After driving for several hours, the truck entered Kassel, a city more than two hundred kilometers away from Leipzig. Soon after, the three of them found an inn that catered to intercontinental truck drivers and settled in for the night.
The next morning, they continued driving and crossed the border between Germany and France. Around noon, they stopped in Saint-Ménil, a commune in the Marne department of the Champagne-Ardenne region, to have lunch and rest for a while.
"I need to rest here for two hours before we can continue," said Old Pierce to Liang En and the others when they returned to the parking lot. For him, a proper rest now was crucial to avoid the dangers of fatigue while driving.
As Old Pierce turned to the rest area attached to the parking lot for a nap, Liang En and Pierce decided to stroll around the streets of the town to pass the time during these two hours.
The parking lot was located outside the town of Saint-Ménil, so Liang En and Pierce had to follow a footpath for a few hundred meters to reach the town.
Along the way, they saw rows of not very tall deciduous trees and vast expanses of vineyards on either side of the road. At the end of the road, traditional countryside houses with red-tiled roofs and white walls nestled amidst lush greenery.
These picturesque rural landscapes, coupled with the rich French flair, allowed the two to experience the harmonious connection between people and nature in the French countryside—a unique charm of rural France.
"It's truly lovely, especially with the sunlight and those surrounding vineyards," remarked Pierce, taking in the scenery.
Unlike the common British countryside scenes featuring expansive fields and interspersed woodlands, along with sporadic cottages and scattered livestock, the village here seemed much livelier.
After all, due to the northern latitude of Britain, it was relatively easier to develop animal husbandry alongside agriculture. However, those vast grasslands used for raising cattle and sheep, combined with the frequent gloomy weather of the British Isles, often evoked a sense of loneliness.
Distinct from ordinary agricultural towns, Saint-Ménil had developed its tourism industry. Apart from the locals, the town was dotted with tourists carrying cameras or smartphones, snapping photos here and there.
Because it was Sunday, the town's weekly open-air market was also in full swing. This market was set up on an open space at the edge of the town, with the stalls being cars.
Several of the commercial vans looked rather professional. When their side compartments opened, they revealed shops that were simple yet far from shabby. However, most stalls were laid out on or beside the vehicles, with some even stuffing their goods into the trunk.
Locals could enter the market for free, but outsiders had to pay a fee. Fortunately, the fee wasn't high—non-residents could gain access for just 10 euros each, allowing them to move around freely. However, setting up a stall to sell goods required a 10 euro fee.
In essence, this market shared similarities with the fairs that occurred in rural China during holidays. Thus, the items sold in these shops were quite diverse, encompassing a wide range.
"London's surroundings also have similar markets. Initially, people hoped to sell some of their unused second-hand items or things they produced themselves. But later, various part-time professional merchants would also come to join in the fun."
Pierce was savoring slices of freshly baked French bread slathered with homemade jam while introducing Liang En to the idea, "Next time we have some free time, we can visit the weekend markets around London."
Perhaps due to the frequent influx of tourists, the items sold in the shops here were far more diverse than those typically found at rural weekend markets.
Apart from those selling tools, second-hand furniture and agricultural implements, and locally grown vegetables and fruits, they also noticed quite a few vendors offering a variety of small decorative items.
For instance, Liang En had spotted a folding table beside a car. On it, a worn piece of burgundy velvet was spread out, adorned with an assortment of items that seemed to have some history behind them.
Pierce quickly took an interest in a wooden cigarette case with brass edges displayed on a stall. After several rounds of bargaining, he managed to acquire it for 25 euros.
In reality, the case belonged to the common cigarette cases from the early 20th century. However, unlike ordinary cases, this one featured shallow bas-reliefs carved into it.
"Take a look at this, it's carved with a frontline trench and has '1918' written next to it. So, it's likely something a soldier left behind on a World War I battlefield," Pierce pointed out the patterns on the case.
Meanwhile, Liang En spent a little over 70 euros on a silver mug, which was a small find for him. The mug depicted the story of the Three Heroes Battling Lü Bu on the upper section and had an Eastern-style dragon-shaped handle welded to the side.
Evidently, this combination was akin to wearing a suit with a cowboy hat—it emitted a noticeable sense of incongruity. Therefore, the merchant sold this item to Liang En at a price aligned with modern silver crafts.
However, what Liang En didn't mention was that this silver mug, in fact, hailed from craftsmen in some Southern Chinese trading ports during the late Qing Dynasty. The standout feature of these silver items was their Western-style dining habits-oriented design, infused with Chinese decorative elements.
"How much do you think this thing is worth?" Pierce asked excitedly after they left the shop and learned the true identity of the silverware.
"Between 300 to 350 euros, and that's if you find someone interested," Liang En shrugged, "After all, items like these were exported in large quantities back then, and these mass-produced pieces don't fetch high prices."
What he didn't say was that he hadn't received any special card bonuses for this silver mug, indicating its value wasn't exceptionally high.
Fortunately, the mug looked quite clean, and combined with the fact that Liang En wasn't lacking in funds at the moment, he planned to clean and disinfect it thoroughly once he got back home and then use it for himself.
"Not bad at all. This mug will fit right in at the pub we usually go to," Pierce commented after hearing Liang En's plan.
For the British, especially British men, the pub was a very common social gathering place. In such situations, many people preferred to frequent the same pub regularly.
And if you were a regular, bringing your own mug to the pub was a very common practice.
The size of this market wasn't particularly large, so Liang En and Pierce were able to explore it thoroughly quite quickly.
To be honest, there were some counterfeit items on these stalls. However, at least it was much better than those antique markets in China where the sellers would insist that you've hit the jackpot or struck gold at every moment. Moreover, the oldest thing on these stalls was the red cloth laid on the ground, a far cry from that situation.
But as they were about to leave to explore elsewhere, a vendor who had just set up his stall near the entrance suddenly caught Liang En's attention.
This stallholder's wares were akin to a general store—silverware, porcelain, wooden items, small furniture, and jewelry covered the entire fabric.
And the reason it caught Liang En's attention was that among those seemingly slightly grimy vintage European porcelain and silverware, stood a vase distinctly in the style of China.
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