Transmigration: Flirted with My Childhood Sweetheart
Chapter 513 - 512: Fishing is a Skillful Task

Chapter 513: Chapter 512: Fishing is a Skillful Task

Shen Hongzun was somewhat nervous.

No, he was very nervous.

This was his first time attending the Spring Trade Fair, and before he left, the elder had repeatedly instructed him and listed a long list of people he absolutely must not offend, including the Lin Family.

However, he had seen some of the world, and after a brief moment of being stunned, he switched the topic with his somewhat awkward Mandarin: "Miss Lin, hello. I apologize for intruding, but may I ask where you bought your hair accessory? I would like to buy one for my sister."

Lin Nianhe smiled.

She casually touched her own hair hoop, and then replied: "This is a product of the well-known domestic jewelry brand ’Lan’. If you want to buy it, you should go to the Friendship Store."

She knew that Shen Hongzun was not really there to ask about Head Flower; he hardly glanced at their accessories, so this abrupt question was likely just a change of topic.

However, this didn’t hinder Lin Nianhe’s intention to sell the Head Flower to him.

The Xiangjiang Shen Family, Lin Nianhe had read about his family in the history books of economics. They started out in the last century by integrating dockworkers and then leveraged the convenience of the docks to engage in trade, declining in the 1990s. Currently, the Shen family were the retail kings in Xiangjiang, having shops in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui.

Just as Shen Hongzun was about to make an excuse to leave, Lin Nianhe called out to him.

"Mr. Shen, if you don’t mind, would you like to have afternoon tea together?" Lin Nianhe said with a mild smile, "This is our first time attending the Spring Trade Fair in Sui City, and we’re not familiar with the rules, if you could enlighten us, we would be very grateful."

A lady’s invitation, especially from a beautiful lady.

How could anyone refuse!

When Shen Hongzun came back to his senses, he was already sitting on the chair next to Lin Nianhe.

Looking at Lin Nianhe’s gentle and simple smile, Shen Hongzun’s concerns faded significantly.

The Lin Family was indeed intimidating, but he hadn’t done anything yet, at least he hadn’t had a chance to do anything, so no need to panic!

"Why did Miss Lin come?" Shen Hongzun sipped his tea.

"I was forced to come," Lin Nianhe said helplessly with a light sigh, "Originally, the ’Lan’ brand was reluctant to participate in the Spring Trade Fair, you know, these long-standing artists are always temperamental. It was just that their family owed Uncle Huang a favor, so they came to the fair... But they felt the journey was too far and didn’t want to come, so Uncle Huang asked a few of us to help out."

Having said that, Lin Nianhe sighed deeply.

Across from her, Wang Shumei and Wen Lan looked at her with complex expressions.

Reluctant? Forced?

They suddenly didn’t understand the real meaning of these words!

Lin Nianhe spoke with skillful intonation and expressions, easily drawing people into her trap, making them unconsciously follow her lead.

Shen Hongzun’s curiosity instantly shifted to the big-tempered "Lan" brand. He asked, "Isn’t attending the Trade Fair something many factories would crave? How could the ’Lan’ brand refuse?"

"Mr. Shen doesn’t know? That makes sense, given the distance, some things you wouldn’t know."

Lin Nianhe casually mentioned the tumultuous "history" of the "Lan" brand.

Wang Shumei was certain that what Lin Nianhe was saying was word for word the same as what she had said on the train.

She was also certain that, if nothing went wrong, she would hear this story many more times.

Wang Shumei and Wen Lan were tired of hearing it, but Shen Hongzun was hearing it for the first time!

He was surprised, curious, admiring, and moved.

At the end of the story, he asked, "This may be presumptuous... but may I take a look at your hair accessory?"

"Of course, we are friends after all."

Lin Nianhe quietly closed the distance between them, then took off the hair hoop and handed it to him.

"If it weren’t for the fact that I can’t give gifts to foreign guests, I’d really like to give this to your sister," Lin Nianhe said smilingly, speaking honeyed words that cost nothing.

Shen Hongzun examined the delicate flowers on the hair hoop, unconsciously marveling, "I’ve never seen such craftsmanship before, I didn’t expect copper wire could be made into something so beautiful, this must be expensive, right?"

Lin Nianhe decisively shook her head, her tone light and easy: "Not expensive at all, this hair hoop is only fifteen yuan."

Wen Lan immediately raised her hand to cover her mouth to prevent herself from spraying tea onto Lin Nianhe’s face.

That hair hoop, from the materials to the handiwork, costs less than one and a half yuan in total!

She really dares!

Sister Lan felt that no sane person would ever think of buying such a thing.

Then she heard Shen Hongzun say, "Fifteen yuan? But it’s inlaid with jade, isn’t it? Miss Lin, could you have remembered the price wrong?"

Lin Nianhe shook her head, she glanced around to make sure no one was noticing them before speaking with a heart-to-heart expression, "Mr. Shen, this is just between us, you must not tell anyone else—"

"Actually, all the products from the ’Lan’ brand are priced at their cost, they are here to repay a favor, not to make money... The hair hoop you’re holding is made by craftsmen who underwent hundreds of hours of training, each one taking an average of six hours to hand-make. Although the jade isn’t top-grade, wearing it as a little accessory wouldn’t be disgraceful, right?"

Wang Shumei: "..."

Wen Lan: "..."

Hundreds of hours of training? Indeed, the workers who make samples for export previously made numerous domestic Head Flowers.

Pure handcraft? Indeed, because their factory doesn’t have machines that can make this stuff.

Average of six hours... This is purely made up! They both watched Aunt Zhao squeeze out one in just half an hour!

Wen Lan couldn’t help but lean close to Wang Shumei and whisper in a voice only they could hear, "With the building this tall, if there’s lightning, it would definitely strike here first, right?"

Wang Shumei: "Being struck by lightning here has nothing to do with the height of the building, it’s mainly because Lin Nianhe is here."

Their whispered conversation went unheard by Shen Hongzun, who was examining the hair hoop, contemplating how such accessories could sell for at least twenty yuan in his family’s store, and would surely be popular.

Lin Nianhe did not rush him, casually eating a cookie and patiently waiting for the fish to bite.

This fish was even more impatient than she had expected.

Shen Hongzun carefully set down the hair hoop and turned to ask Lin Nianhe, "Miss Lin, does the ’Lan’ brand have any other hair accessories? May I see them?"

Lin Nianhe shook her head apologetically, "I’m afraid not, you can’t go to our floor, so you’ll just have to wait until the Spring Trade Fair starts. We’ll be in the textile exhibition area, you can come over anytime."

Things that are too easily obtained are never cherished; building anticipation is also a craft.

Shen Hongzun sighed disappointingly, "I see, then I’ll have to wait three days."

After a pause, Shen Hongzun suddenly asked, "Ah? Can I buy some from the Friendship Store right now? I could go ahead and get a few!"

"They do have them, but you should hurry, I heard they’re almost sold out," Lin Nianhe kindly reminded.

Shen Hongzun couldn’t sit still any longer, he stood up saying, "Then I must excuse myself first, ladies, take your time."

"Busy yourself, important matters first." Lin Nianhe stood up and even shook his hand.

After Shen Hongzun left, Wang Shumei whispered, "Nianhe, aren’t all the samples in our room? The Friendship Store doesn’t have them, right?"

"Nope," Lin Nianhe said without a shred of guilt, "But if he doesn’t run back and forth a few times, how can he deeply understand what it means to desire but not obtain?"

Wang Shumei: "..."

Wen Lan: "Such a namby-pamby."