Bai Nuo went inside and looked around the fabric shop. The shop was about the size of a classroom, with three rows of tables. On the tables were a lot of fabrics, which seemed to be neatly arranged by category. There were quite a few customers. Inside, a woman in red and a little girl were moving back and forth. She heard people calling the woman in red "Manager Jiang" and "Third Sister" at different times. Bai Nuo guessed that the woman in red was called Third Sister Jiang.
"Miss, what do you need?" As soon as Bai Nuo stood inside the fabric shop, Jiang San Niang saw her and said to the person next to her, "Sir, please choose first." Then she went to Bai Nuo's side and smiled familiarly, "Shall I introduce you to something?"
Bai Nuo discreetly observed Jiang San Niang, inwardly marveling at her beauty. Her hair was styled in the current fashion for unmarried young women, a high bun on top of her head, with the rest tied up with a ribbon and cascading gently over her shoulders. She had an oval face, almond-shaped eyes, a small, straight nose, full red lips, fair skin, bright eyes, and a slender figure. Her exposed fingers were long, white, and her nails pink, making Bai Nuo envious. The girl's hands were truly beautiful. She was five feet tall, wearing a jacket and a long, ankle-length blue skirt, appearing both gentle and graceful yet neat and efficient.
Bai Nuo wasn't there to buy anything; on the contrary, she felt she hadn't come to the wrong place and even wanted to sell her pearl bracelet here. Jiang San Niang came to greet her, and Bai Nuo straightened her chest, looking quite self-assured, "Let me see what you have here first?" She showed no embarrassment at not buying anything.
"Alright, you can take a look first..." Jiang San Niang didn't insist. She called a young girl from the cloth shop to introduce Bai Nuo and went to greet the guests herself.
The little girl looked quite young, with a round face and two little pigtails on her head. She was very cute. As soon as she got to Bai Nuo, she skipped around and asked, "Sister, what do you want?"
"Ahem!" Bai Nuo couldn't help but cough. She wanted all the fabrics here, but she had no money. However, Bai Nuo was never one to show weakness in front of others, so she pretended to be someone who really wanted to buy something but didn't know what to buy. "Tell me what kind of fabrics you have here, and how much do they cost?"
"Oh!" The round-faced girl nodded. "Sister, is this your first time here? We have cotton, linen, and silk fabrics. Which one would you like?" The round-faced girl led her back and forth between the three rows of tables, introducing the fabrics to her. Although the girl was young, she was not shy and was quick-witted.
"What's your name? My name is Bai Nuo!" Bai Nuo easily became familiar with the round-faced girl, chatting casually while looking at the fabric.
"My name is Jiang Qiao'er, and that's my older sister..."
"Which fabric has caught your eye, young lady?" Bai Nuo had been talking to Qiao'er the whole time, and when Jiang San Niang stopped, Bai Nuo was still looking at the fabric, so she came over.
The moment has finally arrived! Bai Nuo pursed her lips and smiled shyly, "To be honest, shopkeeper, I'm not here to buy cloth, I'm here to sell something!"
"Huh?" Qiao'er jumped up as soon as Bai Nuo said this, her mouth wide open in shock. "You didn't come here to buy fabric?"
“You’re joking, young lady…” Jiang San Niang wasn’t angry. She shook her head and said, “This is a cloth shop. I have my own supply channels. I’m afraid there’s not much business for me to do with you, young lady.”
"Don't rush to refuse me, shopkeeper..." Bai Nuo wasn't afraid of being rejected, and directly took out the pearl bracelet. "I only sell this. If you like it, we can make a deal. If you don't like it, just consider it an interruption."
"What is this?" Jiang San Niang was stunned for a moment, looking at the necklace in Bai Nuo's hand. "This isn't gold or silver, is it?" She had never seen beads made of this material before.
“No, Pearl!” Bai Nuo said calmly.
"Sister" Jiang Qiao'er leaned closer, staring longingly at the necklace in Bai Nuo's hand, "This bracelet is so pretty."
Then, she reached out to take it, but Jiang San Niang pulled her back. "Qiao'er, the bracelet isn't ours."
Upon hearing this, Bai Nuo was quite disappointed. Such a pretty young lady didn't want the bracelet; was she going to wear it herself? Although Bai Nuo was disappointed, she showed no expression on her face and didn't say anything. Just as she was about to leave, Jiang San Niang asked, "How much do you sell this bracelet for?"
Bai Nuo almost jumped for joy at the thought of finding something he had lost, but he suppressed his elation and said calmly, "Twenty taels." He then added, "Ten taels of silver will do. I want to use the rest to buy some cloth from you, Manager Jiang. You won't lose out. Although the price is a bit high, these beads are only found in my hometown. They're beautiful, and you can wear them yourself or resell them."
Jiang San Niang couldn't help but ask, "Then why don't you sell it to someone else? Perhaps you could get a higher price."
Bai Nuo placed the bracelet in Jiang San Niang's hand, looking helpless. "I need the money urgently. Besides, a treasure is meant for a beautiful woman. If I go elsewhere, I'm afraid people won't appreciate its value."
Jiang San Niang believed that Bai Nuo was in urgent need of money. As soon as Bai Nuo came in, Jiang San Niang could tell that Bai Nuo was not rich. However, she did not take the latter part of Bai Nuo's words to heart.
"Qiao'er, give the young lady ten taels of silver." Then, Jiang San Niang put the bracelet on her wrist.
Bai Nuo flattered Jiang San Niang with a few more nice words, and Jiang San Niang's smile became even more sincere. She even helped Jiang San Niang choose the fabric.
Bai Nuo only buys cotton fabric. Linen is too poor quality, and silk is too expensive for Bai Nuo to afford. Cotton fabric is Bai Nuo's best choice.
"Third Sister..." Just as Bai Nuo was about to leave after taking the silver and cloth, two more people entered the cloth shop, a man and a woman. The man was younger and looked about the same age as Jiang San Niang, while the woman was in her forties. They were both dressed in silk and looked like they came from a wealthy family.
As soon as Jiang San Niang saw the two people, she said to Bai Nuo, "Miss, if you still have this bracelet, give it to me. I'll take it, and I won't give it to you." Then she went to greet the two people and called out softly, "Zi Qing, Auntie."
"Third Sister, we're going to Grandfather's house. Will you come with me?" Jiang San Niang's husband said, holding Jiang San Niang's hand.
"What do you want her to do?" Unexpectedly, the old woman said, "Don't you even know what she does? Sending her there will only make your grandfather angry. Hurry up and bring out your best fabrics and give me another twenty taels of silver."
Bai Nuo swore that she only wanted to tie up the cotton cloth and did not intend to stay and watch this scene.
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