Chapter 306: Jade Ruyi
Chapter 306: Jade Ruyi
Yuan Rihui's sleepiness vanished instantly when he heard what Long Yu said.
Noticing more vehicles joining the queue, he urged, "Brother Long, let's go! If we don't hurry, we will be stuck waiting until noon to get inside."
Although Long Yu didn't fully understand Yuan Rihui's urgency, he returned to the truck and started the engine. Soon, the off-road vehicle and the truck joined the queue at the side gate, lining up with the other vehicles.
As they slowly moved forward, Yao Ran woke up. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and asked in a hoarse voice, "A Yu, is the gate open?"
Long Yu opened a bottle of water, handed it to her, and replied, "Yes. We are queuing to get inside now."
Yao Ran took a few sips of water to moisten her throat before looking outside.
Seeing that it was still some time before their turn, she took out a few steamed buns and handed some to Long Yu. Since steamed buns didn't have a strong aroma, they were safe to eat outdoors.
After waiting in line for another half hour, it was finally Yuan Rihui's turn. Yao Ran and Long Yu watched as he spoke to a soldier and pointed toward their truck. After a brief exchange with Yuan Rihui, the soldier walked up to them.
Standing beside the driver's door, the soldier asked, "Comrade, are you here to visit or stay?" Long Yu answered calmly, "We are here to visit the market."
Since many small and medium-sized bases surrounded the area, the soldier wasn't suspicious of Long Yu's answer. He nodded and asked, "What is your name?"
"Long Yu," Long Yu replied, then pointed to Yao Ran and added, "This is my girlfriend, Yao Ran."
The soldier wrote down their names before suddenly pausing. Raising his eyes to look at Long Yu, he asked in disbelief, "Are you the ex-captain of the special forces team?"
Before Long Yu could respond, the soldier quickly saluted him and said, "Captain Long, I was one of the soldiers you trained back when you were active. I'm now serving under Captain Li. It's an honor to meet you again."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Long Yu raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "So, you are from the Second Army and under Li Tianyu?"
The soldier answered, "Yes, it's our turn to guard the wall this month."
Leaning in slightly, the soldier lowered his voice and added, "Actually, Captain Li has been waiting for your visit for a few months now. Would you like to see him, Captain Long?"
Since their visit this time was to buy antiques and jade, Long Yu replied, "I will find time to visit him at the barracks after I finish my business here."
The soldier's face brightened at his words and said, "Understood. I will inform Captain Li of your arrival today."
Turning to his comrade, the soldier ordered, "Give them a free pass."
"Yes, sir."
After receiving their pass, Long Yu thanked the soldier and drove through the thick, high walls of Juncheng Military Base.
As they entered the base, Yao Ran felt a wave of nostalgia. Although it had only been a few years since her last visit, her blurry memories made it feel like decades.
Noticing that she seemed lost in thought, Long Yu didn't disturb her and quietly followed Yuan Rihui to his place.
As they drove along the spacious road wide enough to fit three cars side by side, Yao Ran noticed that the layout of the Juncheng Military Base was different from what she remembered.
After another twenty minutes of driving, Yuan Rihui parked his off-road car in front of a villa. Long Yu also parked the truck behind the off-road vehicle, and then he and Yao Ran stepped out, carrying their weapons and backpacks.
Walking up to them, Yuan Rihui said, "Brother Long, Miss Yao, please come in."
The two of them nodded and then followed Yuan Rihui into the villa. When the people inside saw Yuan Rihui, they greeted him one after another, "Brother Yuan."
Yuan Rihui nodded back at them as he led Yao Ran and Long Yu to the reception room. Arriving at the reception room, he called a teenager and said, "Kid, bring water and food to the reception room for Brother Long and Miss Yao."
The teenager nodded, "Yes, Brother Yuan."
After the teenager left to fetch water and food, Yuan Rihui said, "Brother Long, Miss Yao, please wait here for a moment. I will go get the antiques."
Long Yu nodded, "Alright."
Watching him leave in a hurry, Yao Ran and Long Yu sat down on the soft couch. While they waited, the teenager returned with a pot of tea and a plate of freshly baked bread. After pouring the tea and placing the bread on the low table, the teenager quickly left.
When only the two of them were left in the spacious reception room, Yao Ran sipped the tea and took a piece of bread. Tasting its delicious flavor, she commented, "Whoever baked this bread is really skilled."
Seeing his girlfriend enjoying the tea and bread so much, Long Yu pushed the plate closer to her and refilled her teacup from time to time.
By the time Yuan Rihui returned with boxes of antiques, Yao Ran had already eaten two pieces of bread and drunk half a pot of tea.
"Open the boxes." Yuan Rihui ordered.
As his men opened the boxes, Yuan Rihui took out a small, long box. Sitting across from Long Yu and Yao Ran, he opened the box and placed it in front of Yao Ran.
When Yao Ran saw the jade Ruyi, her eyes widened in surprise. She picked it up and examined it closely.
The entire Ruyi was carved from a single piece of mutton jade. On the head, two intertwined dragons held a round dragon pearl between them.
The body of the Ruyi was intricately carved with auspicious clouds and a phoenix spreading its wings. The edges and carvings were adorned with gold, giving it an elegant and magnificent appearance.