Chapter 717: Chapter 717: Take a Risk, A Thatched Cottage Turns into a Mansion
Lian Wanzhen scratched his head, bargaining over something that cost just two wen a skewer was a bit embarrassing to even propose. Plus, his clan aunt had said to start by pushing hard in the bargaining—how could one push hard with just two wen?
Suddenly, he had a brainwave, he knew how to be tough.
Right away, he said, “Mister, how about one wen for five skewers?”
That was tough, wasn’t it!
Several children looked at him all at once, one wen for five skewers—that temptation was huge; they wanted to see if it was actually possible.
The candied hawthorn seller paused, thinking he hadn’t heard correctly due to bad hearing, and asked, “Young man, what did you say?”
Lian Wanzhen repeated, “One wen for five skewers, how about it?”
This time, the candied hawthorn seller heard him clearly and his face turned red with anger. He was selling his candied hawthorns for two wen each, and here someone was bold enough to ask for five skewers for one wen; this was like trying to sabotage his business, an indirect way of asking for protection money!
He darkened and shooed him away like chasing flies, “Go on, scoot!”
The children then felt relieved, and each took out their little purses to buy candied hawthorns, two wen a skewer, fair and square.
Seeing that his tactic didn’t work, Lian Wanzhen followed the steps and raised the offer, “What about one wen for two skewers then, mister?”
The children once again turned to Lian Wanzhen in unison, pausing their actions, waiting for the outcome.
The face of the candied hawthorn seller turned as black as the bottom of a pot instantly. This time, he didn’t bother to maintain any pretense and said directly, “I wouldn’t sell to you even to feed the dogs, go away, or I’ll call the official family’s men to arrest you.”
“Oh…” The children felt some disappointment, and this time without hesitation, they immediately took out their silver to buy.
Lian Wanzhen was dumbfounded. Wasn’t he just bargaining? Why was it that they wouldn’t even sell to him for feeding dogs, and even threatened to have him arrested? What had he done wrong?
It was also because he moved too fast; by the time Su Ran and Lin Yuejuan arrived, he had already cut the price by half.
Su Ran covered her mouth with her hand on the side, trying to stifle her laughter. She couldn’t help but find her own son too amusing.
She knew her son all too well. He was indeed quite sharp-witted but usually careless and not bothered by trivial formalities. Practicing on these minor matters of social etiquette wouldn’t hurt.
Lin Yuejuan felt a bit weary. Her second nephew had learned the art of haggling, but she hadn’t expected it to be over a mere two wen. What kind of future could he have with that?
Seeing that the candied hawthorn seller was close to laying hands on someone, she quickly took him away, advising as they walked, “Wanzhen, that mister makes a living selling candied hawthorns and life isn’t easy. These street vendors earn their money through hard work, so let’s not haggle anymore. You should go and haggle where the prices seem excessively high, those are the ones that truly need it.”
“Clan aunt, I really do want to eat candied hawthorns.”
“Then why did you haggle so fiercely!” Lin Yuejuan said, frustrated.
Lian Wanzhen muttered, “But wasn’t that what you taught me…”
Lin Yuejuan choked, unable to argue—the logic behind it was indeed hard to explain clearly.
Su Ran looked back at the candied hawthorn seller and said, “There should be more candied hawthorns elsewhere, Wanzhen, let’s buy some later.”
If her second son went back, who knows if the candied hawthorn seller would hit him or not.
Lian Wanzhen also looked back longingly, well alright then; that mister didn’t seem like he would sell to him anyway.
So the group continued on their way, browsing further…
Within the Huang Family estate.
Lian Musu stood in the pharmacy, looking at the family precept hanging on the wall, “Hanging a pot to help the world, life and death are destined,” and thought to himself how truly open-minded his ancestors were, revering life yet also regarding death with equanimity.
He had arrived with Wu Sheng a while ago, but Divine Doctor Huang had been deeply engrossed in thought, muttering to himself, seemingly in that state since the previous night, as if deliberating over some complex and difficult disease. Hearing of their arrival, he merely had them come in, without showing his face.
Wu Sheng whispered, “Young Master, does Divine Doctor Huang not want to see us? If so, should we…”
What he meant was that Divine Doctor Huang was deliberately leaving them out to dry and wondered if they should leave.
Lian Musu raised his hand to stop him from completing his thought and said, “The exam results should have been reconsidered by now; it’s I who have broken my word. It’s only right for Divine Doctor to take offense.”
“Oh…” Wu Sheng had nothing more to say.
Lian Musu glanced outside and calculated the time, planning in his mind that if they left the Huang Family early and returned, he could go out and look for his mother and them on the street. His mother had suffered too much these past years, and it would be nice to take this rare opportunity to accompany her on a leisurely stroll to lift her spirits.
Divine Doctor Huang, who had been elsewhere, left them hanging for another half an hour, feeling that it was about time to stop making them wait, and leisurely strode over while stroking his beard with a composed and detached air.
On one hand, he had intentionally kept them waiting to assert himself, and on the other hand, he had encountered some difficulties that needed to be pondered after hearing about a matter from Huang Zude the night before.
When he reached the pharmacy, Lian Musu immediately greeted him with apologies, and the bit of annoyance in Divine Doctor Huang’s heart dissipated.
It must be said, those with pleasing features really do have an advantage, especially someone like Lian Musu. Merely exchanging a few words with him made one feel refreshed, and even Divine Doctor Huang was no exception.
He would feel like scolding Lian Changhe at the mere sight of him, but with Lian Musu, he only occasionally resented how decisive he was and that he did not take proper care of himself.
Upon arriving at the pharmacy, Divine Doctor Huang didn’t waste words. He immediately had someone take off his shoes and, like inspecting meat on a cutting board, gave him a thorough check from head to toe, then began to examine the fractured bones more meticulously, seriously assessing and pondering.
Meanwhile, back on the street, after Lian Wanzhen’s failure to haggle for the candied hawthorns, Lin Yuejuan felt weary.
After some thought, she figured that perhaps men usually don’t pay much attention to these things and don’t know what to haggle over.
So she rallied herself and earnestly began to teach Lian Wanzhen which prices to bargain over and which not to, encouraging him to try again.
This time, Lian Wanzhen was very cautious and decided to choose carefully. Looking along the array of stalls, after much deliberation, he finally set his sights on a unique stall tucked away in a corner.
There was not a soul around that stall; its goods lay carelessly on the ground, while the vendor sat isolated on a chair, head askew under a straw hat as if asleep, with several stools beside him, seemingly reserved for distinguished guests.
He marched up to the stall and asked, “How much for this stone?”
Lin Yuejuan and Su Ran swiftly followed him to the stall.
Upon seeing the stall, Lin Yuejuan’s brows furrowed and would not relax again. She had initially thought her nephew was simple-minded, but now realized he was truly foolish. It was clear at a glance that this stall was set up to fleece people, just look at the nonsense written in front of the stall: “Take a chance, and your thatched hut could turn into a mansion.”
It sounded like gambling.
Upon hearing a query, the Straw Hat Vendor took off his hat, glanced sideways, and blurted out an exorbitant price, “Five hundred taels for one piece.”
Then he nonchalantly put the straw hat back on, displaying no interest in the people before him.
A pair of women with a strapping young man didn’t look like potential buyers in the slightest.
The Straw Hat Vendor was looking for the really clueless types, the kind who could cover his costs in one transaction. These were not such people, so he quoted a high price to frighten them off, as it would be a mere waste of breath otherwise.
Upon hearing the price, Lian Wanzhen thought that even broken stones could fetch a thousand taels. This must be what Clan Aunt meant by artificially inflated prices. Therefore, he haggled fiercely, “Fifty taels for one. Will you sell it or not?”