He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Miss, this is a good pearl, of good quality and quite large. Plus, black pearls are indeed valuable. I really do need such a pearl. However, our Quanya County is a small place. A thing that would fetch a thousand taels in other places here would have to be discounted. If this pearl were in Capital City, it might sell for a thousand taels, but in our place, I can only offer you a hundred and twenty taels."
After the shopkeeper finished speaking, afraid that Yang Chuxia would not agree, he added, "Actually, my offer may seem a bit low, but in this entire county, it’s not really small. If you go to another shop, the most you would get is hundred taels. Moreover, that would be if you meet a kind-hearted boss. If you encounter someone with a shallow sense of morality, you might not only fail to get a hundred taels, but you might also lose everything."
Upon hearing this, Yang Chuxia eyed the shopkeeper. Seeing his clear gaze, she knew that he was speaking honestly and not making threats. Furthermore, she had to admit that the shopkeeper had reminded her of something. Very few people who managed to open a shop in this county did so without some kind of backing or power. These were people that she, a peasant girl, could not contend with. If someone tried to forcefully lower her price, or refused to buy and then secretly stole the pearl after she left, she probably wouldn’t have the energy to resist. After all, she was just one person, and the other party had many unknown capabilities.
There is also the truth that the shopkeeper said that the value of an object varies depending on where it is located. For example, some modern foreign cosmetics products, which are worth only tens of dollars in their own country, can be sold for hundreds or even thousands abroad. Of course, this is due to factors such as transportation and tariffs.
Although her pearl could sell for a thousand taels in the Capital City, this isn’t without costs of all kinds.
Now in Quanya County, she’s not having to pay any additional costs, and although a hundred and twenty isn’t much, it’s more than she anticipated, and this is like a windfall for her. Considering this, she felt better and said, "What the shopkeeper said is indeed true. It’s only because the shopkeeper is a conscientious person that he told me all this. If it were someone else’s shop today, I might actually encounter someone stealing the pearl. I agree with the hundred and twenty taels."
However, though she said this, she didn’t plan to sell the larger pearl that she had, thinking instead of storing it after she got back home to be used as a family heirloom or as a contingency plan, or perhaps to sell in a major city when she had the chance. In any case, the larger and better pearl she had decided to keep should not be hastily sold now.
"Alright, I will get the silver for you now." Seeing that Yang Chuxia had agreed, the shopkeeper naturally went to fetch the silver with great joy.
After a while, the shopkeeper returned with a hundred taels silver note, a ten taels silver note, plus ten taels of loose silver.
"Miss, a hundred taels are too conspicuous. I decided to give you silver notes. Keep this ten taels of loose silver for incidental expenses."
"Thank you so much, shopkeeper. I didn’t expect you to think of this for me. You’re really a good person." No doubt, this shopkeeper was decent, making her feel favorably towards this drug store.
After handing over the silver and taking the goods, the shopkeeper then added, "Miss, if you come across more good items in the future, please come to my shop again."