Chapter 261: Obtaining the Box
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The vendor’s eyes flickered, and he raised two fingers.
Taking advantage of Jiang Xia’s innocence as a child, he dared to ask for a sky-high price.
He was a craftsman. When he got the makeup box, he immediately noticed its extraordinary craftsmanship. It must be valuable. However, he had displayed the makeup box in the market all morning, and no one had even inquired about it. His expectations for the makeup box had considerably lowered.
Seeing the child’s keen interest in the makeup box, he initially wanted to price it at one and a half coins, but he quickly changed his mind to two coins. Later, upon hearing the size of the fish offered in exchange, he audaciously raised the price to two fish.
Given the size and quality of the fish, they would be worth fifty cents per pound in the market. Two fish would certainly be worth more than two coins. To hide his guilt, the man continued weaving his wicker products without making eye contact.
Jiang Xia, being astute, immediately noticed the inflated price. Still, she truly liked the makeup box. Noting the scars on the shopkeeper’s hand from weaving wicker, she didn’t haggle and readily handed over two fish.
Upon seeing the fish, the vendor realized they were even bigger than described by Jiang Xia, with a thick layer of fat, indicating they were of high quality. One fish alone was worth two coins!
Feeling guilty about deceiving a child, the vendor pointed to some wicker toys on his stall, “Young girl, pick any two, I’ll give them to you as a gift.”
Jiang Xia was not initially interested, but then she noticed a large wardrobe nearby, which gave her an idea.
The wardrobe’s craftsmanship was not as exquisite as the makeup box, probably handmade by the vendor, but it looked sturdy.
If a makeup box was worth two fish, the wardrobe should be worth five fish by her estimation. So, Jiang Xia pointed at the wardrobe and proposed, “How about I give you five more fish in exchange for this wardrobe?”
The vendor hesitated, not because he didn’t want to trade, but because he wondered how the slender Jiang Xia could possibly carry such a large piece of furniture.
Seeing his hesitation, Jiang Xia wondered if she had offered too little. Just as she was about to increase her offer, the vendor asked, “Where are your parents?”
“They’re shopping nearby.”
“This is heavy. You can’t carry it alone. Go get your parents to help you. And since you’re trading so many fish, you should get their approval. I’ll keep this for you in the meantime.”
The vendor had two concerns: he had taken a liking to Jiang Xia, and he also wanted to avoid any potential trouble if her parents discovered she had been spending without their knowledge.
Touched by his words, Jiang Xia went to find her father, Jiang Chuan.
Jiang Chuan had complete trust in his daughter’s judgment and never interfered with her purchases. So, when Jiang Xia brought him to the stall, he promptly traded the fish for the wardrobe, and they both moved to a less crowded area.
Once they were sure no one was around, Jiang Xia stored her acquisitions in interspace.
“Dad, what did you buy today?”
“I changed four porcelain cups, two basins, and even bought a candy figurine for your sister, costing two fish in total. I think we’ve seen enough of the market. Let’s go straight to the supply and marketing cooperative.”
“Okay.”
The supply and marketing co-ops are similar everywhere. They didn’t need any essentials, so they exchanged their fish and rabbits for food ticket.
Jiang Chuan kept five fish for future needs.
After meeting up with Zhou Lan and her daughter, they casually chose a restaurant to dine in. Given the variety of customers they serve, the waiter was quite relaxed around Jiang Chuan’s family.
Jiang Chuan easily negotiated a deal with the kitchen to sell all the baskets of wild vegetables they had.
Impressed by the quality of the vegetables, the chef offered a higher price than the county restaurant: 5.5 coins per basket, totaling 55 coins for ten baskets.
Considering their earnings, Jiang Chuan and Zhou Lan planned to spend the afternoon exploring with the kids. Since they’d be staying in the town for two more days, they might as well treat it as a vacation..