Chapter 179 - 179 Is Ten Taels Okay?
179 Is Ten Taels Okay?
“I see that the two of you really want to buy it. Why don’t you pay this price?” The shopkeeper smiled and gestured two fingers at Ji Zhao.
“Twenty taels?” Ji Zhao immediately raised her eyebrows. “It’s a little expensive.”
“Customer, you’ve misunderstood.” The pawnbroker hurriedly explained, “I mean two hundred taels! I won’t give away a single cent!”
“Two hundred taels?” Ji Zhao was instantly amused. “Shopkeeper, aren’t you asking for too much?”
“Our Grand Magnificence Pawnshop is also the old trademark of Dingyuan County.” The shopkeeper subconsciously stroked his mustache and said with a smile, “I didn’t set a high price! After all, this enamel porcelain snuff bottle is worth this price. Otherwise, the two of you wouldn’t have chosen it at a glance. Don’t you think so?”
Ji Zhao did not expect the shopkeeper of the pawnshop to be so eloquent. However, in front of her, he was still lacking.
“Shopkeeper, forgive me for not agreeing with you.” Ji Zhao smiled slightly. “As the saying goes, only the wrong ones can be bought, not sold. Although the enameled porcelain snuff bottle in your hand is very exquisite, is there no more exquisite snuff bottle in this world? You have to know that there are mountains beyond mountains. If I agree to your two hundred taels of silver today and buy this snuff bottle, what if I see something more exquisite than this in the future?”
“This…” The pawnshop manager was stunned by Ji Zhao’s words. For a moment, he actually couldn’t find any words to refute.
“Shopkeeper, we won’t beat around the bush with you. The price is 20 taels. What do you think?” Ji Zhao smiled faintly. “If we complete this business today, we’ll treat it as making friends?”
“Twenty taels, I really can’t!” The shopkeeper hurriedly shook his head. “It’s too little.”
“That’s a pity.” Ji Zhao shook her head and held Shen Yao’s hand as she prepared to leave. She deliberately lowered her voice and said, “Actually, this snuff bottle is a fake!”
“Why do you say that?” Shen Yao immediately understood and raised his eyebrows.
“Have you forgotten? Our eldest uncle’s second cousin’s cousin’s wife’s ninth aunt serves the magistrate at his residence? She said that Magistrate Sun likes to collect snuff bottles the most. The one in the pawnshop is a fake!”
“Then why do you insist on buying it?” Shen Yao followed her words and asked softly.
“I bought it to play with. Besides, doesn’t our father like it? But now it seems that we have no chance. Let’s go…”
Ji Zhao and Shen Yao whispered to each other.
They thought that their voices were very soft, but the shopkeeper of the pawnshop was listening attentively!
“Dear guests!” The shopkeeper of the pawnshop was also cautious. He walked around to Ji Zhao happily. “As the saying goes, benevolence exists if a business doesn’t succeed. May I trouble you to leave your names and addresses? I’ll help you ask the owner. If the owner agrees to sell this snuff bottle at a low price, I’ll look for you, okay?”
Ji Zhao subconsciously glanced at Shen Yao. The two of them could see the smile in each other’s eyes, but they still looked regretful. “Shopkeeper, we appreciate your kindness, but you should be able to tell that our family background is average. Even this twenty taels is our limit.”
“Since we’re not fated with this snuff bottle, let’s not force it.” Shen Yao sighed softly. “Goodbye!”
The shopkeeper of Grand Magnificence felt uneasy.
After the two of them walked out of the pawnshop, they turned into an alley and arrived at the west side of Qinghe Street.
Craftsmen’s Silver Workshop.
Ji Zhao carefully took out a receipt from her pouch and successfully retrieved a pair of silver bracelets.
The polished silver bracelet had eight neat words engraved on the inside.
Health and safety, a life with no troubles.
“This is a gift you prepared for Zhuang Zhuang?” Shen Yao was surprised. “Ah Tao, when did you prepare this?”
“About a month ago.” Ji Zhao carefully examined the pair of silver bracelets and said with a smile, “Shen Yao, what do you think? Does it look good?”
“It looks good.” Shen Yao was touched and smiled.
“I think Zhuang Zhuang will definitely like it.” After Ji Zhao paid the rest of the money, she said with a smile, “Shall we go?”
“Where are we going?”
“Eat!”
Eating was the most important thing in the world!
This was the motto that Ji Zhao believed in.
The two of them came to the street at the entrance of West Street and ordered two big bowls of chicken soup wontons.
“Why do you insist on buying that snuff bottle?” After sitting down, Shen Yao looked at Ji Zhao curiously.
“Previously, when I was cooking for Old Madam Ma’s birthday banquet at the Ma family, I heard that Old Madam Ma likes to collect snuff bottles,” Ji Zhao explained softly. “Although this is information that Butler Ma ‘unintentionally’ revealed, I think it’s very useful to us.”
“The enamel snuff bottle we saw in the pawnshop just now isn’t a top-notch craft, but its small and has an exquisite appearance. It’s very beautiful.”
“If we can successfully buy this snuff bottle and give it to Old Madam Ma, our shop will definitely be able to gain a foothold in a short period of time.”
Right now, the shop at Hongxing Restaurant was progressing very quickly under Shen Dalang’s supervision.
Ji Zhao had already thought of how to run this shop.
“Shen Yao, just wait and see. That snuff bottle will be ours sooner or later!” Ji Zhao said confidently as she silently clenched her fists.
“Yes, Ah Tao is very powerful.”
As expected.
After noon, when Ji Zhao accidentally passed by Grand Magnificence Pawnshop, she was warmly welcomed in by the old shopkeeper.
“I am untalented. May I ask how the two of you can tell that this snuff bottle is a fake product?”
“Shopkeeper, why don’t you turn this snuff bottle around and take a closer look at the signature on it!” Ji Zhao hurriedly smiled.
The old shopkeeper couldn’t wait to flip the snuff bottle over. Only then did he realize that the red signature engraved at the bottom was reversed!
“I see!” The old shopkeeper was enlightened and thanked them repeatedly. “Fortunately, the two of you have sharp eyes and saw through the clues here!”
Yesterday, the old shopkeeper had spent six taels of silver to buy this snuff bottle. He thought that it could be sold for at least sixty taels of silver. Who would have thought that it was actually a fake!
“Customers, I wonder if you’re still willing to pay the price of 20 taels?”
“No.” Ji Zhao shook her head firmly. “This snuff bottle looks very special at first glance, but I can’t help but think about it carefully.”
“Then, how about ten taels?”