Zhao Pei and Ru Hua walked onto the street. There were many pedestrians on the street, all busy with their own things. Some passing women looked at the lively young man from Hongshan, blushing and whispering to each other.
She raised her head with a little pride, turned around to look at Ruhua who was following behind her like a young wife, and grinned.
Just as she was feeling proud, she bumped into someone head-on. Zhao Pei was pushed back by the force before she could react. Fortunately, Ruhua supported her and she finally stood firm after swaying a few times.
"I'm sorry, little brother. Are you okay?" the man asked as he quickly supported her.
Zhao Pei rubbed his aching shoulder and glared at the visitor angrily, but was slightly stunned. The man in front of him was just a handsome boy of seventeen or eighteen years old. He was extremely handsome, with a pair of phoenix eyes that were bright and shining. His slender and tall figure looked even more handsome under the summer sun. It was not because he was so handsome that he couldn't take his eyes off him. To be honest, everyone in the Xiao family was better than him. It was just that this person gave him a strange sense of familiarity.
"Little brother. Are you okay?" He asked again when she didn't answer.
Zhao Pei came back to her senses and stammered, "You, you be careful." Seeing that she was rubbing her shoulders, the man continued to ask with some concern, and put his hand on her shoulder.
Zhao Pei's good mood was ruined by him. Although he was handsome, she didn't like his constant questioning. She glared at him and said, "I said it's okay. It's really annoying."
It was probably the first time that he was annoyed by someone like this, so he let go of her hand awkwardly. "I'm sorry, little brother. I'm in a hurry to go to West Street. I'm really sorry."
Zhao Pei didn't want to argue any more, so she waved her hand and took Ruhua away. After walking a few steps, she looked back and saw that the man had disappeared into the crowd. Zhao Pei was a little distracted, and Ruhua gently pulled her: "Miss, what are you thinking about?"
She came to her senses and shook her head. After a while, she took a deep breath and asked, "Where is West Street? It seems there is something interesting there."
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The two of them wandered to West Street. As expected, they saw many people rushing here, looking excited. Zhao Pei stopped someone and asked, only to find out that Yunlai Pavilion had exhibited a painting of Guanyin by Shao Ling Wang and was ready to sell it. Now the Yunlai Pavilion was tightly packed inside and outside, and everyone wanted to see the painting of Shao Ling Wang.
Zhao Pei was surprised to hear this. When had Xiao Lun ever painted this? Even if he had, how could it appear in this remote town of Yongchang? Thinking there was something fishy going on, she became interested and wanted to see what it was.
Ruhua knew that no one could stop her when she was in the mood, so she quietly followed her into the crowd.
After pushing and shoving, I finally got to the front and stood firm, and then I saw the gorgeously framed picture of Guanyin. Guanyin was sitting cross-legged on a lotus, with a face as white as jade, a plump and blessed appearance, eyebrows like willows, eyes like stars, and lips like cherry blossoms. She was detached from the world, elegant and dignified.
Zhao Pei looked at him carefully, and the scene of her first meeting with him emerged in her mind. The young man in blue had a conceited smile on his lips, and a flip of his wrist was the finishing touch.
Suddenly an idea flashed through his mind, and he took a few steps forward to get a closer look at the painting, but was stopped by someone: "Hey, kid. Stay away. Don't damage this painting."
Zhao Pei looked up and saw a fifty-year-old man with a mustache, probably the owner of Yunlai Pavilion. She smiled with disdain and said, "It's broken, so what? It's not worth much money. I'll pay for it."
The man with the mustache said angrily, "Who is this brat who is making such a bold statement? This is a painting of King Shaoling, it is worth a fortune. How can a yellow-haired boy like you slander it so easily?"
"If it is really the work of Prince Shao Ling, I would not dare to act rashly, but..." Zhao Pei looked at it carefully again, shook his head and sighed: "It is a good imitation, but it still lacks some charm. Tsk tsk..."
The mustache man was stunned, and tried to remain calm and shouted at her: "According to you, this painting is fake?"
Zhao Pei blinked innocently and looked at him: "You said that yourself."
The mustache man looked at the crowd of people talking around him, and he felt a little embarrassed. He was about to take a few steps forward to grab her collar. But Zhao Pei jumped away lightly, facing the crowd, cleared his throat and said loudly: "Everyone, let's think about it. Even if this Guanyin painting is real. Even if it was really made by King Shaoling. Then I want to ask you, shopkeeper, where did you get it from?"
The man with the mustache stroked his mustache and said with a slightly proud smile, "Of course I got it from the Shaoling Palace. My relative works in the palace. He got this painting."
"That's really strange. The Sixth Prince has always been very stingy with his paintings. Why would he give such a painting of Guanyin to your relative? Could it be... stolen?" Zhao Pei stared at him with eyes wide open.
When the mustache man heard this, his face turned red, and he pointed at her and said angrily: "What nonsense are you talking about? How could it be stolen?"
Zhao Pei continued with a smile: "I am just guessing. If it was stolen, the shopkeeper is selling it so openly, aren't you afraid of being blamed?"
He was stunned and couldn't say anything to explain for a long time.
Zhao Pei continued, "Please ask the shopkeeper to advise the painter on my behalf. The painting is good, why must he be given someone else's title? If it is not a coincidence, he will suffer." After saying that, he left with a graceful smile.
After hearing the eloquent words of the young man in red, everyone realized that this was a fake and cried out that they had been cheated. They left with a few sarcastic remarks and then dispersed.
Suddenly, no one was in front of the Yunlai Pavilion, which was completely different from the lively scene just now. The man with the mustache was really angry and annoyed. He stared at the back of the young man in the red shirt and called a few burly men over: "Go and kill that kid for me! How dare he mess up my business? He is really tired of living!"
The men nodded and were about to chase him with their weapons in hand, but they heard a deep and mellow voice coming from behind the bamboo curtain in the shop: "Uncle Qiao, forget it. Don't make any more trouble. I'll go and take a look."
. . . . . (To be continued)