The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 521 - 510: Precious Pen Holder

Chapter 521: Chapter 510: Precious Pen Holder

Zhou Erlang said in a low voice as well, "There’s no need for such trouble when we have the Land Officer as witness, and Eldest Master Shi is also a reputable man in Luojiang County; he won’t cheat us. Plus, we’ll take the deed to the County Governmental Office shortly for recording."

Manbao was stunned and asked, "Isn’t today an off-day for the office?"

"It is, but your fourth brother knows a secretary, and though the office is closed, your brother could still ask him for a favor to get the deed recorded today, so we can settle things right away."

Manbao was quite surprised and scratched her head, "Is there such a rush?"

Zhou Erlang smiled and nodded, "We’re not in a hurry ourselves, but it’s naturally more reassuring to get things settled when we can, plus our parents are waiting at home."

Shi Xiaoen had been standing to the side waiting for them to finish their discussion. Their voices were soft, but he could catch a word here and there.

He glanced at them and said to Manbao, "Your brother is right; it’s definitely better to have it settled. However, my influence in town isn’t worth much anymore, and I won’t be able to find someone to handle the documents for you. It’s good if you can find someone on your own."

Manbao blinked and nodded in agreement.

She sensed that there was something she didn’t know about this situation and decided to ask her brothers about it later.

So off she went, with Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang quickly following, saying, "We also need to buy something for Lord Yang, don’t we? Then the money won’t be enough."

Manbao waved her hand generously, "No worries, I have money."

She took out a string of money from her cloth bag and said, "Let’s see what we can find at the market."

"We should buy some pastries," suggested Bai Erlang.

But Bai Shanbao said, "The pastry chef at their house makes better treats than what you’d find outside. What’s the use of bringing pastries he wouldn’t eat anyway?"

Manbao nodded, "Unfortunately, there’s not much in the way of fruits or vegetables at the market now, otherwise it would be good to buy some fruits to bring."

The three children wandered and eventually arrived at a bookshop. Instinctively, they peered inside and Manbao immediately spotted a pen holder carved with little monkeys.

Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang saw it too, and the three of them rushed up for a closer look. They saw that one pen holder was adorned with three differently posed little monkeys: one with its mouth, another its tail, and the third its foot just fitting around the notch. When a pen was placed on it, it seemed as if the monkeys were holding the pen with their mouth, tail, and foot.

All three youngsters were in awe, their eyes shining brightly.

The bookshop owner, recognizing them, smiled as he stepped out from behind the counter and watched the three children. "Are you young masters and mistress here to play in the city again?"

The three nodded together, with Manbao asking, "Bookshop uncle, do you have any more pen holders like this one?"

"No, this is the only one, and there’s no second one like it in the entire Luojiang County," he said with a smile.

The three were visibly disappointed and simultaneously reached out to touch the pen holder, all conveying the same desire—to own it!

The owner’s smile nearly formed into a full crescent as he said, "The two young masters and young mistress indeed have an eye for quality. This pen holder is quite rare, and I had to ask for a long time to acquire it."

As soon as they heard this, the three had a bad feeling, and Bai Shanbao withdrew his hand to ask, "How much is this pen holder?"

Still smiling, the owner held up two fingers, "Two taels of silver."

At that, Manbao reluctantly withdrew her hand, saying, "But the wood it’s made from is rather common."

"That’s exactly why it’s only two taels of silver. If it were made of finer materials, with this level of craftsmanship, it would cost far more than two taels," the owner explained while showcasing the pen holder with its clouds and lifelike monkeys. "If the craftsman had used top-quality rosewood, it could easily sell for twenty taels."

Manbao’s eyes widened; that much could buy several cows, couldn’t it?

Bai Erlang also hesitantly looked away and asked Bai Shanbao and Manbao, "Should we buy it?"

After pondering for a moment, Bai Shanbao said, "We’ve been under his protection for quite some time; it’s only appropriate to give a valuable gift in return."

Manbao thought it made sense, then turned to the owner, "Could you make it cheaper?"

The owner looked at them in surprise, "You want to buy it together?"

Wasn’t this supposed to be a bidding situation?

All three nodded, "We’re buying it as a gift for someone, bookshop uncle. Please give us a discount. How about selling it to us for one and a half taels? Then, it’s easy for us to divide: each of us pays half a tael."

The owner’s eyes almost popped out as he stared at Manbao, "Who bargains like this? Cutting the price by half right away... No, no, two taels... At the least, one tael and nine hundred coins."

Bai Shanbao suggested, "How about one tael and six hundred coins?"

"One tael and nine hundred coins," the owner repeated firmly.

Bai Erlang added, "Then add just another hundred coins, one tael and seven hundred coins, maybe?"

Bai Shanbao and Manbao wanted to step on his foot for that, but since he was standing between them and the owner, they couldn’t discreetly do so.

The owner smiled warmly and repeated, "One tael and nine hundred coins."

Under their incessant persuasion and bargaining, the owner finally budged, agreeing to one tael and eight hundred coins.

The three of them then began putting their money together.

As the owner wrapped the gift, he asked, "Who are you buying this gift for? It’s quite a generous gesture."

In Luojiang County, items priced above one tael were considered substantial, not to mention those above five hundred coins.

The three children pooling their money to purchase such an expensive gift was surprising even to the experienced shop owner.

"For the County Magistrate," Bai Shanbao revealed.

The owner couldn’t help but squint and smile, nodding repeatedly at the children, "Ambitious, very ambitious."

They were so young and already knew how to give gifts and cultivate connections.

Unaware of the shop owner’s thoughts, they took the gift and went back to find Zhou Dalang and the others, deciding that they shouldn’t let such an expensive gift go for nothing. They planned to arrive early to allow Lord Yang’s kitchen to prepare their lunch.

Zhou Dalang and the others had already met with the Land Officer, and under his witness, they signed the deed and handed over the one hundred and twenty taels for the shop in the presence of Eldest Master Shi.

After witnessing the transaction, the Land Officer took the red envelope from Eldest Master Shi and Zhou Dalang and left, shaking his head and sighing at Shi Xiaoen as he did so, without uttering a word.

When Manbao and the others returned, Shi Xiaoen had already departed, and Zhou Dalang and his crew were busy cleaning the shop.

Manbao ran inside and asked, "Has the deed been signed? Where is it? Let me have a look."

Junior Ms. Qian laughed, "It’s already been sent with your second and fourth brothers to be recorded at the County Governmental Office. What did you buy for the County Magistrate?"

Manbao coughed lightly, "We pooled our money to buy him a pen holder."

"Only a pen holder? You should have bought some pastries or something as well," Junior Ms. Qian said, "It’s not polite to visit someone’s home empty-handed."

As far as Junior Ms. Qian was concerned, a pen holder was a cheap item; the pen holders that the children in her household used were simply made by Zhou Erlang from bamboo.

Not daring to disclose the price of the pen holder, Manbao looked around, found herself in everyone’s way, and walked out, "Then I’m leaving."

"Go ahead, go ahead," even Junior Ms. Qian waved her off, "But don’t play too late. Be sure to come back by the hour of Shen at the latest."

She knew that Daji had been following the three children all along, so she was quite at ease.