Volume 3, Chapter 163 – It’s Her

Don’t let the plain, simple appearance of Chi Xiyan’s clothing fool you.

The material of this white dress was all selected from sixth-order cold silkworms from the sea regions, then sewn stitch by stitch by master embroiderers with Fifth Realm cultivation or higher.

What appeared to be a simple, plain dress was actually worth enough to buy this entire pawnshop.

“Young lady… this is a pawnshop… not a gambling house.”

“We can only calculate the price based on the collateral you provide…”

The pawnshop manager explained helplessly.

The mountain village girl in tattered clothing had earnestness written all over her small face.

“Can you truly not accommodate me a bit more?”

“I really need this money…”

The manager continued patiently explaining, “I’m sorry, miss. Unless you can provide more valuable collateral, I really cannot…”

After watching for a few moments, Chi Xiyan lost interest.

Just another poor country girl come to the commandery city to make a living, now at her wit’s end trying to pawn jewelry for money.

Chi Xiyan had seen too many cases like this.

It was only because this girl had a decent foundation in looks that Chi Xiyan gave her a few extra glances.

However, that was all.

Chi Xiyan withdrew her gaze and said to her nurse beside her, “Nanny Qin, let’s rest first.”

“It seems the manager will be busy for some time.”

Chi Xiyan understood those crude country girls. When they couldn’t get money, they’d probably throw tantrums and pester the manager for a while longer.

That manager would need to expend considerable effort to get rid of that wild girl.

Qin Qingfen nodded, but her gaze fell upon that black-haired young woman in tattered clothing.

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Or rather, on the jade hairpin in that young woman’s hair.

It was a white jade hairpin, round and crystalline.

Even though Qin Qingfen didn’t understand jade, she could tell that whether the jade material or the carving craftsmanship, this hairpin was top quality.

Such a hairpin worn on such a girl’s head seemed rather out of place.

Moreover, more importantly, that jade hairpin gave Qin Qingfen an inexplicably familiar feeling.

At this moment, that young woman was saying to the manager.

“Manager, please wait, I…”

“I have one more piece of jewelry…”

The young woman pressed her lips together, hesitation and uncertainty in her eyes.

After a moment’s pause, she bit her dry lip lightly, as if making some kind of resolution.

She pulled the white jade hairpin from her hair. Her black hair fell loose. Though at this young woman’s age her hair should be at its most lustrous, it now appeared somewhat yellowed and messy.

“Please look at this hairpin. How many… spirit stones can it be exchanged for?”

She handed the white jade hairpin to the manager.

“This hairpin… is very important to me. I want to temporarily pawn it here… after three months…”

“No, after one month, I’ll come back to redeem it!”

The manager silently accepted the white jade hairpin and examined it in his hands for a while.

After a moment, the manager said helplessly, “Miss, this hairpin may be very important to you.”

“However, it’s ultimately just a mundane object.”

“It can’t be exchanged for spirit stones. If you truly want to pawn it here.”

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“I can only give you some loose silver.”

“This jade hairpin’s quality is much higher than your previous jewelry, so I can give you twenty taels.”

This was actually quite a high price.

Though this white jade hairpin was fairly decent, such jewelry was far too common at Lingbao Commerce Association.

Being able to offer such a high price was the manager taking pity on this girl, accommodating her a bit more within his authority’s permitted range.

“Only twenty taels?!” The little girl’s face showed anxiety. “How is that enough?!”

“Can you really not give a bit more?!”

“Manager!”

The manager’s face gradually showed some impatience. “Miss, this is already the highest price I can give you.”

“If you truly urgently need money, I don’t think you should come to a pawnshop.”

“You can go to Five Immortals House across the street. The boss there should be very happy to lend money to a girl like you.”

The little girl froze on the spot. Her eyes widened.

“You…”

“You’re telling me to go to a brothel?!”

The manager continued, “Miss, I’ve seen many people who’ve reached their last resort and come to pawnshops to sell family assets.”

“With your looks, if you truly need money this urgently, you might as well become a courtesan at Five Immortals House. That would be much more useful than pestering me here.”

The little girl’s face flushed red with fury. She snatched the jewelry back from the manager’s hands.

“If you can’t, you can’t!”

“Why must you humiliate people like this!”

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The little girl gathered her jewelry and stormed out of the pawnshop angrily.

Qin Qingfen was still trying to recall that jade hairpin, searching for the source of that familiar feeling.

Suddenly, a strange gleam flashed in her eyes.

“Wait! Miss!”

“That jade hairpin of yours, may I look at it?!”

However, she was still a step too late. That young woman had already merged into the street’s crowd and disappeared.

“Nanny Qin, what’s wrong?”

Chi Xiyan said gently.

“If Nanny Qin likes similar jade hairpins, you can go select from the Chi family’s shops. I also have many similar styles.”

“No, it’s not like that… young lady.”

Qin Qingfen’s brows knitted together. A trace of worry could be seen on her forehead.

She moved close to Chi Xiyan’s side and said quietly.

“Xiyan… this matter is very important. We need to change locations. I have something to tell you!”

Confusion filled Chi Xiyan’s eyes.

She’d never seen her nurse this flustered before.

What could make her this anxious?

At this time, the shop manager had also walked over.

“I apologize, eldest young lady. I delayed you a bit. Thank you for waiting.”

“Shall I fetch the account books for you now?”

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Chi Xiyan glanced at her nurse, then smiled at the manager. “No need, Manager Li. Let’s leave it at this for today. I have an urgent matter to attend to now. I’ll come again next time.”

Chi Xiyan and Qin Qingfen left the shop. They came to a secluded spot.

Chi Xiyan watched Qin Qingfen’s nervous appearance and raised her hand to form a soundproofing technique.

“Whatever you need to say, say it here…”

“Others won’t be able to hear.”

“If we go to an even more secluded place, it’ll make it seem like we really have guilty consciences.”

“Aunt.”

Chi Xiyan said slowly.

Qin Qingfen wasn’t just her nurse, she was also her biological aunt.

Qin Qingfen calmed her emotions.

“That girl just now… the jade hairpin she wore…”

“I think I’ve seen it before…”

“Twenty years ago…”

“When the first wife was still alive…”

“That jade hairpin… looks very much like the first wife’s heirloom jade hairpin…”

Chi Xiyan thought of that girl in tattered clothing from before.

“…It’s her?”

“She’s the biological daughter Father has been secretly searching for these past ten-plus years?”