"What are you all doing? The buyer hasn't even said anything yet. I set a price, but I didn't say I couldn't bargain. Honestly!" The stall owner was really getting impatient.
Yan Xiaonan laughed. This stall owner was really cute: "You asked for an exorbitant price, so I'll offer a lower price, ten yuan."
"Haha, haha, this girl is interesting."
"It wasn't a girl; I didn't hear that handsome man say she was his wife."
"Oh, those two kids over there, could they be hers? They're so young."
"It's possible, let's wait and see."
"Okay, okay, but ten yuan seems a bit low. Adding five more yuan will be about right."
"Why would you buy that piece of scrap metal? It can't even be used to turn on a coal stove, and it's too short to hit someone."
The onlookers were chattering away, all staring at the stall and unwilling to leave. It had been a long time since it had been this lively; how could they not watch?
Ye Chenming held Ye Tianru's hand tightly, while Yan Xiaonan also held Ye Yushu's hand. In crowded places, one must keep a close eye on one's children.
"Ma'am, you're too ruthless! I definitely won't be able to sell it for that price," the stall owner said dejectedly.
"Then give us your lowest price. Don't try to be clever. Give us your real bottom line. If we still can't accept it, then there's nothing we can do," Ye Chenming said seriously.
The stall owner's eyes darted around. The cost price of this copper rod-like thing was forty yuan. He originally didn't want it, but the stall owner said it was a Ming Dynasty scholar's pen, which sounded nice, so he bought it.
"Two hundred yuan, no bargaining. Take it or leave it," the stall owner said firmly, though his heart was pounding. "May the gods of all lands bless me and grant me good fortune for my opening."
Yan Xiaonan took out twenty ten-yuan bills from his bag and handed them to the stall owner. Yu Shu quickly took the judge's pen from his hand.
When the stall owner saw how readily Yan Xiaonan agreed, he was filled with regret. He should have asked for 500 yuan. The Holy Emperor was truly too sagacious.
The stall owners were amazed at how readily Yan Xiaonan bought things. He handed over two hundred yuan for that broken stick, something they thought was too expensive even at ten yuan, without batting an eye.
They shouted even louder, this time targeting Tianru. A little girl wanted a copper rod, and her parents were so willing to pay for it. Wouldn't a boy be even more precious?
Tianru looked indifferently at the junk on the stalls on both sides, her eyes showing no change whatsoever.
Yu Shu, on the other hand, had a very quick eye. Sometimes she would pause for a second or two before continuing on her way.
An hour and a half later, Yu Shu had seen all the stalls in the flea market, but she didn't buy anything else.
Not only were the stall owners disappointed, but Yan Xiaonan was also disappointed. In such a large market, there must be at least several thousand or tens of thousands of items, if not hundreds of thousands or millions.
So many things turned out to be fakes, and this copper rod, oh, it's a judge's pen, it doesn't look real at all.
Just as they were about to leave, an old man who looked to be over fifty years old blocked their way.
The old man stared intently at the bronze staff in Yu Shu's hand and said in a hoarse voice, "Young lady, could you let me take a look at the bronze staff in your hand?"
Yu Shu gripped the copper rod tightly and took a step back. Although she didn't say anything, her refusal was quite obvious.
The old man didn't give up. He took out a dark brown stone from his pocket and said, "How about we switch?"
Yan Xiaonan took the copper rod from Yu Shu's hand, put it in his bag, and looked at the old man, saying:
"Sir, please make way, we're heading back."
The old man stared at Yan Xiaonan's handbag for a moment. He could no longer sense any spiritual energy in it. Could this bag be a magical artifact?
Yu Shu stared at the stone in the old man's hand, her eyes narrowing into slits like a cat's and turning golden.
In just two or three seconds, Yu Shu's eyes returned to normal, but the old man's hand trembled, and the spiritual energy in the stone disappeared.
He stared intently at Yan Xiaonan. Only this woman might be secretly plotting something, but apart from putting the copper rod into her bag, she hadn't done anything else.
He's from a special department, so maybe we can find a way to arrest this woman and see if she's the one behind it all.
"That bronze rod you just used might be an antique. It needs to be appraised by the relevant authorities, so please come with me," the old man said sternly.
"Which department are you from? What right do you have to make us follow you? Or are you trying to pocket something good and using your department to cover up your greedy heart?"
Ye Chenming handed Tianru over to Yan Xiaonan and stepped forward to speak.
The old man was taken aback. Normally, if he spoke like that, the other party would automatically hand over what they were holding. Of course, he wouldn't take it for free; he would give them the full amount he was owed.
“You don’t need to know which department I’m from. Come on, come with me,” the old man said, pointing at Yan Xiaonan.
Yan Xiaonan smiled, a smile that gave the old man a bad feeling. Sure enough, Ye Chenming made his move.
Ye Chenming was a soldier who had served in the army for several years, and his hand and foot skills were quite good.
The old man quickly stepped back. His special ability was to find treasures; he could sense any treasures nearby.
Just as Ye Chenming was about to kick the old man down, a man jumped out and blocked the old man's path.
Yan Xiaonan immediately recognized them as guards providing covert protection, and narrowed her eyes: "Who exactly are you people, daring to attack public officials?"
Upon hearing this, the old man felt a pang of regret, regretting that he hadn't properly ascertained the other person's identity before rashly intimidating them.
"Young lady, listen to me, that bronze rod of yours might really be an antique. I, I am an appraiser." The old man said urgently, even uttering the words "appraiser."
The person who blocked the old man's way quickly showed his ID, and in a flash, he put it into his pocket.
"Is that your ID or this old man's?" Yan Xiaonan asked, noticing the blue ID.
“It belongs to Teacher Zhou, but I don’t have any identification,” the man said.
Yan Xiaonan nodded. She understood that man's profession. Weren't there plenty of people like that in his family? Even when he came to Shanghai this time, he had these people with him.
However, these people have one advantage: they won't come out if your life or person is safe.
Ye Chenming waved his hand, a signal to have someone come out and handle these matters.
Sure enough, when the old man saw Ye Chenming and the other three leave, he wanted to follow them, but was stopped by someone.
They were all in the same profession. The person in front of the old man pulled him back silently, which was also a signal that he was about to leave.
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