"Grandpa, is this certificate fake?" Tongtong asked, his words innocent and uninhibited.
The shop owner’s expression turned awkward but quickly resumed its normal appearance. He chuckled, "Little one, this isn't fake. You're too young to understand these things!"
In his mind, even if it were fake, Tongtong wouldn't be able to tell, so his question was merely a casual remark. Little did he know, among everyone present, Tongtong understood the most.
Seeing that he wouldn't admit it, Tongtong didn't expose him. He wasn't here to cause trouble; he was primarily interested in something.
Noticing Tongtong had fallen silent, the shop owner shifted his gaze back to Xia Qianqian. He had just observed the young girl’s expression; she seemed captivated.
"Young lady, have you found anything you like? I can give you a good price. Once I complete this sale, I'll close up shop and go home to sleep."
Xia Qianqian thought the jade flute was quite beautiful and was indeed tempted. She asked, "How much is this?"
"You have discerning taste. This is a royal artifact, priceless. Since you truly wish to buy it, I will genuinely sell it to you. I won't go into extensive pricing. The market price for this jade flute is at least 100,000, and its collectible value is extremely high. I'll sell it to you at a discount – 70,000, a saving of 30,000 for you."
Hearing this, it indeed sounded like a significant discount. However, in reality, it was made of very low-quality jade, with a cost price of only a few dozen yuan, not exceeding a hundred at most.
Fearing Xia Qianqian might find it too expensive, he quickly placed the appraisal certificate in front of her. "Look, this is the appraisal certificate. If you take it outside and get it appraised, and the result is fake, I'll compensate you tenfold the price."
Xia Qianqian couldn't understand these details, but she figured with a certificate, it couldn't be fake. Moreover, she could get it appraised elsewhere and come back to him if it turned out to be fake. She was about to buy it, but the price of 70,000 still felt a bit too high. "Shop owner, can you give me a little more discount? I didn't bring that much money!"
The shop owner knew there was a chance and deliberately put on a troubled expression. "I've already knocked off 30,000 yuan for you; I'm practically selling it at a loss. If you ask for another discount, aren't you asking me to lose even more money? However, I see you understand the business and genuinely want to buy it, so I'll oblige you. How about another 5,000 yuan discount?"
He spoke very sincerely, making it hard to doubt him. But Liu Yifeng knew he was lying. If it were truly a royal artifact, it wouldn't be sold for only 100,000 yuan, with so many discounts. He was a businessman, not a philanthropist. It was only Xia Qianqian, inexperienced in this field, who was too naive and believed whatever the shop owner said.
Just as Xia Qianqian was about to grit her teeth and buy it, he quickly intervened. "Boss, can we get an even better price? 65,000 is still not cheap." He knew the shop owner would agree because this item wasn't an ancient artifact at all; it was likely a modern craft. However, this shop owner was truly audacious, asking for 70,000 outright. What was the difference between this and robbery? And his statement about getting it appraised outside – if it turned out to be fake, he could simply claim they had switched it themselves and were trying to swindle him. Those familiar with the trade knew that once a sale was made, there was no turning back. One shouldn't make a rash purchase without absolute certainty.
"You're purely asking me to lose money. I'm already selling it at a loss, and you're asking for more discounts. You might as well just take it for free," the shop owner feigned anger again.
Seeing him act like this, Liu Yifeng thought he’d be wasted if he didn’t go into acting. He also put on a nonchalant air. "If you can't lower the price, then we'll go look elsewhere. I believe other shops will have similar flutes." With that, he took Tongtong's hand and signaled for Qianqian to follow.
Seeing they were serious, the shop owner quickly called out to them. "I really can't do anything about you two. Since you're not satisfied with the price I've offered, just give me a price you can accept yourselves. That way, we won't waste each other's time haggling." The three stopped and turned to look at the shop owner.
Honestly, Liu Yifeng couldn't tell how much the flute was worth. But he was certain it wasn't an ancient artifact. He intended to offer a thousand yuan, after all, it was still jade. Unbeknownst to him, Tongtong seemed to have seen through his thoughts and didn't give him a chance to speak. "Two hundred yuan!"
His statement shocked not only the shop owner but also widened the eyes of Xia Qianqian and Liu Yifeng. They hadn't expected Tongtong to haggle so ferociously. For something priced at 65,000, he directly cut 64,800, not even leaving a fraction of the original price. But Liu Yifeng knew that if Tongtong could quote this price, it meant the item was only worth that much. He was secretly relieved that Tongtong had beaten him to it; otherwise, he would have been swindled. Xia Qianqian, on the other hand, thought Tongtong was just talking nonsense, not understanding the value of money. She worried that such haggling might lead to trouble, but thankfully, he was just a child.
Just as he thought they would be kicked out by the shop owner, the owner burst into laughter. "This child is quite humorous. But you can't buy this for two hundred yuan." In his opinion, Tongtong was just a little brat making wild claims. He probably couldn't even distinguish between 65,000 and 200. Thus, his transition from shock to indifference took only a few seconds. He then turned to Liu Yifeng. "Sir, tell me, what is your desired price? We can discuss it."
Liu Yifeng didn't waste his breath. "My son said two hundred, so it's two hundred!" The shop owner's smile froze instantly. "Children don't know better, but do you adults not know either? How can you haggle like this? I've shown you the certificate for this jade flute, and now you tell me you'll pay two hundred yuan. Are you playing with me?"
Xia Qianqian hadn't expected Liu Yifeng to follow Tongtong's lead and counteroffer at two hundred. Seeing the shop owner's angry expression, she knew he wouldn't sell the jade flute to them anymore.
Liu Yifeng, looking at the furious shop owner, showed no signs of backing down. "I'll say it again: if you sell it for two hundred, we'll buy it. If not, then we're done!" He actually believed the shop owner would likely agree. Since Tongtong had named a price of two hundred, it meant the item's actual value was within that range. They would still give the shop owner some profit, otherwise, they wouldn't actually engage in a losing business.