Yunling had originally planned to save these things for when she returned to Pingcheng, but they were on sale. If she didn't get her hands on these money-saving items, her whole family probably wouldn't be happy.
But because of the 50% discount, the stall was instantly surrounded by people, pushing and shoving. That's when Gangzi came in handy.
He doesn't have many other skills, but he used to go to the market to watch women arguing and grabbing bargains in order to come up with jokes. The scene there was much more shocking than what we're seeing now.
So Gangzi wasn't afraid. He single-handedly squeezed his way out, then pulled Yunling back, and the two of them stood together in front of the stall.
However, it also attracted a lot of criticism.
"What a scoundrel! This grown man is just like a woman, always trying to take advantage of others."
"I've never seen anything like this before. With all this energy, you might as well go to the docks and work as a porter, earn a few coins, and then stop here and try to rob us."
"Who says otherwise? They're so greedy for small gains, they won't be generous when they marry. If you ask me, any young lady who marries them is bound to suffer."
Yunling felt a little embarrassed, but Gangzi was unconvinced. If it were just him being criticized, that would be one thing, but his boss had also been insulted. Naturally, he was dissatisfied and exclaimed:
"We don't suffer hardship, we eat excrement, you know what that means? It's like eating rice porridge, all colors, soft, hard, thick, thin, rotten. If you add some gossipy women, it'll be even more delicious."
The women, hearing Gangzi's mad words, were afraid he might do something outrageous, so they dared not say another word and had to keep a low profile.
Gangzi felt much better seeing this. That's how the world is; as long as you go crazy, all the abnormal people will become normal. He happily asked Yunling,
"Boss, how many do you want to buy?"
"Let's buy six or eight."
"Then eight it is. Anyway, it's half price, so it's like paying four copper coins, which is cheap."
When the women heard Gangzi say he wanted to buy eight, they hurriedly tiptoed to look ahead. Seeing that there were only a few left in stock, their displeasure was immediately written on their faces. They wanted to complain that Gangzi had bought too much, but they were afraid that Gangzi would go crazy, so they had to keep their anger to themselves.
Yunling quickly took out some copper coins from her pocket and started counting them. Gangzi took the rope from the stall owner and quickly strung all the short stumps together. This time, there was no need for pushing or shoving. When everyone saw his string of short stumps, they naturally avoided him to prevent being hit on the head later.
After Yunling paid all the coins, she was about to leave with Gangzi when she caught a glimpse of a man beside her. He also took out coins from his pocket, but he also produced a small plaque with the words "Bianxi Que Shu" written on it.
Isn't this the brand that Yunling has been longing to see?
The man paid, picked up the short stool, and was about to leave when Yunling quickly followed.
Once they were out of the crowd, Yunling immediately called out to them.
"Excuse me, sir, are you a merchant who deals with the Western Xia?"
"Yes, you...you know me?"
Yunling's first impression of this person was very pleasant, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.
"Now that we know each other, to be honest, when I was buying the short stools earlier, I happened to glance at the little tag in your hand, so I just asked about it."
Zhao Huasheng gave an "oh" and didn't take it seriously. Seeing that Yunling had gotten the answer he wanted, he turned and left.
Yunling felt somewhat embarrassed; this was not quite what she had imagined. She caught up with him again and spoke frankly:
"Actually, I came to the Great Xiangguo Temple today hoping to meet some merchants who travel to Western Xia. I want to buy wool."
Zhao Huasheng paused and asked:
"You want to buy wool from the Western Xia sheep flock? What will you use it for?"
"I want to use it to make wool felt, but not the traditional kind of wool felt, but the thin kind that you wear."
Zhao Huasheng didn't know which kind Yunling was referring to, but he grasped the key words and put them on his person.
"You mean you want soft, smooth, and clean wool that can be stretched and patted freely, with specific color and quantity requirements?"
"I don't have any preference for the color, but I'd like to know the price?"
"That's certainly something to talk about."
Zhao Huasheng felt a bit tired of standing, so he simply sat down on the low stool.
Yunling, not wanting to look down at him while speaking, pulled up her trousers and squatted down.
"The wool you want is fifty or sixty coins a pound more expensive than coarse, stiff, or mixed wool. And it has to be clean. The herders have to treat the sheep like royalty when they shear it, making sure it doesn't get wet with urine or feces on the ground. That's another twenty coins a pound for nothing."
"I do business honestly. I won't do it if there isn't enough profit. If I can't make fifty cents a pound from selling wool, I'd rather not do it."
Yunling carefully calculated: sixty, twenty, fifty—that added up to one hundred and thirty coins per pound, plus the original price of the wool.
"Brother, how much does this kind of wool cost per pound?"
"Two hundred cash, but that doesn't include the cost of delivering it to the market. Ordinary wool costs seventy cash a catty, it used to be sixty cash, but the price has gone up this year."
Yunling was delighted. This person's step-by-step calculation of the price with her was much more sincere than a fixed price. Besides, it was two hundred coins per catty, which was one hundred coins less than three hundred coins per catty.
Yunling asked again:
"I want to buy two hundred catties, but I don't know how much it costs to deliver it to the market?"
"Two hundred jin... Do you have a certificate?"
Yun Ling shook her head slightly, and Zhao Huasheng waved his hand, saying:
"Alright, alright, I'll take care of this for you. Just give me seven strings of copper coins, and the rest can be considered as treating me to a simple meal."
"OK!"
Upon hearing that it was seven strings of copper coins, Yunling readily agreed, fearing that this fellow might go back on his word.
"I just don't know how we should make this transaction..."
Zhao Huasheng raised his hand and said:
“That’s simple. After spring arrives, go to the Bianxi Salt Bureau and we’ll exchange money for goods.”
It was that simple. Yunling felt a little uneasy. There was no deposit, no written contract, and no written agreement. What if he stood her up? Wouldn't that leave her disappointed?
"This... I wonder where you live, sir? I'm thinking of doing some wool business in the future, so I'll ask you for help."
"I rent a place in Fushanfang, Tianshui Lane, which is nearby. If you want to find me, just call out 'Zhao Datou' at the entrance of the lane, and someone will come to meet you."
Renting?
Yunling bit her lower lip, feeling uneasy. If she rented a room, wouldn't the person be able to run away at any time? She had finally managed to find someone and negotiate a good price. If they ran away, where would she go to cry?
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