Lord Yao did not continue to ask.
Tong Huaqiong then invited Lord Yao for tea, but he politely declined. Lian Hengruo brought the black pearl that Lord Yao had touched earlier and gifted it to him.
Lian Hengruo had heard that Lord Yao was concerned about the people's livelihood and often visited the fields, once thinking it was merely an image he cultivated.
Having witnessed it firsthand this time, seeing Lord Yao wearing coarse clothes and hearing he had been inspecting corn and cotton fields at Qinghe Bay, she changed her impression of him.
"You just taught me a lot about black pearls, which was illuminating. I can't take your pearl for free. My grandmother loves pearls, but she has yet to see a black pearl. I would like to buy this pearl to honor her. How much does it cost?" Lord Yao said.
Lian Hengruo insisted on gifting it, but Tong Huaqiong said to her, "If you don't accept Lord Yao's money, he won't take the pearl, thus ruining his intention of honoring his grandmother."
