Hu Fangfang often put people in a difficult position, but mostly she did so from a moral high ground, brandishing the banner of "how can you not help someone."
But this time she had miscalculated.
Perhaps it was because Lin Xiaoguai’s behavior was too much of a slap in the face, in her moment of distraction she blurted out something that—in her own view was a slip of the tongue, but in Lin Xiaoguai’s view—was a revelation of her true nature.
Lin Xiaoguai glanced indifferently at Hu Fangfang and said, "Why don’t you mention paying double the money to buy what you want to buy?"
"You like helping people, don’t you? Since money is so insignificant in your eyes, why do you shamelessly insist on others selling things to you at a discount?"
Su Qianqian looked at Lin Xiaoguai with admiration and said it was well spoken.
Cheng Shuhui and the other two wanted to laugh but held back. It took Hu Fangfang a long time to realize that Lin Xiaoguai was insulting her, and she immediately said with indignation, "Xiao Guai, how can you be ?"
"What have I done?" Lin Xiaoguai responded indifferently, "At least I didn’t take advantage of you in the name of friendship."
"That’s right!" Su Qianqian finally found an opportunity to join in. She said with a sarcastic expression, "You go and ask around, who doesn’t know that this gift shop’s products are expensive and the craftsmanship is top-notch. Half price..."
She scoffed, "Why don’t you go rob someone?"
Hu Fangfang really felt like crying. She didn’t know how she had let those words slip out. Even if she was naive, she knew that if she sold at half price, the owner wouldn’t make any profit and would have to cover the losses themselves. But there was no "elixir" to cure her regret, she could only put on a brave face and plead with tears in her eyes, "I know, I know, but I really don’t have much money, can you just pity me and give me a lower price?"
She looked at Lin Xiaoguai with a pleading gaze, only hoping that she would give her a way out. She would make up for any financial loss to Lin Xiaoguai later if necessary.
Lin Xiaoguai sighed, but she was not planning to let her off the hook. Hu Fangfang did have some redeeming qualities—she didn’t hold grudges, and Lin Xiaoguai believed that if she let her off the hook now, Hu Fangfang wouldn’t bear any resentment later. But Hu Fangfang also didn’t remember favors, always taking others’ generosity for granted.
"Let’s talk about that... after you’ve taken a look at the items in the store," she said noncommittally.
Hu Fangfang was perplexed, while Cheng Shuhui and the others had already begun to scrutinize the store’s merchandise.
After looking at just a few items, their eyes widened in surprise— they had heard that the cheapest items in this gift shop cost tens of yuan, and they had found that to be an exaggeration, but once inside the shop and seeing the glittering decor, they believed it. But upon closer examination, they discovered that the actual exaggeration was in underestimation rather than overstatement.
The products in this shop with two-digit prices were a minority; most were in the hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands.
Hu Fangfang was also stunned, thinking about what she had said earlier. No wonder Lin Xiaoguai was angry. If she really sold the items at half price to them, how much of a bargain would they get?
As for compensating Lin Xiaoguai for her losses in private... she simply couldn’t afford it!
"Isn’t this a rainstone? Why does it cost 120?" The other three were not just shocked by the prices of the goods but began to have doubts.
"If you have any questions, please take a close look at the merchandise and do not overlook the explanations beside them," said Lin Xiaoguai, who had already bowed her head to resume working on the beaded flowers.
Cheng Shuhui and the other two leaned over to take a closer look. After they finished, they fell silent.
They then turned their attention to the other products: wine steeped with various precious medicinal herbs, embroideries depicting dragons and phoenixes, exquisitely crafted precious jewelry, elixirs that cured ailments, competing exotic flowers, and astonishingly effective expensive cosmetics... The three fell silent, but soon, Cheng Shuhui and Ju Xiangling both turned to look at Bao Hongyu.
Among them, Bao Hongyu’s family was the best off, and the reason they came back this time was at her suggestion.
But at this moment, Bao Hongyu also felt insecure, biting her lip and saying, "It was my mom’s friend who told me."
She had brought five hundred yuan today, thinking it would be more than enough, but who would have thought that to enjoy shopping here, this amount was a drop in the bucket. There were many things she couldn’t even afford if the owner really gave them a fifty percent discount.
The previous argument between Hu Fangfang and the pretty shop owner, she had watched with detached amusement, as it wasn’t her embarrassment.
But now... their own situation seemed a bit tricky.
Ju Xiangling, who had spoken with Lin Xiaoguai earlier, glanced around, gauged the distance between them and Lin Xiaoguai, and whispered, "How about having Hu Fangfang push the owner to give us a half-price deal? She’s the best at this sort of thing anyway."