Here a copper coin’s purchasing power is about the same as one yuan in my previous life. That is to say, a big lobster that looks at least two catties only costs 20 yuan. Fresh shrimps cost only 3 yuan per catty.
This is much cheaper than what she could buy on Taobao.
"Brother, I want all of these in your bamboo basket."
The man was stunned for a moment, somewhat incredulously asking back:
"Little lady, are you sure you want all of these?"
Not only did she want them all, she didn’t even bargain on the price.
It should be known that shrimp heads and mantis shrimps are not as valuable as some copper coins compared to sea fish.
These things not only have hard shells, but they are also prickly to eat. They may not even be sold if carried into the city.
If it wasn’t for him having nothing to do today and wanting to earn a little something, he would not have gone through so much effort to carry these into the city to try his luck.
Seeing the man’s expression, He Zhiran knew that she was being seen as a fool for not bargaining.
Although she had plenty of silver in her space, she didn’t want to be seen as a sucker after buying something.
"Cough cough... Brother, if I buy all of these, can we negotiate the price?"
Upon hearing that she would buy them all, the man even suspected that he was having hallucinations.
It should be known that no one really wants to buy these hard-shelled seafood.
Isn’t this pretty girl silly?
In any case, there was business at his door, so there was absolutely no reason to turn it away.
The man tentatively asked:
"Little lady, do you really plan to buy all of these?"
He Zhiran did not deny it.
"Well, as long as the price is reasonable, I want them all."
Hearing this, the man put down his carrying pole again.
"I have twelve shrimp heads here. If you want them all, I’ll charge you 200 wen.
As for those mantis shrimps, there must be at least 30 catties. I’ll charge you 50 wen. This price is already very fair."
At the end, he explained again, afraid that she would find it too expensive.
250 wen? What a auspicious number.
Seeing that He Zhiran was about to pay, Mo Jiuye quickly stopped her.
Although he had never eaten this kind of seafood, he also knew that this was unwanted stuff.
He believed that even if the man carried these seafood into the city, he would not be able to sell them for such a high price.
It was obvious that he was trying to take advantage of their ignorance.
"250 wen is too expensive. You might as well carry them into the city to sell. I want to see how much they can sell for in the city."
He Zhiran’s thoughts were the same as Mo Jiuye’s. As newcomers, they did not want to be seen as suckers.
The man did not expect that his intention to pluck a bit of wool would be seen through so quickly.
Moreover, judging from their attitude, it seemed that they were not going to buy anymore.
This would not do. Having encountered a buyer, there was absolutely no reason to let them get away.
"Hehe... Brother, how much do you think is fair for these seafood?"
In fact, Mo Jiuye did not understand the market price for seafood either. He only knew that this stuff was definitely not worth 250 wen.
"You name a fair price yourself. If it’s suitable we’ll buy them. If not, then forget it."
Seeing that they had a rather firm attitude, the man did not dare to continue harboring the intention to take advantage.
He said with an awkward smile, "Alright, including the two bamboo baskets, I’ll give them all to you for 150 wen. What do you think?"
Mo Jiuye was also not going to waste more time here. He simply made a counter offer right away.
"100 wen. If that’s fine with you we’ll take them all."
After he spoke, seeing that the man had no reaction, he was about to lead the mule cart away.
Seeing that they were leaving, the man quickly agreed, "Okay, okay, 100 wen."
He was afraid that they would change their mind, so he hurriedly carried the two bamboo baskets onto the mule cart.
He Zhiran had not expected that Mo Jiuye also had the talent for bargaining. With just a few words, he had brought down the price of these seafood by more than half.
It was obvious that this man was trying to take advantage because they were ignorant.
He Zhiran was not going to say any more. She directly paid the money and happily got on the mule cart.
The mule cart moved on. According to the man, they soon found Hu Cong’s residence.
This courtyard was quite different from the others. The enclosure was not made of wooden fences, but was built with stones.
There were no fishing nets hung out to dry on the walls like in other fishermen’s houses, it was bare.
The courtyard gate was not closed. Mo Jiuye politely stood at the entrance and asked aloud, "Excuse me, is this the Hu Cong residence?"
After a long while, the door in the middle of the house opened. A slovenly looking middle-aged man walked out from inside.
Hu Cong asked impatiently, "Who’s looking for me?"
As his voice fell, his gaze also fell on Mo Jiuye.
"Ninth Young Master?"
When Hu Cong was exiled, Mo Jiuye was not yet the Protector of the Nation, at that time, people in the Capital city all called him this.
Mo Jiuye smiled and said, "I didn’t expect it to really be Mister Hu."
Hu Cong had immediately shed his earlier lazy appearance upon seeing Mo Jiuye at first glance. A feeling of empathy arose in him because of the great incident of the Mo Family’s exile.
Therefore, his attitude towards Mo Jiuye was very warm.
"How did the Ninth Young Master find his way here? Please come in if you have anything to say."
Seeing that Hu Cong’s courtyard was quite spacious, Mo Jiuye simply led the mule cart in.
After Mo Jiuye parked the mule cart and helped introduce He Zhiran and Hu Cong to each other, he recounted how he had found his way here.
Hu Cong’s gaze fell upon Henry when he heard that they had come to find him to repair a boat.
After looking Henry up and down, Hu Cong, thinking that Henry could understand his words, bluntly said:
"I didn’t originally want to deal with you Westerners, you should thank the person who brought you here, otherwise I would not have helped you fix your boat."
Henry knew Hu Cong was talking to him but he didn’t understand a word of what was said.
He reflexively asked He Zhiran, "Miss He Zhiran, please help translate what he just said for me."
At this moment, He Zhiran was pondering Hu Cong’s words.
It was obvious that Hu Cong had a very bad impression of Westerners, and even somewhat hated them.
Why was that?
Before getting to the bottom of it, He Zhiran did not intend to translate immediately.
She looked at Hu Cong and asked, "Was Brother Hu bullied by Westerners before?"
Hu Cong also realized that the Westerner could not understand his words. His question was directed at the wife of the Ninth Young Master, whom he guessed could understand the Westerner’s language.
Therefore, he did not immediately answer He Zhiran, but asked back, "Can the Ninth Lady understand his words?"
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login