Hiss… Tian An was even more confused. This imaginary dynasty was too ridiculous! Even if she was not good at history, she had never heard of any dynasty where playing the qin was required for the imperial examination.
Isn't this just for amateur entertainment? It's not like you can make a living by taking an art exam in the modern world.
Before she could finish her complaints, Granny Qin continued, "I know An An hates waste the most, so I bought this zither. You practice during the day and Yi Ming practices at night. You two can learn together and play the zither in harmony in the future, killing two birds with one stone."
Well, now I have no choice but to learn, oh!
Since it concerns Zhao Yiming's future, Tian An still takes it very seriously. The next day he went to find Qin Yalan and asked her to help choose. There was no other way, she didn't understand this at all!
When the two of them arrived at the music shop, Qin Yalan was still unsure. Although she could play, to be honest, her level was just that of a beginner. It was okay for occasional practice, but she would not be good enough to play if she met an expert.
"It would be great if Jin Yan was here. Her piano skills are among the best among her peers. She knows a lot about the piano."
The two looked at each other and sighed deeply.
"Why!"
"An An, Ya Lan?"
Tian An: “…”
Qin Yalan: "..."
What is this sound?
The two of them turned around at the same time and saw Gu Jinyan and Shiqin standing at the door of the music shop.
Seeing the two people turn around, Gu Jinyan said happily: "It really is you two!"
The two were even more confused and said in unison: "Aren't you in Dingzhou? How come you are in the capital?"
Gu Jinyan twisted her handkerchief awkwardly, "Well, it's a long story."
Then he asked, "Where's An An? Why is An An also in the capital?"
Tian An sighed and said, "This is a long story."
Gu Jinyan asked again: "Why are you two in the music shop?"
Qin Yalan and Tian An looked at each other and quickly pulled Gu Jinyan into the shop. "We were just talking about you! I didn't expect you to come."
"That's right, Sister Jinyan, please help me choose a piano first! After you buy it, we can find a quiet place to have a good chat."
Qin Yalan also nodded quickly, "An An wants to buy a zither for Mr. Zhao to practice for the imperial examination. In order not to waste money, she also wants to learn it herself. Jin Yan, please help her find a suitable one to buy."
"Then let me take a look first." Gu Jinyan said readily.
Then he walked around the shop seriously, touching the body of the piano from time to time, and occasionally plucking the strings to make pleasant sounds.
After walking around, Gu Jinyan walked to a guqin, sat on a stool beside it, raised her hand and performed a piece. The beautiful and pleasant sound of the guqin came from her fingertips, and Tian An and Qin Yalan were fascinated by it.
The piano music ended quickly. Although he didn't know much about piano, Tian An knew that this piano must be excellent.
Sure enough, Gu Jinyan said, "An An, this one is good. The tone, material, feel, and details are all very good."
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper beside him hurriedly stepped forward with a smile and said, "Miss, you are indeed an expert. I have so many pianos in my shop, and this one is the best."
Tian An curled her lips, afraid that no matter which one they chose, he would say it was the best, but she believed that Gu Jinyan would not lie to her.
Then he asked, "How much is this guitar, shopkeeper?"
"Miss, this zither is the most perfect one in our store. It can be said to be the treasure of the store. The price is eight hundred taels."
Damn, this is too expensive! Is it inlaid with gold? Eight hundred taels of silver could buy a small farm in Jinning County, but to use it to buy such a rubbish, Tian An was extremely reluctant!
Tian An secretly walked to Gu Jinyan and asked in a low voice: "Sister Jinyan, is this zither really worth so much silver?"
Gu Jinyan carefully examined the zither again and finally concluded, "It's a good zither, but it's not a masterpiece by a famous artist. It lacks some charm."
Now Tian An had an idea in his mind. If the price was a little different, it meant he could bargain!
He immediately said, "Boss, can you make this piano cheaper?"
When the shopkeeper heard that the price was lower, he was shocked and waved his hands, "The pianos in our shop are all sold at fixed prices. No bargaining is allowed."
"Just because we didn't tell you before doesn't mean we won't tell you in the future! Just consider this an exception! We won't tell anyone else." After saying that, he turned around and looked at Gu Jinyan and Qin Yalan, "Right! Sister Jinyan, Sister Yalan."
The two of them nodded in agreement, indicating that they would not tell anyone.
The shopkeeper said helplessly, "This isn't a question of whether to tell others or not. This is not a question of bargaining!"
Tian An pouted and said, "But your price is too high. Sister Jin Yan said that your piano is not a masterpiece, it's not up to par!"
The shopkeeper hurriedly explained, "Although this piano is not a masterpiece, it is indeed good!"
"No matter how good it is, if I tell others about it, they'll think it's not worth it. If I really spend so much money to buy it, I'll definitely be laughed at and said I was taken advantage of. If I get a reputation as someone who doesn't know the value of it, then I'll be at a huge loss. No, no, I can't buy it."
Tian An muttered to himself and shook his head, "Sister Jinyan, you should take me to buy something from a famous brand! It will make me look better when we tell others about it."
As he said this, he pretended to pull Gu Jinyan.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper became anxious. His zither was good in every way except that it didn't have a good reputation. Many rich ladies had taken a fancy to it before, but when they heard it was not a masterpiece, they left without even asking the price. In fact, Tian An was the first person to ask the price. If it couldn't be sold, it would become the treasure of the store.
He immediately asked, "How much do you think is appropriate, Miss?"
Tian An thought about it and decided that she couldn't chop too hard, otherwise the shopkeeper would probably kick her out. So she said, "Six hundred and sixty taels! Six is a lucky number, I like six the most."
When the price was quoted, everyone was dumbfounded. Not only the shopkeeper, but even Qin Yalan and Gu Jinyan thought that Tian An was a little whimsical. Who would bargain for a price of over a hundred taels?
The shopkeeper said in a trembling voice, "How much did you say just now?"
Tian An had no idea that he was saying something shocking. He looked completely clueless and said, "Six hundred and sixty taels! Six hundred and six is a lucky number! Any problem?"
Is there a problem? It was a real problem. The shopkeeper said with a look of deep sorrow: "Who bargains like that?"
Tian An raised his hand and pointed at himself, saying, "Me!"
The shopkeeper was about to vomit blood.
As a result, Tian An urged, "How about it! Boss, just sell it to me! If you can give me a discount, I'll buy it back and my brother Yiming will use it well. Then I'll ask him to recommend his classmates to buy from you too. Just consider it a small profit but quick turnover!"
The shopkeeper's heart was bleeding! He had bought this zither for six hundred and fifty taels, and now this girl had chopped him in the ribs with a knife. It hurt!
But if I don’t sell it, I don’t know how long it will have to stay in the store, and it will cost a lot of money to maintain it.
Seeing the shopkeeper's painful expression but not outright rejection, Tian An knew there was a chance, so he continued to urge, "Shopkeeper, just tell me whether you want to sell it or not! If it really doesn't work out, I won't make it difficult for you, and we'll just go to the next store."
"Hey!" The shopkeeper gritted his teeth and said, "Sell it! Miss, take it! But don't tell anyone else that you bought it at this price!"
Tian An laughed so hard that his eyes disappeared, and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry! I definitely won't tell."
Qin Yalan and Gu Jinyan standing by looked as if they had seen a ghost.
Actually, it really happened like this?
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