After the bath, Wei Caihong drank from Nikola. He took more than normal and when he saw how pale Nikola was getting, he let him go.
He didn't feel like he had gotten enough, but he didn't want for Nikola to feel sick either. Then they were off and renting a cart to get them to the magistrate's palace.
They were soon standing in front of cups of hot tea and haggling with Madam Wu.
"You want silks? I have some bundles. But the blacks and reds are more expensive," which was a lie. Yellow was the most expensive color for a silk. Black was common.
"Madam Wu, surely you'd be interested in renting a greenhouse with a discount?" Nikola asked.
The dragon mother had chased away everyone, so she could haggle with them to her heart's content. Had she not done this, perhaps they would have tempted some of her relatives into giving them the silk cheaply.
