Chapter 718: Chapter 718: What is His Mother Doing?
Lin Yuejuan could hardly bear to watch anymore. Her nephew was truly foolish and wasteful—anyone with clear eyes could see the Straw Hat Vendor didn’t want to do business, quoting a ridiculous price on purpose, yet her nephew was actually haggling.
Her feelings were complicated as she stood aside, not knowing what to say that might be helpful, letting her nephew make a fool of himself as the vendor didn’t seem to want to deal with them anyway. A little rejection might do him good.
The Straw Hat Vendor’s hat rolled onto the ground, and startled, he quickly got up, squinting suspiciously at the person before him, wondering if this was indeed the fool he was dealing with.
He sold rocks for two taels, five taels, ten taels, even sometimes thirty taels, all depending on how the rock looked on the outside—the more likely it seemed to turn out to be a treasure, the pricier it got.
Lian Wanzhen grew impatient, "Are you selling or not? Just give me a straight answer."
Oh my dear Lord, Lin Yuejuan got uneasy, not expecting Lian Wanzhen to be serious.
Fearing that he was really being foolish, she quickly grabbed him, "Nephew, let’s go, they are deceiving people here. These useless rocks are worth nothing, not even fifty taels. They are worse than sugar-coated haws, let’s go."
The Straw Hat Vendor became unhappy upon hearing this, and finally spoke his first words, "Now listen, sister, what are you talking about? Who’s deceiving whom? All these are jade and jade raw stones; it all depends on one’s own ability to recognize them. Just the other day, someone at the east market entrance picked a piece for ten taels, and it turned out to be high-quality jade worth thousands of taels, making a fortune instantly."
He glanced at Lin Yuejuan with disdain. "There are treasures in abundance. If you can’t pick one, hey, you can only blame your own lack of skill and luck, not others."
"Is there really such a thing as finding treasures?" Lian Wanzhen couldn’t help but be very curious.
No wonder these stones were so expensive; it turned out that they were all raw materials for treasures like jade and jade. He thought to himself that he wasn’t wrong—among all the stalls only this one was unique.
"Of course," said the Straw Hat Vendor, picking up his hat. His story was true, but it had happened many years ago.
In this line of work, indeed some people find bargains, but they are very few. Amateurs mostly lose more than win, and even experienced jade merchants often make mistakes, let alone amateurs.
Also, if there really were blatantly valuable items, they would have kept them for themselves, not left them lying around to be found.
However, there are indeed rich young masters who love this game, seeking the thrill; he was looking for such customers.
Wearing his Straw Hat again, and seeing that Lian Wanzhen was interested, he continued to bait him, "Young man, you seem extraordinary. Have you ever heard the story of Bian Gong? It’s about that rock, initially unrecognized by everyone except Bian Gong who later uncovered a layer of rock to find a national treasure."
Bian He was revered as the Ancestral Master in their trade, representing the highest achievement in their field.
Lian Wanzhen asked, "What national treasure?"
"The Jade Annuli ah, it’s written in the history books. Haven’t you heard of it?"
"No." He felt dizzy just looking at books, let alone history books.
The Straw Hat Vendor enthusiastically beckoned him closer, "Young man, this is where you lack knowledge. Come here, let me tell you the story of the Jade Annuli."
Seeing her foolish nephew about to take the bait, Lin Yuejuan panicked. She just wanted to teach him how to bargain, unaware of what he really thought. With so many stalls in the street, he had to fixate on this deceiving rock stall. If someone deceived him right under her watch, she would be infuriated to the point of spitting blood.
She cajoled and pleaded, "Oh nephew, never mind him, let’s go look at something else. Didn’t you want to eat sugar-coated haws just now? Your Clan Aunt will buy them for you. If you want to hear a story, I can make one up for you too."
Make one up, what rubbish she spoke, causing the Straw Hat Vendor to roll his eyes and his expression turn cold.
Lin Yuejuan tried to pull the person away but realized she couldn’t move her.
Lian Wanzhen didn’t want to leave and said, "Clan Aunt, let’s just listen; we’re free anyway."
The Straw Hat Vendor was secretly delighted upon hearing this; this robust young man didn’t seem like someone who would take advice easily. As long as he could charm him well, he was sure to sell his stones.
He reignited his enthusiasm and said, "That’s right, young brother, we men must have our own ideas to make big money. Each of these jade raw stones is a treasure. Today, opening my business, it’s our fate—"
Pausing for a moment, he thought to himself and very generously said, "I won’t ask you for Five Hundred Taels of Silver per piece, not even Fifty Taels; just forty taels and you can pick any. I’ll also tell you the story I mentioned earlier and teach you how to recognize the treasures. How about it, fair enough?"
Wanzhen didn’t follow along with the conversation but instead said, "First, finish the story, and standing here is tiring. How about letting us sit on those stools of yours?"
"Alright!" The Straw Hat Vendor was very attentive this time, quickly passing stools to them, and particularly glanced at Lin Yuejuan.
Lin Yuejuan’s eyes reddened with anger. This liar was spouting nonsense with his eyes open, causing trouble, and her nephew actually believed him.
She had a bellyful of curses to hurl and was about to scold the vendor harshly when Lian Wanzhen saw her intention and quickly stopped her.
Setting down the stool he had taken, he whispered in her ear, "Clan Aunt, don’t worry, I won’t buy anything. This place has fewer people, other places are too crowded; it’s not easy to rest our feet. Let’s sit for a while before leaving."
Just now, he had seen the two of them getting uncomfortably squeezed; the shops were all too crowded to get a spot.
Ah, this...
Lin Yuejuan’s expression turned from puzzled to enlightened, and after looking at Lian Wanzhen, she suddenly understood something. She had wrongly blamed her own nephew!
She started looking constantly at Wanzhen, thinking to herself that although her nephew seemed straightforward and brash, could he also be someone with a tough exterior but a shrewd mind?
"Clan Aunt, come, have a seat," Lian Wanzhen invited without any hesitation, calling her to sit down.
Then, turning his head, he said, "Mom, have a seat, oh... Mom?"
What was his mother doing?
In the midst of their conversation, Su Ran was intently examining the stones. Without realizing when, she had squatted down and was inspecting one stone after another, seemingly engrossed for quite a while.
Lin Yuejuan also looked over, now puzzled.
Hearing her call, Su Ran smiled at Wan Zhen and then turned to the Straw Hat Vendor, asking, "You said earlier that each stone was forty taels, is that true?"
Lin Yuejuan’s heart skipped, and she suddenly stood up, quickly walking to her side, worried not that her nephew was being deceived, but that her sister-in-law was.
The Straw Hat Vendor hadn’t noticed this woman previously but now raised his eyes and felt this woman, although a bit older, had an excellent demeanor, gentle and charming with an indescribable air, different from the common folk.
He involuntarily nodded his head and hesitated, "Elder sister... uh, ma’am, do you want to..."
Unwittingly, he had used a respectful term.