Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 321: Chapter 318 The Han People of the Old Wei District Households

”Brother Ouyang, what are you doing here?!”

As Su Qingqing lifted her head and saw Ouyang Jun, she was both startled and delighted.

Ouyang Jun was also taken aback. He looked at Su Qingqing and then at Huo Sining, pausing for a few seconds before suddenly bursting into laughter, ”I was wondering why my eyelid was twitching today, turns out I was about to run into an old acquaintance!”

When Ji Kun had received a call for the young Master Ouyang earlier, Huo Sining had already vaguely guessed that it might be him. Ouyang Jun was from the Imperial Capital and took an interest in jadeite, so Ji Kun’s friend could well be him.

However, she felt it was too much of a coincidence, so even though she suspected it, she didn’t ask. Now that she saw Ouyang Jun in person, she felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.

If they had known that Ouyang Jun would also come to Hetian, they certainly wouldn’t have acted alone and would have come together with him.

”You guys... know each other?”

Listening to the conversation among the group, Ji Kun asked with some surprise.

Ouyang Jun nodded, ”These are a few friends of mine. How did you end up together?”

Ji Kun smiled, ”It’s nothing, we ran into a little trouble, and these young ladies were kind enough to help.”

Without inquiring further into the matter, Ouyang Jun looked at the time and asked, ”Are you still going to the market?”

Ji Kun shook his head, ”I just came over to take a look. Go ahead with your business.”

Ouyang Jun nodded, ”Alright then, I’ve already found a guide, let’s follow him now.”

As Ouyang Jun mentioned this, he suddenly remembered Huo Sining and her group and turned his head to look at Huo Sining:

”Are you guys here to buy jade as well? We’re planning to go to the countryside to buy stock. The farmers there have collected plenty of jade materials, which are more authentic than the ones in these markets. Why don’t you come with us to take a look?”

Huo Sining and Bai Yishan were fairly indifferent, but Su Qingqing was brimming with enthusiasm, ”Let’s go, let’s go, I’ve never seen what the countryside in Wei District is like!”

”Then let’s go now, the car is parked at the entrance of the market. We can get there in time for lunch if we move now,” Ouyang Jun lead the way outside, and the others hurriedly followed him.

The Hummer sped along the road and soon arrived at a village at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, guided by the local guide.

The vehicle stopped at a villager’s house, and a middle-aged man named Alimu warmly welcomed Huo Sining and her company.

Seeing the excitement and eagerness in Alimu’s eyes, Huo Sining knew the guide must have frequently brought visitors to this household.

Lunch was eaten at this household, and after resting in the afternoon, Alimu took the group from house to house to appraise wares.

The mining of Hetian Jade was similar to that of Jadeite. The discovery of a Hetian jade mine not only attracted a huge number of local villagers to mine but also many outsiders looking to strike it rich.

Indiscriminate mining of jade not only depletes the jade reserves but also damages the mountains, so once a jade mine is discovered, the government quickly seals it off to prevent villagers from mining on their own.

The government’s intervention has caused many villagers to lose the opportunity to get rich, yet the real locals won’t be unable to find jade just because the mines are sealed.

Some local villagers have been dealing with jade for generations; they rely on the rich experience passed down from their ancestors and always manage to find top-quality Hetian jade in the mountains or rivers that haven’t been bought out.

Because the jade in the market is a confusing mix of mountain material, water material, and Gobi material, and with some people counterfeiting, it’s a mixed bag, making it very difficult to confirm for sure which pieces are the seed material.

The jade in the village is mostly a collection of the villagers’ finest pieces, and as long as the price is right, the likelihood of fake seed material is much lower.

This is why Ouyang Jun doesn’t go to the market but drives such a long distance to the local villagers’ homes to make purchases—he’d come all this way to buy jade and naturally wanted to buy the finest pieces, and had no interest in ordinary jade materials.

Ouyang Jun’s reasoning wasn’t wrong, but to his disappointment, his timing this trip was unfortunate. In order for the farmers to have money for the New Year, Hotan County government had introduced a new policy this year, organizing a three-day jade fair before New Year’s.

Since there was no entry threshold to the jade fair, and one only needed to pay fifty yuan to participate, the villagers were naturally willing to go. Most of the independent households that mined and dug for jade had already transported their goods into the county town. Although Ouyang Jun explained his intentions, the several batches of jade he saw were not of good quality.

Ouyang Jun had come all this way to Hetian to buy jade and certainly didn’t want to return empty-handed. Seeing this outcome, he wasn’t discouraged but thought that since there were many villages around Hetian, if this village didn’t have it, he would just go look in another village.

The guide felt somewhat embarrassed as he led Ouyang Jun and his group back to Alimu’s house. Just as they reached the edge of the village, they heard a quarrel and cursing coming from a house.

”Just a piece of broken stone, not good for eating or wearing, you’ve guarded it all your life; why not just sell it and be done with it?” a man’s cursing voice emanated from the yard, ”If I don’t use this stone for chips today, they are going to take my life!”

”You dare! That stone was bought with your father’s life, don’t even think about gambling with it!”

The woman’s yelling was sharp and angry, ”I’ve warned you long ago not to associate with those people, they set a trap for you, and you just keep falling into it! Mei Dekang, let me tell you clearly today—if you sell this stone, you might as well wait to collect your dear mother’s dead body!”

Huo Sining heard the voices and paused in her steps, a puzzled look appearing on her face, ”They are speaking Mandarin, right? How come...?”

Throughout their journey, with the exception of their guide’s interpretations, most of the Wei District People were speaking their own language. Even Alimu, who often interacted with Han people, spoke with a heavy Wei District accent when occasionally communicating with Huo Sining’s group.

Yet, the two people quarreling in the yard were using impeccably fluent Mandarin, which left Huo Sining feeling somewhat puzzled.

Not just Huo Sining, but her companions Ouyang Jun, Ji Kun, and the others also harbored doubts. The guide quickly asked Alimu the reason, and Alimu’s face showed a hint of helplessness as he softly explained, ”This is the Mei Family, an old Han household in the Wei District.”

”What does ’old Han household’ mean?” Su Qingqing asked quickly.

”It refers to Han families that have been settled in the Wei District since before the founding of the nation.”

”The Mei Family was considered wealthy around here, owning several houses in the county; they had moved to the city to live. However, their son took to gambling in recent years, playing big and losing serveral large houses in the county, as well as depleting all the family’s savings.”

Alimu spoke succinctly, but everyone accompanying him understood.

The mind of a gambler is easy to understand, it’s hard to break free once trapped. The more they lose, the less they can accept it, and the more they hope to win back their initial stake in a single game. The result, however, is sinking into a vicious cycle of continual losses, where escape becomes impossible.