Chapter 291: The Highest Bidder Wins

Chapter 291: The Highest Bidder Wins

The auctioneer on stage had already opened the ornate brocade box he held, presenting the item within and starting the bidding at five taels of silver.

Bids were called out from the surrounding private rooms.

Xingxing glanced around curiously, but although the private rooms were semi-open, a layer of hazy gauze separated them, making it impossible to see the other bidders clearly.

Xingxing had no choice but to look away.

The bids swiftly climbed to eight taels of silver.

Bai Ge'er noticed Xingxing's curious stare at the ruby ring displayed on the stage and asked if she liked it.

Xingxing shook her head, "Second Brother, don't you remember? I already have a set of ruby jewelry, and it's even better than this. It was given to me by Grandfather Liu. I'm just a little curious..."

The ruby ring on display paled in comparison to the exquisite set Grandfather Liu had gifted her, yet the bidding had already soared to fifteen taels of silver.

...How much would her set, with its stunning quality and vivid, flowing red rubies, go for here?

Soon, the bidding for the ruby ring ended at eighteen taels of silver.

The auctioneer respectfully carried the tray and had it delivered to one of the private rooms.

Xingxing started to grasp how things worked here—it was an auction, where the highest bidder wins!

It was her first time in a place like this, and she was brimming with curiosity.

The second item was a jade hairpin. The jade was of excellent quality, masterfully carved by a renowned artisan, so the price was quickly driven up to twenty taels of silver.

Xingxing couldn't help but take a few more curious glances.

Bai Ge'er felt a sudden impulse and placed a bid, raising the price to thirty taels.

Bai Ge'er's sharp price hike made others think twice.

In that moment of hesitation, the attendant holding the brocade box on the stage finished the countdown and announced that Bai Ge'er had won the hairpin for thirty taels.

Xingxing gasped in surprise, "Huh?"

The jade hairpin featured a playful design, intricately carved as a little rabbit frolicking with a lotus, clearly intended for a young girl.

In the entire Yujia household, Xingxing was the only one who could be considered a young girl.

As the attendant approached with the brocade box, Bai Ge'er quickly handed over silver notes to buy the little rabbit jade hairpin.

Xingxing pointed to herself, asking, "Second Brother, is this for me?"

Bai Ge'er grinned, "Of course!... But just so you know, this isn't part of what I promised you earlier. I just thought your hair looked too simple, so I bought this little trinket for you on a whim."

Xingxing chuckled, "Alright, I figured since we were out shopping today, it'd be easier to try on jewelry if I didn't wear any."

With no mirror in the private room, Xingxing tilted her head slightly, letting Bai Ge'er secure the hairpin in her hanging bun.

Bai Ge'er fussed over the hairpin, examining it from every angle, and nodded in approval.

Xingxing was delighted too.

Next up for auction was a jade pendant.

The jade pendant had excellent translucency, featuring a carving of a small bridge over flowing water that sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight, creating the illusion that the water beneath the bridge was actually moving.

Xingxing's eyes lit up. Having grasped the basics of the process, she started to bid.

However, the person in the neighboring private room bid faster than her, offering twenty taels.

Xingxing hesitated for a moment, thought about it, and then bid forty taels.

Bai Ge'er watched Xingxing with an amused smile.

It was just pocket change; as long as Xingxing was happy, that's all that mattered.

However, the neighboring private room was clearly angered by Xingxing's doubling of the bid, and the voice calling out the bid carried a hint of anger: "Fifty taels!"

Xingxing calmly countered: "Sixty taels."

The voice from the neighboring room faltered noticeably, and then the anger in the voice became more apparent: "Sixty-five taels!"

Xingxing remained calm: "Seventy taels."

Her voice was sweet and soft, unmistakably that of a young girl.

From the neighboring room came the sound of someone clenching their teeth: "...Little girl, which family are you from? Are you deliberately trying to outdo me?"

Xingxing let out a soft "Ah," clearly puzzled: "...But isn't the rule here to bid, and the highest bidder wins?"

Why was it seen as showing her up just because she was bidding normally?

The person in the neighboring room was clearly taken aback.

The female voice took a deep breath and, through gritted teeth, continued to bid: "Seventy-five taels!"

Xingxing countered again: "Eighty taels."

The entire courtyard held its breath for a moment.

From the neighboring room came the sound of someone abruptly standing up, knocking over a chair.

The female voice, barely containing her anger, said: "Little sister, I was planning to buy this jade pendant as a birthday gift for my elder brother. There are plenty of good things to bid on here, why must you compete with me for this?"

Xingxing thought for a moment: "But this is also something I want to buy as a gift for my second elder brother."

We're both buying gifts for our brothers, so who's to say who's more important? Why should I give in?

From the neighboring room came a low voice of dissuasion, probably the maid trying to talk her out of acting impulsively.

By now, the attendant on the stage had already begun the countdown.

Once the countdown ended, if no one raised the bid, the jade pendant would go to Xingxing.

Just as the countdown was about to end, the female voice, through clenched teeth, seemed to force out a bid: "Ninety taels!"

Xingxing didn't hesitate, only pausing slightly to let the female voice finish saying "ninety taels," before she countered with her own bid: "One hundred taels."

The neighboring room was so furious that they smashed a teacup!

"Are you doing this just to spite me?!"

The person in the neighboring room was clearly furious.

Bai Ge'er narrowed his eyes slightly and reminded, "Miss, the rule here is simple: highest bidder takes it all. If you resort to personal threats or anything else, the guards here aren’t just here to look pretty."

The person in the next room was left speechless by Bai Ge'er's words, and there was no movement for a while.

Xingxing, paying them no mind, happily pulled out a sachet from her pocket.

Seeing Bai Ge'er also reaching into his pocket, Xingxing immediately jumped up, one hand pressing down on Bai Ge'er's hand, the other waving the sachet vigorously: "Second brother, I’ve got the money! Let me handle this! I’m buying it for you!"

Although Bai Ge'er was the one in the entire Yujia who knew best how wealthy Xingxing was, he still felt a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

His little sister had gone out of her way to bid on something just for him!

He smiled to himself, but in his mind, he was already plotting that when his eldest brother returned, he’d make sure to wear the jade pendant and strut around in front of him a few times.

Let his eldest brother know that this jade pendant was something Xingxing had specially fought to bid on and give to him!

He could just imagine his eldest brother fuming at the thought!

Bai Ge'er couldn't help but want to grin at the thought of that scene.

Serves him right for sneaking off to join the army without a word!

Next, there were a few more small items. Xingxing watched with keen interest but didn’t place any bids.

Soon, another item was brought up.

It was a bracelet intricately woven with embedded diamonds.

In the sunlight, the bracelet shimmered with a dazzling glow.

Xingxing’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

This would pair really well with the prayer beads, don’t you think?