Volume 1: Phoenix Conceals Cloud Nation Chapter 11: Pawnshop

  Dongfang Chun followed the shopkeeper up the stairs to the second floor, turned a corner in the corridor, and arrived at an elegant room. She sat on a stool, gazing at the beaded curtain opposite her, looking down on the owner of this pawnshop, a middle-aged man who was still afraid to meet people face-to-face, insisting on hiding behind a curtain. He wasn't some kind of noble lady, but rather seemed like a pampered young woman from a past-life TV drama, where ladies in the boudoir were always hidden behind curtains. Dongfang Chun couldn't take it anymore, fortunately she herself was not that type.

  "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting" seemed to see Dongfang Chun's frowning expression, and the master of the house finally spoke up.

  Dongfang Chun's heart skipped a beat, this voice was so young, at most in his early twenties, and the sound was very clear and crisp, like a mountain stream, making her heart feel refreshed instantly. She suddenly became extremely curious about the owner of the voice, what kind of handsome man could have such a wonderful voice?

  Eastern Spring looked at the bead curtain opposite her with a smile that was not quite a smile. "No need to beat around the bush, how much are you willing to pay for these things?" She didn't have time to waste on idle chatter, and directly got down to business.

  "Miss, you know that these few things are worth a city, Miss has thought it through and won't regret it." The man's words were profound and unfathomable, as if she made this decision, she would definitely regret it.

  Eastern Spring waved her hand impatiently, "Young Master, I didn't think about regretting when I came to be a thing, Young Master doesn't need to nag either, just quote the price, I'm in a hurry to go back." Honestly, isn't it just being a thing? Nagging like this has delayed for so long, and she still wants to rush back, and use this money to customize a guitar.

  The man seemed to have heard Dongfang Chun's impatience and did not ask any more questions. He opened his mouth lightly and said, "Miss, is it a dead or living role?"

  "What's the difference between being dead and alive?" She wasn't completely clueless, after all, she had to weigh the pros and cons. Those two paintings weren't a big deal, but if Yu Qianhua found out about the jade pendant, she would definitely blow up. However, the words on the pendant seemed to be some kind of token of affection, with Yu Qianhua's and Dongfang Miao's names engraved on it. So she had no choice but to take it, yet she was also very conflicted, as if she had done something unforgivably evil. But since he was standing on the side of Lan Wangye Dongfang Miao, didn't that mean she didn't need to be polite either?

  "Death is worth 100,000 taels, life is worth 50,000 taels," the man replied calmly.

  "Dongfang Chun" thought clearly and said without hesitation, "Ten thousand taels of silver is a staggering figure in this world, it's indeed an astronomical number for ordinary people. However, she knew that for the few husbands in her backyard, it was just a drop in the bucket. Looking at this young master's calm and composed tone, it seemed that these thousands of taels were not even worth mentioning."

  But Dongfang Chun needs money and doesn't want to pursue whether it's worth "making a deal" or not.

  As the eastern accent fell, the man seemed to hesitate for a moment, somewhat suspicious, but instantly regained his composure, with a flash of sharpness in his eyes, then sighed and said "Miss, please wait, boss, I'll go get the silver ticket right away"

  After a while, the shopkeeper handed over a stack of silver bills to Dongfang Chun. Dongfang Chun took the silver bills and counted them on the spot. The shopkeeper looked at the black-clothed woman's skilled hands counting the silver bills with amazement, quick and accurate without any mistakes. He couldn't help but feel surprised. None of the people in their silver store were as familiar with this task as this young lady was. He became even more curious about her, wondering if she might be a miss from some other silver store, but it didn't seem like it either. He had followed his master on many journeys south and north, but he hadn't seen any family with such a young lady.

  "Good, good, just right." After counting, the man inside the curtain nodded in satisfaction.

  "The young lady thinks it's fine, that's good." A flat and calm voice came from inside the curtain, but if one listened carefully, they would discover that the tone was different from when he spoke earlier. Unfortunately, Dongfang Chun didn't notice anything unusual.

  Just as he was about to leave, Dongfang Chun turned around and said to the man inside the curtain, "Excuse me, sir, could you please exchange this hundred taels for some loose silver? I need it urgently."

  The man behind the counter gave a faint order for the shopkeeper to carry out.

  "Master, there is no loose silver in this pawnshop for now..." The shopkeeper said hesitantly.

  The young man thought for a moment, then smiled lightly. "Miss, I'm really sorry that I don't have any loose change on me. What's the matter? Perhaps Liu can help you." His voice was clear and warm, with a hint of gentleness.

  Dongfang Chun calmed down a bit, thinking that there was nothing she couldn't tell him, so she took out a drawing from her bosom. It was a picture of a guitar that she had drawn herself, intending to find someone to make it and give it to the shopkeeper to pass on to the man inside the curtain.

  "Sir, this is something I drew in my spare time. I'm in a hurry and don't know if you can find a skilled craftsman to make it for me. I would be eternally grateful, but the price cannot be too high." Dongfang Chun couldn't see the expression of the man behind the curtain, but she knew that he must be astonished, because this kind of musical instrument didn't exist in this world yet.

  The shopkeeper thought the girl was a bit stingy, who wasn't eager to let the master do things, the master didn't even bother, unexpectedly this girl would make the master take the initiative to speak, she not only didn't show gratitude, but also made excessive demands that the price couldn't be too high.

  The Eastern Spring stood patiently, and as expected, a man's astonished voice came from across the way: "Miss is indeed talented, this instrument is something that Liu has never heard of even after traveling all over the country, I wonder if Miss could tell me what kind of instrument this is?"

  "Just by looking at the blueprint, I can tell that this is a musical instrument. It's clear that you're not an ordinary person, sir. To be frank with you, this is a guitar, and it can play different melodies and tones."

  "Liu could let someone make it for the girl for free, absolutely identical to what the girl designed, only Liu had an unpleasant request." The man spoke with a hint of expectation.

  "Please say it, young master." As long as it's free, and the conditions aren't too harsh, she'll agree to anything.

  "Miss, would you be able to play a tune on this instrument for Mr. Liu? Would you be willing to agree?"

  Dongfang Chun felt a sense of relief in her heart, "Alright, just this condition, it's easy to say," she said with a hint of concern, "However, young master should still get someone to make the arrangements as soon as possible." She reminded him again, not putting her mind at ease.

  "This is natural, miss, you can rest assured." The man's words inadvertently revealed a sense of confidence and elegant demeanor. Dongfang Chun thought that this person's identity must not be simple, he was someone who couldn't be trifled with, but her reputation wasn't good, so he definitely wouldn't suspect anything.

  "How can I get in touch with the girl"

  "I'll come pick it up myself in two days." She didn't want him to know her true identity.

  The man thought for a moment, pondered for a while and then agreed.

  Dongfang Chun tucked the silver ticket into her own bosom, and with seven twists and eight turns, she shook off the person following behind her. Humph, as if she didn't know that young master would send someone to tail her. Her skill in shaking people off was unmatched.

  Back in her room, Dongfang Chun had just taken off her outer clothes when she heard a faint humming sound, startling her. Could it be a ghost? She wasn't afraid of ghosts, but the voice sounded like a man's. It was said that she was very unwelcoming, and everyone avoided her. How could someone have run into her room? Ah, had someone seen her undressing just now? And to make matters worse, she was bare-faced and beautiful at the moment.

  Dongfang Chun hastily put on his outer garment, lit the lamps inside the house, and when he turned around to look in the direction of the sound, his eyes were wide with fear, clearly startled.