Yoshida Mii

Chapter 24
While Dong Bao was waiting nervously, the shopkeeper spoke, and the snake slough was put back on the counter, "Little girl, this is the shed skin of a white snake. It's not as rare as you think. I'll give him eighteen at most." It’s not easy for a child to run so far, so I’ll give you two extra money for sugar buyers. Twenty dollars!”

Only twenty dollars?Dong Bao thought it was too cheap. She thought it was worth a hundred or so. In ancient times, there were no large-scale snake breeding farms. The only way to get snake sloughs was to look for them in the wild, and most of them had access to snake sloughs. Farmers don't know that this thing can be used as medicine and sold for money.

Hearing from Mrs. Li that there is more than one pharmacy in the town, Dong Bao carefully wrapped the shexie back to Buli, "Business manager, please be busy, I'll go and look elsewhere."

The shopkeeper had a chubby face and a kind tone, but he was easy to talk to. He said with a smile, "Little girl, there are rules, and it's the same when you look elsewhere. Everyone pays the same price."

Seeing the shopkeeper's kind attitude, Dongbao also relaxed, and said with a smile: "Shopkeeper, it's too cheap and not enough for us to find the snake slough. Thank you for pointing it out. If you really can't sell the price, the snake slough I'll leave it to my grandfather to drink medicinal wine."

There is also a problem with the shopkeeper's words. Although Dongbao doesn't know how much the snake slough is worth, the white snake has always been regarded as a symbol of auspiciousness. Having a white snake at home will keep the house safe and healthy, and the white snake slough will not be as cheap as the fat shopkeeper said price.

After saying goodbye to the shopkeeper politely, Dong Bao led Shi Li out, and after two steps away, Li Shi whispered to Dong Bao: "This thing can sell for twenty dollars?" The skin, as thin as a piece of paper, can be used as medicine and sold for money?

Dong Bao nodded, touched the cloth bag in his arms, and said with a smile: "This is a good thing. Let's go to another pharmacy and ask the price. I'm afraid it will be more than twenty dollars."

Mrs. Li looked at her daughter and nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. After all, she is a talented girl, and her daughter is much smarter than her. If she thought she could sell it for twenty yuan, she would have sold it happily. How could she think of asking the family again.

However, the two of them didn't go far, when the clerk from the pharmacy chased them over, stopped the two of them, and said in a hurry: "Auntie, our shopkeeper offers a hundred dollars, will you sell it or not?"

"This..." Mrs. Li's heart was beating wildly, how could it be sold for a hundred dollars?A catty of flour is only ten dollars!However, Mrs. Li didn't speak, instead she looked at Dongbao and said, "This long worm skin was made by the child, and she has the final say."

Dong Bao didn't speak, she was a little uncertain.

The clerk said again: "Little sister, this is the highest price the shopkeeper is willing to ask. If you don't sell it, you won't be able to sell it at this price elsewhere."

Hearing this, Dong Bao simply shook his head, and said with a smile: "Thank you, brother, for coming again. I won't sell it anymore. I'll go back and make medicinal wine for my grandfather."

When the man heard this, he realized that he had made a futile trip, so he lost his face, turned around and left, muttering, "Do you want to get rich with a long worm skin?"

When the clerk left, Mrs. Li took Dong Bao and asked, "Bao'er, why didn't the shopkeeper sell it for a hundred dollars? He only paid twenty dollars before, and I'm afraid that this one hundred dollars is the highest price." price."

Seeing that the clerk left without looking back, Li Shi felt very regretful. She was surprised that the fat shopkeeper offered [-] kuai, but later she didn't expect that a piece of long worm skin could be sold for [-] kuai.

Dong Bao smiled and pulled Li Shi forward. Although Li Shi is soft-tempered, she has an advantage. She respects her own ideas and does not rush to make decisions before her daughter. This is extremely rare in ancient times when parents ruled the sky. Just look at the Huang family. In the Song family, she is the supreme queen. As long as she is unhappy, she will scold anyone who is arrested.

"Mother, I see that fat shopkeeper's business is dishonest." Dong Bao looked back at the medicine shop flag floating in the air in the distance, "First, he deceived us two to understand the market and pressed down the price hard, but later we saw that we were determined not to sell it. The price will be raised only when the price is raised, and once it is raised, it will be raised five times. This person's heart is too dark, let's go to other places to ask the price first, isn't there a pharmacy? If it is not higher than his, we will come back and sell it to him."

Mrs. Li nodded, excited and expecting but also a little worried, "If we come back, what if the fat shopkeeper won't pay another [-] yuan?" What should I do?It's not just joy.It was the first time she came out to sell things to make money, and she still doubted whether the snake slough could be sold for a price. If it could be sold for money, he had seen many long worms in the wild grass in the fields before, and he didn't take it seriously. Pity.

"He has been chased by the buddy to ask, he must want it, don't worry." Dong Bao said, as long as he talked about you and me in business, Dong Bao's eyes would light up bursts. The experience she summed up by walking around the streets selling tofu with her father, whether others want to buy it or not, is not too expensive. Don't listen to what he said, it can be seen from some small actions and details.

Mrs. Li asked the aunt who sold vegetables on the side of the road to inquire about the way, and went to another drugstore, which was not as crowded as the first drugstore. The shopkeeper was a young man in his twenties. Seeing that Dongbao is a pleasing-looking girl, Shexie looked a little more amiable, and said with a smile, "One hundred dollars."

Dong Bao shook his head, "Uncle, we just asked, and the pharmacy at the other end of the town charged 150 yuan!"

The young shopkeeper laughed, his fair and clean round face showed two dimples when he smiled, he looked quite happy, shook his head and said: "Little girl, don't lie, although this white snake slough is rare, it is not a valuable thing, so it must be If it’s broken, it’s the same as the black snake slough and flower snake slough, I’ll give you 130 at most, how about it? You can’t lose money at this price, can you sell it?”

Dong Bao made a quick calculation in his mind, and estimated that 130 kuai would be enough, besides, there are only two pharmacies in the town, if they don't sell this one, and if they go back to the fat shopkeeper, maybe he will lower the price, and they won't be able to sell it for [-] kuai.Snake sloughs are picked for free, and there is no cost, and you can earn as much as you sell.

"Sell!" Dong Bao nodded.

The young shopkeeper gave the snake slough to the clerk and took it away, and then he brought a sling of money and a handful of copper coins over, first gave Dong Bao a slack of money, and then counted thirty from the scattered copper coins to Dong Bao.He had already seen that the little girl was the one who made the decision of the mother and daughter, so he didn't hand over the money to the adults.

After coming here for so long, Dongbao saw the coins of this world for the first time. Brother Kong Fang of this era is not much different from the ancient copper coins of the previous life, but Dongbao didn’t recognize the traditional characters printed on the coins. Many people looked over and over.After receiving the money, Dong Bao counted it again, and after confirming that it was correct, he thanked the shopkeeper, and pulled Mrs. Li out of the pharmacy.

Not far from the pharmacy is a dim sum shop, and you can smell the sweet fragrance wafting from the shop from far away, Dong Bao swallowed, because the days of lack of oil and meat made her greedy for everything.

"Mother, shall we still go to Uncle's house?" Dong Bao asked.

Mrs. Li looked at the sun in the sky. It was still early, so she nodded and said, "Go, go and see your uncle and we'll go."

"Then buy something for Uncle and bring it with you. We are rich now. After so many years, it's time to give Uncle some presents." Dong Bao said with a smile,
Mrs. Li originally thought that after earning this little money with great difficulty, she should not spend it indiscriminately. Since she married to the Li family, after the dowry was wiped out little by little, she has never taken a penny in her hand. Now she has 130 yuan in her hand. , she was a little uneasy, but Dong Bao's last words touched her, after so many years, it's time for her to buy something to honor her elder brother.

"This money...does I have to give you milk?" Shi Li hesitated.The Song family's rule is that all the money earned by the son, including the things the daughter-in-law brought back from her natal family, must be handed over to the Huang family. There is no such thing as private money.

Dong Bao frowned, "We won't give milk for this money. Mother, we can't have no money at all, it's too inconvenient." It's really uncomfortable to have no money in our hands, and we don't have the confidence to live. Mrs. Huang doesn't let you eat corn bread, so you can only starve and can't help yourself.

Seeing Li's expression soften, Dong Bao whispered: "Mother, don't you also suspect that grandma has money in her hand, saving it for third uncle, and not taking it out to pay off father's debts, this money is given to grandma, grandma must still keep it Third Uncle, when will we be able to pay off the debt?" It's better for them to earn some money and save it up, think of a way to make some money, maybe it will be enough to pay off the debt after saving for a long time.Fortunately, the neighbors in the village are simple and honest, and there is no such thing as asking for interest, otherwise the debt repayment will be even more distant.

"Then buy less, it's not easy to make some money." Li Shi said, she finally had the opportunity to buy things for her elder brother who has been helping her all the time. Divided into a blush.

Dong Bao smiled and said, "I have a sense of proportion." Turning to the dim sum stand guy, he said, "Weigh ten renminbi sorghum candy for me, and then twenty renminbi fruit."

The fruit is not a fruit, but a snack fried with white bread and half-melted sugar. It is a very handy gift to give during the holidays.

The guy took the money and started weighing it neatly.

Sorghum candy is a snack that children love to eat. Seeing that Dongbao asked for ten yuan for sorghum candy, Mrs. Li thought it was Dongbao who was greedy. Candy should be too.

"Hey, isn't this... Miss Xiucai?" The two were watching the waiter pack the fruit when someone stopped them from behind.

Dong Bao looked back and recognized it after a while. The young woman standing behind them was Hong Shuanzi's mother. That day her face was covered with snot and tears from crying, and her facial features were distorted and shifted. Now what is she doing? Standing there clean and tidy, Dong Bao didn't recognize him for a moment.

"Damn Shuanzi, are you coming to the market too?" Mrs. Li greeted her in a somewhat embarrassed tone, with the embarrassment and fear of being seen for doing bad things.

(End of this chapter)