A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of Longchang Jade Shop.
It was only after getting in the car and hearing the driver address Lu Fengchun as “Fifth Master” that Qin Huainan realized who he was. She had been uneasy the entire ride, and as soon as the car stopped, she anxiously tried to open the door.
Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to operate the door handle. The more flustered she became, the more mistakes she made, tugging at the lever several times without success.
It was Jiang Ci who got out first and came around to rescue her from the passenger seat.
“Sister-in-law, did I say something wrong…”
Hearing her ask this, Jiang Ci reached out and patted the back of her hand, signaling her not to be afraid.
At that moment, Jiang Ci noticed several other cars parked outside the shop.
One of them she had ridden in just a few days ago—it was Qin Yanchi’s car, with the easily memorable license plate number 0009.
Cars were rare in this era. Although Shanghai had a population of millions, the total number of cars hadn’t reached four figures, and a large portion of them were publicly owned rather than private property.
To see three cars parked outside a single jade shop was certainly eye-catching to passersby.
Just as Jiang Ci spotted the car with plate 0009, Lu Fengchun also got out of his vehicle.
Upon seeing the other two cars, Lu Fengchun narrowed his eyes, his expression turning somewhat gloomy.
The crowd gathered outside immediately took a few steps back, sensing the tension.
Just then, Shopkeeper Wu came out carrying another heavy ornament with a few assistants. Looking up and seeing Jiang Ci, he hurried over to her.
“Boss, you’re finally here! I was just about to send someone to inform you. The Second Branch and Third Branch—”
Shopkeeper Wu turned his head and saw Lu Fengchun, instantly falling silent, his eyes wide as if he had seen a ghost.
What kind of day was today?
How did all these big shots end up here at the same time?
Lu Fengchun let out a cold sneer. “Looks like there are some old acquaintances inside. Perfect timing, I’ll go in and catch up.”
With that, he strode straight into the shop.
Shopkeeper Wu looked back at the door, then turned to Jiang Ci, asking in a panic, “Boss, this… they aren’t going to start a fight, are they?”
“If they want to compete, they don’t need to fight with their own hands.” Jiang Ci shook her head. “You stay here and supervise the smashing. I’ll take her inside first.”
Jiang Ci took Qin Huainan’s hand and walked into the shop together.
As they reached the entrance, Qin Huainan heard a loud crash behind her. She couldn’t help but turn around and saw the ornament the assistant had been holding crack open. The assistant swung the hammer again, and the piece shattered completely, scattering fragments all over the ground.
The onlookers rushed forward, and in the blink of an eye, every piece was picked up.
“Wow! This one is quite big!”
“How many have you found today?”
“Enough for a nice meal at a restaurant!”
Among the crowd were men wearing long robes and others in short jackets. Those in robes were too proud to scramble for the broken pieces of lower-grade jade, so they turned their attention to discussing the cars parked outside.
“First we saw the Seventh and Ninth Masters of the Qin family, and now the Fifth Master Lu is here. This Longchang Jade Shop sure has connections!”
“You missed one. Second, Young Master Zeng is inside too!”
“Are all these people here for that purple jade?”
“Not at all! The owner of this shop is the wife of the Eldest Young Master from the Qin family’s First Branch!”
The chatter was loud and boisterous.
Jiang Ci turned back and closed the door. With nothing else to look at, Qin Huainan finally began to observe the shop’s interior.
Most of the display counters were already empty, leaving only a few ornaments that hadn’t been smashed yet, along with some hand pieces and snuff bottles made of lower-grade jade.
Lu Fengchun, who had entered earlier, had clearly already greeted the others. The atmosphere inside was rather delicate.
“Seventh Uncle, Ninth Uncle, Third—”
Before Qin Huainan could finish her greetings, Qin Yange quickly interrupted her. “Oh my god! Stop right there! Calling me that makes me sound like an old lady!”
Qin Yange was wearing an Edwardian-style white silk dress with leg-of-mutton sleeves. Her hair was permed into tight ringlets, half-tied behind her head, bouncing slightly as she walked.
She ran up to Jiang Ci, tilted her head, and looked her over. “So you’re the new wife Huai’an married? What’s your name?”
“Jiang Ci.”
“Which Ci?”
“The Ci from ‘casting out the old to welcome in the new’.”
“Alright then, let’s just use first names. From now on, call me Qin Yange. Don’t call me ‘Auntie’ or anything, it makes me sound old!”
Qin Yange laughed. “How improper!”
In fact, Qin Yange was about the same age as Qin Huainan, but their lives were completely different.
Qin Yange was a modern young lady dressed in Western fashion who had a say in family matters, whereas Qin Huainan couldn’t even go out without a chaperone.
Every time Qin Huainan saw Qin Yange, she felt a mixture of admiration and inferiority, so she remained quiet and reserved after entering the shop.
Just then, Zeng Juemi spoke up. “We heard that the purple and yellow jade you unearthed recently has already been made into bangles, so we brought Third Sister here to have a look.”
Hearing this, the shop assistant instinctively looked at Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci nodded. “Bring those bangles out here.”
She then instructed another assistant, “Bring some tea and refreshments.”
The two assistants acknowledged the order and went behind the curtain to the back room.
Jiang Ci gestured for everyone to be seated. Soon after, the assistants returned carrying two boxes made of chicken wing wood.
One box was large and rectangular, the other smaller and square.
Jiang Ci opened them one by one. Inside the large box lay a pair of Imperial Purple jade bangles of matching size, while the small box contained a single full-color yellow jade bangle.
All three were crafted in the classic round-barrel style, smooth and lustrous, shimmering beautifully in the natural light streaming through the window.
Qin Huainan, who had been quiet for so long, couldn’t help but gasp. “They’re so beautiful…”
The purple bangles had a rich, even color and exceptional clarity, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
In comparison, the chicken oil yellow bangle seemed less ostentatious.
Yet rather than looking dull, it possessed a unique, understated elegance.
The moment Qin Yange saw the purple pair, she immediately turned to Qin Yanlou. “Seventh Brother, I want this one!”
Just then, the other assistant came in carrying seven lidded teacups, placing one in front of each person.
Lu Fengchun lifted the lid of his cup and blew on the tea. “What a coincidence. I’ve had my eye on this pair for a long time, intending to buy them to please a certain lady.”
Qin Yanlou looked at Lu Fengchun with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “In that case, we shouldn’t make things difficult for the owner. The highest bidder wins, shall we?”
Lu Fengchun leaned back in his chair, a smirk on his face. “Back at the Qin Gambling House, I offered fifty thousand dollars for the raw stone, but Boss Jiang wasn’t interested. I suppose my offer wasn’t sincere enough. So for my first bid today, I’ll go with sixty thousand!”
“Sixty-five thousand!” Qin Yange immediately countered, looking disdainful.
“Young lady, it might be wise to consult your brother before bidding.” Lu Fengchun provoked her slightly before raising the stakes again. “Seventy thousand.”
Qin Yanlou placed a hand on Qin Yange’s shoulder to stop her from standing up, saying calmly, “Increasing by five thousand each time is too petty. Eighty thousand.”
At this point, Zeng Juemi leaned forward with a grin. “Why don’t I join in on the fun too? Ninety thousand! Lu Fengchun, surely your lady friend isn’t more valuable than my Third Sister here?”
Lu Fengchun’s expression turned completely cold. He reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket.
All eyes in the room were on him, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.
However, the next moment, he pulled out not a weapon, but a checkbook.
He took out a Montblanc pen, pushed both the pen and the checkbook towards Jiang Ci, and said, “Why don’t you bid on my behalf, Boss Jiang? Write whatever amount you wish, and I will pay it.”
With the pen offered to her, Jiang Ci could no longer stay out of it.
Zeng Juemi pursed his lips, looking rather speechless. He crossed his arms and leaned back, raising an eyebrow at Qin Yange as if to say Lu Fengchun was playing dirty.
Jiang Ci uncapped the pen, smiled at Qin Yange, and said, “Since Mr. Lu is so sincere, I will take the liberty of writing one hundred thousand. Let’s conclude the bidding here, shall we?”
“Why should we stop? Who can’t afford a hundred thousand?” Qin Yange argued, looking unwilling to back down.
“Of course a hundred thousand is nothing to you. But Mr. Lu is our guest today, and as relatives, it wouldn’t be right to let him leave empty-handed.”
Jiang Ci tore off the check, pushed the box containing the purple bangles, along with the checkbook and pen, towards Lu Fengchun, and asked, “Does this meet with your approval, Mr. Lu?”
“Only Boss Jiang knows how to treat guests properly.” Lu Fengchun put the pen back in his pocket and stood up. He glanced around the room meaningfully and said, “In two weeks, it will be my birthday banquet. I have prepared a surprise. It would be a pity to miss it, so I hope you all will definitely attend.”
With that, he picked up his things and left.
Qin Yange looked at his retreating figure suspiciously. Only when the sound of his car starting up could be heard outside did she put down her teacup. “What is he planning?”
“He can’t possibly not realize we were messing with him today. He’s probably up to something,” Qin Yanlou said. He then handed a business card to Jiang Ci and added, “We just wanted to teach him a lesson because he’s been too arrogant lately. I didn’t expect to drag you into this. If he comes here to cause trouble in the future, just call this number and ask for me.”
Jiang Ci accepted the card with a smile. “Earning an extra forty thousand out of nowhere? I wouldn’t mind trouble like this coming around more often.”
With Lu Fengchun gone, the atmosphere in the shop became much more relaxed.
As they chatted over tea, Jiang Ci soon learned about the years of feud between the Qin family’s Second Branch and the Lu family.
Finally, Qin Yanlou said, “We are about the same age and operate in similar circles. He’s been competing with me secretly for years. After that business with the ‘borrowed route’, our rivalry became public. Anyway, we ended up involving you today. I’ll take this yellow bangle to support your business.”
“Now you’re being too polite. Today Longchang Jade Shop clearly got the better end of the deal. How can we let you spend money?” Jiang Ci pushed the box containing the yellow bangle into Qin Yange’s hands. “Please accept this as a welcoming gift. It would mean a lot to me if you would take it.”
With Jiang Ci saying this, Qin Yange couldn’t very well refuse.
Zeng Juemi said, “You guys exchanging pleasantries is so boring! Oh right, Jiang Ci, you promised last time we’d go out for a meal sometime. Why not do it today? Since you’re already out, you aren’t in a rush to get home, are you?”