Hong Xiaoduo didn't respond to the shopkeeper's words. Instead, she pulled Feiyan aside and whispered in her ear, "You know best about buying zithers. How are the prices at this music store? Are they overpriced?"
Upon hearing Yao Guang and Yu Heng's words, Fei Yan's previously excited mood suddenly turned into a bit of sadness. Just because she was an adult, just because she could play, did she deserve to buy such an expensive zither?
This price, even before the family suffered misfortune, meant that her father, who was considered to be spoiling his daughter, had only bought the zither for sixty taels of silver. Even so, it caused the sisters in the family to be jealous for a long time, saying that their father was biased.
Feiyan wanted to say that she didn't want the expensive one anymore, and would just buy the one the shopkeeper had just mentioned, which cost fifteen taels each. She also wanted Yaoguang and Yuheng to each have one, so the three of them could use the same one.
Before she could even open her mouth, Hong Xiaoduo asked this question.
“My former teacher, who taught me the zither, owned a music shop. The one you just bought for me would cost at least this much in my teacher’s shop,” Fei Yan said, holding up one hand to Hong Xiaoduo, which was five hundred taels.
"The price of zithers varies greatly because of the different materials used in their decoration. The headstock, tailstock, and bridges are more expensive if they are made of better materials, such as ivory, jade, or agate. There are also different types of wood used for zithers, such as rosewood and mahogany."
Then there's the craftsman who makes the instrument; if he's a famous craftsman, the price will be very high. Some will even commission renowned painters to paint, inscribe, or carve on it, instantly increasing the value of the zither.
Actually, cheap ones aren't necessarily bad. If you look carefully, you can buy a good zither at a low price. Or else...
"Alright, I understand what you're saying. Although I'm not completely ignorant, my ears won't lie to me. I can still tell whether the zither's sound quality is good or bad."
Don't feel bad about buying such an expensive instrument, or feel uncomfortable about it. I know that you zither players cherish your instruments very much. A zither can be used for a long time if it is properly maintained.
"Although Yuheng and Yaoguang are young, they are very serious about everything they learn and won't give up halfway. So, you should pick out a good one for each of them, so they can get it right away and won't have to replace it later." Hong Xiaoduo interrupted Feiyan.
Oh? If it's three tables, that's almost a thousand taels!
Upon hearing her words, Fei Yan, Yu Heng Yao Guang, and even the manager of the music shop could hardly believe it.
The music store owner just felt that he was so lucky today. He couldn't sell a single zither at this price point in a year or so, and he was about to close up shop today, yet he managed to sell three.
In other big places, high-end musical instruments sell very well. Even zithers costing thousands of yuan can find buyers. But it's not the same here. In this small town, there are wealthy people, but they are not at the level of being willing to spend hundreds of taels of silver to buy musical instruments for their little girls.
The other party looked unfamiliar; they probably weren't from this town. Perhaps they were guests of some wealthy family? Or maybe they were just passing through.
The boys present didn't think about these things. They only knew that their mother was willing to spend money on her own people. As for whether the money would be enough in the future, what did it matter? They could just not buy new clothes, not eat snacks, and not stay in the best rooms at the inn. They could still sleep in the dormitory!
Feiyan saw Hongxiaoduo urging her to choose a zither with her eyes. After hesitating for a moment, she went to choose one. Yuheng and Yaoguang looked at each other, a little confused. Did she really buy such an expensive zither for herself?
Feiyan carefully tested the instruments again, then pointed to three of them and nodded to Hong Xiaoduo.
"I've picked them out for you, you can choose whichever you like," Hong Xiaoduo said, gently nudging the two girls who seemed a little lost.
The two girls subconsciously looked towards Tian Shu, and seeing that he had nodded, they stepped forward excitedly, while cautiously looking at the three platforms that Fei Yan was pointing to.
Even if you sold the two girls for a good price, it wouldn't be worth a fraction of the price of this zither, which is the same price as the one that Sister Feiyan owns.
The most important factor, sound quality, has already been chosen; the two girls are only selecting based on their preferred appearance.
Ultimately, I chose a kite with a bright and beautiful zither, the head and tail of which were inlaid with shell carvings of flowers and birds.
Yuheng chose a zither with orchid and butterfly patterns painted on the head and tail.
"Look, shopkeeper." Seeing that the two young ladies had made their choices, Hong Xiaoduo smiled and looked at the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper immediately said, "Young lady, you don't need to say anything, I understand. I'll give you 760 taels for all three tables. Is that alright, young lady?"
He didn't know the other party would actually buy two more. The price he just sold was already the lowest he could offer, so these two can only be reduced by this much.
Although lowering the price wouldn't result in a loss, that's not how business works. Music stores don't make money by selling in large quantities; sometimes they don't even open for days. They need to make money too.
Hong Xiaoduo didn't haggle any further. The other party was easy to talk to, so she figured she'd settle for whatever price was right.
“Then these three will do. However, after paying, we need to leave the zithers at the shop for a while. We still need to go out and look around some more, and it’s really inconvenient to carry them around.” As she spoke, Hong Xiaoduo took out two five-hundred-tael silver notes and handed them over.
The shopkeeper took the silver note and immediately knew it was in good condition. He said, "No problem, young lady, just go and shop. You can come back to collect it later." After saying that, he went to the counter and found a two-hundred-tael silver note and four ten-tael silver ingots.
Hong Xiaoduo took it, put it away, and left. She wasn't worried at all that the other party might try something bad after she had paid for it.
If anyone dares to plot against her, she'll give Feiyan and the other two the three best zithers without spending a single penny.
However, Yaoguang and Yuheng kept turning back to look at each other, appearing very worried.
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