Chapter 14: Picking Up a Bargain
Not only did Gu Mingda not stop, he even quickened his pace. He continued to walk forward while softly comforting her, "Are you hungry? Don't worry, Niuniu, we'll be able to eat soon..."
Niuniu shook her head and whispered, "Daddy, there is a treasure on that stall."
Gu Mingda paused after hearing this and asked, "Niuniu, how did you know that?"
Niuniu replied: "I dreamed about it."
Gu Mingda hadn't realized Niuniu's specialness yet. He touched her little head and said, "Niuniu, tell Daddy, what sweet dreams did you have?"
"I dreamed that we came to the county town and met someone setting up a stall. On the stall, there was a black lump that looked like a turtle shell. It turned out to be a great treasure. After washing off the black stuff on the outside, it emitted a light like the sun!"
Children's words are always full of childishness.
Zhang Yunniang listened to this and said with a smile on her face, "It's incredible. Niuniu was right. We really encountered a street vendor."
The six-year-old Gu Zhao had no idea what his sister's dream meant. He just jumped up and down and asked, "Did you only dream about setting up a stall? Did you dream about me? Did you?"
When Niu Niu heard this question, she suddenly burst into tears.
The whole family was suddenly panicked.
Zhang Yuniang said quickly: "Don't cry, Niuniu. I believe you dreamed of your baby! I don't doubt you!"
Niuniu shook her head and said in a crying voice: "Niuniu dreamed of something bad, Niuniu dare not say it!"
"Niuniu, don't cry. You can tell daddy and mommy anything. We are your parents and will always protect Niuniu." Gu Mingda comforted her softly.
Niuniu looked at him with tearful eyes, but still shook her head: "I can't tell you. If I tell you, Daddy and Mommy will never like me again!!"
Gu Mingda frowned slightly, winked at Zhang Yuniang, and then carried the little girl to a secluded corner of the street.
"Don't be afraid, Niuniu. No matter what bad things you dreamed about, you can tell daddy. Daddy will never dislike you!" Gu Mingda assured Niuniu very seriously.
Niuniu stopped crying when she heard this and asked with red eyes, "Really?"
Gu Mingda gently wiped away the tears on the child's face with a handkerchief and said, "No matter what you dreamed about, you are daddy's precious daughter. Daddy is a scholar and will not lie to you."
Niuniu hesitated a little and said, "My father was also a scholar, but he still lied. Every time I told him about bad things in my dreams, he would beat me..."
Only then did Gu Mingda realize that this was another mess left behind by Zhang Guangzong.
After he thought about it, I felt that children's affairs should be solved with children's methods: "Daddy promises you that everything he said is true. Let's make a pinky promise. Whoever lies is a puppy and has to learn to bark like a dog!"
When Niu Niu saw her father's extended little finger, the confusion on her face disappeared immediately, and she hooked her little finger on it.
After completing the pinky promise ceremony, Niuniu said, "Dad, I dreamed that my third brother was chasing after an old man selling candied haws and fell down! He scraped his hands!"
Gu Mingda originally thought it was something particularly bad, but he didn't expect it to be such a small matter. Just when he was about to say a few words of comfort with a smile, he suddenly realized something.
"When you were at the Zhang family, did you only dream about Jinbao getting bruised and beaten?"
Niuniu nodded obediently: "Jinbao is crying, I want to cry too, otherwise grandma Zhang will be unhappy."
Gu Mingda's face suddenly darkened. The Zhang family was just as outrageous as ever.
Niu Niu had never seen him look like this before, and she trembled with fear.
Gu Mingda immediately restrained his expression and turned back into the gentle and modest gentleman he once again was.
Niuniu said aggrievedly: "Grandma Zhang said that Jinbao was harmed by me and that I was a jinx. Dad, am I really a jinx?"
Gu Mingda reached out to help her straighten her crooked braids and said, "Niuniu is not a jinx, Niuniu is a lucky star."
Niu Niu grinned when she heard this.
Seeing her husband coming back with their daughter and the child stopped crying, Zhang Yunniang immediately felt relieved.
"You guys go to the restaurant first. I'll take Niu Niu to the stall and will be back soon." Gu Mingda said.
Zhang Yunniang didn't ask any more questions. She nodded, held her two sons' hands tightly, and walked towards the street where the restaurant was.
Gu Mingda warned again: "Yunniang, don't buy candied haws for Gu Zhao!
When Gu Zhao heard this, he wailed, "Dad, I want to eat candied haws! Please!"
Gu Mingda acted as if he didn't hear anything. He still had a cold look on his face and walked back with his daughter in his arms.
There were quite a few people surrounding the stall, but they were just looking and giving comments without buying anything.
Gu Mingda pretended to be casual and walked to the front of the stall, squatted down, and looked around casually.
When he saw that there was indeed a turtle-shaped iron lump on the stall, his expression paused slightly.
The stall owner was Zheng Datou, the prodigal son of the Zheng family. After becoming addicted to gambling, he seemed too lazy to even take care of his own image. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were red, and he exuded a decadent aura.
Even if passers-by pointed at him, he turned a deaf ear to them. He would only become enthusiastic when someone actually came to buy something.
"Scholar, I won't lie to you. My ancestors produced a prime minister, and these items were used by the prime minister. If you buy them and add some literary touch to them, you may become the top scholar in a few years!" Zheng Datou said to Gu Mingda.
Gu Mingda couldn't help laughing when he heard this. He pointed at a box of rouge that was half used and asked, "Could this also have been used by your prime minister ancestor?"
Zheng Datou was exposed on the spot, and he explained without blushing or beating his heart: "This is the Prime Minister's wife's thing. The Prime Minister may have eaten it!"
Looking at his obscene appearance, Gu Mingda felt pain in his eyes.
He did not immediately pick up the iron turtle, but first looked through the books on the stall.
Seeing that he was interested in books, Zheng Datou thought he had finally caught a fat sheep and said, "Scholar, you made the right choice to buy books here! These are rare books handed down from generation to generation. I won't cheat you. I'll only sell one book for one hundred taels of silver!"
Gu Mingda casually replied: "If it was really worth a hundred taels of silver, you wouldn't have set up a stall to sell it. I think one tael of silver is about right."
Zheng Datou said immediately: "Okay! One tael is one tael! Hurry up and buy it!"
A passerby who was curious could not stand it anymore and accused him: "Zheng Datou, why are you still forcing me to buy and sell? Are you taking advantage of me because I am a scholar with a thin skin?"
Zheng Datou immediately said, "Go away! Don't delay my business here! If I sell it earlier, I can go to the casino to play a few games earlier!"
Gu Mingda listened to the noise around him and picked out a book he liked from a pile of books.
“I bought this book.”
When Zheng Datou heard this, he stopped arguing and smiled as he charged the customer: "Forget about the other books, this one is really a unique piece, it will cost at least ten taels of silver!"
Gu Mingda simply said: "Then I won't buy it."
After saying that, he put down the book and was about to leave.
Zheng Datou didn't dare to be greedy anymore and said, "Wait a minute, one tael! It can't be any cheaper!"
Gu Mingda hesitated for a moment, then pointed to a small turtle the size of a baby's fist and said, "Okay, let me give my daughter this iron turtle as a gift."
The stall owner was delighted when he heard this. The books on his stall were all travelogues and other things that were worthless. He couldn't sell the turtle either. It was rare for him to meet someone as gullible as Gu Mingda, so he hurriedly pushed the things over and said, "One tael of silver! Pay quickly. If you say you want to buy it, you can't regret it!"
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