Chapter 10: The Naive Village Girl

Xia Li hurried back to the village around noon.

At the door of her house stood a refined young man.

Seeing the girl’s figure slowly returning from the roadside, his impatient gaze quickly flickered.

“Xia Li, where have you been all morning? I knocked, but no one answered. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

Xia Li heard Wei Qihong’s suppressed anger in his voice, and his handsome face seemed to be struggling to remain calm.

She pretended to be surprised, “You didn’t say you were coming this morning. Why are you in such a hurry to see my family’s bowl?”

Wei Qihong’s eyes flickered, and he smiled awkwardly.

“I was just worried that a young girl like you might run into some trouble outside. It’s not that I’m in a rush to see the bowl.”

Xia Li opened the door and went inside without inviting him in, just telling him to wait at the door.

Wei Qihong quickly scanned the simple and empty surroundings of the room. He didn’t mind Xia Li’s attitude today, which was not as warm and shy as usual; he was preoccupied with the matter of the bowl.

Initially, he didn’t believe that the late Uncle Xia would have anything valuable left behind, let alone antiques.

However, while listening to others gossiping casually, a strong intuition suddenly surged in his mind.

—That seemingly ordinary porcelain bowl, carelessly discarded by the Xia family, would soon bring him a considerable fortune.

He had to get that bowl from Xia Li, and he was immersed in a strong fantasy of having acquired such wealth.

No matter where this intuition came from, Wei Qihong believed it wholeheartedly.

As for the ownership of the bowl, which might not even belong to him, he didn’t care.

Wei Qihong had already thought it through. If that bowl truly was a valuable antique treasure, it definitely wouldn’t be safe in the hands of a naive village girl like Xia Li.

First, if it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t even know the bowl’s worth and might accidentally break it while using it in her daily life.

Second, she was orphaned and all alone; if the value of the bowl got out, countless greedy people would come after it.

She wouldn’t have the ability to protect the wealth the bowl brought, and it would only harm her.

What does that saying go? “The man is innocent; it’s the possession that brings trouble.” He was only thinking of what was best for Xia Li.

Thus, Wei Qihong found many justifications to ease his conscience, allowing him to take the bowl without any issues.

Of course, he also thought that he would definitely make it up to Xia Li in the future, treating her like his dearest sister.

…

While Wei Qihong was lost in thought, Xia Li had already moved a pile of things outside.

She smiled and said, “All my family’s bowls are right here. Do you want to take one back to look at? Or do you want to see it here?”

Wei Qihong stared at the large stack of bowls and plates the girl had brought out, at least twenty or so.

He furrowed his brow in shock, his head starting to hurt.

He exclaimed, “How can there be so many?”

Didn’t they say that Uncle Xia left only one bowl?!

Xia Li shook her head, looking innocent, “These were all left by my dad. I don’t know which one you want to see. Is there some specific feature you’re looking for in the bowl?”

Wei Qihong hesitated, “There aren’t really any features…”

Looking at the pile on the ground, no matter how he looked at it, those were just some very ordinary, worn bowls. Could there really be any antiques among them?

Wei Qihong gritted his teeth. If they could be easily identified, then hadn’t the Xia family already gotten rich? Would it still be his turn?

He chose to trust his strong intuition.

After finally stacking all the bowls carefully in his arms, he forced a smile at Xia Li:

“Xia Li, since there are so many bowls, I’ll take them back and take a good look. Don’t worry, if there really is something valuable, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“However, from a quick glance, these bowls should all be ordinary coarse porcelain bowls. The hope isn’t great, but I’ll still help you take a look.”

Before leaving, he couldn’t resist reminding Xia Li not to hold on to any illusions of hope.

Xia Li watched Wei Qihong struggle to carry the stack of bowls as he left, standing by the door and nodding obediently, “I’m not in a hurry. Take your time. But these are all I have in my house. If you break any of them, you’ll have to pay me for a new one.”

Hearing her warning, Wei Qihong twitched his mouth.

How had he never realized how unreasonable this girl, Xia Li, could be?

He was kindly helping her look at the bowls, and now she expected him to compensate her if he broke one?

Still, he maintained his gentlemanly demeanor in public, stiffly turning around with the heavy stack of bowls and smiled, “…Of course, Xia Li, you don’t need to worry.”

Passersby occasionally cast strange glances at Wei Qihong.

What was this young man from the Wei family doing? Wasn’t he a teacher at school? Has he switched careers to become a bowl repairman?

Xia Li put away her obedient expression and closed the door with a heavy thud, a pleasant smile on her lips.

It seemed she might soon get her hands on a new bowl.

The male lead coveted her antique bowl, and she was hoping for him to pay her for it. It was truly a win-win situation.