"Dad, Dad, Dad…"
"Father, Father, Dad…"
From afar, a clamor erupted from the stall, leaving Li Xuan and the others, who had just arrived at the West Market, bewildered.
"Didn't Xiao Cui say someone was looking to buy paintings and calligraphy?" Yu'er asked, puzzled.
"Why did it turn into a large-scale family recognition scene?" Princess Ankang was equally perplexed.
Let alone the two maids, even Li Xuan and Chief Steward Shang, who considered themselves well-traveled, couldn't figure out the situation.
"Li Xuan, is the information incorrect?" Chief Steward Shang confirmed.
Li Xuan thought about it and felt that it shouldn't be.
Although Xiao Cui couldn't read, she wouldn't confuse seeking a son with seeking a painting.
Just by coming over and taking a look, it should be clear what they were looking for here.
But no matter what they were seeking here, Li Xuan's curiosity was greatly piqued.
"Does Great Xing also have the trick of seeking a son with heavy rewards?"
"And looking at the person sitting at that stall, it's not a young married woman who married a rich merchant, but a big-bearded Hu Merchant from the Western Regions."
"How does one seek in this manner?"
Although Li Xuan felt a bit confused, seeing the people gathered around the stall, scrambling to shout "Dad, Dad" and then asking for reward money, he instantly felt relieved.
"Is this the true nature of humanity?"
Li Xuan rolled his eyes.
They didn't immediately push their way to the stall but watched from the side.
After watching for a while, they finally understood what was going on.
It turned out that the banner at the stall was written incorrectly; it wasn't seeking a son, but genuinely seeking a painting.
And the figure hanging next to the banner was the culprit.
It was rather amusing; this Hu Merchant, unable to read or speak the language of Great Xing, paid someone to write a banner for him.
However, the person, seeing him as an illiterate Hu Merchant, decided to play a trick and intentionally wrote it incorrectly.
But even though the Hu Merchant was illiterate, he was quite tough.
After being asked several times where his wife was and being called "Dad" a few times, the Hu Merchant immediately figured out what was going on, promptly strung up the person who wrote the sign, and then paid to hire another person from the Western Regions who was well-connected in Great Xing's West Market to help.
The newly hired person from the Western Regions could speak the official language, but his handwriting wasn't good either.
The Hu Merchant simply decided not to change it, letting the hired helper explain directly, which could even attract a few more onlookers.
And just like that, within a day, the news of his heavy reward for paintings spread throughout the entire West Market.
However, many people had previously been taken advantage of by this Hu Merchant, but seeing how tough he was, they didn't dare to confront him directly. Instead, they coaxed their friends and relatives to come here and shout "Dad" a few times, which led to the scene earlier.
Once people understood what was going on, they couldn't help but curse their bad luck.
There were also some who, relying on their strength, wanted the Hu Merchant to compensate them for emotional damages, but without exception, they were all severely beaten.
Li Xuan and Chief Steward Shang observed the Hu Merchant's actions from the side and immediately realized that he was a master who had cultivated true qi.
As for his rank, it was unclear, as he only dealt with ruffians from the West Market and didn't need to use any special techniques.
Li Xuan and Chief Steward Shang detected the true qi within him through the fluctuations in his aura.
"A lone Hu Merchant is quite uncommon," Chief Steward Shang remarked meaningfully.
Li Xuan also understood Chief Steward Shang's implication.
There were quite a few Hu Merchant traveling to and from this West Market.
However, most of them traveled in groups, as they were considered outsiders here, and many of them couldn't speak the official language very well. To some extent, they were a vulnerable group, and they also carried a lot of valuables.
Therefore, traveling together was the safest method.
It was said that coming from the Western Regions to Great Xing was not easy; along the way, there were many outlaws who wanted to "entertain" passing merchants with great enthusiasm.
Anyone daring to travel alone must be a tough character.
At the stall set up by the Hu Merchant, besides those who were shouting "Dad" randomly, there were also legitimate people offering paintings.
The Hu Merchant carefully examined each painting and then offered a price. Judging by the reactions of the crowd, the prices he offered were quite fair, and most transactions were successfully completed.
As for those who tried to take advantage of the situation by bringing in shoddy items to scam money, they were all turned away by the Hu Merchant.
Li Xuan and the others watched for a while and found that although this Hu Merchant couldn't speak the official language and didn't recognize the characters of Great Xing, he had a good eye; at least he could distinguish the quality of these paintings.
"Didn't they say this Hu Merchant was offering a heavy reward for his lost paintings?"
"Why does it look like he's here to buy stock instead?"
Chief Steward Shang joked with a smile.
The Three Little Ones also deeply agreed.
The Hu Merchant sat behind the stall, examining each item, quoting a price, and if it worked, fine; if not, he moved on.
From his demeanor, he didn't seem to be looking for a specific painting, but rather like a calligrapher and painter doing business with an open shop.
"Perhaps he's just using a gimmick to do business."
"But the person hanging up there, is he alright?"
Princess Ankang looked worriedly at the place where the banner was hung.
Hanging there was a scrawny middle-aged scholar with a rat-like mustache, who looked like a shifty character at first glance.
He must have been out of his mind to provoke a tough character like the Hu Merchant, bringing trouble upon himself.
Upon hearing Princess Ankang's words, someone nearby chimed in:
"Miss, please don't pity Kong Haozi. That old scoundrel not only tricked someone out of ten taels of silver for writing a banner but also intentionally wrote it incorrectly to play a trick on his employer."
"It's his own fault for being taught a lesson when he was discovered. Even the constables couldn't do anything about it; it's a matter of mutual consent."
Among the crowd, many recognized Princess Ankang.
She was the young lady who stood up for the grandfather and grandson selling knots, and the one who made the Money Gang in the West Market cry for their mothers.
In recent days, the Money Gang had been as obedient as grandsons, and everyone attributed it to Princess Ankang's efforts.
Anyone who made a living in the West Market held Princess Ankang in some degree of respect, whether consciously or not.
Unbeknownst to her, Princess Ankang had gained some prestige in the West Market.
After all, she had established her authority by stepping on the Money Gang, and she was someone who could render the Money Gang helpless.
"How is this mutual consent?"
"No one would willingly hang like that, would they?"
Yu'er heard the people's words and was the first to disbelieve them.
In front of Chief Steward Shang, Yu'er seemed less reserved.
"This, you wouldn't know."
"When that big-bearded Hu Merchant discovered he had been tricked by Kong Haozi, he immediately caught him and threatened him, giving Kong Haozi two choices."
"One was to beat him up and make him spit out the money."
"The second was…"
The passerby said, pointing at Kong Haozi, who was swaying in the wind along with the banner.
"One has to say, this Kong Haozi values money more than his life, enduring this suffering for a bit of silver."
"The commotion even drew the constables to inquire, and after clarifying the situation, they only said not to cause a death."
"After all, one was willing to beat, and the other was willing to be beaten."
After speaking, the passersby chuckled and watched the spectacle, not minding the trouble.
After hearing the whole story, the Three Little Ones couldn't help but laugh out loud, not expecting to find such amusement when they came to the West Market today.
At this moment, Chief Steward Shang suddenly asked:
"Li Xuan, do you have any calligraphy or paintings?"
"I'll go try this big-bearded man."
Li Xuan's heart stirred. With Chief Steward Shang, an experienced veteran, taking the lead, it would naturally be better than the Three Little Ones. He immediately checked his di hong bone ring, but after searching for a long time, he couldn't find any calligraphy or paintings.
"Huh?"
Li Xuan felt a bit strange. He remembered putting calligraphy and paintings into the di hong bone ring before.
But he thought carefully again and immediately remembered.
Those were all lost goods from the Ping An Trading Company. When they were recovered, Li Xuan indeed put them all into his di hong bone ring, but after returning to the palace, these valuables were all handed over to the Internal Affairs Bureau for disposal.
After all, the Ping An Trading Company was most likely Emperor Yongyuan's property, so it wouldn't be right to keep Emperor Yongyuan's valuables, would it?
Seeing Li Xuan rummage around for a long time and finally shake his head at him, Chief Steward Shang reluctantly pulled out a piece of calligraphy and painting himself.
Chief Steward Shang seemed to pull it out from his sleeve, but who would carry such a thing with them for no reason?
"I wonder what Chief Steward Shang's spatial artifact looks like?"
Li Xuan thought with great curiosity.
Then, Chief Steward Shang led the Three Little Ones together towards the stall.
Many people were crowded in front of the stall, and after queuing for a while, it was their turn.
The big-bearded Hu Merchant had been leaning back in his chair, yawning boredly.
But when he saw the combination of Chief Steward Shang and the Three Little Ones, he immediately shifted his butt, sat up straight, and awkwardly cupped his hands in a bow, muttering a string of words.
The translator standing by was stunned for a moment, but immediately reacted and respectfully said to Chief Steward Shang, "Respected elder, is there anything I can help you with?"
At this moment, Princess Ankang pointed at the translator and said, "Oh, aren't you the owner of that noodle stall?"
"Why aren't you managing your noodle stall? How did you end up here as a translator?"
The noodle stall owner, Abu, also recognized the Three Little Ones and immediately greeted them with a smile:
"Oh, it's you! I remember you. You came to my noodle shop with Old Man Liu and Xiao Cui before."
Abu used his not-so-fluent official language to show his enthusiasm.
His claim of remembering the Three Little Ones wasn't just polite talk; he genuinely had a strong impression of them.
After all, they were the first customers to order a bowl of noodles specifically for a cat.
But then Abu saw the big-bearded Hu Merchant frown, and immediately said seriously, "Isn't being a translator more profitable? I just came to earn some extra money. The noodle stall is quite tiring, so it's a good chance to rest for a few days."
Then, Abu cleared his throat and introduced the big-bearded Hu Merchant sitting behind the stall:
"By the way, this is the great merchant from the Western Regions, Lord Hadile."
"He is also my current employer."
After the introduction, Abu stopped chatting with the Three Little Ones and quietly stood aside, continuing his duty as a translator.
His brief chat just now had already displeased Hadile.
Abu was, after all, working for money, so he had to give his employer some face.
If it weren't for the generous compensation from Hadile, Abu wouldn't have come to be a translator.
"Didn't he say he wanted to buy landscape paintings?"
"I have one here. Let's see if it's the painting he said was worth a thousand taels."
Chief Steward Shang said, handing over the calligraphy and painting he held.
After Abu took it, he carefully unrolled it on the table in front of Hadile.
If it were anyone else, they would definitely not receive such treatment.
But Abu had heard Hadile's greeting just now very clearly.
When others came, Hadile didn't even bother to lift his eyelids; he just appraised the painting and offered a price.
Calling someone a "respected elder," Abu had never seen Hadile treat anyone with such politeness before.
Hadile carefully examined the painting on the table, far more seriously than before.
Li Xuan and the others also observed the big-bearded Hu Merchant up close.
A Hu Merchant traveling alone to the capital, and then grandly setting up a stall in the West Market to collect paintings, offering a price of a thousand taels of silver, was indeed somewhat unusual.
It wasn't that there were no Hu Merchant who dealt in antiques, calligraphy, and paintings; on the contrary, this kind of business had a large profit, but it required a certain level of strength to participate.
If one wanted to buy valuable authentic items, they could go to shops specializing in such goods, or to auction houses.
Great Xing had specialized auction houses for consigned items. In addition, temples and Taoist temples also held similar activities. There were plenty of ways to find good calligraphy and paintings.
However, Hadile's method seemed somewhat inefficient.
Therefore, Li Xuan and Chief Steward Shang could only assume that this fellow had ulterior motives.
It was just that they couldn't confirm it yet.
After looking at the calligraphy and painting on the table for a while, Hadile shook his head with a look of regret, then said something to Abu.
After Abu finished listening, he immediately provided his translation.
"Lord Hadile regretfully informs you that he cannot accept this calligraphy and painting."
Hearing this, Chief Steward Shang asked somewhat unexpectedly:
"Oh, it's not to your liking?"
"Or do you think this calligraphy and painting is fake?"
Abu translated Chief Steward Shang's words, and Hadile immediately explained. Abu listened and spoke at the same time:
"Lord Hadile said."
"This calligraphy and painting is very valuable, and he doesn't have enough money to buy it."
"He also needs to save money to continue searching for his lost calligraphy and paintings."
"He asks for the elder's understanding."
Upon hearing Abu's words, Li Xuan and the others nodded.
It must be said, this big-bearded man, despite looking burly, was quite polite.
Li Xuan sensed that this fellow probably realized that Chief Steward Shang's background was not simple.
After all, they had been watching from the side earlier, and Hadile had never been so polite to others.
But this made Li Xuan feel something was amiss again.
Ordinary masters would not be able to detect Chief Steward Shang's true strength.
And Hadile's aura was far from being able to detect Chief Steward Shang's strength.
This left Li Xuan somewhat puzzled as to how Hadile judged Chief Steward Shang's depth.
"Is it just the discerning eye from traveling extensively?"
Chief Steward Shang, on the other hand, didn't mind too much that Hadile didn't have enough money to buy his calligraphy and painting.
After receiving the scroll returned by Abu, Chief Steward Shang asked Hadile:
"Then tell me about the painting you're looking for?"
"Perhaps if I see it someday, I can help you find it."
Hadile blinked his eyes, waiting for Abu's reaction. Once he understood Chief Steward Shang's meaning, he immediately stood up, bowed, and thanked Chief Steward Shang for his kindness.
"Lord Hadile said that the painting is actually very ordinary, and its value is common. It was simply passed down by his ancestors and holds extraordinary commemorative significance."
"Lord Hadile last saw it in his childhood. He only remembers it as a landscape painting with few brushstrokes but a profound artistic conception."
"Another characteristic is that the paper used for that painting is special; it feels thicker."
Upon hearing these characteristics, Li Xuan and Chief Steward Shang exchanged a subtle glance, then feigned indifference and left the stall.
After they had walked some distance, Princess Ankang asked:
"Li Xuan, how was it?"
"Did you get the answer you wanted?"
It was Li Xuan's idea to come and see this Hu Merchant who was collecting paintings today, hence Princess Ankang's question.
Li Xuan didn't react, but secretly wrote on Princess Ankang's hand:
"This is not the place to talk. We'll discuss it when we get back."