Li Xiangdong started to walk out, but Erhu's mother got anxious and grabbed his arm. "Don't go, young man! Auntie will give you a discount!"
Li Xiangdong stopped in his tracks.
Seeing that there was a chance, Erhu's mother pressed on, "Take it all, even if it's just 100 yuan! You can even use it as firewood!"
At that time, a worker's monthly salary in the city was around 30 yuan, and 100 yuan was equivalent to more than three months' salary for an ordinary worker.
Grandpa Qin blinked. Although he felt the price wasn't cheap, he knew that Erhu's mother was a widow who had lost her job, and it wasn't easy for her either.
Li Xiangdong said reluctantly, "Auntie, you're robbing me! 100 yuan is enough for me to buy so many brand new pieces of furniture!"
Erhu's mother pleaded, "Young man, it's not that your aunt is trying to play the victim. My family is having a really tough time. Dahu is waiting to empty the house to get married, but Erhu won't let us throw away the wood. It's so hard for me!"
"Besides, this wood is really heavy. You spend a lot of money on firewood in the winter!"
After thinking for a long time, Li Xiangdong sighed and said, "Auntie, I see that your situation is really difficult, and for Uncle Qin's sake, I'll just consider it money spent to make friends!"
As he spoke, it seemed he had made a great decision, "100 it is!"
Erhu's mom was overjoyed; this sucker was too easy to fool today!
The deal was done, and the whole house was filled with joy. Erhu's mother and Dahu were happy to receive 100 yuan, and Grandpa Qin was pleased to have facilitated the transaction.
Only Erhu seemed a little disappointed, asking, "How much did you get for it?"
Erhu's mother, afraid he would ruin things, quickly went over and hugged her son, saying, "You made a lot of money! I'll buy you a big chicken leg later!"
Li Xiangdong took out a wad of cash from his pocket, including some one- or two-cent coins and some one- or two-cent coins. He carefully counted out 100 yuan and was about to hand it to Erhu's mother.
Just then, a clear female voice rang out, "Big Tiger, Auntie! I've brought a buyer!"
Erhu's mother, who was about to take the money, suddenly pulled her hand back. Dahu happily went out to greet her, "Lina, what brings you here today?"
Lina gave him a playful glare, "Weren't you supposed to be dealing with that pile of junk? Bring my cousin from my third aunt's family over to take a look!"
Standing next to her was a young man a head taller than her, who glanced around expressionlessly and nodded casually to Da Hu, who called him cousin.
"Lead the way, let's see!"
Li Xiangdong's heart skipped a beat. He carefully examined the newcomer. This was an arrogant and aloof person. He claimed to be Lina's third aunt's eldest cousin, but he didn't even acknowledge Erhu's mother.
The tall man walked into the house on his own, kicked the wood twice, raising a cloud of dust. He covered his nose with his hand and walked out of the house with disgust.
"Lina, is that all?"
"Big cousin, that's quite a lot! This half-room must weigh at least two thousand pounds!"
It was Da Hu who said this, "Big Cousin, how much money do you think you can offer?"
After a moment's thought, the tall man said, "One cent a pound!"
Erhu's mother quickly calculated in her mind that two thousand kilograms of timber could be sold for 20 yuan!
Da Hu figured it out too, and his face turned a little ugly. They had agreed on 100 yuan!
He didn't dare disobey his fiancée, so he pulled her aside and said, "Lina, that guy just offered 100 yuan!"
Lina's eyes widened. "100 yuan?"
Is this pile of junk worth 100 yuan?
Her eyes darted around. "Are you stupid? This guy actually gave 100 yuan, which proves that this pile of timber must be valuable! It seems that Silly Erhu was right!"
Da Hu was instantly excited; his fiancée was indeed clever!
They called the tall guy over, and the three of them whispered among themselves for a long time.
Li Xiangdong thought to himself, "Oh no! I agreed too readily!"
Sure enough, the tall man said to Li Xiangdong, "I'll pay 200 yuan!"
Luo Yonggang and Bai Yulong were both a little angry. Luo Yonggang said loudly to Li Xiangdong, "Xiangdong, there's plenty of timber in the mountains of western Sichuan. We don't need to spend any money!"
Erhu's mother was torn; she wanted to make more money, but she was also afraid that raising the price would drive Li Xiangdong away.
Therefore, his eyes darted around, looking back and forth at Li Xiangdong and the tall man's expressions.
She had completely forgotten how she had just begged Li Xiangdong to buy her things while pleading for poverty and misery.
Grandpa Qin was also angry. He thought to himself that Da Hu Zi's wife was a real troublemaker. Da Hu Zi was greedy and actually set a trap for Li Xiang Dong, but the trap was really crudely made!
Li Xiangdong chuckled coldly, his hands behind his back, "Then you can buy it for 200 yuan!"
After saying goodbye to Grandpa Qin, he took Luo Yonggang and Bai Yulong and prepared to leave!
As the three walked out the door, Da Hu became anxious. The tall guy had mentioned 200 yuan earlier to inflate Li Xiangdong's price, but Li Xiangdong had actually left.
Could it be that this pile of timber isn't a treasure at all?
"Hey, hey, don't go!"
Li Xiangdong ignored him and quickened his pace.
Erhu's mother also realized what was happening at this moment, and rushed over to stop Li Xiangdong, "Young man, let's talk this over, why are you leaving like this!"
Li Xiangdong stopped, sneered, "Auntie, I gave you 100 yuan mainly because of Uncle Qin! This 100 yuan is money I used to befriend Uncle Qin, it's really not just for buying your wood. And you're trying to rip me off! Auntie, that's not fair!"
Even Erhu's mother, with her thick skin, blushed after hearing Li Xiangdong's words. She pleaded, "Young man, please wait for me a moment! Just to give Uncle Qin some face!"
She strode up to the tall man and demanded, "You really gave me 200?"
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