After the two exchanged glances, Heather said to the stall owner, “I don’t like free gifts.”
The stall owner seemed to have expected that she would respond in this way and he countered, “Oh dear! I know I look like a con man when I give away the cross necklace like that.”
Never did they expect that the stall owner would be so straightforward as he started muttering to himself. Surprised, Heather and Matthias looked at each other, thinking that this stall owner was interesting.
“Actually, this necklace is related to you. It’s not an ordinary cross necklace. It has a long history behind it.” The stall owner was really talkative and he had been talking nonstop even though Heather and Matthias did not respond to him.
Feeling bored, Heather replied, “How long is the history?” She glanced at the cross necklace. How could she know when she was not an expert in this field?
“That’s a good question. Look at this cross necklace.” The owner picked up the necklace as he spoke before he handed it to Heather.
“Okay,” Heather reluctantly responded, not knowing what he meant.
“The darker the wood is, the older it is. The darkening of the wood is due to its reaction with the air,” he explained to her.
Standing off to the side, Matthias listened to their conversation quietly. He believed that ordinary people couldn’t deceive him and Heather, but since she was interested in staying and listening to the stall owner’s nonsense, he might as well keep her company and see what the stall owner had up his sleeve.
“So how many years has it been?” Heather felt that he wasn’t answering her question at all. If it wasn’t for her good mood today, she would have already left by now.
“It’s been more than 30 years. I made this myself when I was young. Although its workmanship is a little rough, it’s really a precious item,” he said in a nostalgic tone as he touched the necklace.
Somehow, Heather had a feeling that the stall owner was someone with an interesting life experience. Thinking about it for a moment, she asked, “You made all these by yourself?”
Nodding, he flashed a prideful smile. “I used to treat them like treasures back then.”
“If they are your treasures, why are you selling them now?” Not to mention that he is giving it to me for free. Of course, Heather didn’t say this last part out loud.
Hearing her words, the stall owner smiled, looking like a mischievous child. “I’m old and my children don’t like these things. I might as well set up a stall and see if these treasures of mine will meet its destined new owner.”
With her eyes widened, Heather looked at him in disbelief. “Sorry, but you look like you’re still in your forties.” At most, the stall owner should be in his fifties; he didn’t seem to be at the age of retirement yet.
Upon hearing that, the man laughed. “Your words make me happy! Actually, I’m already in my sixties.”
Heather shook her head as she murmured, “Interesting. There’s a saying that goes, ‘seeing is believing.’ It seems that eyes do lie too.” The old man looked way too energetic and lively for sixty years old. In fact, he actually looked young.
“Miss, you’re indeed interesting! Looks like I have to give this necklace to you.” The stall owner took down the necklace and insisted on giving it to her.
Although Heather liked this necklace a lot, she would not accept gifts from strangers. Instantly, Matthias seemed to notice her hesitation so the very next second, he took out all the cash he had.
He rarely carried cash around when he went out, so he had only two or three thousand with him right now.
“Sir, your cross necklace looks great but my girlfriend will not easily accept free gifts from others. It ‘ll only be appropriate for me to buy it from you and give it to her.”
At this time, Heather was still thinking about the cross necklace, so she didn’t pay much attention to Matthias’ words. Seeing that Heather did not deny it, Matthias was delighted as if he was on cloud nine.
Looking at the other man, the stall owner finally accepted the cash as he said, “It’s rare to come across people like you all these days. Indeed, I made the right choice.”
Matthias could tell from his eyes that the stall owner was not a greedy person. It seemed that they had really met an interesting person.
“Thank you for your understanding.” Matthias politely said to the stall owner.
This way, Heather could get what she wanted without accepting it as a free gift from the owner. Satisfied, she smiled brightly at Matthias.
Suddenly, she had the urge to praise him for his wit and they looked into each others’ eyes affectionately.
Meanwhile, the stall owner continued talking, “It’s great to be young. Should we be friends on Messenger?” He took out his mobile phone as he spoke.
There were only a few people on Heather’s Messenger list. She didn’t even have her business partners’ contacts, so how could she add a stranger that she had just met a moment ago?
Noticing her hesitation, Matthias took out his cell phone and asked, “Can I add you, sir?” Once again, he had resolved the awkwardness. After all, the other party was a man in his sixties, so Matthias should at least show some of his respect.
Hearing Matthias’ words, the stall owner shook his head. “No. I’m only making friends with the new owner of my cross necklace.” Never did Matthias expect that he would be so stubborn.
With her eyes slightly narrowed, Heather didn’t know what the old man was thinking. Somehow, she felt that something was not right.
“Why do you want to add me on Messenger?” Holding the cross necklace in her arms, Heather looked like an ancient heroine.
Smiling, the stall owner answered, “You may not believe it. Most of the people that took a fancy to my cross necklace are in a difficult situation. I also had such a period of time back then, so I guess I could be of great help to you with my experience.”
Looking at his sincere expression, Heather hesitated again. She probably didn’t expect that she would actually take out her mobile phone without her knowing it.
After adding the owner on Messenger, Heather walked away with Matthias. Confused, the latter asked, “Why did you agree to his request?”
In all honesty, Heather herself had the same question. “I don’t know. It was as if I was possessed.”
Initially, Matthias didn’t believe in the theory of the supernatural either. But what happened today was really absurd. Heather seemed as if she was possessed and he couldn’t find a scientific way to explain it.
“Could it be that we were scammed?” Matthias asked tentatively. After all, he and Heather had met countless people at work and had experienced all kinds of situations. There was no way they would get deceived by such a trick.
“That’s impossible. We’re both in the business so we wouldn’t be wrong in evaluating others. Furthermore, I believe he was telling the truth.” Heather said as she played with the cross necklace in her hand.
It was just that she still felt a little uncomfortable with the man’s approach and there was an inexplicable feeling within her. However, since they had added each other on Messenger, it was not too polite of her to delete his contact. Therefore, she could only leave things as it was for the time being.
“We’ve gained a lot at the night market today.” Matthias carried dozens of shopping bags in his hands. A woman’s desire to shop was really too terrifying, but he was satisfied with the process and outcome of it.
“Matty, I bought a lot of useless things.” Heather looked at the bags that Matthias was holding. It seemed that those things wouldn’t be of any use to her.
“Buy it if you like it. The main purpose of these things is to make you happy.” His honey-coated words were getting so proficient that Heather couldn’t even look him in the eyes. Yet, it still felt great listening to those words.
At this time, she was already exhausted so she didn’t want to continue shopping. In fact, what the stall owner said just now had messed up her heart a little.
Looking back on her recent situation, she felt that she had indeed never encountered such a dilemma before. Can it be that it was really something supernatural?
The next second, Heather stared at the cross necklace in her hand. Indeed, the workmanship of it was less satisfactory. She was always a person that liked things with exquisite workmanship, so why did she end up buying such a roughly made cross necklace?
Moreover, the color of the wooden cross necklace was too dark and Heather didn’t like this shade of brown at all. In other words, she had no idea what caused her to buy it. What happened just now was like a dream. When she was on her way back, she deliberately passed by the place again, but the stall was no longer there.
The cross necklace was not there and neither was the old man. Everything seemed just like a dream.
Tugging at Matthias’ sleeve, Heather asked curiously, “Where did the man go?”
Matthias didn’t know the reason behind it either. After thinking about it for a moment, he asked a middle-aged woman who was setting up her stall, “Excuse me, do you know where the man that sells cross necklaces went?” He had a feeling that this person should know his whereabouts.
“He went home. He has a rule for himself. As long as he gives away a cross necklace, he’ll wrap up and head home.” Initially, the middle-aged woman didn’t want to answer. However, after seeing Matthias’ fine-looking face, she responded diligently.
Everything became even more strange now. Never did Heather expect that she would meet such a person. That man’s eyes were as if they could see through her and that had Heather feeling rather uncomfortable.
Recalling that time she looked into the man’s eyes, she felt as if he had seen through all her secrets. It was as if she was standing naked in front of that person with no privacy at all.
Hearing the woman’s reply, the two did not ask further questions and left the night market hand in hand. Instantly, Matthias was keenly aware of the changes in Heather’s emotions. Unlike her relaxed mood at the beginning, she looked a little depressed at this moment.
“What’s wrong? Are you still thinking about what he said just now?” Matthias leaned close to her ear and asked.
“No, I’m just getting a little sleepy.” Heather casually replied.
“Well then, I’ll send you home.” It was indeed getting late, so Matthias gave up dragging her to stroll around.
“No. Let’s go to the parking lot and get our own cars. Then, we head home separately.” Heather didn’t want him to send her as that would take too much of his time.
“Don’t reject my kindness,” Matthias murmured and he insisted on sending her. How can I let her go home alone at night?
Heather, on the other hand, continued to decline his offer. “I have my own car. It’s not a good idea for two cars to go side by side on the road!” However, Matthias was acting like a child at this time.
“Then, leave your car in the parking lot overnight and I’ll take you home in my car.” Matthias refused to give up and still insisted on sending her home.
“Matthias, do you have to be more stubborn than me?” Heather asked helplessly. He was so stubborn that sometimes she didn’t even know how to refuse him.
“I have to be a gentleman. A gentleman won’t let women go home alone.” Matthias answered with a seemingly convincing excuse, leaving Heather feeling dumbfounded.
In the end, Heather compromised and muttered, “Fine, we’ll do as you wish then!” She wanted to leave a pleasant memory for him tonight, so she had no choice but to obey his words.
Gently, Matthias pecked her lips. “Good girl. I’ll reward you with a kiss.” Meanwhile, Heather grumbled to herself, What a shameless man!
That being said, she wasn’t angry with Matthias either. Anyway, he had been a rascal for a long time. She knew that he was trying his best to make her happy and she didn’t want to disappoint him too. It was just that once her mood was affected, it was difficult for her to recover.
