Chapter 10: Giving Gifts to Counterfeit Goods_1
Fortunately, her vision was still clear, and she wasn't blinded by the 100 taels of silver. After calming down, she realized that the negotiation had just begun and there was still room for bargaining.
"Father, take out the ginseng so that the shopkeeper can see it. Our Hundred-Year-Old Ginseng is a rare find, and if we sell it in the Capital City, the price will be more than double."
"Hmm."
Upon hearing his wife's words, Su Hu stretched his arm into the basket and carefully took out the Hundred-Year-Old Ginseng, which was as thick as a baby's arm with complete limbs and intact roots.
"Hoo..."
It was now the shopkeeper's turn to have his breath catch, and his right hand holding a teacup couldn't help but tremble in excitement.
"Yiyaya."
Yuxue, the little baby girl with big, shiny eyes, glanced at the shopkeeper while clapping her hands cheerfully and laughing. She looked just as calculating as the shopkeeper had a moment ago.
"Yuxue, are you hungry? Do you want some cake?"
Su Hu's attention was immediately drawn to the adorable little baby, as he knew that he couldn't contribute much to the negotiation anyway. He decided to shift his focus to make the little baby happy and enjoy some much-missed family time.
"Yiya."
The little baby girl blinked her big eyes and nodded her head to clearly express her intention.
"Father will soak it in water for you."
This time, Su Hu accurately understood the baby-talk and happily took a soft chestnut cake, soaked it in hot water to soften it, and fed it to the little baby.
"Smack, smack..."
The little baby girl enjoyed it very much, as the soft chestnut cake tasted much better than the rice porridge mixed with wild vegetables.
"A flat price of 200 taels."
As the father and daughter were enjoying their meal, the shopkeeper snapped out of his initial shock and excitement. Determined not to miss this opportunity, he doubled the price in one go.
After finishing, he purposely explained, "It is only because the Duke of Zhen's mansion in the Capital City has just welcomed a precious daughter that our master is in a hurry to buy high-grade ginseng as a gift for the Duke's house. Otherwise, I would never dare to offer such a high price."
Sending a gift to that imposter?!
It was better if the shopkeeper hadn't mentioned the Duke of Zhen's mansion. When he did, the little baby girl couldn't help but feel aggrieved, and her clear, big eyes filled with mist as she started to cry softly.
The delicate and gentle sobbing, like that of a kitten, struck the hearts of Su Hu and Li Xiu'e, making them tremble with pity.
"Ah, my good baby, why are you crying? Is the chestnut cake not tasty enough? We won't eat anymore."
Su Hu's forehead broke out in cold sweat as he fumbled to comfort the little baby girl.
"Shopkeeper, Yuxue found the ginseng, and if she doesn't agree to sell it, the two of us can't make the decision."
Compared to Su Hu's confusion, Li Xiu'e had more complicated thoughts. She mistakenly thought that the little baby girl was smart and didn't agree with the low price, so she purposefully cried to express her dissatisfaction.
"300 taels and not a dime more."
The shopkeeper glanced doubtfully at the tearful little baby girl and simply added another hundred taels.
"Wu wawa..."
She responded with a soft, low cry.
"400 taels!"
The shopkeeper wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.
"Wu wawa..."
The little baby girl still cried in a pitiful manner.
"500 taels!"
The shopkeeper's eyelids twitched with pain as he gritted his teeth and added another hundred taels.
If it weren't for the fact that his master needed high-grade ginseng as a gift to the Duke of Zhen's mansion, he wouldn't dare make such a high offer on his own.
At the mention of 500 taels, Su Hu and his wife were dumbfounded. Even the little baby secretly thought that the old man had bled himself dry, and he was in so much pain that he was nearly out of breath.
Thinking about her foster parents' poverty and how difficult it was for them to obtain silver, she suppressed her grievances, pursed her little mouth, and stopped her crying.