Chapter 298 Wouldn't it be nice to keep 13 taels for yourself?
Wang Qianer knew Li Lanzhu's personality: she was coquettish and protective.
As expected, Li Lanzhu spoke, but her expression was a little strange: "...Isn't your family quite wealthy? You can't be so poor that you can't afford to pay for even a porcelain bowl? Ask your second brother to pay for it."
Wang Qianer felt something was wrong when she heard these words.
...Hmm? They know each other?
Xing Xing sighed: "Sister Li, that's not what you said. I have money. I said I would pay this sister twice the price of the bowl, but this sister insisted that she bought the bowl for twenty taels..."
Xing Xing pointed at the broken porcelain pieces on the ground.
Li Lanzhu felt a little awkward when Xingxing called her "Sister Li". After hearing the last part, she subconsciously looked at the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, frowned, and said, "No, Wang Qianer, you said you bought this bowl for twenty taels? Where did you buy it? Did you buy it at Xingyuan? How can this bowl be worth twenty taels?"
Wang Qianer was a little embarrassed. She didn't expect that Li Lanzhu actually knew this unfamiliar little girl.
She still felt a little resentful in her heart, because how could she know that the two people knew each other?
Wang Qian'er hesitated: "...It's not Xingyuan, I bought it at a random store. Maybe, maybe I overpaid."
Xing Xing glanced at Li Lanzhu. It seemed like she really believed it. She was furious and was about to go and defend Wang Qianer: "What kind of store is this? How dare they sell a bowl like this for twenty taels?!"
Xing Xing nodded seriously and agreed: "Sister, please tell me the name of the store. Sister Li and I will help you."
Li Lanzhu coughed to hide her discomfort and pretended to be calm: "Yes, I can't let others bully you like this."
Wang Qianer was extremely embarrassed.
How could she really tell the name of the store?
Wang Qian'er gritted her teeth and said, "Forget it... the bowl is broken anyway, and it's not easy to return it... since you are Lanzhu's friend, I will give Lanzhu some face and don't ask you to pay double. Just do as you said before and pay twenty taels."
If the other party had asked for the twenty taels at the beginning, Xingxing would have paid it directly. But now Li Lanzhu was here, so even if Xingxing was willing, Li Lanzhu would not be willing.
"How can I let this little girl pay twenty taels!" Li Lanzhu said angrily, "Qian'er, tell me which shop it is. I'll get the extra money back for you, and I'll have enough to buy a new one."
She glanced at Xing Xing awkwardly, "...don't let that little girl lose."
Wang Qianer didn't expect things to come to this point.
Li Lanzhu pulled her aside and asked her to tell her the shop where she bought the porcelain bowl.
Wang Qian'er stood there in a dilemma. In the end, she could only grit her teeth and force a smile: "... Forget it, forget it. Their things are broken, and it's not easy to ask them to return the money. Otherwise, what will the store think of us?... This thing was originally a birthday gift for Lanzhu, so just consider it as a gift. I won't let this little girl lose money. Let's just forget about it!"
Li Lanzhu was still somewhat dissatisfied.
She felt that Wang Qianer suffered a loss!
Wang Qianer pulled Li Lanzhu and forced a smile, saying, "...Okay, Lanzhu, didn't we agree to go to the theater to watch a play? Let's go quickly so as not to delay the show."
Li Lanzhu was persuaded reluctantly, and Wang Qianer pulled her to the other end of the alley.
Li Lanzhu did not forget to turn around and ask Xing Xing: "...By the way, I haven't asked you your name yet?"
Xing Xing pursed her lips and smiled: "My name is Xing Xing, Yu Xing Xing."
"Xingxing." Li Lanzhu pondered the name, but before she could express her thoughts, she was forcibly dragged away by Wang Qianer.
Now, there were only Xingxing and Siger, a brother and sister, left in the box, and there were also broken porcelain pieces on the ground.
Xing Xing pointed at the broken porcelain pieces on the ground and taught Si Geer: "...Did you see that? Fortunately, only something was broken and no one was hurt. Next time when you run, you must look at the road, understand?"
Siger lowered his head with guilt on his face and nodded.
Xingxing touched Siger's little head, went to the yard to get a broom and a dustpan, and asked Siger to help hold the dustpan. She swept the broken porcelain pieces on the ground into the dustpan little by little and picked up the broken porcelain pieces.
After doing all this, Siger probably felt guilty and went to take a nap obediently.
Xingxing told Wei Sanniang that she wanted to go out and buy some things.
Wei Sanniang sent a maid to accompany Xingxing.
Xingxing started walking from a nearby street.
The first porcelain shop she visited saw a bowl exactly the same as the one that had been broken.
Xingxing compared them carefully and confirmed that they were fired in the same kiln.
She didn't haggle over the price and bought the bowl for seven taels of silver.
But before leaving, Xingxing saw that the porcelain bowl actually came with a matching small bowl. It was exquisite and cute, with matching patterns. Xingxing thought about it and decided to buy both.
Xingxing put the porcelain bowl and the matching small bowl in the brocade box, and took them to a nearby theater.
——Just now she heard that the sister surnamed Li and Wang Qianer were going to the theater.
Judging from the path, since they met nearby, the theater must be nearby.
Sure enough, Xingxing found the theater not long after walking with the golden box in her arms.
At this moment, a play was being sung in the theater.
Xingxing actually liked hearing this, but right now she had to wait for someone, so it was better for her to wait outside.
The area was somewhat empty and there were no shops, so Xingxing simply squatted under the shade of a tree, holding the gold box.
The maid looked distressed and said, "Miss, how about I hold her for you for a while?"
Xing Xing shook her head: "It's okay."
The maid looked around and saw a woman hawking on the street not far away. In the basket in front of her was a bottle of cold drink that had been stirred by well water. After asking Xingxing's opinion, she hurried to the woman and bought some cold drink for Xingxing.
Before they left, Wei Sanniang gave the maid a piece of change and asked her to take Xingxing to buy some delicious food.
After Xingxing finished her cold drink, she and her maid waited for another half an hour before the show ended.
Xing Xing cheered up.
The guests in the theater came out one after another, and Xingxing saw Li Lanzhu and Wang Qianer at a glance.
Xingxing called out "Sister Li" happily and went upstairs carrying the brocade box.
Wang Qian'er was startled, but Li Lanzhu's eyes showed a bit of surprise, but she pretended to be indifferent: "Why are you here?"
Xing Xing didn't mind, and pushed the brocade box in her arms to Wang Qian'er, but she was talking to Li Lanzhu: "...My brother broke a gift that someone else gave to Sister Li. As a sister, I can't just ignore my brother's mistake. This is the same porcelain bowl, and I also put it in the brocade box."
Wang Qian'er was not very happy.
This time when she accompanied Li Lanzhu to watch the opera, her mind was full of the twenty taels of silver she had lost, and she felt pain in her heart.
Twenty taels!
She spent another seven taels of silver to buy a bowl, wouldn't it be nice to keep the thirteen taels for herself?
When she thought of this, Wang Qianer's heart felt like it was burning with pain.