Chapter 34 – Money is Nothing, if Spent, Just Earn More
Walking on the streets had tired her out, so she thought about coming inside and drinking a bit of tea to wet her throat.
Who would have thought that the pot of tea she had chosen at random would cost her a thousand taels of silver?!
The heartache was killing her!
No wonder after she pointed at that pot of tea, the staff reverently and respectfully welcomed her upstairs.They were treating her like a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered!
Luckily, the fine dishes came complimentary with the tea, or else she would be experiencing even more heartache.
It did not come as a surprise then, that the patrons on the second floor were comprised of rich individuals. All kinds of people were there. On the four bamboo walls hung famous pieces of calligraphy and paintings.
This world’s calligraphy and paintings were similar to those of Ancient China’s. The paintings were meticulously done using freehand, while the calligraphy had bold cursive strokes.
Furthermore, they were all works from famous masters of art. Ning Xuemo overheard that every painting and calligraphy piece had an extremely high value.
Every single one of them was worth at least a few thousand taels of silver…
In particular, amongst all of these works, there was a landscape painting that stood in the centre, being both the biggest and the most conspicuous of them all.
The landscape was drawn with ink, containing a mountain range with layers of cliffs where clouds and mist rose above the sky, shrouding odd trees and strange rocks, and illustrating streams snaking down the mountain. The painting exudes a magnificent and imposing aura, making people feel as if they were really there. There was a row of words written in the corner of the painting; it was the title. The written words were vigorous and elegant like dancing dragons and flying phoenixes. The elegance in the words also had a touch of an unyielding and lofty character, like a plum blossom blooming in winter. The title contained the time the painting’s landscape was drawn as well as the creator’s name.
“Han Shanyue[1]…” Ning Xuemo read out the name of the painting’s creator.
She knew that he must be the leader of the literature and art world, similar to those great artists of her era, such as Xu Beihong[2] and Qi Baishi[3]. Any one of their random works could buy several mansions and were extremely difficult to find…
It seems like this teahouse had spent quite an amount of money to enhance the atmosphere of this floor.
Ning Xuemo drank a sip of tea, and a refreshing feeling spread throughout her body. Suddenly, she didn’t feel quite as much heartache at having spent a thousand taels of silver on this tea.
Money was nothing. If she spent it, she could easily earn it back. With her ability, why would she need to worry about earning money?
Moreover, she had just inquired about a way to make money, and she heard that the Tianshu Mountain, 50 kilometers away from the city, contained numerous medicinal herbs, many of which were valuable. It should take her several days to get there, and with a little luck, she might be able to find a few rare herbs while wandering around the area. In which case, she would have earned a large profit.
However, she heard that there were many magical beasts on the mountain. Many who went to pick herbs there never returned. This caused the herbs produced on that mountain to be scarce in the market. If she wanted to go, she would have to prepare well. She must not blindly rush over.
She had transmigrated over to this word, and wanted to proudly face and laugh at it, not to become food for the magical beasts.
While she was pondering on how to make money, the light coming through the door was blocked for a moment, as two people entered the teahouse.
The two who entered wore splendid outfits. The male had an upright posture, handsome features, and falcon-like eyes that revealed the majestic bearing of someone in a high position, making the light in the room seem dull in comparison.
The girl seemed to have a slight magnetism about her and was beautiful. Her gestures showed off the demeanour of a noble miss.
The interior of the tearoom was chic, similar to the music cafes of the 21st century. In the teahouse and between the individual rooms, there were translucent screens as well as potted plants placed on blocks.
Ning Xuemo was sitting in a more quiet corner next to the window, hence those two people did not notice her when they entered.
Ning Xuemo also merely swept a glance over those two before retracting it.
Ji Yunhao, the Sixth Prince, was this body’s former fiancé, but now she had nothing to do with him.
Her energy was limited; therefore, she would not waste her attention on people who had nothing to with her.
As for the woman by his side…
The corner of Ning Xuemo’s lips curled upwards, as she reached for the cup of tea and gently sipped it.
[1] 寒山月(Han, Shan, Yue) can be literally translated as “Cold Mountain Month”. I guess he drew it during the month where the mountain is the coldest.
[2] Xu Beihong is a Chinese painter that specialized in ink paintings of horses and birds. More infos here.
[3] Qi Baishi is an influential Chinese painter who learned painting by himself. For more infos here.