"Are you sure it's only two hundred, and we can't add a little more?" the shop owner asked, unwilling to give up.
Xia Qianqian, who had expected the shop owner to fly into a rage, was stunned to silence by his question.
From the shop owner's tone, it seemed he might even sell it for two hundred yuan.
She couldn't help but feel relieved that Liu Yifeng and his son were with her. If she had come alone, she might have actually bought it for sixty-five thousand, and she would have lost a fortune.
She never imagined this trade was so deceptive.
If he really sold it for two hundred yuan, it meant the certificate was also fake, otherwise, why would it be so cheap?
Indeed, shops like this couldn't be trusted easily; she had almost fallen into a trap.
As she was congratulating herself, Tongtong's voice rang out, "Not only can you not add more, but you also have to give this to us, and then we'll buy your flute." As he spoke, he pointed to an inkstone on the lowest shelf.
The inkstone looked like it had been there for a long time, covered in a thick layer of dust, giving the impression of a useless piece of stone.
Everyone's gaze followed his finger to the inkstone, not understanding why Tongtong would want such an unremarkable object.
The shop owner had acquired this inkstone from a beggar two years ago, and no one had shown any interest in it since.
He had paid five yuan and two steamed buns for it back then.
He thought he could sell it for at least a few dozen yuan, but not a single person had inquired about it.
He had even tried to promote the inkstone himself, hoping to sell it at the original price, but the seller hadn't even glanced at it, saying he wouldn't want it even if it were given to him for free, as it would just be an eyesore at home.
To be fair, the inkstone did look very ordinary, like a defective product.
So, from then on, he placed the inkstone on the lowest shelf, and even when it gathered dust, he was too lazy to bother with it.
If Tongtong had asked for something else, he might have considered selling it. But if it was this inkstone, there was no need to consider it at all; it was worthless from the start.
The combined cost of the flute and the inkstone he acquired was less than one hundred yuan.
Selling it for two hundred yuan would still yield a profit of over a hundred, a smaller profit perhaps, but at least no one was losing money.
However, he didn't agree readily. Instead, he put on a hesitant expression, "Little one, this inkstone wasn't cheap when I bought it. You've already driven a hard bargain on the flute, and now you're asking me to give you the inkstone? Grandpa can't afford to lose that much!"
He had intended to play on emotions, hoping to get a little more money from his father.
But Tongtong was a sharp one. "Grandpa, you bought this flute from a wholesale market, didn't you? Once we buy this, you'll just get another one to continue with your usual sales pitch.
And this inkstone, you keep it in such an inconspicuous place because you can't sell it, right? That means it's not valuable.
With these two combined, you're still making a profit!"
His words left the shop owner speechless. He never expected children nowadays to be so intelligent.
Such a young child, with such clear logic and such knowledge of the trade, was truly remarkable.
"Alright then, we'll sell it to you for two hundred yuan.
But, little one, can you tell me why you chose this inkstone? Could it be that you see something in it?" After all, this child had just revealed that the flute was a wholesale purchase.
This was enough to prove that the child wasn't entirely ignorant of this trade.
Tongtong replied with a seemingly innocent expression, "Because I'm learning to paint? I need an inkstone. Are you reluctant to part with it, Grandpa?"
"So that's how it is. Learning to paint is a good thing. You can become a painter when you grow up." After speaking, the shop owner looked at Liu Yifeng. "Sir, your son is going to be extraordinary when he grows up. He completely negotiated the price of this flute. If it were you, you probably wouldn't have bargained so low, right?"
Liu Yifeng didn't try to hide it and nodded. "Indeed. I was thinking of offering a thousand."
"That's why I say your son is smart. Did he study this trade?" the shop owner asked.
"No, my son was just talking nonsense. How could he understand such things at his age? I was just trying my luck and went along with his price. I didn't expect it to actually work out," Liu Yifeng denied.
After all, for such a young child like Tongtong to appear too intelligent in public was not necessarily a good thing.
After hearing Liu Yifeng's answer, the shop owner said no more. "But I must say, your son is much smarter than the average child. Nurture him well, and he'll surely have a bright future."
Since the shop owner was busy with his business every day, he hadn't watched the show "The Brain." Otherwise, he would have recognized Tongtong.
Finally, Liu Yifeng bought the flute and the inkstone for two hundred yuan.
"I was the one who wanted to buy this flute, so why should you pay?" Xia Qianqian said in a hurry as she watched him finish paying.
"Let your husband pay, isn't that what he should do?" The shop owner assumed they were a family of three.
Xia Qianqian's face instantly turned red. "You misunderstood, we're not a family!"
"I'm sorry. You seemed to have a good relationship, so I thought you were family!" the shop owner said awkwardly.
"It's fine!" Liu Yifeng didn't take the misunderstanding to heart.
He then looked at Xia Qianqian. "You treated my father and me to hot pot, so it's only right that I buy you a flute. Besides, Tongtong got an inkstone too!"
"This inkstone isn't worth anything!" Xia Qianqian said.
Liu Yifeng handed her the packed flute. "We're friends, so let's not argue over such a small amount of money."
Looking at the flute in her hand, Xia Qianqian smiled and nodded. "Okay, thank you then."
"Do you still want this certificate?" the shop owner asked sheepishly.
Xia Qianqian wasn't a fool. How could an antique sold for two hundred yuan be genuine? She shook her head. "No, thank you!"
The water in this trade was truly too deep. She had almost jumped in.
In the future, when dealing with such items, she would need to find someone knowledgeable, otherwise, no amount of money would be enough to pay for tuition.
After the transaction, the three of them left the antique shop.
Exiting the shop, Xia Qianqian asked curiously, "Tongtong, how did you know the flute was fake? Or can you really understand these things?"
"It's actually very simple. If this were a genuine imperial jade flute, it wouldn't be sold for only a hundred thousand, with room for negotiation.
And the shop owner wouldn't just casually place it on a shelf where anyone entering could easily reach it. What if someone grabbed it and ran? The shop owner would suffer a great loss, wouldn't he?"
After hearing Tongtong's analysis, Xia Qianqian's face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm not as discerning as a child like you. I almost stumbled today. Fortunately, you two were here."