"Sister-in-law, I heard you have some rare treasures to pawn. Would you be willing to let me take a look?"
"Of course. But the bars on your counter are too close together, I'm afraid you won't be able to pass it in. Let me hold it for you and take a look."
It wasn't that they really thought the fence was in the way; they had plenty of ways to remove it. Qin San Niang said that to show how precious the mirror was—a rare treasure, after all, and they couldn't easily part with it.
The shopkeeper watched as the woman carefully put down her basket and then carefully took out a package from it.
Upon opening it, a round object gleaming with dazzling light appeared before one's eyes. It was so bright and shiny that it shone brilliantly, even brighter than the most fashionable bronze mirrors of the time. The surrounding frame, made of an unknown material, also shone with a silvery light, but with a cold, icy gleam, seemingly made of high-purity steel!
At this moment, the shopkeeper had already run to the front hall, rubbing his hands together eagerly, and said...
"Wow, this is really a great product! My sister-in-law was right!"
Upon closer inspection, he felt overwhelmed by the sights. Even with his extensive knowledge, he found this to be something he had never heard of or seen before!
"What is the name of this treasure?"
"This is called a mirror, also known as a peep show. According to my great-great-grandfather, this mirror can reflect a person's face, much more clearly than a bronze mirror, and it will not rust no matter how long it is used. However, the material is fragile and must be carefully preserved. My great-great-grandfather said that he obtained this peep show by chance, and there are only a few left in the world. The others are in the royal palaces of foreign countries, and this is probably the only one in our Central Plains!"
As Qin San Niang recounted the story, the shopkeeper's heart pounded with excitement. "My goodness! A one-of-a-kind treasure! It's a prized possession!" The owner wasn't short of money; while things like jade and precious stones were valuable, they weren't exactly rare. This peep show was different…
"I wonder if my wife would allow me to come closer and take a look?!" He seemed genuinely impatient.
After receiving Qin San Niang's nod of agreement, the shopkeeper hurriedly asked his assistant to bring him a clean cloth, and with a cautious attitude, carefully picked up the mirror and began to look at himself.
This glance was quite something; the youthful-looking shopkeeper squinted his eyes in delight, becoming self-satisfied.
"Oh my, I'm already this old, and my skin is still so firm! Those bronze mirrors can't reflect my handsome appearance at all, can they?"
"Shopkeeper, you're absolutely right! This mirror reflects perfectly!"
The young man thought to himself, "I'm so much prettier, with a face full of collagen, that's what youth is all about! This mirror is so clear, it's like I'm a completely different person, so lifelike! It almost gave me a fright!"
After indulging in their own thoughts for a while, the two of them remembered Qin San Niang and Pang Ya, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
"Madam, this peephole of yours is indeed a fine item. I wonder if you intend to pawn it alive or permanently?"
There's a difference between pawning while alive and pawning while dead. Someone like Qin San Niang would definitely prefer to pawn while dead. She has plenty of mirrors, twenty or thirty of them! Besides, if nothing unexpected happens, she might not come back to Luochuan City, so why would she need to redeem them again?
However, seeing the shopkeeper's eager eyes, Qin San Niang had to appear somewhat reserved, so she kept her eyes down and pondered.
Seeing her expression, the shopkeeper was a little anxious, fearing that she was planning to pawn the magic mirror. This magic mirror was a rare treasure, and if she could get it, the owner would definitely praise her highly. The old man was looking for something to give as a gift at the end of the year.
This thing will definitely catch the eye of the owner; it's perfect as a gift for a distinguished person. Didn't I say it's something only found in foreign royal palaces!
As for whether this is the only one of its kind in the Central Plains, the shopkeeper wouldn't dare to guarantee it, but it is definitely rare. He has traveled all over the country and he wouldn't be so ignorant as to not know this much.
"Madam, look, I really think this phantom peep show is quite good. I'm not lying to you; this pawnshop is one of the best in Luochuan City. And I, your brother, am a man of my word; otherwise, our shop wouldn't have stood the test of time for a century. If you're willing to pawn it outright, I'll give you this amount!"
The young waiter had already discerningly closed the door.
Seeing the shopkeeper hold up five fingers, Qin Sanniang wondered, "Is this fifty taels, five hundred taels, or perhaps five thousand taels?"
Seeing that she remained silent, the shopkeeper became somewhat anxious. "Sister, this amount is really not small. In this chaos of war, apart from the soaring price of grain, nothing else can be sold at a good price!"
His target price was a maximum of one thousand taels; otherwise, he wouldn't make any profit. Besides, even though the item was good, whether the owner would even be interested was another matter. The amount he could control was only one thousand taels.
The reason for initially announcing a price of five hundred taels was to leave ample room for negotiation.
“Look, this is a family heirloom. If I weren’t desperate, I would never have pawned it. To be honest, I’ve heard all about your reputation. There are so many pawnshops along the way, so why did we happen to come to yours? It’s because you have a good reputation and won’t take advantage of us outsiders! Please add a little more! I have a whole family to support!”
Qin San Niang spoke sincerely, almost bursting into tears, which made the listeners feel so sorry for her!
Unexpectedly, this woman was willing to pawn her family's treasures just to support her husband's family. What a wonderful woman!
However, businessmen are businessmen after all. After a brief tug-of-war, the deal was finally struck at seven hundred taels of silver.
"Young lady, look, I have some silver notes from Huitong Draft Bank here. They can be exchanged for money when traveling south."
Thinking that it might be inappropriate for the woman to be carrying so much silver on her journey, and that it was also quite heavy, the shopkeeper kindly reminded her.
In the past, seven hundred taels of silver would indeed have caused Qin San Niang some trouble, but now? She also has a spatial ability! Besides, what reassurance can a silver note have compared to solid, heavy silver?
"Thank you, shopkeeper, but please give me the silver! We're both strong, and carrying silver won't tire us out. As for bandits? I'm not afraid. I have some martial arts skills; I can handle a couple of them!"
I never expected this woman, who looks so petite, to have such abilities!
The shopkeeper couldn't say anything more.
Quickly instruct the shop assistant to fetch the silver. Their shop doesn't have that much silver. There are money exchange shops right next to it on the street behind, so it's convenient to get the silver!
Before long, Qin San Niang received the seven hundred taels of silver she had been dreaming of.
Weigh it in your hand, and you'll see this silver is genuine! Each ingot is the same size, and it's real!
The shopkeeper thoughtfully exchanged fifty taels of silver for smaller pieces, perhaps thinking it would be more convenient for their group to use.
Qin San Niang naturally thanked her repeatedly.
She put all the silver into the basket and covered it with a cloth and other items. In fact, she had already secretly stored the silver in her spatial storage.
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