Chapter 8

At this moment, the entire Fulan Jiao was lined with nearly a hundred stalls, densely packed along the street. Among them were not a few items worth hundreds, even nearly a thousand stone coins, but none could match the bustling activity at the stall in front of the young man in gray.

Many stall owners looked enviously in that direction, genuinely curious about what this person was selling to attract such a crowd.

Such a bustling stall was rare, even historically. It would only happen if some truly rare and precious natural treasures appeared. But such things were extremely rare in this small Shiyantown, appearing only once in several decades.

Could it be that today was one of those times?

Everyone was curious but couldn't easily go over to take a look. They saw that regardless of gender, age, or wealth, anyone who gathered around and took a glance almost never moved away. This made many stall owners itch with curiosity.

Many stall owners wished they could immediately close their stalls and go over to watch, but they had customers and couldn't leave right away, so they were all anxious, scratching their heads.

A crowd gathered around, bustling and continuously asking for prices.

"Little brother, how much are these things?"

"Yes, what kind of 'lantern' is this? I like this flower and bird lantern. How much is it?"

Seeing that someone was finally asking for prices, the young man in gray, who seemed to have a price in mind, smiled and replied, "Thirty stone coins each!"

"What? Thirty stone coins, that's so expensive?"

Beside him, many people were shocked, their eyes wide open.

Thirty stone coins were almost the savings of an ordinary family for half a year. Spending so much on a decorative item was clearly not worth it. Even the blue-shirted man who had asked the price was embarrassed and quietly put down the lantern.

He had thought a few stone coins would be enough, but he never expected the young man in gray to ask for such a high price. A paper and bamboo lantern like this, costing thirty stone coins each, was too much.

He could barely afford ten, and if he bought thirty, he would surely be beaten by his wife when he got home.

The enthusiasm of the onlookers quickly waned. Many people shook their heads, thinking that the young man in gray's lanterns would likely not sell.

These lanterns were novel and beautiful, unique in their design, but they were too expensive. Ordinary families would never spend so much money on them.

However, even though they couldn't afford them, people still crowded around, unwilling to leave. Even if they couldn't buy them, it was still good to look.

Such things had never been seen before, and there might not be another chance in the future. So, they all gathered around Tanggu's stall, marveling at the ten lanterns he displayed.

Seeing this, the young man in gray remained calm, unhurried, seemingly unconcerned about the fact that people were only looking and not buying. He was not in a hurry.

He lit the fire and slowly lit the remaining lanterns. Instantly, the lanterns emitted a kaleidoscope of colors—crimson, light purple, warm blue, and pale green—illuminating the area around Fulan Jiao like a sea of lights.

Ten lanterns of different colors, shapes, and sizes all bloomed with their breathtaking beauty, creating a dreamlike scene that left the onlookers mesmerized.

They had never seen such a fantastical sight and were all stunned, unable to move.

More people gathered around the young man in gray's stall.

Seeing this, a smile gradually appeared on the young man in gray's face.

Lanterns from another world had developed over thousands of years and were already highly refined. Although the young man in gray did not expect to achieve the same level of excellence, he had seen many of them and could create something novel to attract attention for a short time.

Placing so many colorful and unique modern lanterns together was bound to cause a sensation.

Therefore, the young man in gray was not in a hurry. He was actually waiting for those who were truly willing to buy his lanterns.

From the beginning, the young man in gray had not intended to sell these lanterns to ordinary people. The reason he had asked for the exorbitant price of thirty stone coins was part of his plan.

The production process for these lanterns was simple, and the materials were ordinary. After today, it would not take long for others to imitate them, and they might even do a better job.

So this business was almost a one-time deal, only good for a short period of novelty. Once the novelty wore off, he would no longer be able to make any profit from them. Therefore, if he was going to sell, he had to do it while the novelty was still fresh to meet his growing need for stone coins.

If the price was too low, it would go against his intentions; if it was too high, people might not be able to afford it. So thirty stone coins was just right, not too much or too little, and there should still be some wealthy people who could afford it.

And he was waiting for such people.

Sure enough, the high price and the novelty of the lanterns soon caught the attention of many. The situation at the young man in gray's stall quickly spread throughout the market, and even more people gathered around.

The young man in gray's stall was surrounded by people, layer upon layer. Everyone pointed at the lanterns, marveling and discussing them, making it a small storm in the market.

As the crowd grew, the best potential buyers, the young ladies from noble families and wealthy clans, finally arrived.

Seeing this, the young man in gray's smile became even more confident.

What he wanted to sell was to these young ladies who loved novelty and hunting.

Because only they had the money and were willing to spend it, and they might also like these things.

Finally, a beautiful girl in a light red palace dress, unable to resist the attraction of the beautiful lanterns at the young man in gray's stall, asked for the price and took out thirty stone coins, handing them to the young man in gray. She pointed to a lotus lantern with a green light and a moon, and said, "Thirty stone coins, I'll take this one."

"Sure."

The young man in gray nodded in agreement, picked out the lotus lantern the girl wanted, and handed it to her, explaining how to play with it.

However, after taking the lantern, the girl did not leave immediately. Instead, she looked curiously at the most eye-catching bright yellow revolving lantern in front of the young man in gray and asked, "Stall owner, what do the little figures on this revolving lantern mean?"

The young man in gray was not afraid of questions; he was afraid of no one asking. He smiled and vividly told her the story.

"Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a poor scholar named Liu Mengmei. One day, he dreamed of a beautiful woman standing under a plum tree in a garden, saying she was destined to be his wife. From then on, he often thought of her.

In Nanan, there was a talented and beautiful girl surnamed Du. One day, after returning from the garden, she fell into a deep sleep and saw a scholar holding a willow branch come to court her. They met in the pavilion by the peony and later fell ill from sorrow and could not get up...

Later, there were many twists and turns, such as Liu Mengmei going to the capital, finding a portrait under a Taihu stone, meeting in a dream, digging up a coffin, and bringing the dead back to life, all of which were touching and dramatic..."

The young man in gray spoke for half an hour before finishing the story. The crowd, including the girl in the palace dress, was stunned, still immersed in the story and unable to pull themselves out.

Such a touching and intricate story, with its twists and turns, was timeless, even in another world. How much more so for a girl and a crowd who had never heard such a story before.

Everyone was entranced, feeling the emotions of the characters in the story, whether sad, angry, sorrowful, or happy. They never imagined that a lantern could contain such a rich story.

In an instant, even more people gathered around the young man in gray's stall. Because of this beautiful story, other hesitant young ladies from noble families also took out their stone coins to buy the lanterns.

...

I apologize for the delay. It took a lot of time to write this chapter, and the third update might be moved to tomorrow. I will definitely make it up tomorrow.

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