Chapter 19 Purchase of Items
After breakfast the next day.
The Wang brothers took Xie Shuangbai to Carpenter Zhang's house.
As soon as you arrive at the door, you can see from outside that the yard is full of wood.
Wang Shunyi called out from the door, "Uncle Zhang, are you home?"
A man poked his head out from behind a pile of wood and came forward quickly when he saw them.
"Why is Shunyi here? My father is not here."
"It's okay, Brother Mu. It's okay even if Uncle Zhang isn't here. We just want to see if you have any tables and chairs. We brought Xie Xiaoxiu to take a look."
The man called Mu Tou was the son of Carpenter Zhang. He worked with Carpenter Zhang and everyone in the village called him Mu Tou.
Even if Zhang Mutou didn't go out, he knew what happened in the Xie family a few days ago. This little scholar was also a poor man.
"It just so happens that a few days ago I made tables and chairs for a family in town, but they suddenly didn't want them anymore. Take a look and see if you like them. They're made of high-quality materials."
As they were speaking, they were led into a room where many finished items were placed.
Xie Shuangbai fell in love with a large round table at first sight.
This table is large but exquisite, and can seat about seven or eight people.
As expected, Zhang Mutou pointed at the large round table and said distressedly, "This table has just been made, the paint has dried, and it's made of high-quality wood. Do you like it?"
"How much is this table worth?"
"Do you want a chair? It also has matching chairs."
As Zhang Muto spoke, he and his wife moved a few round stools out from the inner room.
After moving the chairs, Zhang Mutou's wife went back to the inner room.
He looked at Xie Shuangbai and said nervously:
"If you want the whole set... just give me 800 wen."
He was afraid that the price would scare Xie Shuangbai, so he quickly said, "The deposit for these tables and chairs is too low. It's not even enough to cover the cost of the wood. Now I just want to get my original investment back."
The Wang brothers thought it was not cheap, as a set of tables and chairs usually cost less than a hundred coins.
But the material of this round table is really good, and it looks new, so it can be passed down from generation to generation.
Xie Shuangbai looked at the table. It was made of solid materials and the color matched the room. He thought about it and realized that the main room was very large and the table was a suitable size. The workmanship was also good and it had carvings. Although he didn't care about these things, he still wanted something nice.
He turned his head and saw a log smaller than the table standing against the wall. "What is this?"
"I originally thought this table could make money, so I started selling it as a small business, but in the end..."
"Could you make me a turntable out of this log?"
Zhang Mutou asked, "What do you mean?"
Xie Shuangbai carefully explained the principle of the turntable to him, and his eyes lit up.
"Can you do it? If so, how much will it cost to add this?"
"I can do it, I can do it." Zhang Mu said anxiously, rubbing his rough hands on his clothes, and replied nervously: "It will only take two days, and an additional 50 coins."
"50 wen?"
Zhang Mutou looked embarrassed: "This can't be any cheaper."
Xie Shuangbai explained: "I'm wondering if it's too little."
"Ah?" Zhang Mutou didn't react for a moment.
"Such good wood should cost at least 100 wen."
Xie Shuangbai didn't want to take advantage of the situation. Such a good table top only cost 50 wen, which was probably not enough to pay for the wood.
Zhang Mutou didn't know how to express his feelings at this moment. The 50 wen he asked for was indeed not enough for Mu Mu's money. He wanted to give it half as compensation. No wonder everyone in the village said that the young scholar was a very good person.
"Brother Zhang, please help me move the tables and chairs to the Xie family's old house at the end of the village, and then bring this back in two days.
Zhang Mutou reacted slowly: "Oh...oh, okay."
Wang Shunyi asked from the side: "What else do you need? Take it all."
Xie Shuangbai thought about it and realized that it was true.
He also picked out a lot of small items that would be used in daily life.
He paid for the small items first, and would settle the bill for the table in two days.
Zhang Mutou and the Wang brothers took three attempts to pull the things back.
Xie Xiachan looked at the tables and chairs in the main room and exclaimed, "Brother, you bought such a big table!"
"Brother, we don't need something this big for the four of us!"
Xie Qiushi was also stunned.
Xie Shuangbai smiled: "Good furniture can be passed down from generation to generation, it's worth it."
"I also bought a lot of things for daily use, you can go and have a look."
He had just picked out a chopping board, a rolling pin, a large wooden spoon, a small spoon, some bowls and chopsticks, a bucket and a wooden basin, as well as wooden jars of various sizes.
Thinking about the big iron pot that he had ordered when building the stove a few days ago, which had not been taken away yet, Wang Shunfa volunteered to help him get the iron pot back.
The iron pot was not cheap. It cost me two taels of silver at the time.
Wang Shunfa looked at the bare kitchen and said, "You don't have anything here, how are you going to cook tonight? I'll bring over a bag of rice and flour from home."
There was no way Xie Shuangbai was familiar with the villagers and there was no grocery store in the village, so he could only go to the Wang family, whom he was most familiar with, to buy things.
He said, "Okay, but I have to pay you, otherwise I don't want it."
Xie Shuangbai knew that rice and flour were not cheap. A pound of brown rice cost 8 cents, polished rice cost 18 cents, and white flour cost 17 cents. Before, Aunt Cui at Wang's house made him all white flour buns.
If he goes to get it now, he will be too embarrassed to do so. He has to give the money no matter what.
Seeing that he was very firm, the Wang brothers could not refuse: "Okay, what else do you want?"
"I also want some vegetables, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and eggs."
"We have all of these. I pick whatever vegetables are available in our garden."
Wang Shunfa saw that he had nothing and said, "Why don't you just stop cooking tonight and come home with us to eat. I'll bring you something while I'm at it."
Xie Shuangbai thought about it and it worked.
They went to Wang's house for dinner again in the evening.
As soon as he reached the door, Tiantian, who was playing in the yard, heard his voice and ran out immediately, watching him crying in grievance.
Seeing how aggrieved she was, Xie Shuangbai quickly picked her up, rubbed her little golden bead, and said softly, "Tiantian, you missed me, didn't you?"
"I miss my brother!" The little girl hugged Xie Shuangbai's neck tightly.
The little face rubbed against his.
Wang Shunyi wanted to laugh when he saw this.
This girl is really good!
Cui also heard the noise and came out of the kitchen.
"What a coincidence! I was just about to call you guys, but now your dinner is ready. I don't have to call you anymore."
Seeing her granddaughter clinging to Xie Shuangbai again, Cui shook her head and said, "What are we going to do if you like this handsome man so much?"
Xie Shuangbai looked at Xiao Tiantian with a smile, and Xiao Tiantian also looked at him with a silly smile.
After dinner, Xie Shuangbai and Cui said they wanted to buy some rice, flour, oil and vegetables.
Cui agreed without hesitation.
Finally, he persuaded Cui to accept his money.
"Tomorrow the butcher Zhang is slaughtering a pig, and I happen to want to buy one, so I asked Shunyi to bring it to you."
"Okay, thank you, Auntie!"
"You're still so polite to your aunt!"
Xie Shuangbai coaxed Xiao Tiantian to play for a while and then went back.
The Wang brothers carried ten kilograms of white flour, ten kilograms of buckwheat noodles, and ten kilograms of brown rice.
Xie Shuangbai was holding a block of salt and some miscellaneous mountain products.
Xie Qiushi and the other two were holding oil jars and some miscellaneous beans.
It took them a quarter of an hour to get home. After putting the items into the kitchen, Xie Shuangbai looked at the pile of ingredients and muttered, "It wouldn't be bad to open a grocery store."
In the past, in the countryside, the small shop in their village made a lot of money.
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
