Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 944: Chapter 940: The Paper is More Expensive than the Painting

The vendor looked up, gazing at the two Huaxia people, his expression shifting as if in thought.

”You two, let’s not beat around the bush. I got that pack of paper from somewhere else. It looks like ordinary waxed Xuan paper, but the stuff should have come from your Huaxia. I don’t understand this; can you tell me what exactly is the story behind that pack of paper?”

The vendor was also shrewd. Seeing the tense and urgent look on the two Huaxia people’s faces, he guessed that the pack of paper might not be ordinary.

The paper had already been sent out by him, and the transaction was complete. It was too late to regret it, but he hadn’t figured out the precise value of this item, making him feel unsettled, like being kept in the dark, so he had to ask clearly.

The two Huaxia people exchanged glances. The older one showed a hint of hesitation in his eyes. After a moment of silence, he finally began to explain:

”Boss, to be honest, this paper is called ’Jinsu Mountain Buddhist Scripture Paper’ in our Huaxia. It’s because there is a similar type of seal on the back of the paper. This paper was manufactured during the reigns of Xining to Yuanfeng of the Song Dynasty and was once used by the Northern Song Dynasty Jinsu Temple for transcribing the Great Buddhist Scriptures.”

Hearing this, the vendor felt a bit depressed. He hadn’t expected that something he casually sent away turned out to be a Qing Dynasty antique. This gave him a bad premonition, and he instinctively asked, ”Is this paper valuable?”

The middle-aged man looked at the vendor, reluctant, sighed, nodded, and softly said, ”Probably two to three hundred thousand.”

The vendor’s smile froze. Thinking about the loss of two to three hundred thousand just like that made his heart ache, but for the sake of face, he had to force a smile and said, ”Two to three hundred thousand, huh? Not much money then.”

The vendor assumed the middle-aged man referred to the package of drawing paper as worth two to three hundred thousand Dongyang Currency, but he didn’t expect the middle-aged man to show a peculiar expression at these words.

The middle-aged man did not explain further. However, the young man beside him couldn’t help but sarcastically retorted coldly, ”Not much indeed—two to three hundred thousand RMB per sheet. There must be at least ten or twenty sheets in your pack of paper!”

”What did you say?!”

After hearing the Dongyang language translation from a nearby tourist, the vendor was stunned, his face rigid with shock and disbelief, his lips trembling, his complexion white as a sheet.

”Jinsu Mountain Buddhist Scripture Paper is a famous paper product unique to our Huaxia Song Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing Dynasty, literati often took pride in using Jinsu Mountain Buddhist Scripture Paper for scroll introductions. But the quantity of this paper is very rare. By the Qing Dynasty, even the Imperial Court had only a small amount, reserved for the Emperor to write poetry or create scroll introductions, illustrating the paper’s prestigious reputation!”

The young man was still citing facts and stories, but the vendor could no longer listen. His mind was consumed by thoughts of that pack of paper—twenty to thirty thousand RMB per sheet meant the whole pack was worth five million. That was five million RMB, equivalent to nearly a hundred million yen!

Thinking that so much money went to an outsider so easily, how could the vendor sit still? Rage surged within him, feeling deceived. He suddenly stood from his stall, rushing in the direction Huo Sining left, pushing aside tourists as he muttered incoherently to himself, ”No, I have to get that paper back, five million, that’s my money, all mine!”

The vendor behaved like a madman, scurrying aimlessly like a headless fly in the crowded street. Seeing this, the two Huaxia people followed closely behind him, but unfortunately, in the teeming backstreet, how could they find anyone?

After searching for a while without any sign of the young girl, the vendor collapsed to the ground, looking like he had lost his soul, alternating between crying and laughing, his eyes vacant, devoid of any light.

”Boss, tell us what the young girl looks like, maybe we can help you find her.”

The middle-aged man frowned, knowing that the chance of finding the girl was slim. But thinking about how an immensely valuable pack of Jinsu Mountain Buddhist Scripture Paper slipped away was unbearable, so he stubbornly asked about the girl’s appearance, hoping for a stroke of luck on the street.

The vendor knew full well the odds were slim, but hearing these two men, he still held onto a sliver of hope, wishing the girl who bought the drawing paper was still on the street, not far away yet.

”The girl is around twenty, very pretty, wearing a simple long cotton dress, a hat, and a backpack.”

”Is that all? Any more distinct features, like a mole on her face or other special marks?”

Hearing the vendor’s description, the middle-aged man frowned, as the description was too generic. There were too many girls with such features on this street. Was he supposed to ask each one? That would be absurd.

The vendor racked his brain, then remembered, ”The girl was with a man in his thirties, wearing a gray casual suit, looking scholarly. And I recall the girl saying she studies art; her teacher assigned homework to copy a painting, so if I’m guessing right, she should be a student from the Shinjuku area.”

Information about her being an art student was useless, but the fact she was with a man in his thirties might be somewhat helpful.

Hearing the vendor’s description, the young man beside him took mental notes. After asking the direction the girl left, they ignored the vendor and stood up to follow the direction the girl went.

Huo Sining hadn’t gone far. After dragging Nara Nigawa a short distance, she felt relieved, believing those two Huaxia people wouldn’t find her, and continued shopping leisurely and treasure hunting.

In fact, when she saw those two Huaxia people asking in front of the painting vendor, she realized they were likely looking for the pack of Jinsu Mountain Buddhist Scripture Paper. That’s why Huo Sining urgently pulled Nara Nigawa away.

If it were like the two drawings in her hand, a finished transaction, Huo Sining wouldn’t fear the vendor going back on his word. But since the pack of drawing paper was a freebie she haggled from the vendor, without spending a cent, if the vendor learned the real situation and regretted it, Huo Sining would truly be unable to do anything about it.