?”
“Seven copper coins.”
“I’ll take this one.”
“Young Master, is one bowl really enough? Would you like to look at anything else?”
“I’ll buy one first and take it home for my wife to see. If she likes it, I’ll come back and buy more.”
The shop assistant smiled.
“Young Master certainly treats his wife well. I’ll wrap it up for you.”
“Thank you.”
After leaving the shop with the bowl, Jiang Hongyan found another secluded place, took a picture of it, and sent it to Sheng Yan.
The moment Sheng Yan opened the photo, the bowl appeared beside her.
She carefully examined it and found that it was indeed somewhat different from modern porcelain.
【Sheng Yan: I’ve received it, I’ll ask a friend about it as soon as possible.】
【Jiang Hongyan: Alright!】
【Sheng Yan: By the way, does your phone still have battery power?】
【Jiang Hongyan: It does. I don’t know what’s going on either. By my calculations, I’ve already been here for many days, but the battery still hasn’t run out, and I still have internet.】
Although the connection was poor, it was still usable.
Sheng Yan could not make sense of this strange phenomenon either.
But since a person could travel through time, perhaps there was nothing unusual about a phone behaving strangely. Maybe some mysterious force was at work.
【Sheng Yan: Once you’ve moved out, let me know right away. Just to be safe, I’ll buy a few more phones and some power banks to send you, just in case.】
【Jiang Hongyan: Understood, I’ll find a way as soon as possible.】