Chapter 1

In June in Shanzhou, the scorching sun made people wish they could peel off their skin to cool down.

In the courtyard, a few local dogs lay there lazily, their tongues hanging out, panting "huffing and puffing." It was said that these dogs had no sweat glands and could only cool down through their tongues, though it was unclear if this was true.

These local dogs were guard dogs for the family, which had over twenty dairy goats. Once it got hot, the whole yard was filled with the smell of goat droppings, which was not very pleasant.

Gao Xi had been back in his hometown for four or five years. From the high spirits of getting into university, he had now become someone who just got by, and it could be said that he was truly regressing.

When he graduated from university, he found a job with a starting salary of two to three thousand yuan. Then his father called him and said, "Coming back to herd goats would earn you more than that job!"

This was true. Although the family only had twenty-five dairy goats, the milk alone could earn them over three hundred yuan a day, which was nearly ten thousand yuan a month. Plus, the goats could be sold for money when they gave birth to kids, and the adult goats could also be sold. Raising goats at home was indeed profitable.

After all, Shanzhou was a major province for eating mutton, and mutton soup was famous nationwide.

Of course, you couldn't encounter a disease outbreak. If you did, it would be like drawing water with a bamboo basket. For example, the price of goats this year wasn't good, supposedly due to some disease.

Throughout the year, a lot of money was spent on treating the goats, so the pure profit wasn't as exaggerated as it seemed. But it was definitely more worthwhile than a job that paid two to three thousand yuan a month. Gao Xi could figure this out with his eyes closed, even though his university grades weren't great and he barely managed to graduate. However, he had studied financial management, so he had knowledge of advanced mathematics and accounting.

After watching the goats finish their feed, Gao Xi stood up from the ground, patted the dust off his pants, and went back to his room.

The first thing he did was change his clothes, otherwise, he would have a strong smell of goats, which was quite unpleasant.

After feeding the goats, he tidied up and then went to eat.

"Xi, do you remember what I told you? Don't forget to go to the county town tomorrow to meet someone. Be smart, don't be too honest, and answer whatever they ask."

The living room was different from the outside; rural living rooms were quite large and bright, but the windows were always closed because the smell outside was terrible. The family had an air conditioner but rarely used it because the electricity was too expensive. They would only turn it on when it was unbearably hot, otherwise, they would use fans, which, according to his parents, were more energy-efficient.

Gao Xi didn't understand this and had never tried it, but maybe it was true.

"Another blind date? I've seen three this month, and I'm already sick of it!" Gao Xi almost had a fear of blind dates. At twenty-seven, he wasn't young, especially in the countryside, where people of his age already had children. However, he was somewhat introverted and had a strong sense of self-respect, which made it hard for him to pursue girls. After a few failures, he became somewhat averse to it.

"What are you complaining about? If I tell you to go, you go. Are you growing up and getting too big for your britches? You're a twenty-seven-year-old man, and you're not afraid of what others will say! You may not care, but we do!"

Gao Xi's father, Gao Haijun, had a fiery temper and hadn't read much but had served in the military for a few years. He was very strong, and Gao Xi had grown up under a strict upbringing.

"I'm not getting married for others to see. I need to find someone suitable. What kind of people are they? They talk about houses and cars, and after just a few days of knowing each other, they ask for an iPhone. Do they think I'm a banker?"

Gao Xi's temper wasn't good either, probably influenced by his father. Plus, he wasn't afraid of his father anymore. His father was old, while he was still strong. Although he wouldn't hit his father, he could run away, and his father couldn't catch him, unlike when he was a child.

"Suitable? What does that mean? Which girl nowadays isn't like that? Your second uncle's child, who is four years younger than you, is already married. The bride asked for 150,000 yuan as a dowry, and your second uncle still paid it. The money was borrowed from the bank! You're so foolish! You can't find one yourself, and now your family is trying to help, but you're still not satisfied?"

"If that's the case, I'd rather not get married."

"Not get married? Do you want to be a bachelor for life? You'll disgrace your ancestors!"

"Alright, alright, no more arguing. Xi, listen to me. Go and meet her tomorrow. You might like her after one meeting." His mother always played the peacemaker.

Of course, it might be a case of one playing the bad cop and the other the good cop.

Gao Xi sometimes felt helpless. His parents were getting old, and even if he was unwilling, he would eventually compromise.

"Alright."

He nodded helplessly, looking at the dog outside with its tongue out, as if it was mocking his lack of ability and courage.

What's the point of winning an argument with your parents?

...

The next day, Gao Xi went to meet the girl as if it were a task, riding his electric scooter. Honestly, the first impression was quite good. The girl was well-mannered and beautiful, but there was one thing that bothered Gao Xi.

The girl wasn't from the local area; she was originally from Luozhou and had worked in Dongguang. She had now moved to this area and worked in a tea house.

Gao Xi's concerns were related to what he had read online. A girl who had worked in Dongguang for many years and was now twenty-seven, working in a tea house, made him uneasy.

However, he shook his head, trying to push these thoughts away. No matter what, he should get to know her better. Not all girls from Dongguang were like that.

He thought about buying a gift for the girl to give her on their next meeting. The gift shouldn't be too expensive but should be beautiful, so something like jewelry would be best.

The county town had an old market, similar to Panjiayuan in the capital, but much smaller. Here, you could find antiques, but most were fakes, as well as folk items and old objects. You could find many things you liked.

Gao Xi parked his electric scooter at a parking area, where someone would watch over it for three yuan, regardless of how long you stayed.

He went directly to the stalls selling colorful jewelry.

It was probably lunchtime, so there weren't many customers. The stall owners were squatting there, eating their lunch quickly. After eating, they would try to persuade customers to buy their items with their smooth talk.

Here, you could see necklaces labeled as top-quality Burmese glass-type imperial green jade, so-called white jade bracelets, and even rare high-end red jade bracelets. Of course, there were also many gold, silver, copper, and iron jewelry items.

However, most were fakes!

Outsiders might not know, but Gao Xi, being from the area, understood the situation.

Gao Xi quickly focused on an item, a bracelet with a silver-white metal chain and a pendant that looked like a moon well. It wasn't large and wasn't very noticeable when worn, but it was beautiful and suitable for both men and women.

However, when he squatted down to ask the price, he didn't ask about the bracelet but instead looked at a jade necklace called "purple eyes."

"Little brother, you like this purple eyes? Buying it for your girlfriend? Good taste! Purple is the most noble color, and this quality of purple eyes is very rare in jade. Your girlfriend will definitely be satisfied if you buy it for her." The vendor smiled warmly, but behind the smile, there was probably a cunning and ruthless smirk.

"How much?" Gao Xi asked calmly.

"Little brother, you seem like a straightforward person. Five thousand yuan, and I'll give you something extra and package it nicely." The vendor smiled sweetly.

"Do I look like a fool?"

"No."

"Do I look like a gullible outsider?"

"No, outsiders don't speak as well as you."

"Then why are you asking for five thousand? Real purple eyes wouldn't cost five thousand, even ten thousand if you could get them! I don't want to ruin your stall, so just give me a fair price. We're all from the same area, and you're not easy either." Gao Xi looked at the vendor and said.

"Hehe, little brother, you're an expert. Why didn't you say so earlier? This isn't really purple eyes, but it is a high-quality handmade accessory. That's why I asked for five thousand. How about this, for the sake of our hometown, three thousand?" The vendor didn't feel embarrassed or uncomfortable, but smiled even more. These people were probably used to such situations, and their faces had become thick-skinned.

Gao Xi cursed the vendor in his heart and then picked up the moon well bracelet. "How much for this broken chain?"

"Broken chain? Little brother, you're really talking big. Do you know what this is? This is a blessed item from the female bodhisattva at Lishan Temple. Look at the craftsmanship and the quality. I bought this from a bankrupt rich man. If he wasn't short of money, he wouldn't have sold it to me. It's a family heirloom passed down from the Qing Dynasty. He asked for ten thousand, but I bargained it down to one thousand." The vendor looked at Gao Xi angrily, as if Gao Xi's words had seriously insulted his character and the item, making him very angry.

"Enough, don't give me that. The moon well on this bracelet is from the game 'Warcraft III,' and there's a small engraving of a Moon Priestess below it. Even though it's small, you can see it if you look closely. You're telling me this is from the Qing Dynasty? Did 'Warcraft III' exist in the Qing Dynasty? Let's be realistic, stop lying, it's not interesting at all!" Gao Xi flipped the moon well on the bracelet, and indeed, there was a very small pattern on the back, which was hard to notice.