Old Zhou, although he asked to buy many items, they were all general goods that were mostly available in three or four shops, and, luckily, those three or four shops were not far apart from each other.
Normally, things like vegetable seeds and jars would be for sale at the general store, and they wouldn't be out of sewing needles either.
So, Zhou Silang and Zhou Wulang, carrying baskets on their backs, led them straight to the half-street of miscellaneous shops. They selected for a while and picked out everything their father needed. Then, it was time to bargain.
Zhou Silang was indeed skilled at haggling; he grouped all the items together, went back and forth with the shopkeeper a few times, and managed to knock down eight wen (coins) from the price.
Don't just look at those eight wen. General stores operate on small margins, counting on volume rather than high prices, so eight wen was already quite a lot.
Zhou Silang was very satisfied, and so was Manbao.
