Chapter 149 Obtaining the Space Storage Function
Ping'an Town Pawnshop.
Most of the shops on the street are single-room shops, but the pawnshop occupies three rooms, which is considered a very large shop.
During times of bad harvest, there are many people coming to pawn their things, mostly jewelry, such as bracelets and rings passed down from their ancestors. Some people who think they can turn their lives around will pawn their items, while those who have no hope for the future will choose to pawn their items permanently, as permanent pawnings fetch a higher price and are a one-off transaction.
Because there are so many people coming to the pawnshop, the owner and waiters are very picky and keep the prices very low.
Wanwan came here once on her last trip. She pawned a silver hairpin, a token of love given to her by her former husband. The pawnshop offered her a hundred coins, but she refused. The hairpin is still locked in the cabinet.
Cheng Wanwan stepped inside through the door.
She was dressed in a brown silk dress, her hair was tied up high with a gold hairpin, and her face was made up with old-age makeup, with deep wrinkles and many age spots. She looked very old, but she had an air of grandeur and looked like a servant woman who served her master in a wealthy family.
Although Ping'an Town is small, there are many wealthy families, and half of the shops on the main street are owned by these wealthy families.
The pawnshop clerk greeted her solicitously: "May I ask which lady you are? Is there anything I can help you with?"
Cheng Wanwan coughed, her voice low and rough: "Never mind who I am, just have your manager come out. Our boss has something good to sell."
She spoke with great authority and what she was wearing was indeed unusual. The waiter did not dare to neglect her and invited the shopkeeper out.
The shopkeeper glanced at Cheng Wanwan and wondered to himself which family's old woman in Ping'an Town she was dressed so elegantly. She must be from the Wang family. But the Wang family was so rich, why would they come to a pawnshop to pawn things?
Cheng Wanwan politely asked, "Shopkeeper, may I have a word with you in private?"
The shopkeeper made a gesture to invite her in and took Cheng Wanwan into the inner room.
A waiter attentively served tea.
Cheng Wanwan took a sip of tea and sighed inwardly. It was truly excellent tea; the first time she had tasted such authentic tea since arriving in this era. Thinking this, she took another sip before speaking, "Our master is from the south. After his family fell on hard times, he decided to come to Huzhou to make a living, but unexpectedly, he encountered bandits on the way, and most of his possessions were stolen by them..."
The shopkeeper said silently that it would be a miracle if a woman dressed so gorgeously was not targeted by bandits. It was a very lucky thing that only most of her property was robbed and her life was spared.
“This is a family heirloom passed down from our master’s ancestors. We would never pawn it unless absolutely necessary.” Cheng Wanwan took out a box wrapped in silk cloth from her sleeve, slowly unwrapped it to reveal a red sandalwood box, and carefully opened it. “This is a luminous pearl. Shopkeeper, please give me an estimate.”
In the box was a night-shining pearl that was bigger than an adult's fist. Light shone in through the window, making the night-shining pearl appear crystal clear and dazzling.
The shopkeeper was stunned. He had worked in the pawnshop for two or three decades and had seen all sorts of good things, but this was the first time he had ever seen such a large luminous pearl.
The luminous pearl comes from the sea. If one is lucky enough to obtain one, it will be sent to the capital. It is a rare item that only nobles in the capital can use. When it gets dark, a pearl placed in a room can illuminate every dark corner.
"Our Dong family's ancestor was from the dynasty before us, no, the dynasty before that, the Jin Dynasty. He was a founding father of the Jin Dynasty." Cheng Wanwan lied with her eyes wide open. "This night-shining pearl was given to our Dong family's ancestor by the founding emperor of the Jin Dynasty. It's been passed down for five or six hundred years before it fell into our Dong family's hands. If we hadn't been completely destitute, we wouldn't have thought of selling off our ancestral property..."
The Jin Dynasty was a dynasty that existed six or seven hundred years ago. It is so long ago that it is impossible to verify it.
The shopkeeper immediately got up, closed the door, and drew the curtains, blocking out all the light sources, but the room was still bright.
The luminous pearl inside the box emitted a gentle, soft glow without reservation.
The shopkeeper knew that this was the night pearl!
He took a deep breath, not daring to show his desire too obviously. The luminous pearl had to be pawned; only by pawning it would he have ownership.
He sat down and took a sip of tea: "Night-shining pearls are hard to find in Ping'an Town, but our young master said they are often seen in the capital. The price for such a job in the capital is usually two hundred taels of silver. How about we set the price in Ping'an Town at the same level?"
Cheng Wanwan sneered, "What a cunning businessman."
She spoke calmly, "Our boss is just passing through Ping'an, so naturally it's a dead-end pawn. Shopkeeper, just name a fair price."
The shopkeeper held up five fingers: "Five hundred taels of silver is the highest price I can offer."
"It seems the shopkeeper isn't really interested." Cheng Wanwan closed the box containing the luminous pearl. "It seems I'll have to try my luck in Hekou County."
She put the things in her sleeve, stood up, and was about to leave.
"If you're not satisfied with the price, we can discuss it further," the shopkeeper said hastily, bowing slightly. "How about eight hundred taels of silver?"
Although he had been in Ping'an Town, he was not an ignorant man. He heard that in the capital, smaller night pearls could be bought for three or four hundred taels of silver, and night pearls the size of a baby's fist could be sold for one or two thousand taels of silver. A night pearl as big as the one on the table could probably be sold at a high price of five thousand taels of silver in the capital. After deducting various labor costs and profits, he could only offer a little over one thousand taels at most.
Cheng Wanwan held up two fingers.
She had no intention of sitting down and having a good talk. It seemed that as long as the shopkeeper shook his head, she would immediately turn around and leave.
The shopkeeper, with a bitter expression, said, "Alright, two thousand it is then."
He turned to get the receipt and the banknote. After writing the receipt, he placed it in front of Cheng Wanwan: "Just press your fingerprint."
Without saying a word, Cheng Wanwan pressed her handprint, pushed the luminous pearl over, and put the silver note into her waist pouch.
She didn't want to stay any longer, so she turned around and left the pawnshop.
This luminous pearl is an artificial one that she bought in the mall for 1,700 coins. Artificial luminous pearls have a more stable light source and a wider illumination range, but they emit slight radiation, so they are not popular with modern people.
However, in this era, this luminous pearl should be the largest and best available. Selling it for two thousand taels of silver meant that the pawnshop made a profit.
I really want to buy luminous pearls wholesale and sell them, but the risk is too high, so I can only think about it and give up.
As Cheng Wanwan walked, she kept looking back, afraid that the shopkeeper would send someone to follow her. She quickly walked into an empty alley, took off her outer silk clothes, and removed the jewelry and hairpins from her hands, ears, and hair. She immediately felt much more relaxed.
She clicked on the mall's virtual panel.
[Do you wish to spend 1000 taels of silver to obtain the in-game store storage feature?]
【yes! 】
A square locker, roughly one cubic meter in size, floated on the right side of the mall.
Cheng Wanwan put the pile of disguise clothes she had just bought into the cabinet, and sure enough, the cabinet was filled with more clothes and jewelry.
She put the silver notes she had on her into the box, and no longer had to worry about anyone stealing her things.
But this locker is still too small. It would be better if it could be a little bigger.
[Ding! You can double the size of your in-game store storage locker by spending 5,000 taels of silver.]
Cheng Wanwan: "..."
Five thousand taels of silver, enough to buy two more luminous pearls.
However, if you frequently sell these expensive and rare items, you will definitely be targeted.
Let's wait a month or two and then go to Hekou Town to try it out. At present, one cubic meter of space is enough.
Cheng Wanwan washed off the old-age makeup, tidied herself up, and returned to the bustling street feeling refreshed. Having earned money, she wanted to buy some nice things to reward her children. For the children, the best thing was food.
With Old Mrs. Zhao around, she didn't dare to go too far. She bought a few items and put them in her basket, mainly to cover her tracks so she could easily take advantage of the situation when she got home.
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