novelraw Chapter 49: The Old Shopkeeper is an Old Hand
Chapter 49: The Old Shopkeeper is an Old Hand
As the saying goes, there are no merchants without cunning.
In this day and age, among those who managed shops until their beards turned white, how many could be good people?
Li Qiuchen didn't care either, calmly laughing, "What's the matter, kiddo? Your dad doesn't give you spending money?"
Hu Hai'er said helplessly, "My dad is stingy as hell. If a corn kernel falls on the ground, he'll pick it up and suck on it again. What money would he give me? Brother, I'm really a bit short on cash lately. My pockets are cleaner than my damn ass. My dad always says I'm too young. Even when I want to find proper work, he won't let me. Really have no choice."
When Li Qiuchen saw him mention having no money, his expression became somewhat subtle, so he couldn't help but ask, "Got a sweetheart?"
"No, no!"
Hu Hai'er hastily denied it.
But the expression on his face betrayed his inner thoughts.
Yes, but not quite yet, roughly at the level of more than strangers, less than sweethearts.
Seeing his face full of embarrassment and awkwardness, Li Qiuchen smiled, "That old shopkeeper you mentioned, what kind of mountain goods does he buy?""Bangchui!"
"Then I don't have any."
Just kidding, do I look like a bangchui to you?
Bangchui meant ginseng.
Li Qiuchen actually had the goods, but didn't want to reveal them.
Aged old mountain ginseng was the most valuable mountain goods.
It wasn't that ginseng's medicinal properties were particularly better than other herbs, but rather that ordinary people had very high awareness of ginseng.
Other herbs were only known to medicine shops and pill refiners who understood their value.
Only ginseng was the king of all medicines known to every household.
Even illiterate common people had heard mythical stories of how a single root fiber from thousand-year-old ginseng could extend life.
Even if you completely didn't understand medicine, you knew that ginseng stewed with old hen soup was greatly nourishing.
The wealthier people were, the more they liked this thing.
So its market price remained consistently high.
The bloody conflicts between mountain guests often revolved around ginseng.
In small-scale markets like Blue Stone Platform, you simply couldn't see aged ginseng at all.
Even if mountain guests had the goods, they would only sell through their familiar channels and would never appear on the open market.
Conversely, if you brought out such things at the market, you'd easily be targeted and would have to take enormous risks.
Hu Hai'er anxiously scratched his head and ears. He only recognized bangchui and didn't know anything else.
Among the three hundred sixty trades, every trade had its ways. If making money was really that easy, how would it be a cart driver's kid's turn?
But Li Qiuchen also didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm. After all, his own mountain guest identity was also a kind of disguise.
"Go ask the old shopkeeper if he buys chuanshanlong."
Hu Hai'er asked blankly, "What's chuanshanlong?"
Li Qiuchen explained it in a way he could understand, "If a man eats it, he can pierce through mountains."
"Huh?"
Hu Hai'er was greatly shocked, "That awesome?"
Li Qiuchen didn't say much more. He reached into his robe, used his fingernail to pinch off a section of dried root about as long as a finger, and handed it to him, "Take this and go help me ask."
Hu Hai'er took it and smelled it under his nose, swallowing his saliva.
Li Qiuchen glanced at him sideways, "Do you need it?"
"Of course not. My vitality is strong. I just haven't seen it before, so I'm taking a closer look."
Hu Hai'er quickly and carefully put away the grass root, picked up the wonton bowl and drank the remaining soup clean, wiped his mouth and stood up, saying quietly, "I'll go find the old shopkeeper. Just stay here and don't wander off. Wait for my news. Don't worry, I definitely won't cheat you."
Definitely won't cheat me?
That's what all con men say.
Since ancient times, there are no merchants without cunning. Which shopkeeper doesn't think about making more money?
But it didn't matter.
Li Qiuchen didn't lack this little bit of money. He was looking for opportunities.
Nearly half the shop owners in Blue Stone Platform town were surnamed Zhao.
But there were also differences between Boss Zhao and Boss Zhao.
When encountering mountain guests who had just arrived and looked unfamiliar, the bosses would tacitly lower their prices, then righteously tell you that once you stepped out this door, you'd never get this price anywhere else.
Hu Hai'er had followed his father to Blue Stone Platform seven or eight times, and just happened that one time, he encountered a mountain guest from outside who couldn't get a good price for his mountain goods. His family urgently needed money, but he was unwilling to sell at a discount. That was truly having no way up to heaven and no path down to earth.
By chance, the mountain guest stumbled into a shop where the old shopkeeper was very righteous. After looking at the quality of the mountain goods, he gave a price that satisfied the mountain guest. The mountain guest thanked him profusely with tears of gratitude.
This scene happened to fall into Hu Hai'er's eyes.
Any man would have thoughts of doing business, differing only in scale and depth.
Hu Hai'er had always wanted to make money, but his father thought he was still too young and wouldn't let him go out to venture forth, only saying money was hard to earn and shit was hard to eat, that he was too young to withstand the storms outside.
The words were right.
But Hu Hai'er always had this idea in his heart, always eager to try.
He felt this old shopkeeper was righteous, and doing business with him would definitely make money.
Li Qiuchen just wanted to laugh when he heard this.
This silly child didn't think about it. When others offered three fen for something and he offered five fen, such a person who didn't understand the rules, how had he not been squeezed out by his peers by now?
There must be an explanation here.
The shop where the old shopkeeper was located was called "White Affairs Hall." Just hearing the name, you knew it wasn't a proper business place.
The location was very remote with no customer traffic. Yellow paper and incense candles were displayed at the entrance. Li Qiuchen took one look and his fantasies completely shattered.
What on earth was I expecting?
Hu Hai'er patted his chest guaranteeing the old shopkeeper was easy to talk to and was also very interested in the chuanshanlong he brought over.
But in Li Qiuchen's view, it wasn't like that at all.
The old shopkeeper was quite old but physically vigorous. Just looking at what he wore, you could tell he wasn't short of money, at least not someone who relied on this White Affairs Hall's meager earnings to support his family.
Just the string of beads he was fingering could probably buy half a shop.
His attitude was indeed very good, his tone very amiable. But rather than being a businessman, he was more like someone idly playing along with children's games.
"This thing is quite good."
He took Li Qiuchen's chuanshanlong, a type of rhizome herb that looked about the same as Chinese yam.
Normally, top-grade dried chuanshanlong would be at most a foot long and as thick as a finger.
Li Qiuchen's chuanshanlong was top of the top grade. After being catalyzed by his Medicine Master's blessing, it had over a hundred years of potency.
The old shopkeeper was someone who knew goods. Seeing this thing, his eyes lit up. He held it in his hands carefully examining it for a moment, then raised his head smiling, "Little brother, what's your line?"
"Line three!"
This was mountain guest slang. Line three meant mountain.
"Which three might that be?"
"Ground level three zhang three!"
Three times three equals nine, meaning the nine schools of thought. Ground level meant lowering your head, lowering your head made you three parts shorter, respecting you as the elder.
This was mountain guest courtesy.
When going out, you inevitably encountered people from the jianghu. Different groups had more complex slang among themselves. Mountain guests did small business and didn't want to fight with others. If you asked about their origin and background, they would say we're nameless nobodies from the lower nine streams, not worth mentioning.
These code words were what Li Qiuchen learned from the mountain guests who passed through Songlin Village. Actually, he didn't know much. If questioned further, he would be exposed.
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