Chapter 392 - 386_1
"Buddy, we’re both in business here, and experts like us don’t speak like laymen. My wife and I came to Longmen Town on purpose, well informed. You know better than us whether or not your goods are genuine. I fancy these few items; just name your price, and if it’s right, I’ll buy them." Lin Yue had hawked and run various small businesses for the sake of living and tuition fees. She was well aware of the tricks in such matters, and besides, this lad wasn’t as shrewd as she was. Her words sounded quite credible, indeed.
Upon hearing Lin Yue’s words, the stall vendor’s bluster deflated in an instant, and a smile reappeared on his face. "So, you’re an insider. Well, in that case, I won’t bother with making up a price. Let’s say the brush pot here has a fixed price of two hundred taels."
"Buddy, that’s not a sincere price you’re offering. This brush pot looks nice, but it’s actually a fake. It’s worth, at most, a few dozen taels of silver. I bet you got it pretty cheap. We’re in the same trade, we both know the cost, no need to put on airs—name a fair price. I just fancy this brush pot for its beauty to have something nice to display, but if it’s too expensive, then it’s not worth it."
After half a day of haggling with the vendor, Lin Yue spent one hundred and fifty taels of silver to buy the brush pot and a few other selected items. Although Zhao Erhu felt it was somewhat unworthy to spend so much on a few fakes, seeing his wife in such high spirits and rarely wanting to buy something for herself, he stood by silently without a word.
Having agreed on a price, Lin Yue asked the vendor to pack up the items. She paid with a silver note and strolled off to other stalls with Zhao Erhu. Only when Lin Yue and her husband were far away did the vendor’s pained expression spring back into a grin as he clutched the newly acquired silver note.
"These two fools, they thought they haggled a great deal out of me, little do they know I bought these fake items for just over ten taels of silver. What a couple of saps, earing me over a hundred taels just like that; that’ll keep me in food and drink for a while," the vendor chuckled to himself.
It was indeed a day of great profits, and the vendor couldn’t be more satisfied. He had set up his stall there for some time, and although customers did come by, most would only buy one or two small items, merely earning him a few taels. This batch of new goods, purchased just yesterday, cost him less than a hundred taels in total, and now he had recouped his investment and made a profit—all in one go. The next day, he’d have to go to the temple to give thanks to the God of Wealth.
Meanwhile, Zhao Erhu observed the sheer joy Lin Yue took in her purchases and couldn’t help but remark, "Wife, how can you be so happy spending one hundred and fifty taels of silver on a few fakes?"
Lin Yue gave Zhao Erhu a disdainful glance. When had she ever made a bad deal? "Who said they’re fakes? I tricked that vendor; he doesn’t know his goods, selling these as fakes. I’ve struck it rich this time. If I tried to buy these items in a proper shop, they’d cost several thousand taels at least. No wonder Big Brother Li said Longmen Town is a good place to make money. This time we’ve really found a treasure."