Cheng Fang didn’t stand on ceremony and walked into the shop, looking around. He examined the items on the shelves but didn’t recognize a single one.
“Not only is your shop’s decor unique, but even the items are quite unusual.”
“My father is a merchant who travels far and wide. These are all items he collected from all over the country. If you two young gentlemen don’t travel much, naturally, you’ve seen less of such things.”
Jiang Ling now felt no pressure at all when lying.
“Cheng Fang, stop beating around the bush,” Zhao Jingxing glanced around and spoke to Jiang Ling. “Shopkeeper, do you have any fire starters for sale? It’s been rainy for several days, and the ones we have are all damp and won’t light.”
Fire starters? That’s just a lighter!
“Yes, there are. Please wait a moment.” Jiang Ling walked to the last row of shelves, which held many styles of lighters—some for one yuan, some for ten, and some for fifty.
Jiang Ling checked the weather outside and picked two fifty-yuan windproof lighters.
“What is this?” Cheng Fang looked at the two small square metal cases gleaming with a cold light in Jiang Ling’s hands.
“This is called a lighter, also known as a fire starter.”
“This is a fire starter? A fire starter made of iron?”
Even though he grew up in a house of gold and silver, he had never seen a fire starter made of iron.
He quickly took one and examined it in his hand.
The metal felt cool to the touch, very smooth, polished to a fine sheen, almost like a mirror.
It was very compact, only half the height of a regular fire starter.
How long could something this small last? Use it and throw it away? That’s too extravagant!
He seemed to see a seam in the middle of the case but couldn’t pry it open no matter how he tried.
Zhao Jingxing stopped his attempt at forceful disassembly.
His gaze turned to Jiang Ling. “Could you demonstrate how to use this fire starter, miss?”
“Please watch, young master.” Without another word, Jiang Ling picked up the lighter in her hand, positioned her finger on the side, and flicked it lightly.
With a “click,” the top flipped open.
A crisp sound, and a bright, steady, pale blue flame instantly sprang from the top of the small metal case!
Afraid they might not see clearly, Jiang Ling deliberately slowed down her movements.
“Fire?! There’s really fire? The fire just came out like that?” Cheng Fang’s mouth hung open as he stared at the flame emitting a pale blue glow.
Even with embers inside, a regular fire starter required careful blowing for a while before a flame would appear.
Zhao Jingxing’s expression remained calm, but his eyes also held disbelief.
“This type of fire starter was something my father obtained from a Western Regions merchant. The metal exterior protects against moisture and dampness, making it most suitable for rainy weather. Moreover, the flame is windproof, so even in windy conditions, it won’t be affected.”
Jiang Ling released her finger, and the flame vanished.
Both of them were accustomed to rare treasures and quickly recovered from their shock.
Jiang Ling handed the lighter to Zhao Jingxing. “Please try it, young masters. See if it suits you.”
Zhao Jingxing took the lighter and first examined it carefully.
Cheng Fang had been playing with the other one for a while and was now eager to try.
He mimicked Jiang Ling’s action, placing his thumb on the upper part of the line and gently pushing.
“Click!” The top popped open!
He gasped in delight. “It opened!”
Then, he pressed hard on the little black square.
A pale blue flame suddenly emerged, startling him so much he jerked his head back.
“The fire’s out! Wow! This fire is so strong!”
Zhao Jingxing, on his side, also followed Jiang Ling’s earlier motion and produced a flame.
His astonished eyes reflected the pale blue fire.
Being of a steadier disposition, Zhao Jingxing marveled briefly before closing the lighter.
He said to Cheng Fang, “Put it away quickly. Don’t let the flame burn out.”
“Oh right, this little box probably can’t hold much!”
Cheng Fang obediently released his finger and gently pushed the lid closed.
Cheng Fang had taken a liking to this metal case the moment he saw it. To achieve such a level of polishing, there were probably few in the Great Yu Dynasty who could match it. Even if it couldn’t produce a flame, he intended to buy it as a toy. But after seeing the flame emerge, his fondness for it grew even stronger. He now held it in his hand, afraid it might be snatched away.
“Young masters, there’s no need to worry. The flame inside can last a very long time. If used only for lighting fires, it should last at least six months.”
“Six months?!” Upon hearing this, Cheng Fang immediately stuffed the lighter into his robe.
Then, he noticed many items resembling biscuits and pastries on the shelves. “Hey, does your general store sell food too?”
Jiang Ling smiled. “Yes, Jixiang General Store has grains, oil, rice, flour, daily necessities… we have everything.”
“Looks quite tasty…” Cheng Fang swallowed.
The two of them had been busy with disaster relief lately and hadn’t eaten their fill for two days straight.
Zhao Jingxing said to him, “We need to hurry back. We’ve already delayed too much.”
He then took out a silver ingot from his robe and placed it on the counter. “Shopkeeper, we’ll take these two fire starters.”
Jiang Ling quickly waved her hands. “No need, no need. You two young masters helped me greatly just now. Consider these two lighters a token of my gratitude.”
“It was just a small effort, you’re too kind, miss. It’s not easy for you to run a business alone. Paying for goods is only right and proper.” Zhao Jingxing’s tone was gentle but firm.
“Please accept it, miss. The brothers downstream are still waiting for us to start the fire. We need to rush back and won’t trouble you further.”
Although Cheng Fang was also reluctant to leave the pastries behind, the brothers downstream were more important.
Unable to dissuade them, Jiang Ling pulled a plastic bag from under the counter. She filled it with biscuits, bread, candies from the shelves, and added several bottles of milk, packing it full before handing it to them.
“You two young masters helped me immensely today. My humble shop doesn’t have much, but please accept these as local specialties. Have them to stave off hunger on your journey, and share them with the brothers downstream for a taste. Please don’t refuse!”
Seeing her insistence, Zhao Jingxing had no choice but to accept.
“Then we thank you, miss.”
Watching their tall figures disappear into the misty rain and night, Jiang Ling carefully placed the silver ingot into a drawer.
Outside, the sky began to rain again.
There probably wouldn’t be any more passersby. Jiang Ling closed the wooden door and went back for lunch.
With some income recently, Jiang Ling decided to treat herself to a good meal.
She opened the food delivery app.
Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs, Steamed Perch, Garlic Broccoli, Mapo Tofu, plus a Corn and Rib Soup.
When the food arrived, the restaurant had even included three extra boxes of rice.
Excellent, finally a proper meal to enjoy!
Chen Manor.
Second Madam Wang Yue of the Chen family was in a rage again.
Because today, she still hadn’t managed to buy any soap!
Five days had passed. With her nearly wasteful usage, the soap she had was finally gone.
But just now, she received an invitation from Lady He, inviting her to admire the lotus flowers at the estate tomorrow afternoon.
“Useless! Utterly useless!” Wang Yue’s shrill voice almost pierced through the sound of the rain. She hurled the round fan in her hand at the maid, Xiaocui. “Didn’t I say you weren’t to return without buying it? Why are you back?”
The fan hit Xiaocui’s shoulder, then fell to the ground, staining with moisture.
Xiaocui was soaked to the bone, her thin summer clothes clinging to her, shivering.
“Second Madam, please calm your anger! This servant truly waited outside the shop all day! From Mao hour to Xu hour, knocked countless times, my voice is hoarse, my fingers swollen… but the shopkeeper just never opened the door! The rain was too heavy, even the sedan chair got waterlogged… I really had no choice…”