nucmednet Chapter 195 Purchasing a Soup Bowl
Chapter 195 Purchasing a Soup Bowl
The two watched the shop owner's performance expressionlessly. Noticing the two gazes, the shop owner smiled awkwardly, raised his hand and touched his nose, trying to hide his guilt.
Cheng Yuntao continued while the iron was hot, "Shopkeeper, we need to purchase a large quantity, can you give us a discount?"
When the shopkeeper heard this, the corners of his mouth drooped instantly: "Ah? How can this be true? I have already given a lot of discounts, it really can't be any cheaper!" Having said that, a barely perceptible expectation flashed in his eyes, as if he was waiting for Cheng Yuntao to give a number that was exciting enough.
Seeing this, Jiang Yu spoke slowly, "Shopkeeper, we've bargained the price of this soup bowl down to ten cents, which still leaves you some profit margin, and it's not a small profit."
"Everyone knows that the purpose of opening a business is to make money. There's no reason to lose money, so don't do so many fancy things. Let's just be straightforward."
Hearing this, the shopkeeper leaned forward slightly and asked with a tentative look on his face, "So...how many do you want to order?"
Seeing this, Cheng Yuntao raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and slowly stretched out a finger and waved it in front of the shopkeeper.
"One hundred?!" The shopkeeper's eyes widened instantly, his face full of surprise. He thought it was just an ordinary customer, and he never expected that the other party would buy a hundred at once.
His originally frowned brows suddenly relaxed, his eyes sparkled with excitement, and his voice unconsciously rose an octave.
The business of his porcelain shop has always been average. He can't sell expensive porcelain, and he relies on the sales of cheap porcelain to make a living. One hundred pieces are not too many, but they are definitely not too few either. It is considered a pretty big order.
But the next second, the store owner pretended to be calm and began to act embarrassed, shaking his head and complaining: "This is too difficult. The cost is here. If I give any more discount, I will lose a lot of money."
Seeing this, Cheng Yuntao said sincerely, "This purchase is quite large. If there are orders like this in the future, we will definitely come back to you. Just treat it as making friends and give you a better discount."
"I'm guessing you're planning on setting up a small business by buying so many soup pots at once. It's not easy for two young people to make a living, so I'll give you a 10% discount."
The other party was willing to make concessions again, and Cheng Yuntao was too embarrassed to ask for anything more. The price was settled: "Thank you very much, store owner!"
Because the quantity purchased was large and it was difficult to move it with just two people, Cheng Yuntao paid the store owner an extra ten cents and asked him to send the shop assistants to pack the soup bowls, place them on a straw-padded cart, and pull them back to the house with a donkey.
The shopkeeper quickly called over his clerk and, with a concerned look on his face, repeatedly reminded him, "It's okay if the delivery is a little slow. The most important thing is to deliver the goods safely. There can't be any mistakes. Got it? If you're careless and the goods get damaged, I'll deduct the loss from your wages!"
The waiter was of medium build and a little thin. He was wearing a coarse linen shirt that had turned a little pale from washing, with some dust on the corners.
Hearing the shopkeeper's words, his already round eyes widened instantly, and he nodded hurriedly: "Don't worry, boss, I will definitely be careful!" The waiter walked quickly to where the soup bowls were piled. He bent down, picked up a stack of soup bowls steadily with both hands and walked towards the cart.
Coming to the cart, he first placed the soup bowls gently on the edge, then moved them little by little, placing them steadily on the cart padded with straw, and then went back to carry the next batch, going back and forth, tirelessly, until all the soup bowls were properly placed.
When they were about to set off, Cheng Yuntao stretched out her hands to support the rear of the cart, jumped lightly, and sat on it steadily.
The shop owner stood at the door with a smile on his face, waved goodbye, and said loudly: "If you need anything next time, please come again!" His smile was enthusiastic and his eyes were full of eager anticipation.
Cheng Yuntao, who was sitting at the rear of the cart, also raised her hand and waved, responding crisply, "I understand!" The voice was clear and pleasant, and soon dissipated.
Her light-colored dress fluttered in the wind, and her heels, dangling in the air, swung back and forth in the interweaving of light and shadow like nimble fish as the cart swayed. Jiang Yu followed slowly beside her.
The streets were still bustling with activity. Cheng Yuntao casually looked around. After hesitating for a moment, she said softly, "Jiang Yu, I don't think I've ever heard you mention your family before."
Jiang Yu paused, his originally steady pace coming to a halt. A complex expression flashed across his face, and then he sighed, a bit dejected. "I had a big fight with my family and ran away. I haven't been in touch with them for a long time."
"I've been away from home for these years, and sometimes I miss home, but I can't bring myself to go back." Jiang Yu shook his head slightly, his expression a little bitter. "There are so many troubles at home, it's better not to think about them."
Cheng Yuntao looked at Jiang Yu, who looked a little distressed, and felt sorry for him. She turned slightly and looked at him sincerely: "It's okay, you have me and everyone now. This is your home."
When Jiang Yu heard this, his dim eyes suddenly brightened up: "Yes, this is my home."
At this time, the sun was high in the sky and was at its scorching hot. The bright sunlight burned the bluestone slabs, and the steaming water vapor formed transparent ripples above the street.
Cheng Yuntao clutched the handkerchief and pressed it against her neck. Beads of sweat had already seeped through her collar and condensed into silver-like light at the base of her collarbone. She felt a little annoyed that she was in such a hurry to go out that she forgot to bring a sunshade veil.
Seeing this, Jiang Yu suddenly slowed down his pace. He lowered his eyes and saw a few strands of wet hair stuck to the back of the girl's neck. As she lowered her head, a small piece of sunburned skin was exposed, like rouge spread on white porcelain.
His Adam's apple rolled twice, and his fingertips rubbed unconsciously, "I'll be away for a while, and I'll come back to find you later."
"Hey, where are you going..." Cheng Yuntao was puzzled. Before she could ask clearly, Jiang Yu hurriedly turned around and left.
Not long after, Jiang Yu came back with an exquisite veil hat in his hand. He walked up to Cheng Yuntao, leaned over slightly, and gently put it on her.
Cheng Yuntao only felt that Jiang Yu's breathing was uneven, and the warm breath brushed past her ear. The veil hat made a slight tremor when it tapped the hairpin, and the gauze on the veil hat hung down like clouds, just right to block out the scorching sunlight.
Jiang Yu's bony fingers hooked a corner of the silk gauze, and when she let go, the light green gauze curved in an arc, creating ripples in the sunlight.
The cart creaked as it rolled over the cracked stone slabs, and the tinkling of the donkey bells scared away the flock of birds in front of the sugar painting stall.
Cheng Yuntao raised her eyes through the veil that was blown apart by the wind, and saw through the gap that the thin layer of sweat oozing from Jiang Yu's side face was sliding down his sharp jawline and finally disappearing between the collars with dark pine and bamboo patterns.
She lowered her eyes in a hurry, but the sweet scent of osmanthus honey wafting from the steamed cake shop turned into a kind of slightly intoxicating aroma.