Chapter 138 - 139: Ouyang Bing
Guo Yurong had only just left when the very person he had mentioned appeared at the shop’s entrance.
"It smells pretty good," Ouyang Bing said, glancing at Mudou. "Tell me, do you think that Guo fellow is trying to fool me this time?"
Mudou silently shook his head. ’Anything I say will be wrong.’
"What’s that supposed to mean? That he won’t fool me? Or that you don’t know?" Ouyang Bing glared at his guard. "You really live up to your name, Mudou. I ask ten questions, and you can’t even answer nine of them."
"Then what about the tenth one?" Jin Qianqian, who had been cupping her chin and curiously watching them, couldn’t resist chiming in.
"The tenth one? He ate it." Seeing that he’d been noticed, Ouyang Bing strode through the door. "You must be Miss Gu?"
Jin Qianqian had already guessed his purpose from the conversation. "I am. What sort of pastries can I get for you, sir?"
"You know Guo Yurong, right?" Although Ouyang Bing’s eyes were glued to the pastries, he hadn’t forgotten the real reason he was there. Dispensing with the pleasantries, he got straight to the point.
"He told me you have some rare curiosities here. Might I be so honored as to take a look?"
Hearing the voices, Ancient Wen Heng came out from the inner courtyard. "Since you are our guest, please, let’s talk inside."
Jin Qianqian gave Sister-in-law Xiang a few instructions, then followed them into the back courtyard.
"I won’t beat around the bush. That Guo Yurong fellow was boasting to me about how delicious that hot pot was, and about that strange, glowing object. As long as you name a price, I’ll buy it all."
Seeing how he flaunted his wealth, Jin Qianqian secretly gritted her teeth. She told herself that for the sake of the medicine Guo Yurong had given them, she could put up with him a little longer.
"We just happened to acquire those things at a high price from a foreign merchant. We can show you the object, but as for the food you mentioned, we’re all out." This was the strategy Ancient Wen Heng and his wife had decided on earlier; they had even left the item in an outer room.
"How can you be out?" Ouyang Bing grew anxious. To him, eating was more important than anything. "Didn’t he say your wife knows how to make hot pot? You made it fresh on the spot for them, didn’t you?"
Jin Qianqian replied, "Even the most skilled housewife can’t cook a meal without rice. We don’t have the necessary seasonings. Am I supposed to just boil a pot of plain broth for you?
Getting these things is a matter of fate. The next time we run into that foreign merchant, we’ll be sure to trade for more."
"Then what about the glowing object?" Since they insisted they were out of the ingredients, Ouyang Bing had no choice but to believe them. "As long as it catches my eye, I promise I’ll pay a high price."
"Well..."
"Don’t tell me you’re out of that, too?" Ouyang Bing’s eyes were fixed on the couple before him.
"We still have that," Ancient Wen Heng said. "It’s just... we’ve been using it for some time. I’m afraid it might not meet your standards."
"I don’t mind that at all." Then, as if he’d thought of something, Ouyang Bing turned and rummaged through Mudou’s clothes, pulling out a small-denomination silver note. "This is a deposit. As long as what you say is true, this is yours."
Ancient Wen Heng glanced at the note but didn’t reach for it. Instead, right in front of Ouyang Bing, he pulled a cloth bag from a cabinet.
He untied the drawstring at the top and pulled out the same outdoor lamp that Guo Yurong had seen before.
"It’s too bright out here. Shall we go to an inner room to see it?" Ancient Wen Heng looked at the sun, still high in the sky, and gestured for him to proceed.
Ouyang Bing didn’t hesitate and was about to stand and walk in, but Mudou stopped him. "Young Master, I’ll go in and take a look first."
"..."
Seeing the dark room lit up as bright as day, Ouyang Bing excitedly circled the outdoor lamp in Ancient Wen Heng’s hands. "This really is a treasure! But why is it so bright?"
Even the glow stones from his family’s collection, the ones people called Luminous Pearls, only gave off a faint light, nothing as ridiculously brilliant as this.
Of course, Ancient Wen Heng wasn’t about to explain the reason why. He just spread his hands unabashedly. "We don’t know the specifics, either. It’s a foreign item, after all. Even if we asked too many questions, the original owner probably wouldn’t have answered."
Ouyang Bing nodded. "If I could make something like this, I’d keep my mouth shut too."
"Brother Gu, do you think you could part with it? The price is negotiable."
Now that he’d seen the item in person, Ouyang Bing was determined to have it. He just wanted to complete the transaction as soon as possible.
"Well..." Ancient Wen Heng put on a troubled expression. "My wife had to trade a fine set of jewelry from her dowry for this lamp and those seasonings. It’s hard to put a price on its value."
Ouyang Bing pondered for a moment. "How about this? I’ll trade you five sets of jewelry for it."
Jin Qianqian shook her head. "I’m always so busy. Where would I find the energy to fuss over jewelry?
Besides, I quite like this lamp. Let’s not force the issue."
"How is this forcing the issue?" Ouyang Bing was getting anxious. "Look, how about this: I’ll offer two hundred taels of silver. Just let me have the lamp. What do you say?"
Ancient Wen Heng remained silent.
"Alright, 300 taels, then! That’s the most I can offer in good faith."
Ancient Wen Heng remained silent. ’So, silence has its perks,’ he thought.
"350 taels!" Ouyang Bing blurted out. "I’ll pay you right now."
Jin Qianqian looked at the outdoor lamp with a reluctant expression. "Fine. Since word has already gotten out, common folk like us probably can’t protect it anyway. But we have to be clear on one thing: once you walk out this door, we will never admit you bought it from us.
We can’t just magically produce another one-of-a-kind item like this."
"That’s easily arranged. From now on, I’ll never mention either of you. But I couldn’t help but notice... it looks like there’s something else in that little bag of yours. What’s in it?"
Ancient Wen Heng quickly tightened the bag’s opening. "Just some little trinkets, nothing valuable."
But the more he tried to conceal it, the more curious Ouyang Bing became. "If they’re not valuable, then just take them out and let me have a look."
Ancient Wen Heng fell silent. ’If I take it out, it’ll definitely be gone,’ he thought.
Jin Qianqian was also silent. ’You’d better not look, or your wallet might not survive it.’
When Ouyang Bing saw that they weren’t speaking, he assumed they were just hesitating. "Please? Just a peek."
Ancient Wen Heng turned his back, fumbled inside the bag for a long moment, and pulled out a smooth-surfaced mirror identical to the one they had pawned before.
"You can have a look, but don’t break it."
Sure enough, there was no getting back what he’d taken out. The moment the mirror landed in Ouyang Bing’s hands, he took possession of it, admiring his own reflection and preening endlessly.
"This is wonderful! I can even see the fine hairs on my face so clearly." Ouyang Bing admired his own unparalleled good looks, then smoothly tucked the mirror into his robes and counted out two more silver notes, placing them on the table.
Ancient Wen Heng had taken the mirror out with the intention of selling it anyway—and it would be a waste not to fleece a rich fool who delivered himself to their doorstep. He casually placed the silver notes into Jin Qianqian’s hand, and the transaction was complete.
"What else is in that bag?"
Ancient Wen Heng could see it clearly now: the man before him had more money than sense, a perfect customer. "These are all things we managed to get from that foreign merchant. I can let you see them, sure, but you have to at least leave something behind for us."