He turned and went to the toilet to wash his shoes.
After leaving the bathroom, Rong Zhaonan returned to his room and couldn't help but look at the small floral pillow on the new bed opposite him.
He reached out and gently touched her pillow, then realized what he was doing.
Rong Zhaonan's expression turned cold, and he simply lay back on his old bed, closing his eyes to rest.
However, after sharing a bed for several months, he actually got used to having someone sleeping next to him.
I wonder when that woman will come back.
I hope I haven't run into some bad trouble again.
He was completely unaware that his mind was filled with the image of a petite and slender woman.
...
This side of the flea market.
Ning Yuan was having lunch with Brother Tu and Uncle Liu when she looked at the antiques and secondhand goods in front of the stall and hesitated before saying—
"Besides the local produce, Grandpa asked me to bring out a family heirloom bowl, hoping to exchange it for New Year's money..."
While munching on a steamed bun, Brother Tu patted his chest, looking like he was duty-bound to help: "Little sister, why didn't you say so earlier? Brother Tu would have helped you check the goods. If they're good, I'll take them for you!"
"He who takes a bribe is bound to do his bidding; he who eats another's food is obligated to do his bidding. Please take a look at this poor little girl."
Uncle Liu nodded, "I'll take a look for you too."
This was exactly the effect Ning Yuan wanted: having an industry insider to help inspect the goods, making it much easier to cheat people in front of everyone.
She carefully took the bowl from the bottom layer of straw bales in the basket.
When the white porcelain bowl was brought out, Tu Ge's eyes lit up: "Wow, there really is a good item from the Yongzheng period!"
Uncle Liu and several other uncles and paternal men around him were in the business of buying and selling secondhand and antique goods, so they were certainly knowledgeable about them.
A group of people huddled together and watched for a long time.
"Ding!" Tu Ge carefully tapped the porcelain bowl with his fingernail, then examined it for a long time.
He couldn't help but smack his lips: "Tsk, this porcelain glaze, this enamel, is really good!"
Ning Yuan looked at Tu Ge with anticipation: "Tu Ge, how much is this bowl worth?"
Tu Ge hesitated for a moment. He originally thought they were just some old, broken porcelain bowls. These days, who doesn't have a few of these old items at home?
Because the girl was sweet-talking and pitiful, he was willing to buy her at the highest price to help her out.
Surprisingly, it's actually a really good product.
This isn't something you can just collect for a few dollars. People are greedy; there's no such thing as a merchant without guile.
He hesitated for a moment, then feigned distress: "This is alright, but it's not a set, and it's white. If you want a complete set with blue glaze, the price will go up."
Upon hearing what Brother Tu said, Uncle Liu and the others knew that he was planning to buy it at a lower price, and their expressions were somewhat strange.
But in this industry, how many people can avoid negotiating prices?
If someone makes an offer first, according to industry practice, they cannot place another offer. This is malicious competition and a bad rule.
Ning Yuan smiled at Brother Tu as if she knew nothing about the situation: "I believe you are a good person and will definitely give me a reasonable price. How much do you want?"
Tu Ge seemed to grit his teeth, and made a gesture: "This thing is only fifteen yuan, I'll take it for you, remember how good I am to you."
Uncle Liu frowned. This guy was just indignant and treated me like an older brother, and now he's trying to scam the little girl?
But he couldn't very well undermine him.
Ning Yuan looked surprised: "Really? You're offering this price?!"
Tu Ge looked at Ning Yuan's expression as if he was surprised that his offer was so 'high'.
He rolled his eyes, then sighed as if he had suffered a great loss: "Yes, I only offered such a high price because I felt sorry for you."
After all, she only made less than ten yuan from that bag of mountain produce this morning, despite all her hard work.
A bowl costs fifteen yuan, which is almost the wage of the lowest-level apprentice. It's no wonder the little girl was shocked.
Ning Yuan's face suddenly fell, she snatched the bowl back from Tu Ge's hand, and started lecturing him non-stop—
"This is a bowl from the imperial kiln during the Yongzheng period. The color, the rich and lustrous glaze, the exquisite mark on the bottom, and the enamel—aren't they all masterpieces from the palace?"
"This white enamel bowl is much more valuable than the blue one; a complete set is an extremely rare and exquisite piece!"
"Someone offered to buy this bowl from the countryside for 100 yuan, but my grandfather wouldn't sell it!"
Whether it was in the palace or not, she didn't know; she just made things up anyway.
Enamel bowls from the Yongzheng period were indeed valued for their white background, as only a white background could better showcase the exquisite enamel colors!
Ning Yuan rattled off a string of words like a machine gun, stunning everyone.
This seemingly clueless village girl actually knows so much.
She lowered her head, looking aggrieved, her shoulders shaking: "Grandpa said that a girl like me would be cheated if I came out to sell good things. I said there are more good people than bad in the world. Brother Tu, you even ate my steamed buns, why are you bullying me?"
The crowd's gazes toward Tu Ge were immediately filled with accusation.
Uncle Liu quickly comforted Ning Yuan: "Little sister, don't cry. Don't forget your uncle. I would never lie to you. I'll take your bowl for 110 yuan!"
Tu Ge's expressions were priceless—was this little girl from the countryside?
She's not clueless at all; she's very knowledgeable, and everything she says is expert jargon.
He glared at Uncle Liu, annoyed: "Uncle Liu, you're just pretending to be kind to steal my business. That's against the rules of the trade!"
Uncle Liu retorted just as angrily: "Even the rules of the trade don't allow you to bully a young girl like this. Her husband ran away, she's already pitiful enough, and she still has grandparents to support!"
Several other stall owners chimed in, "That's right, how can you do that? Who's risking being charged with speculation and profiteering to sell things if not to support their family?"
Firstly, they had also eaten Ning Yuan's steamed buns, and since they all knew each other, it wouldn't be good to see her get scammed.
Secondly, this girl is knowledgeable, and it's obvious that she can't be cheated, so it's better to do her a favor.
Tu Ge was both frustrated and angry; he should have known better than to eat her steamed buns.
He leaned closer to Ning Yuan and said with a grin, "Little sister, I misjudged you for a moment. Give me a chance to make it up to you. I'll give you 120 yuan."
Uncle Liu's face darkened as he saw that the other man was still bidding against him: "You..."
"What do you mean, 'I'? According to the rules, I speak first and inspect the treasure first, so I have the right to receive the goods first!" Brother Tu said bluntly.
Ning Yuan was secretly pleased. Yes, this was the effect she wanted after spending the whole morning at the secondhand market!
If everyone hadn't gotten to know each other, Uncle Liu and his group wouldn't have raised the price.
She lowered her eyes, looking honest and innocent: "Grandpa said he would only consider selling it if it cost 150 yuan."
Upon hearing this, Tu Ge's eyes widened: "One hundred and fifty yuan? Why doesn't he just rob someone?"
If we take this stuff to the channels in the southeast and sell it, we can get a few hundred yuan for it, but that's after it's changed hands several times!
How could the flea market in their small county be so expensive! How could they possibly make a profit?
Not to mention Brother Tu, even Uncle Liu and the others didn't look too good.
One hundred and fifty yuan is more than two months' salary for a skilled top technician with decades of experience!
Ning Yuan reached out and took the straw, starting to wrap the bowl, saying, "Grandpa said he would rather starve than sell his family heirlooms cheaply. People from the southeastern provinces come to buy this and can sell it for several hundred yuan."
Grandpa Tang's name is really useful.
When Tu Ge and Uncle Liu, along with several other stall owners, heard what Ning Yuan said, their expressions changed.
This group includes both locals and people from other places.
However, due to various reasons, they did not have formal jobs and were called hooligans, traveling all over the country by hitching rides on trains to collect goods.
They certainly knew that the southeastern provinces referred to those bordering Hong Kong and Fujian.
I never expected the little girl's grandfather to know so much; he must be quite an ordinary person.
Uncle Liu frowned and glanced at Brother Tu, then suddenly asked, "Are you going to accept it or not? If not, I'll take it."
Tu Ge hesitated: "This... is too expensive."
It's not that there's no profit if we take it, but the profit margin will be much smaller.
Ning Yuan looked at Uncle Liu and asked, "Uncle, are you really going to accept it?"
Just as Uncle Liu was about to speak, Brother Tu suddenly raised his voice: "Alright, one hundred and fifty yuan, I'll take it!!"
Uncle Liu's face fell completely: "You rascal..."
Tu Ge chuckled dryly, "It's the rule of the trade, the rule of the trade, brother, you're too kind!"
After saying that, he didn't even look at Uncle Liu, but turned to Ning Yuan: "Is that alright? Little sister, wrap it up for me, and wrap it carefully!"
Ning Yuan smiled sweetly: "Okay, sure."
She quickly packed his things.
Tu Ge then pulled out a handful of money from the innermost pocket of his underwear and counted out fifteen ten-yuan bills.
He pointed and pointed, grimacing, and reluctantly handed it to Ning Yuan: "Here, here, little sister, keep it safe."
Ning Yuan: "..."
She was reluctant to accept the money, which reeked of men's underwear...
She hasn't even touched Rong Zhaonan's underwear!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
