Chapter 608

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Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

As he walked along, Su Muchun came to a halt before a small stall. His gaze was drawn to a wooden hairpin, and he involuntarily reached out to pick it up……

This hairpin was clearly the work of an artisan; every cut and every chisel stroke had been poured with heart and skill.

The floral pattern on the head of the hairpin was like an exquisite piece of art, becoming exceptionally delicate after repeated carving and polishing, as if one could sense the artisan's focused and painstaking expression at the time.

Not only that, the small hole specially punched in the hairpin's head was the finishing touch—it was like a tiny door set into a radiant pearl; a gentle push would let one glimpse the hidden secret world within;

and that pink teardrop-shaped gemstone was like a crystalline dewdrop, suspended beneath the small hole, swaying gently with the breeze, emitting a captivating luster.

This combination appeared both simple and generous, yet revealed a hint of playful cuteness, making one unable to help but be captivated.

Su Muchun thought to himself: "Qianqian has always loved pink; if I give this hairpin to her, it will surely delight her immensely."

So, filled with joy, he asked the stall owner: "Boss, may I ask how much this hairpin sells for?"

That stall owner was an elderly man, his face kind and gentle, inspiring a sense of closeness.

He slowly opened his lips and answered in a voice slightly hoarse yet full of charm: "This hairpin is priced at exactly five hundred wen."

Hearing this price, Su Muchun did not hesitate in the slightest, quickly taking out a small piece of broken silver from his bosom and handing it to the old man.

You must know, he has never been good at haggling with people, nor has he ever bothered to worry about it when shopping outside.

However, this old grandpa did not ask an exorbitant price either; after all, although this hairpin was made of wood, the pink gemstone adorning it had also cost a certain amount.

Seeing Su Muchun so straightforward and decisive, the old grandpa was instead slightly surprised. After all, he was just doing a small business; those tycoons with wealth wrapped around their waists simply wouldn't look down on it;

while those short on cash and embarrassed by their empty purses would always haggle endlessly with him, leaving him at his wit's end.

Precisely for this reason, in order to leave enough bargaining room for customers and also to guarantee meager profits, he had no choice but to set the prices slightly higher.

Now seeing the man before him actually buy that hairpin without the slightest hesitation, and with not the slightest intention of bargaining, he couldn't help feeling very surprised, so he couldn't help but steal a few more glances at the other party.

He noticed that when Su Muchun picked up that hairpin, a trace of gentle expression not easily detected quietly surfaced on his originally cold and hard face, but it vanished in a flash.

Faced with this scene, the old grandpa instead felt a bit embarrassed, hurriedly reaching out to grab another pair of pink gemstone earrings of the same style as the hairpin from the table, and said to Su Muchun with a beaming smile: "This young master, look at this thing—it is an absolute match for that hairpin just now!

Since this is your first time patronizing my small stall, then these earrings shall count as a small gift from me, please do accept them! If you have time in the future, welcome to come patronize often!"

As he spoke, he gently handed the earrings to Su Muchun. Su Muchun carefully accepted the earrings and examined them closely, discovering they were indeed quite exquisite and unique, and he rejoiced secretly in his heart.

But he still politely declined: "How can this do, old grandpa! Your small stall barely makes any money to begin with; if you give me such a precious gift for no reason, wouldn't that be a loss for you? I truly feel unworthy of such kindness……"

Though he said this, in the depths of his heart he had already been deeply attracted by this pair of beautiful earrings, his fondness evident in his expression.

Immediately after, he pondered for a moment, then readily added: "How about this, old grandpa, I'll buy this pair of earrings for one hundred wen, so you won't lose out."

Before his words fell, he had already quickly fished out a string of copper coins from his bosom, counted out exactly one hundred, and placed them on the stall surface.

The old grandpa froze at once; he had lived most of his life, and this was the first time he had seen someone so actively deliver money to his door!

Seeing this, Su Muchun, afraid the old grandpa wouldn't accept the money, hurriedly said: "Grandpa, just take it; I'll be coming often in the future."

Before his words fell, Su Muchun turned and ran off like a puff of smoke, disappearing without a trace.

By the time the old grandpa came to his senses and wanted to chase after him, the figure was long gone! The old grandpa could only shake his head helplessly, sighing secretly in his heart: "Truly a kind-hearted good child……"

It is said that after Su Muchun jogged back home, he carefully placed that exquisite hairpin and the pair of small, delicate earrings into his bosom.

When Su Muchun returned home, the meal was already prepared. Since Su Muchun usually had to go to the palace for duty during the day, he would typically return home punctually at this time to dine.

After eating his fill, Su Muchun began to ponder a question: just what would be a suitable opportunity to give this gift to Qianqian?

He didn't know if Qianqian would like the gift he bought? Would she look down on it because it was too cheap?

But Qianqian has never been a materialistic person, so she probably wouldn't. He thought back and forth, and felt that tomorrow night happened to be his turn for guard duty, so tomorrow daytime would be a pretty good choice!

Decision made, Su Muchun felt slightly more at ease, then opened a book and read it with relish. By the time the sky gradually darkened, he put down the book, washed up, and went to bed to rest.

The next morning, the sun was already shining on his buttocks before Su Muchun slowly opened his eyes.

After stretching and yawning, he dressed neatly and headed straight for the Lianwu Chang.

There he exercised his muscles and bones for a while; once everything was tidied up properly, Su Muchun boarded a carriage and sped off toward An Wang Fu.

Before long, the carriage stopped steadily in front of the mansion gate; the coachman Xiao Ding jumped down and lightly knocked on that heavy Zhu Hongse Damen.

Not long after, only a "creak" was heard, and that tightly shut gate was slowly pushed open a crack from the inside. Immediately after, a young man's figure appeared at the Men Kou; he wore a smile and called out respectfully to the outside: "Young brother, please open the door! My family's Su Gongzi has come specially to pay a visit to the Junzhu Your Highness."

Hearing these words, that originally stern-faced gate guard instantly changed expression, a fawning smile quickly surfacing on his face.

As it turned out, this gate guard had previously received special instructions from Chunxi: if Su Gongzi came to visit, he must be let in immediately and led directly to the Front Hall to wait.

Thus, the gate guard did not dare to be negligent, hurriedly went forward to meet him, bowing and scraping with apologies while enthusiastically leading Su Muchun into the mansion.

Simultaneously, the gate guard did not forget to arrange a young servant under him to rush off and report to the Junzhu and An Wangfei, saying Su Gongzi had arrived. After all, this was something Chunxi had specially exhorted, absolutely cannot go wrong!