QTIMP -Chapter 135 Character Persona – Love Brained (Part 6)

“Sure. You can call me Si Qiu or Qiuqiu—either is fine. It’s getting late, and there are quite a lot of mosquitoes. Let’s hurry and get in the car.”

Si Qiu walked around the front of the car and took the passenger seat. Meanwhile, the three boys started arguing over who would drive. In the end, Zhou Chenyu won the right to take the wheel.

Once they were all seated, they could still hear Si Qiu’s uncontrollable laughter, which instantly made the three of them blush a little.

Zhou Chenyu had a fair complexion, so the redness on his face was even more obvious. Si Qiu couldn’t help blinking her big eyes as her gaze slowly swept over him inch by inch.

Perhaps her stare was too intense—Zhou Chenyu cleared his throat lightly. “Um… we’re almost there. The place is crowded and a bit complicated. When we get there, just stick with the three of us. Don’t wander off.”

Si Qiu replied in a crisp voice, “Okay! I’ll stay obediently with you and won’t run around.”

She looked especially well-behaved, which made Zhou Chenyu sneak a few more glances at her from the corner of his eye.

Si Qiu was also intentionally trying to get closer to him. Lin Zixiang was a chatterbox, while Shao Yang didn’t talk much but was a bit reckless—when he did speak, his words were often unexpectedly blunt.

So the four of them got along quite well along the way, chatting easily as time passed quickly.

They parked not far from the entrance of the ghost market. Si Qiu handed each of them a mask. The three boys turned the masks over in their hands, examining them curiously.

“Sister, what’s this for?”

Si Qiu put on her own mask, then tilted her chin slightly toward them. “To hide your identity and protect yourself.”

Lin Zixiang turned to look at the other two. “Do we really need this?”

Zhou Chenyu didn’t say anything and simply put his mask on. Seeing that, Lin Zixiang followed suit. Shao Yang, putting his on as well, commented, “You know, once you put this on, you actually look a bit more decent—kinda makes you look a little better.”

Lin Zixiang threw a punch at him, which Shao Yang blocked. “Why are you hitting me again? What did I say wrong?”

It was the darkest time before dawn. On the road, there were only shadowy figures moving about, with stalls set up one after another on the ground.

The vendors sat on small stools, with boxes of various sizes placed beside them. Each stall was lit either by a kerosene lamp or a dim flashlight.

The faint light cast a hazy glow over the items on display. If a buyer took interest, they would squat down to inspect the goods closely, then chat briefly with the relatively quiet stall owner.

The goods here were a mixed bag—everything imaginable, but with uneven quality.

Si Qiu crouched in front of a stall selling sculptures. She picked one up and examined it carefully—there were all kinds, from animals to human figures.

The craftsmanship was exquisite, but the wood itself was rather ordinary.

The three boys also crouched beside her. Lin Zixiang glanced at the items and asked, “Sister, do you like this?”

“It’s pretty good. The carving is excellent, but the wood is too ordinary. It’s fine for casual enjoyment, but not really worth collecting,” Zhou Chenyu said as he picked one up to examine it closely.

“Right, didn’t Xiangzi say you wanted to look at materials for seals? If we go a bit further inside, there should be some,” Shao Yang added, picking up a sculpture as well.

Si Qiu toyed with a set of carved zodiac figures, turning them over in her hands repeatedly. It reminded her of her previous life, when she seemed to have owned a set of pure gold zodiac ornaments.

She had liked those quite a bit too.

The stall owner, a man in his thirties, overheard their conversation. He quickly rummaged through a box beside him for a while before pulling out a case.

He grabbed a flashlight and shone it onto the box, then opened it. A yellowish beam illuminated the items inside—pieces identical to the ones in Si Qiu’s hand.

Only… the material looked very much like golden nanmu wood.

Si Qiu looked up and asked the stall owner, “Can I handle these items?”

The owner made a welcoming gesture. His broad palms were covered in calluses, with cracks of varying depths. The cuffs of his sleeves were worn to fraying, even dotted with tiny tears.

Si Qiu took out a glove from her crossbody bag, gave it a shake, put it on, and then carefully picked up the carvings arranged in two rows.

Her action stunned the few people nearby. Only the stall owner silently grinned, then said in a low, muffled voice:

“These were carved by my master. They’re much more refined than the ones displayed out front. The details are smoother and more delicate—perfect both for handling in your hands and for display.”

No matter the time or place, having someone respect your work always lifts the mood.

The piece Si Qiu was holding was a small pig, about the size of her palm—round and adorable. Under the flashlight’s beam, it shimmered with the unique luster of golden nanmu wood.

“How much is this one?”

Hearing her ask, the man rubbed his hands together nervously. “This one alone is 60 yuan. The full set, with the box, is 600 yuan.”

He was a little anxious. Though he believed his master’s craftsmanship and the material were worth the price, others always thought he was asking far too much.

After all, this wasn’t even the year 2000 yet—money still carried significant value, and earning it wasn’t easy. Si Qiu didn’t say anything. She simply pulled out a stack of red banknotes from her bag, counted out six bills, and handed them over.

The man took the money and carefully felt the braille-like markings on it, his fingertips sensing the raised textures. Delighted, he folded the notes and tucked them into his pocket.

Then he pulled out a wrinkled bag from the side, placing the box along with the full set of the twelve zodiac carvings inside.

“Here, take it. I set up my stall here every week. If there’s anything you want, you can tell me—like that thing you call ‘custom-made.’”

“Alright. If I find something I like, I’ll come to you for a custom order next time.”

Zhou Chunyu casually took the box from her hands. When Si Qiu looked at him, he said, “The three of us are grown men—how could we let a girl carry things herself?”

Shao Yang immediately stepped forward. “Exactly, exactly! We already took advantage of you by not paying for gas—this is the least we can do.”

Si Qiu took a big step forward, then turned around to face the three of them. “So, does that mean for the rest of this shopping trip, I’ll have three free laborers?”

The three exchanged glances, all feeling a vague sense of unease. But then they thought—this wasn’t a place for buying clothes or handbags. No matter how much she bought, it couldn’t be that much, right?

Besides, they were all about the same age. Even if her family seemed well-off, how much pocket money could she really have?

Lin Zixiang stepped forward, slinging one arm over her shoulder while flexing his other arm. “Go ahead and buy whatever you want. Your big brother here doesn’t have much, but I’ve got plenty of strength from my time in the army—finally a chance to use it.”

Si Qiu raised an eyebrow and tilted her chin to the side. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go?”

“Let’s go!” the three boys replied in unison.

The three of them grabbed flashlights and followed her from one stall to another.

Brush holders and inkstones—if they were finely made, she bought them.

Vases and ceramics—if they were elegant, she bought them.

Books and collections—if they were rare, she bought them.

As for the seal stones she had originally planned to buy, she actually chose fewer of those. After all, most of what the stalls offered were common goods—but the shop owners had their own stores.