Shen Xiaoyan found the old man’s sincerity touching. If it were someone else, they would have likely said that these saplings could bear fruit as soon as they were planted and would yield an inexhaustible supply within two or three years. Even though Shen Xiaoyan knew this well, she was still deeply moved by the old man’s earnestness.
“Thank you,” Shen Xiaoyan said with a smile.
The old man, thinking Shen Xiaoyan no longer wanted to buy, didn’t feel offended. After all, business was about mutual consent; he couldn’t force anyone to buy.
However, before the old man could finish speaking, Shen Xiaoyan added, “Then I’ll take all your fruit saplings, and your two sons’ as well. Calculate how much it will be.”
The old man hadn’t paid close attention to what Shen Xiaoyan said and was waving his hand, saying, “You don’t have to buy, don’t…”
Before he could finish, the old man froze. After a long moment, he spoke again, “What did you just say? You want them all?”
Shen Xiaoyan nodded. “All of them. Calculate the total cost. Oh, and can you help deliver them?”
The old man still couldn’t quite believe it and asked again, “Are you serious?”
He then looked towards Zheng Wei, seeking his confirmation.
Zheng Wei nodded at the old man. “It’s true. Tell your sons, see how many varieties there are and how many of each, calculate the price clearly. Also, it would be best if you could deliver them for us; we don’t live in the county.”
The old man became excited. He and his three sons had managed to procure three to four hundred saplings in total. Selling them all now would mean a considerable income.
Watching the old man excitedly go to call his two sons, Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei exchanged a knowing glance.
That’s right, Shen Xiaoyan planned to plant fruit trees on the land behind the courtyard.
Although the old man had mentioned that growth might not be ideal, she still believed in her own abilities and the spiritual spring water from her space.
Even if there were no harvest this year, she was certain to have a bountiful one next year.
About fifteen minutes later, the old man returned with his two sons. “We’ve counted them. There are a total of 480 saplings. I won’t haggle over varieties; they’re all one-year-old saplings. I’ll charge you 40 li per sapling, which comes to 19 taels in total.”
Shen Xiaoyan nodded. “Alright, I’ll give you an extra 8 qian to make it 20 taels. Can you help me deliver them home?”
“This… okay,” the old man pondered for a moment before agreeing. Getting an extra eight qian for helping with delivery was quite profitable. “Where do you live?”
“We live in Baiyun Village in Tongling Town. It’s about a seven-hour journey from here,” Shen Xiaoyan said.
The old man replied, “Alright, I’ll have my two sons deliver them for you. When should we leave?”
Shen Xiaoyan understood the old man’s eagerness. He wouldn’t feel at ease until the money was in hand, so he’d want to get started as soon as possible.
“We’ll leave together tomorrow morning. Meet me by the inn near the bridge. I’ll give you a 2 tael silver deposit first, and the rest upon delivery. How about that?” Shen Xiaoyan said, taking out 2 taels of silver from her sleeve and handing it over.
The old man accepted the money and said to Shen Xiaoyan, “Okay, we’ll definitely be there early waiting for you. We’ll pack up and go home to load the carts now.”
Shen Xiaoyan had noticed earlier that the old man’s two sons were using a large cart pulled by mules, which could carry much more than the old man’s flatbed cart.
This was also why Shen Xiaoyan chose to buy from them. Normally, prices at the market were similar, but having their saplings delivered in such a large quantity was likely unique to this family.
Shen Xiaoyan preferred to solve any problem in one go if possible, rather than making multiple trips or comparison shopping. As long as she felt it was suitable and could save her trouble, she was willing to do it.
With the old man and his sons packing up and heading home, Shen Xiaoyan and the other two went to visit other stalls.
Now that the fruit saplings were purchased, they could see if there was anything else, perhaps even finding other varieties.
They visited three or four more stalls, but none of them offered other varieties. Most had fewer kinds than what the old man and his sons had sold.
Shen Xiaoyan and the other two then approached a stall that wasn’t selling saplings, but flower seedlings.
Various flowers were arranged on the ground, mostly bare, without even a leaf. Shen Xiaoyan looked for a long time but couldn’t identify most of the flowers.
However, there was one she recognized: orchids, due to their distinctive leaves.
Before Shen Xiaoyan could ask, Zheng Wei had already spoken, “What kind of flowers do you have here?”
The man at the stall immediately stepped forward, pointing to the flowers on the ground. “What kind of flowers are you looking for?”
Shen Xiaoyan inwardly thought, "He's a sharp one. Instead of answering your question, he asks you what you want."
If you state what you want, and he has it, he’ll immediately bring it out and can overcharge you, since you specifically asked for it.
If he doesn’t have it, he’ll still do you a favor and tell you where to find it, and out of politeness, you’ll end up buying something from him.
“We just wanted to ask. If you don’t want to say, then forget it,” Zheng Wei said, pulling Shen Xiaoyan and Shen Xiaoming as they turned to leave.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t go! I didn’t say I wouldn’t tell you,” the man quickly called out.
The three of them had only just turned around and hadn't walked far, so they naturally turned back.
Zheng Wei spoke again, “Then please tell us what flowers you have here.”
The man smiled obsequiously. “I was just trying to see what you needed so I could explain it to you in detail. Since you’ve asked, I’ll tell you about all of them.”
The man lowered his head and thought for a moment before looking up again. “Speaking of our flower varieties, there are quite a lot, perhaps dozens of kinds. However, what we’re selling here are all common varieties.”
The man paused after speaking. Shen Xiaoyan picked up the conversation. “Then tell us what you’re selling.”
The man immediately nodded. “Alright. The varieties I have aren’t many, just common ones like peonies, Chinese herbaceous peonies, and roses.”
Shen Xiaoyan nodded upon hearing this. That was more than ten varieties, which wasn’t a small number. She then asked, “And the prices?”
When the man heard Shen Xiaoyan’s question, he knew there was a deal to be made and quickly said, “The prices are negotiable, very negotiable.”
Zheng Wei frowned. “Just tell us the price.”
Hearing Zheng Wei’s words, the man shivered slightly, appearing somewhat intimidated by Zheng Wei.
“What… what kind do you want?”
“I want every kind. First, tell me the prices. If they’re reasonable, I’ll buy some of each,” Shen Xiaoyan said.
The man was overjoyed by this and forgot his fear. His lips moved, and he began to rattle off prices like beans from a sieve.
Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei listened silently as the man quoted his prices. After the man finished speaking, they remained silent for a long time.
“Are you…?” The man waited for a long time, not hearing a response from Shen Xiaoyan or Zheng Wei, and asked worriedly, wondering if they found the prices too high. He had tried his best to lower them.
“Oh, we’ll go with the prices you’ve stated. Give me a bit of each kind,” Shen Xiaoyan said.
The man was momentarily stunned. A bit of each kind?