Chapter 763 The Unlucky Sister Who Was Married in Exchange (8)
No matter how Liu Shichu tried, he couldn't convince Du Xiuzhu to give him less money, and in the end Liu Shichu still got two taels of silver from him.
After he left with the two small animal wooden sculptures, Liu Shichu felt a little guilty looking at his back, as if he had betrayed a good person?
"Hey, young lady, do you know Mr. Du from Jingzhao Prefecture?" An old man selling sugar paintings nearby asked Liu Shichu, "Tsk, tsk, just two small toys carved out of wood sold for two taels of silver. Young lady, your business is really good!"
The old man was both envious and jealous. He himself only earned a few cents from selling a sugar painting, but when he saw Liu Shichu earn two taels of silver just by selling two wood carvings, how could he not be jealous?
Liu Shichu smiled and said, "Isn't it a coincidence that I met Lord Du? Lord Du is kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see a helpless weak woman like me unable to make business, so he helped me out of kindness. Unlike your sugar paintings, you can sell dozens or hundreds of them all day long, right? You don't have to worry about lack of business... It's different for me. If I'm unlucky, I may not be able to make a single deal in a day, so your sugar painting business is still promising..."
Liu Shichu knew that others' jealousy could easily cause her trouble, so she flattered the old man subtly. The old man's sour thoughts disappeared, and he said proudly: "You are right. Although I can only make a little money from each order, I can sell a lot every day, so I can still make a lot every day... I say, little girl, your wood carvings are too expensive. We are setting up a stall here, facing ordinary people. How many people are willing to spend a tael of silver to buy a small thing that can't be eaten or worn, and can only be looked at?"
"Uncle, you are right. I have no idea about the wood carving business in the capital. I can only set up a stall on the street to understand the market situation first." Liu Shichu said with a sigh.
The old man began to give Liu Shichu some advice: "Your wood carving is well made, but if you put it on the street stall, people will only think it is a toy for children. How can you sell it for a good price? If you take it to those cultural and art stores and sell it to those customers who pretend to be cultured, you may be able to sell it for a good price..."
Liu Shichu's eyes lit up, and he said to the old man gratefully: "Uncle, you really pointed out a good way out for me! Thank you, I'll give you a lucky cat! I wish your sugar painting business will be prosperous..."
As she spoke, she took out a small wooden sculpture of a lucky cat and gave it to the old man. The old man didn't want it at first, but she said it was a lucky cat, so he was happy to accept it. Which businessman doesn't want to get rich? So he didn't refuse.
"Uncle, you are a local of Beijing, right? You are well-informed. Do you know which cultural relics and artifacts shop sells this kind of wood carvings?" Liu Shichu took the opportunity to ask him.
"Haha, you asked the right person. My ancestors for three generations were all Beijing natives. There is nothing I don't know about Beijing. You want to know which antique shop sells wood carvings? There are quite a few..." Liu Shichu's question caught the old man's attention, and he immediately started talking to Liu Shichu incessantly.
Liu Shichu listened attentively. One should not underestimate these local tyrants. They have lived in the capital for most of their lives and are most familiar with the situation. It was really worthwhile for Liu Shichu to buy such information with a small wooden carving of a lucky cat.
The old man boasted about the information Liu Shichu wanted to know without reservation, and at the end he was still not satisfied: "Little girl, do you want to know more about that? I know everything!"
Liu Shichu had already received the information she wanted and was about to say no, but suddenly an idea struck her mind. She remembered Lord Du who had kindly bought her two wood carvings, so she asked, "Master, do you also know Lord Du who just bought something from me? What kind of person is he?"
The old man was just about to show off how well-informed he was, but when he heard her asking about Du Xiuzhu, he said without hesitation, "Of course I know him! Master Du has also been a famous figure in the capital over the years, and his experience is quite legendary..."
"What kind of legendary method is this?" Liu Shichu's eyes lit up and he asked curiously.
"Lord Du's ancestors were from a noble family. I heard that they were meritorious officials who followed the founding emperor of this dynasty to conquer the world. They were successfully granted titles of nobility and were appointed as prime ministers. They were glorious for several generations. However, their descendants were unfilial and lost their titles. They gradually declined. By the time of Lord Du's grandfather, they had become relatively wealthy common people. His grandfather was a playboy when he was young. He was greedy for women and married many concubines and had many children. Because he had no way to manage the family, the family was in a mess, full of intrigue and chaos.
Lord Du’s father was a legitimate son, and he wanted to restore the glory of his ancestors, so he studied hard and wanted to pass the imperial examination to become an official and bring honor to his family. He did have some talent and passed the imperial examination. But when he was about to take the jinshi examination, he suddenly fell into the pond at home two days before the exam. He finally saved his life, but he fell seriously ill and missed the exam. After that, his health deteriorated and he could no longer continue to take the imperial examination..."
Liu Shichu opened his eyes wide: "His father took the imperial examination so seriously, how could he be so careless and fall into the pond two days before the exam?"
The old man smiled mysteriously and said, "You have thought of the key point. Yes, it was his half-brothers who caused Lord Du's father to fall into the pond at such a critical moment. They were jealous that Lord Du's father was about to succeed, and they were afraid that he would retaliate against them after he succeeded, so they simply made him miss the exam."
Liu Shichu nodded in sudden realization, and then sighed, "It seems that Lord Du's uncles have succeeded, and his father's future is really ruined."
The old man said, "The spring examination is in February, and it's very cold. It's a good thing that you don't freeze to death if you fall into the pond. Mr. Du's father lost half his life after a serious illness. His health has deteriorated. He can't continue to study, let alone endure the nine-day examination. So he is destined not to pass the imperial examination."
"Then we can only wait until Lord Du grows up before taking the exam?" Liu Shichu asked.
The old man smiled meaningfully and said, "If that's the case, then what is there worth talking about Mr. Du's experience?"
Liu Shichu suddenly became alert again and asked the old man to continue speaking.
The old man stroked his long beard and said as if he was telling a story: "Master Du's father's lifelong hopes were ruined. How could he be willing to accept this? But Master Du's grandfather protected those who harmed him and asked him not to pursue the matter further. Master Du's father was so disheartened that he had to accept his fate.
But there was one person who was unwilling to accept her fate, and that was Lord Du's grandmother. She had suffered all her life because of her husband's lust for women, and had to fight with concubines and illegitimate children. She saw that her son was about to have a bright future, but in the end, it was ruined by her enemies. She was very unwilling to accept this, so she did something earth-shattering. "
(End of this chapter)
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