"How is it?" the man asked, looking at Wen Qing.

Yao Shiling, Aunt Xiao, and their family all turned to look at Wen Qing.

Wen Qing paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Thank you for finding my sketchbook, but I don't plan to sell any of the sketches."

The man was taken aback, not expecting Wen Qing to give such an answer.

Aunt Xiao couldn't contain herself upon hearing this. She tugged at Yao Shiling's sleeve and whispered, "Wenqing's mother, go and persuade Wenqing. Wenqing is still young and doesn't know the value of money. That piece of paper is only worth a few dollars. Two hundred dollars is the real deal. It's enough for a family like ours to live comfortably for a year and a half. Don't you think so?"

"Mom, don't give me any bad advice," Aunt Xiao said. "Wen Qing is a girl with her own opinions."

Aunt Xiao insisted, "What I said makes perfect sense."

Yao Shiling hesitated. She still couldn't figure out how Wen Qing's poorly drawn clothes could be worth two hundred yuan.

Just as Yao Shiling was about to step forward, she heard the man ask, "How much would you sell it for?"

Yao Shiling was immediately taken aback. So this person wanted to raise the price?

"Three hundred yuan? Will you sell it?" the man asked.

Three hundred yuan? Yao Shiling and Aunt Xiao's family gasped in shock.

Wen Qing's expression remained unchanged.

The man looked at Wen Qing, unable to hide the admiration in his eyes any longer. He predicted that the girl would be overjoyed and take the money, or ask him if he wanted any other paintings. He was prepared to buy them all.

As a result, Wen Qing not only did not react, but also seemed very clear and confident about the value of the drawing, and remained unmoved.

He thought to himself: This little girl is quite extraordinary.

At this moment, Yao Shiling finally walked up to Wen Qing and called out, "Wen Qing."

Wen Qing turned her head and glanced at Yao Shiling: "Mom."

Yao Shiling looked at Wen Qing with a mixture of doubt, longing, and worry. She was doubtful about the value of the painting, longing for money, and worried out of maternal love.

Wen Qing understood. She glanced at Yao Shiling, remained silent for a moment, and then looked at the man: "One price, six hundred yuan."

In an instant, Yao Shiling, Aunt Xiao, and their entire family were stunned.

Six hundred yuan? Are you crazy? Only a madman would sell this worthless piece of paper. Everyone thought the man would be scared away by Wen Qing's outburst.

Aunt Xiao gritted her teeth inwardly. Wen Qing was such a bad businessman. You can't get fat in one bite. Every penny counts. Why scare away customers?

However, the man did not run away, but instead looked at Wen Qing with unwavering eyes.

Wen Qing said calmly, "This is just a draft. I will give you the specific dimensions, final draft, and fabric within three days."

"Okay!" the man agreed readily. He immediately returned the sketchbook to Wen Qing, then took the briefcase from under his arm and pulled out six dark blue one-hundred-yuan bills.

Wen Qing calmly accepted it and handed it to Yao Shiling.

Just as Yao Shiling took the six hundred yuan, she heard Aunt Xiao say, "Wen Qing's mother, check if the money is real or fake first."

To be honest, Yao Shiling had never handled a hundred-yuan bill before. Today, she received four hundred and fifty-five yuan from selling the cow. There were two hundred-yuan bills, and the rest were small change. Wen Qing received the money. She had seen it before, but never touched it, and never thought about whether the money was real or fake.

Hearing Aunt Xiao say that, she was no longer sure.

"I heard that the strands of hair on Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou on the hundred-yuan note are so rough they feel rough to the touch. Try touching them and see if they feel rough," Aunt Xiao instructed from the side.

Yao Shiling immediately smoothed the hair off the money and said nervously, "I have calluses on my hands, I can't smooth it out."

"Spit on your hands to wet them, and see if you can pull it out," Aunt Xiao suggested.

Yao Shiling had never seen so much money in her life and was a little intimidated. She handed the money to Aunt Xiao's family, saying, "Uncle, brother, you are all knowledgeable, please open your eyes."

Aunt Xiao's father-in-law and husband had no one to accept the money. Not to mention them, even Aunt Xiao herself, who usually only accepted money in small amounts when she made clothes, only a few yuan or cents at a time. The largest amount she ever received was fifty yuan, but she didn't dare to give change and insisted on receiving ten yuan instead, fearing that she would receive a counterfeit bill and then be in tears.

So no one accepted the six hundred yuan.

The man almost laughed.

Wen Qing understood perfectly and smiled, saying, "Uncle, why don't you give me ten, fifty, or five yuan? We're all afraid of receiving counterfeit money." Actually, Wen Qing had another purpose in mind.

“Okay.” The man immediately took back the six hundred yuan and counted out sixty ten-yuan bills in the hospital corridor for Wen Qing.

It was only after receiving these sixty ten-yuan bills that Yao Shiling and Aunt Xiao's family came to their senses and realized that Wen Qing had sold a tattered piece of paper drawn with a broken pen for six hundred yuan.

This is absolutely outrageous!

While they were still in a daze, Wen Qing chatted with the man for a few more minutes. The man's name was Tang Quan, the owner of a clothing factory in Nanzhou. He had lived abroad for many years and recently returned to China to develop his business. He had been struggling to create clothing that would be acceptable to Chinese people and not be commonplace, but had not succeeded. Today, while visiting a friend at the hospital, he accidentally found a very ordinary sketchbook, and was immediately amazed when he opened it.

Each piece of clothing and each pair of shoes not only conformed to the aesthetics of the era but also transcended them, striking the perfect balance. Moreover, he could tell that the artist's abilities were far more than just that.

So when he received the drawing, he waited here with great joy, only to find that it was a beautiful young girl.

This was a huge surprise to him.

After a brief conversation, Tang Quan left his phone number and address, and Wen Qing also left her address. They also signed a simple written agreement, and then Tang Quan left in a hurry.

"Just like that, you're leaving?" Aunt Xiao asked.

The others slowly came to their senses.

Wen Qing took out seven ten-yuan bills from a stack and handed them to Aunt Xiao: "Aunt Xiao, now we have enough money. Don't worry, the child will be fine."

Aunt Xiao's eyes immediately reddened again. She needed money; she needed to pay for her child's treatment. She would express her deepest gratitude to Wen Qing after her child recovered. Without hesitation, she reached out to take the money: "Wen Qing..."

"Aunt Xiao, it's okay. There's no hurdle in life that can't be overcome. I'll be waiting for you at Aunt Xiao's tailor shop," Wen Qing encouraged Aunt Xiao.

Aunt Xiao nodded, and as she nodded, tears fell from her eyes.

Wen Qing said no more. Her presence was meant to put pressure on Aunt Xiao and her family, and to get Yao Shiling out of the hospital.

After leaving the hospital, Wen Qing went to a steamed bun stall and bought three large meat buns for 28 cents. She also bought two bowls of sweet soy milk in a white porcelain jar, which she and her daughter ate while waiting for the bus.

"Wen Qing." Yao Shiling was still a little incredulous.

Wen Qing explained to her why her artwork was worth six hundred yuan. For example, the previously popular white polyester shirts, bell-bottoms, and trousers were no longer available. Later, someone came up with the style of these clothes and made them, selling them to people all over the country and earning tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of yuan. Didn't all this money originate from the same idea?

Yao Shiling understood: "Then you've lost that six hundred yuan, haven't you?"

Wen Qing laughed: "Mom, we won't lose out. We'll see."

Seeing the confident smile on her daughter's tender face, Yao Shiling was also happy. Wen Qing was really not the arrogant Wen Qing of the past anymore, and she was genuinely happy.

Next, Wen Qing ate one meat bun, and Yao Shiling ate two meat buns. After getting on and off the bus, Wen Qing went straight to the consignment store.

Yao Shiling asked, "Wen Qing, what are you doing at the consignment store?"

"Buy cigarettes," Wen Qing replied, staring at the cigarettes on the store's shelf: Pegasus, Warrior, Production, Double Happiness, Crossing the River, Daqianmen. Pointing to Daqianmen, she said, "Boss, give me a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes."

"35 cents."

"Okay, take a pack. And a box of matches too."

"Matches cost two cents a box."

"OK."

After leaving the store, Yao Shiling asked, "Wen Qing, why did you buy all this?"

"Buy our cow back!"

Yao Shiling was slightly taken aback. Wen Qing had thought of things more thoroughly than she had. When she led the ox out in the morning, many people in the village were watching and gossiping behind her back.

If the ox is really gone, who knows how many people will laugh at us. The Wen family is already poor, and if the ox is gone, Wen Qing will need money to open a tailor shop.

"Wen Qing, don't use this money to buy cattle; use it for business."

Wen Qing interrupted, "Mom, don't worry, I don't need to sell the cow to do business. Let's go, buy the cow and take it home, so Pengpeng won't cry."

The mother and daughter arrived at the bull market as they talked, and the bull market was still bustling.

“The buyer may have already left,” Yao Shiling said.

"It's okay, let's look around. If we can't find him, we'll go to his house to look."

“Okay.” Yao Shiling also wanted to buy the cow back.

The two walked around the bull market but didn't see their cow. Just as they left the bull market, they saw their cow carrying a lot of things and walking towards the dirt road.

"Uncle, Uncle!" Wen Qing called out from afar.

The buyer looked at Wen Qing and said, "Oh, little girl, what brings you here again?"

Wen Qing chuckled, glancing at his own cow out of the corner of his eye. He quickly took out some Daqianmen cigarettes and matches from his bag and handed them to the buyer.

The buyer glanced at Wen Qing and asked, "What does this mean?"

Wen Qing said, "Uncle, to tell you the truth, we sold the cow early this morning to treat someone's illness. Now that the person is better, we want to buy the cow back."

“No way, you’ve already sold it to me!” the buyer immediately said.

"Uncle, don't get excited, don't get excited." Wen Qing said with a smile, "I won't let you lose money. These cigarettes and matches are my way of apologizing to you. I bought them from you for 455 yuan, and now we're buying them back for 460 yuan. How about you make a profit of 5 yuan?"

The buyer looked at Wen Qing suspiciously.

A bull market is a place for buying and selling; it's common to buy one thing and sell another the next. Besides, Wen Qing's cow was already priced high at 455 yuan, so he could earn five yuan and a pack of cigarettes in just an hour or two.

Now, some bull market enthusiasts are joining in the commotion.

"Sell it! Sell it!"

"Where can you earn five dollars without effort, getting a free bargain? In a bull market, you can take a bull for 420 and still use it to plow the fields."

"Exactly, the little girl even bought us a pack of cigarettes and a box of matches. She seems like a sensible person. Let's sell her."

"..."

Unable to withstand the clamor, the buyer gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, four hundred and sixty yuan it is, take it."

Yao Shiling's face was full of joy.

Wen Qing knew that with the cow back, her mother would be happy, and her two younger brothers would be even happier. So, she felt at ease knowing that the painting had sold for a good price.

"Let's go." Yao Shiling couldn't contain her joy.

"Hmm." Wen Qing reached out and patted the cow, but instead of going back to Shuiwan Village with Yao Shiling, she went directly to Aunt Xiao's tailor shop. Before she even arrived, she saw a lot of people standing in front of the shop. A woman in the middle pointed at the door of Aunt Xiao's tailor shop and said, "This is the shop. They rip people off!"

Upon hearing this, Wen Qing immediately frowned.