The entrance servant looked at us and upon seeing the course clothes that we wore he then snort.
"This is an illustrious store and not a place for guys like you" He turned his back and started to walk away.
"You ill-mannered servant!" Little Cree shouted. "Who cares about your trashy clothes! We are here to sell goods not to buy!"
"Come on now, there's no need to be angry at such a low-life" I turn my back and head out. I turn to the opposite store. Mo Textile Shop.
Maybe because of the incidents earlier, I took a gloomy stroll inside the store and approached one of the servants.
" Excuse me, where can I find the shopkeeper? I have a white tiger skin to sell." The young page boy seemed startled by my voice but quickly greeted us and ran off to fetch the shopkeeper. He returned shortly and led us to an inner room.
The shopkeeper smiled and silently observed us.
Eldest Brother stood in front of me and introduced us, " Greetings to Mr. Shopkeeper. I am Surname Moore, and we would like to sell this white tiger skin." He tugged at the cloth covering the basket, revealing the goods.
The shopkeeper was astonished when he saw the quality of the fur. " My, my. What exquisite fur!"
" Of course. Why would we sell you anything less than top-quality?" I replied confidently, flashing a smile.
" Dear guests, please come inside," the shopkeeper invited us, offering some refreshments as he examined the skin.
" There isn't much I can say about the quality. May I ask, how did you manage to kill this tiger? Most of the time, even high-quality fur is wasted due to scarring," he inquired.
" Oh! We were fortunate that this mother tiger died while giving birth, so you can see that the only wound is on the stomach, without damaging the fur's quality. By the way, Mr. Shopkeeper, may I know your name?" I asked.
" My apologies for being impolite. I am Surname Mo. You can call me Shopkeeper Mo," he replied.
" Greetings, Shopkeeper Mo. Can we please get a reasonable price for our goods? We're looking for 100 Liang of silver, no more, no less," I proposed.
" Little Brother Moore, I understand that this is a quality fur, but how can I offer you that price? There won't be much profit for us. I can give you 80 Liang," he countered.
" No can do, Mr. Shopkeeper. 100 Liang," I firmly stated.
" 85 Liang," he continued.
" 100 Liang," I persisterted, refusing to back down.
" 90 Liang," he responded, clearly trying to bargain with me.
" Mr. Shopkeeper Mo, even if you don't want to agree, how about considering the long-term benefits? We are a family of hunters who just moved here. If we establish a good relationship, we can bring you quality furs for future cooperation," I proposed cunningly.
This sly old fox, I thought to myself. He believed he could outsmart me, but he was mistaken.
He didn't speak for a while, and I maintained my smile, knowing that in negotiations, silence can be a powerful tool to influence others.
" Okay! We accept!" a voice suddenly came from behind us.
" Young Master!" Shopkeeper Mo hurriedly welcomed the youth clad in green satin. What a handsome young man!
" And who might you be?" I asked curiously.
" I am the Young Master of the Mo family. We own this shop," he replied confidently.
" So, you are Big Brother Mo! Now I can be at ease knowing that your words hold weight, right?" I remarked.
" Of course. Give the money to this young man," he instructed, pointing to Eldest Brother.
Euno smiled like a mischievous chipmunk. 'His' cheeks bulged cutely as he revealed a row of pearly white teeth.
This little imp! At first, he addressed him as Mr. Shopkeeper, and now he called my Young Master his big brother! What an interesting younger brother 'he' had acknowledged!
" Thank you, Big Brother Mo. Now that our transaction is complete, we should continue on our own. May we meet again, Big Brother. Goodbye!" I tucked the 100 tael banknotes into my clothes and made my way towards the door. Big Brother and the others followed me, bowing slightly before leaving the shop.
" Wow! Third Brother, I mean, Sister... we have so much money now!" Little Cree exclaimed in excitement.
" I told you! As long as you follow me, we'll always have enough to eat," I assured them.
" Eldest Brother, let's meet Zhong-Older brother first to arrange for the things I plan to purchase," I suggested.
" Hmm," Eldest Brother responded, and we proceeded to the designated meeting place where Zhong-Older brother was already waiting for us.
" Zhong-Older brother, we apologize for keeping you waiting," Eldest Brother said with a slight bow of his head.
" No, no! I didn't wait for long," Zhong-Older brother reassured us.
" Zhong-Older brother, come with us. We're going shopping," Little Cree eagerly pulled my arm, urging me towards the crowd.
" Hold your horses, little man," I chuckled, allowing him to lead the way.
" Let's go buy some rice," I suggested as we headed towards the nearest store.
" Big Brother, may I ask how much the white rice costs?" a middle-aged man inquired, looking around at me.
" Little brother, white rice is more expensive compared to other varieties. Why not try this coarse powder? It costs 4 copper coins per kilo," I suggested, understanding his intention but not fond of coarse powder myself.
" Don't worry, Big Brother. Even though I'm not rich, I can still afford white rice," he replied.
" Oh, okay. White rice costs 15 copper coins per kilo," I informed him.
" Please give me a hundred kilos," he requested.
" Oka—eh hundred kilos?! Are you sure?" He was clearly taken aback, and all eyes turned towards me, including Eldest Brother's, but he let me proceed.
" Yes, Big Brother. A hundred kilos of white rice. Our family consist of burly men," I explained, partly true, with a laugh.
" Oh, okay!"
" Please also add 10 kilos of fine powder, one straw bag of vermicelli, and one straw bag of noodles. Help me load them onto this ox-cart," I instructed, pointing to the cart nearby.
" That will be one silver Liang and 800 copper coins," the shopkeeper informed me, and I paid before moving on to buy some seasonings.
" The feeling of spending is really great!" Little Cree snuggled up to me as we walked.
The ox-cart was filled to the brim. I had also bought plenty of seasonings, fruit, trinkets, and even meat! In total, I spent 2 Liang of silver and 500 copper coins. Ah, having money felt good.
" Third Brother, can I have a candied hawthorn?" Little Cree asked.
" Of course, you can. Go and buy some for each of us!" I encouraged him, and he immediately took off, returning with five sticks of sweets.
" Bal, you go ahead and eat. I don't like it," Seeley said, stuffing a piece into my mouth.
" Seeley, you go ahead and eat. Don't worry about the money," I whispered to him. " I still have plenty to spare." I urged him to eat and eventually convinced him.
In my previous life, I had a tendency to hoard, and I must admit, it was quite challenging to change one's habits. Nonetheless, I couldn't help but smile contentedly as I watched the ox-cart sway, loaded with an abundance of food.
" We would never go hungry again!" Little Cree chirped joyfully beside me.
" Well, the rice should last us for about two months, but we still need to find ways to earn money," Seeley bluntly poured cold water on his excitement.
" Second brother, why dampen my mood?" Cree made a face and snuggled between us, attempting to separate me and Seeley.
" Seeley has a point!"
" Third brother! How could you be so biased?"
" I am not! Besides, the three of you need to study," I said, sensing a sudden shift in the mood. Luckily, Zhong-Older brother was at the front, driving the ox-cart so he should not be able to hear us. I understood their bitter resentment.
" Don't worry, with me by your side, all of you can live a glorious life once again!" I tried to cheer them up.
" Of course! I believe in you, Elder sister," Little Cree said.
" What 'Elder sister'? I am your third brother! But if you keep on making mistake, there will be no meat for you," I teased.
" WAHHH! How cruel! How could you abandon me, your favorite little brother?" Cree dramatically exclaimed, pretending to be hurt.
We laughed heartily all the way home, enjoying the camaraderie and the promising future ahead.