"Boss, don't be like this! Not many people know the value of this item. Ten taels is already quite high. There won't be women like the one beside us who both spend recklessly and can discover this item's value. You might as well sell it early, get the funds, and continue with other business." Xiaoyao tried to persuade.
"..." The stall owner fell silent. He indeed needed funds. Though only ten taels, it was already good profit, and only women would buy this thing. But there weren't many women here, especially wealthy ones.
"Little servant, what did you just call me, a woman who spends recklessly?" Nangong Suxin questioned. Though she didn't want to argue with this small servant, how could she give face to someone who came to bully her like this.
"Mm, clearly you could get it for ten taels, but you insisted on offering one hundred. Isn't that spending recklessly?" Xiaoyao nodded in reply.
"That's because I disdain haggling. It wastes my precious time," Nangong Suxin said coldly.
"Whatever the reason, reckless spending is reckless spending!" Xiaoyao wouldn't bow to Nangong Suxin.
"Hmph! Today I don't want to argue with you, a small servant. Boss, give me this item, twenty taels," Nangong Suxin said. "Even if I throw it away, I won't let you have it cheap."
"Kid, what's your offer?" The stall owner looked at Xiaoyao, hoping he would raise the price. Those in this business liked competitive bidding most, only through bidding could second-hand goods, no, antiques, reach maximum prices or even exceed their actual value.
Antique collecting was like this. In specific circumstances with specific people, items might reach unattainable heights, but the same thing sold again might not even fetch one-tenth the price.
Therefore, the stall owner eagerly anticipated such bidding, but he seemed to overlook one point...
"What opinion could I have? My entire worth isn't even twenty taels. I'm just a small servant, you should give it to her." Xiaoyao gave up disappointingly. He was a servant, would he be foolish enough to compete with a great family's young miss?
No, the question was: did he have this financial power?
"..."
Damn, I forgot this kid is a servant.
Finally, the stall owner completed this transaction with complex feelings. He now hated Xiaoyao to death - originally one hundred taels was within reach, now it became twenty taels. Most sadly, the buyer was still the same person.
"Kid, remember this! Next time, I'll teach you a lesson!" Nangong Suxin said harshly to Xiaoyao.
"Miss Nangong, don't hate me like this, you should thank me!" Xiaoyao said helplessly.
"Why should I thank you," Nangong Suxin raised her eyebrows.
"I just helped you save eighty taels. Originally you would have spent one hundred taels to buy this item. Now you only spent twenty taels. Tell me, shouldn't you thank me?" Xiaoyao said with a smile.
"..." Nangong Suxin was silent for a while. Thinking carefully, it was indeed as Xiaoyao said, not only had she not suffered a loss, she had gained benefit.
However, this feeling made her very displeased.
"Hmph!!" Nangong Suxin still didn't give Xiaoyao a good expression and coldly snorted.
Xiaoyao didn't mind this and directly left with Guxing. He didn't care what Nangong Suxin thought or her attitude toward him.
What he least wanted to see now was the stall owner's resentful gaze, so the farther away the better. Of course, he didn't forget to look at items on nearby stalls, he didn't want to miss good things.
A quarter hour later, Xiaoyao looked at the person before him with great doubt...
"Are you following us?"
"Bah! Who has time to follow a small servant like you! I just happen to be walking this way too," Nangong Suxin said irritably.
"It's good if that's really the case, don't follow me!" Xiaoyao said.
"..." Nangong Suxin was somewhat depressed. She was the Nangong family's young miss with both beauty and strength. Others begged and cried to be with her, yet this small servant disdained her.
But speaking of which, the girl beside this kid was quite beautiful, almost matching me (really? or just female self-delusion? This question needs research!).
No wonder this kid disdains me.
Wait, who is this girl? Why have I never heard of her? In Qingyun City, with such a girl, how could I not know?
"Miss, what's your name? Were you abducted by this kid?"
"I'm called Guxing! I'm his boss. Please take care of me!" Guxing replied very politely.
"Boss? From the Mo family? Mo Guxing? Why have I never heard of you?" Nangong Suxin easily thought of Guxing as a Mo family member because Xiaoyao was a Mo family servant and still wore Mo family servant clothing.
Regarding Mo family members, the Nangong family was quite knowledgeable because both sides were rather hostile. Generally people understood their enemies better than their friends.
"I'm just a forgotten person. You don't need to have heard of me, and you don't need to connect me with the Mo family." Guxing said faintly.
"??" Nangong Suxin was very confused but didn't feel right asking more. After all, it was someone else's business, and they had expressed their attitude.
"Miss Nangong, you seem quite idle." Xiaoyao asked.
"Yes, so what? Are you going to control me?" Nangong Suxin said irritably. Her speech at this moment didn't have that high-and-mighty feeling of the Nangong young miss, it seemed much more approachable.
"Not at all. I want to ask you a question, what does your family's Third Miss think of our Young Miss?" Xiaoyao gossiped a little, also scouting for the Young Miss.
"None of your business!! Hmph," Miss Nangong turned away and walked to the side.
"Great, she left," Xiaoyao looked relaxed, clearly his purpose was to make Nangong Suxin go away.
Why?
Because he discovered something good. If Nangong Suxin were here, she would definitely interfere with his shopping, making him unlucky.
"Boss, what is this black thing?" Xiaoyao squatted before a stall, touching this and that, finally choosing an unremarkable small item to ask about.
"Young man, you really know the goods! This treasure of mine has been here a long time without being discovered. Today I finally met its destined owner." The stall owner immediately said with a smiling face. However, what this owner was thinking, Xiaoyao knew clearly.
What is this thing? Just something collected when gathering scrap, He don't even know what it is. Didn't expect someone to ask about this.
Xiaoyao knew this owner was just talking superficially and actually didn't know what this item was. Otherwise he wouldn't speak like this but would directly state the item's value.
Those in this trade only exaggerated or falsely reported value, they would never hide it.
"Little servant, so you sent me away to buy good things yourself! Fortunately I realized and came back. What's this about? This young miss won't ruin your business, so why play tricks on me. Now this young miss is very displeased and will snatch this item from you," Miss Nangong suddenly appeared before Xiaoyao, then used this excuse to grab the item Xiaoyao had just inquired about.
Though she didn't know what this item was, she felt that since Xiaoyao went to great lengths to send her away, it must be valuable.
"Miss Nangong, don't cause trouble! That item in your hands is worthless, it's garbage," Xiaoyao immediately said.
"Who would believe you! Boss, how much for this item?" Miss Nangong ignored Xiaoyao and directly asked the owner for the price.
"This..." The stall owner very hesitantly held up one finger.
"Ten taels it is! Here you go!" Nangong Suxin took out ten taels of silver, completing this transaction.
Ten taels?! I originally only wanted one tael - this is incredible profit.
The stall owner was blooming with joy inside. Of course, on the surface he maintained that attitude, saying he was taking a loss and reluctantly parting with it.
"Fine then. Boss, how much for this?" Xiaoyao pointed at a mineral ore on the ground covered with sparkling crystals. However, crystals weren't valuable, so the stall owner just casually displayed them for sale.
"This one? Ten taels of silver!" Having just completed a ten-tael transaction, the stall owner seemed to have gained confidence.
"Boss, you should price according to circumstances. Is this stone worth that much? I'm not some young miss, please look clearly at my clothes. I'm a small servant," Xiaoyao helped correct the stall owner, making him recognize his servant identity, there was a vast difference between him and a young miss.
"Then how about this, one tael of silver and you take it," The stall owner thought this made sense. Since this item wasn't valuable anyway, he'd just sell it cheaper.
"One tael? I'd rather buy something else, buying a stone, I might as well go to Golden Jade Full Hall for fish head." Xiaoyao said casually.
"Fish head? Golden Jade Full Hall's Fish Leaping Dragon Gate costs more than one tael, that's their signature dish." Nangong Suxin said pointedly.
Golden Jade Full Hall only had one fish head dish. Fish Leaping Dragon Gate. They didn't make other fish head dishes, perhaps feeling that with Fish Leaping Dragon Gate there, other fish head dishes weren't qualified.
"I said I'd eat fish head, not that dish," Xiaoyao said casually.
"But they only have that one fish head dish," Nangong Suxin continued "stabbing" at Xiaoyao.
"I eat the fish head from whole fish, fish heads others leave behind..."
"..."
"Otherwise you think I'd order dishes? Eating there, my monthly wages wouldn't cover one plate," Xiaoyao said very honestly.
"Fine, considering we're somewhat fated, I'll sell you this stone for one hundred coins, can't go lower." The stall owner directly quoted his lowest price, too lazy to continue.
Perhaps because he'd just made a big sale, or seeing Xiaoyao would rather spend money on eating "fish head" than buy this, he gave the lowest price.
Take it or leave it.
(End of Chapter)