Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside

Chapter 687: Losing Face

Is Luo Wu no longer interested in marrying her eldest sister?

Gu Jinli is very protective and cannot stand others treating her elder sister like this.

Her fists are itching to give Luo Wu a good thrashing!

Qin San Lang said, "Don’t worry, let’s handle the auction first. If Luo Wu doesn’t come back today, I will ride to the county to find him and drag him back."

Xiao Yu’s family is very concerned about Gu Jinxiu’s marriage, as it is common for people to talk if a girl remains unmarried at an older age. Being refugees, they fear that rumors will start circulating if Gu Jinxiu’s marriage is not settled soon.

Having heard Qin San Lang’s words, Gu Jinli felt reassured—when he said he’d do something, he did it. Brother Qin was indeed reliable.

Gu Jinli smiled at him and handed him a plate of ham: "This is your reward, eat."

Qin San Lang smiled, took the plate, picked up a piece of ham with his chopsticks but did not eat it himself. Instead, he handed it to her.

Instinctively, Gu Jinli turned her head, opened her mouth, and ate it. The moment she bit into the ham, she froze, blinking and looking at Qin San Lang with an embarrassed and annoyed face: "Why are you feeding me?"

You little rascal, where did you learn this trick? How many girls have you tried this on? Be honest!

Qin San Lang looked innocent: "You always eat the ham slices with your hands; I thought you were going to take it with your hand."

Who knew you would eat it just by opening your mouth.

Gu Jinli’s face became even redder, not from shyness but from anger: "Are you blaming me now?"

How could Qin San Lang dare blame her? He quickly picked up another slice of ham and held it to her mouth: "You eat."

Gu Jinli hesitated, then took the ham slice with her hand and started eating... She felt she had regained some of her dignity.

With a pleased smile on his face, Qin San Lang thought: Although Xiao Yu is fierce and mature in handling matters, over the years, she has enjoyed teasing him purposely. Yet when it comes to the real deal, she becomes unsure... After all, she’s still a young girl who, despite feeling comfortable enough to tease him, is scared because she doesn’t understand.

Downstairs in the main hall, although Boss An respected Mr. Ouyang Hu’s status and did not argue with him, he still insisted that the starting bid of 500 taels for the ham was already high and there was no need for an auction.

"Although the ham is good, it is made from pig’s leg. A pig costs only three to five taels, and the most expensive part, the leg, does not exceed half a tael of silver. Yanfu Building thinks to gain over a thousand taels from half a tael of silver—isn’t that absurd? I’ve been a merchant for thirty years, have seen many rare items, but none had such a low cost and yet such a high selling price."

Actually, he wanted to use the word ’cheap’, but he feared offending Mr. Ouyang Hu, who is quite fond of ham. The old man had already eaten three plates and was still eating—that’s thirty taels of silver swallowed alive, causing Boss An great distress.

Mr. Ouyang Hu said nothing, just continued eating the ham slices, looking like he was watching a drama.

Gu Jin’an then spoke to Boss An about He Shiliu’s fortune: "In our village, there’s an uncle who found a strange stone in the mountains. He spent no money, only effort, and sold it for nearly a hundred taels of silver. The customer who bought his strange stone later made a huge profit. Does Boss An think the strange stone is cheap and worthless, or does he think the customer who bought the strange stone is insane?"

Boss An was left speechless, the Jiangnan Families love strange stones, especially scholar families that almost every household has landscapes made of strange stones. Could he say that the stones are worthless?

Gu Jin’an smiled and said, "Both are stones, yet strange stones can sell for hundreds to thousands of taels. Similarly, pig legs in the form of ham can also sell at high prices just like strange stones. Does Boss An think what I said is correct or not?"

Boss An did not even wait to reply before Gu Jin’an added: "Fine products require a connoisseur, and their worth should be decreed by the buyers. If Boss An feels the ham isn’t worth a high price, there’s no need to bid."

Boss An’s face darkened immediately. This young man was too arrogant, implying that if he wasn’t interested, he shouldn’t buy.

He had heard from Master Qi long ago that the Gu Family conducted business differently from others. While most were fearful of not being able to sell their goods, constantly lowering their stance begging customers to buy, the Gu Family did not care for such desperation. They chose their buyers and wouldn’t sell to those they deemed unworthy.

Moreover, the Gu Family was known for their integrity. For instance, after selling spices to the Qi Family, they would never sell them to people from He’an Prefecture City like the An Family, who had tried several times unsuccessfully to acquire these spices.

However, the An Family was clever, aware that someone from the Qi Family held an official post in the Capital, while the Gu Family was backed by the Zheng Family and the Shangguan Family, so they did not resort to any underhanded tactics.

Fuming inside after being rebuffed by Gu Jin’an, Boss An’s companion, Boss Tian, who had been trying to ingratiate himself with the An Family, pointed at Gu Jin’an and said: "Young man, don’t speak rashly. The An Family is a house of great merchants with shops opened throughout Jiangnan and in the Capital. Cooperating with the An Family could help your ham reach far and wide."

Boss Tian was primarily there to flatter the An Family. Although he liked the ham, his family could not outbid the An Family, so he figured he might as well help them.

But his assistance was rather misguided.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jin’an chuckled and said, "Great Chu produces many remarkable people and families of great merchants."

His implication was clear: there were plenty of wealthy merchants around, the Gu Family did not lack customers like the An Family.

Boss An was annoyed, wondering how Boss Tian could be so foolish.

And even more foolishness followed. Angered, Boss Tian stood up and exclaimed, "Gu Family boy, don’t be too arrogant. Look around this hall, it’s just us here. If we don’t bid, who will buy your ham? You’re just wasting your time and effort today!"

Gu Jin’an smiled and looked towards Feng Lian, who hurried over from a side entrance, asking, "Have the guests arrived?"

Feng Lian grinned and responded, "Yes, Young Master Zheng has arrived, along with a Jinling merchant. Brother Zezi and Brother Xing are bringing them over."

Young Master Zheng had a great friendship with Gu Jin’an. Besides studying hard in the past three years, he had also started managing his family’s business. Intrigued by the Gu Family’s ham being auctioned, he took an interest and, after informing his family elders, came with a Jinling merchant.

"Young Master Zheng? Which Young Master Zheng?" Boss An asked in shock.

Mrs. Chen, who had been eagerly watching the events unfold from the kitchen door, couldn’t contain herself any longer. Puffing up her chest and lifting her chin haughtily, she said, "Naturally, it’s Young Master Zheng Ying from the wealthy Zheng Family of Jinling. Ha ha, bet you didn’t expect that we’d know such nobles. It was my nephew who went to receive Young Master Zheng—a true relative."

The news of Brother Xing going to receive Young Master Zheng was something their family was very proud of. Due to this, they had been very happy at home, and the eldest brother even took Brother Xing to buy a new outfit, fearing that he would embarrass himself and fail to favorably impress the noble.

Boss An was caught off guard; it was indeed Zheng Ying, the legitimate heir of the Jinling Zheng Family, who had come personally. The relationship between Gu Jin’an and Zheng Ying was truly exceptional, with the heir forsaking ancestral rituals on such a significant festival as the Winter Solstice to come to the countryside.

With Zheng Ying’s support, Boss An dared not press down the price of the ham any longer.

Hearing that it was Young Master Zheng Ying from the Zheng Family who had come, Boss Tian felt a burning pain on his face—an utter humiliation.

But unable to confront the Zheng Family, could he not stand up to a common shrew?

Pointing at Mrs. Chen, Boss Tian shouted, "Where does this rural shrew think she is? You have no place to speak here!"