C12

After the afternoon nap, the rain also stopped, the street was filled with all kinds of hawkers, and Qiao Ruozhu could no longer bear it at home, so she changed into a rose-colored brocaded brocade blouse, a pure white feathered skirt, and a pair of light sheepskin boots, coming downstairs to tell Auntie Yu that she was going to Xinhua Bookstore.

Auntie Yu hesitated. She was worried about the situation these few days. She felt that the troops were in chaos and didn't know if the bandits who tried to assassinate Lieutenant Wu had all been killed. If there was a slip of the net, it would be very dangerous.

"I really want to go, let mom follow you." It wasn't too good for her to not let Qiao Ruo first go. After all, she rarely took the initiative to go out.

Qiao Ruo didn't want to bring a servant with her when she first left. "Okay, I will stay at Xinhua Bookstore for a long time. Sun Ma can just send me back." She thought of a compromise.

Aunt Yu agreed.

The two of them went out and got a rickshaw. The leaves on the street had just been washed by the rain, and some of them were still dripping green. The air was filled with the green smell of grass.

After getting off the car, Qiao Ruo Chu gave him double the fare of the rickshaw and told him to carry Sun Yiyi's mother back. Sun Yiyi's mother urged her not to run around and nagged for a while before she left.

Xinhua Bookstore didn't have many customers, and there were only a few shop assistants. There were rows and rows of bookshelves filled with all kinds of books.

Qiao Ruo Chu went to the bookshelf that was filled with numbers and symbols, browsing through them for a while. She was dazzled by them, she didn't seem to like them. However, in order to not embarrass herself in school, she still picked up a small booklet and decided to nibble on it for the next few days.

After she finished counting, she turned to the biology section and looked at the cover of the books. There were all kinds of animals, big and small, and she knew that she would have to learn them in the future.

She was still very serious about her reading. She entered the world of books very quickly. Time flew by so quickly. When she raised her head to look outside, it was already quite dark.

She was going home. She was afraid her father would worry.

She selected three books, one for arithmetic, one for biology, one for geography.

The clerk told her when she paid the bill that it was fifteen dollars in total.

Embarrassed, she forgot to check the price tag. She only brought ten dollars with her.

She blushed and was about to give up a book when a man standing beside her who was also waiting to pay the bill took out the money and said to the clerk, "Let's settle it together."

Qiao Ruo's limpid eyes were full of question marks and awkwardness. "No, no, thank you. I'll come again next time."

The man smiled warmly, "Don't delay school. Just return the money to me the next time you see me."

The man had a scholarly appearance. He was about thirty years old and wore a grey cotton gown with black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose. His eyes behind the glasses were deep and profound, giving him a scholarly air.

Maybe a teacher, Joe guessed.

He couldn't bear to touch his good intentions.

Qiao Ruo Chu smiled shyly. Her eyebrows were curved and her eyes were like a pool of green waves.

"Okay, I will get someone to bring the money to the counter of Xinhua Bookstore tomorrow, please give it to you." She spoke very sweetly and her voice was as clear as a silver bell.

The man nodded.

When he got home, it was already the start of the morning. His father and his family were chatting over a delicious meal. The atmosphere was very warm. Even the lamplight looked warm and cozy.

As soon as he entered the room, Qiao Ruo Chu couldn't help but tell her father that she had bought three books. It was very interesting.

Qiao Qingya was very pleased to see his daughter so fond of studying. "Is a female teacher coming out of the Qiao family?" He teased his daughter.

Qiao Ruoxi rolled his eyes. "How about, father raise your daughter to be a female manager?" She purposely teased Qiao Qingya.

Qiao Qingya and Madam Yu laughed heartily at the same time.

In the evening, she took a bath and read for a while before going to bed.

The next morning, she asked Auntie Yu for fifteen yuan and told Sun Ma to take it to Xinhua Bookstore.

Speaking of money, she thought of Feng Yan's wedding. She wanted to give her a big present, and her father would also give her money to give. She guessed it wouldn't be more than fifty yuan, and that was already very generous.

It was far from the sum of money for the wedding dress that Feng Yan Er had taken a fancy to.

She took out the payment for Lin Jun's services and looked at it for a moment. It was indeed an excellent piece of jade, but when Qiao Ruo first saw it, she felt afraid. It was either dug out from an ancient tomb or passed down by the royal family.

Sell it.

Now she needed money.

The biggest jade shop in the Xiang City was called Qian Xingxuan, which specialized in selling jade artifacts. It had a very big front and was decorated in a very luxurious manner. Qiao Ruo Chu and Aunt Yu had gone in once to buy jade earrings, so the price was fair.

Qiao Ruo had just put on a new short-sleeved brocade cheongsam embroidered in the color of a crabapple and tied up all her hair. She instantly felt that she had grown a few years older than usual, and she wore an orange lipstick, looking mature and charming. She imitated Aunt Yu's style and found a pale golden shawl to wrap around her, hid her jade artifacts, and went downstairs.

When Aunt Yu saw that Qiao Ruo was dressed differently than usual, she asked if she had an appointment.

She said that she had invited Feng Yan Er to see the jewelry at the Qian Xingxuan. Aunt Yu knew that Feng Yan Er was going to be married, so she didn't say anything and let her go out.

The heat had subsided a little, the streets were refreshed with the scent of autumn, and after the panic of the past few days, the mood of the people had gradually calmed down. The streets were bustling with noise and order, and all walks of life were active.

When Qiao Ruo first entered Qian Xingxuan, the shop assistant saw how elegant and dignified she was, and how she wore extraordinary clothing. He guessed that she might be a young miss of some rich family, and immediately welcomed her into the VIP room.

Qiao Ruo's first reaction was to put on the airs of a young miss, she slowly took out the jade cabbage from her bag and put it on the cloth. She said forcefully, "This is an old thing that was passed down from my family. I don't really like it. I want to sell it for money."

When the shop assistant saw that the items were not ordinary, that they were translucent and extremely good, he quickly called for Qian Xingxuan's shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper scrutinized her for a moment before casting a disdainful glance at Qiao Ruo Chu. A trace of coldness flashed through her eyes. Qiao Ruo felt that something wasn't right and hurriedly put the goods away. She was about to run away.

The shopkeeper coldly said, "Miss, it's best if you wait here in peace. Someone will come to discuss the price with you later."

He mumbled something to the boy, and the boy ran out.

Qiao Ruoxi suddenly realized that the shopkeeper's actions weren't right.