Lin Wanrong broke into a sudden sweat. This young lady is no fool; she knows to observe first before bargaining.
Although he has an incredibly thick skin, being exposed by this sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl's cunning schemes makes it hard for him to maintain his composure. He snatched the booklet from the girl's hand, laughing, "Miss, don't mention ten taels; even a one-tael silver version has buyers. Look—"
He gestured to the side, where a low-born scholar was treating a pirated booklet as a precious treasure, his fascinated expression as if owning this booklet meant possessing half of Miss Xiao's estate.
This young lady had been observing Lin Wanrong for a long time and naturally knew that the hastily acquired pirated versions were vastly different from the genuine ones. She glanced at Lin Wanrong and snorted, "Even if this is an authentic version, you can't arbitrarily raise the price."
Blushing, with a cute frown, she was indeed a remarkably beautiful young lady. However, Lin Wanrong, when it comes to business, abandons all familial ties. He chuckled, "Miss, have you heard of the term 'rare find'? Our genuine copies have all been sold. I kept this one as a personal keepsake. If you want to buy it now, taking away what I cherish, you naturally have to pay a little extra."
The young lady rolled her eyes and said, "Alright, fifteen taels it is, but you must answer a question for me first."
Lin Wanrong glanced at her and said, "Young lady, answering a question requires an additional five taels. Think it over."
The young lady exclaimed, "What kind of rule is this? Charging money for answering questions? If everyone follows suit, won't it be chaotic?"
"Not at all," Lin Wanrong shook his head. "I am different from others. I am an expert commentator, and every word I say is a gem. Naturally, there's a fee involved."
The young lady contemptuously said, "What expert? Taking money for advertising, claiming to be an expert."
Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, "Miss, you're quite insightful. Almost exposed by you. How about this, I'll ask you, is the question you want to ask something only I know the answer to?"
The young lady thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "It seems like only you know the answer."
"That settles it," Lin Wanrong chuckled inwardly. "For answers that only I know, I can choose whether to respond or not. If you want information from me, you'll have to pay an information fee. It's fair. I'm a fair businessperson—one silver coin for one piece of information. Five taels is already quite cheap; I won't cheat you."
The young lady was momentarily stunned, thought for a while, and then said, "Fine, five taels it is, but you must answer honestly, no deception."
Lin Wanrong lightly tapped his cheek and said, "Do you see this? Such a handsome cheek. Remember, this face is my trademark, a golden trademark, suitable for all ages, trustworthy and without deception."
The young lady covered her mouth, giggled softly, and said, "I've never seen someone shameless like you."
Lin Wanrong's expression turned wicked as he glared at the young lady. She, however, showed no fear, her face stern as she said, "The question I want to ask is, have you ever seen Miss Xiao?"
Naturally, Lin Wanrong had not. He casually smiled and said, "As I told you before, this is a rare copy circulated within the Xiao family, obtained through my sworn brother, an intermediate servant in the Xiao family. Although I haven't seen Miss Xiao, I swear, I am the first person to see this portrait of hers."
This portrait was crafted by him, so of course, he was the first to see it. This oath was absolutely shameless, a complete deception aimed at a child.
"Do you know which master painted this portrait?" the young lady continued to inquire.
Of course, it was this master himself, Lin Wanrong thought, but he would absolutely not admit to being the instigator. He looked at the young lady and smiled, "Miss, if I remember correctly, you said you would only ask me one question. I've already answered one, so this should be considered the second, hehe."
The young lady took out a silver coin from her pocket and said, "I know, you want more money for this question, right? Look at your greed."
"You're underestimating me," Lin Wanrong smirked. "This expert's answers depend on my mood. Today, I'll only answer one question for you. Consider the other a freebie."
The young lady gave him a glance and said, "You're so sly. You're a big cheat."
"Child, I won't stoop to your level," Lin Wanrong, finding this cute and innocent girl amusing, chuckled. "You know, there are rules and regulations in our business. Reputation is crucial. If I reveal this master to you today, how can I face my colleagues in the future?"
"There's some truth to that," the young lady nodded, looking at Lin Wanrong. "I didn't expect you, the cunning merchant, to have a sense of justice."
"You discovered my virtues so quickly?" Lin Wanrong pretended to be surprised. "I thought I was hiding it well. Oh well, maybe I'm just too conspicuous. As they say, a tall tree catches the wind, and it seems it's time for some self-reflection."
The young lady covered her mouth and giggled, "I've never seen someone shameless like you."
Lin Wanrong's expression turned sinister, and he glared at the young lady. She, however, showed no fear, maintaining a serious expression. "I want to ask another question. Can you tell me your name?"
The young lady blinked, asking, "I'm called Lin San." Lin Wanrong straightforwardly said, "This question doesn't cost anything."
Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, thinking, "Little girl, you're a bit too green to pull this on me."
"Lin San, Lin San," the young lady muttered a couple of times. "Hmph, Lin San, you cheated my money today. I'll definitely get it all back, principal and interest." After saying that, she glared at him fiercely, dropped a silver ingot, picked up the booklet, and left with a confident stride.
Cheating? Lin Wanrong was "astonished." To deceive a little girl like you, young master doesn't need to resort to such tactics. Watching the young lady's retreating figure, Lin Wanrong chuckled coldly.
Indeed, the Xiao family had tremendous allure. It was said that thousands of people signed up for the selection of servants, and as for scholars, almost everyone in Jinling City who could recognize characters had applied.
Lin Wanrong successfully sold the remaining few booklets, leaving only the original manuscript as a memento. No matter how you looked at it, this was his first bucket of gold in this world, carrying significant sentimental value.
Returning to the Dongs' residence, as Dong Qiaoqiao had predicted, Dong Rende and Dong Qingshan, father and son, were gazing at the silver coins in a daze. The greedy gl
int in their eyes, triggered by the shiny silver, proved the theory of evolution from animals to humans.
Lin Wanrong smiled, patting Dong Rende's shoulder. "What's wrong, Uncle Dong, are your eyes playing tricks on you?"
Dong Rende snapped out of his trance, wiped his eyes, saw Lin Wanrong returning, hastily pulled a chair, used his sleeves to wipe and wipe again, finally inviting Lin Wanrong to sit down respectfully. "Young Master is back."
After earning a substantial amount, Dong Rende's attitude toward Lin Wanrong had become even more respectful. Undeniably, being respected feels incredibly good. Lin Wanrong, feeling elated, did not stand on ceremony and sat down, saying, "Uncle, why don't you convert so much silver into silver notes? Keeping it at home in the open like this, aren't you afraid of attracting thieves?"