Too high to reach

Chapter 96 The Shopkeeper's Surname is Zhao
Qizhenlou is one of the most famous shops in the capital.

It has three floors, is very bright and spacious, and is luxuriously decorated.

The items inside are both exquisite and plentiful.

The shopkeeper's surname was Zhao. He was like a schoolteacher, refined and gentle, without a trace of greed.

The key is: He's exceptionally kind and friendly to everyone!

Mo Ruhai just loves chatting with him! He can even get some good tea along the way! Every time they come, Mo Yi looks at the goods while the two of them drink tea and chat... and half a day can easily pass by!

When there are no customers in the shop and Manager Zhao is in a good mood, he will teach Mo Yi knowledge.

Mo Yi's keen eye for high-quality goods was learned from him.

Moreover, his progress was so rapid that he was able to argue and debate with Manager Zhao.

Many customers, seeing Manager Zhao arguing with a girl of about ten years old, gathered around to watch and listen. As they watched, many would say, "Wrap this up for me!"

So, it's actually a mutually beneficial relationship!

When the father and daughter arrived, there were no customers in the shop.

Manager Zhao seemed to be in a very good mood today, with a smile on his face: "Mr. Mo is here! Oh, the young lady is here too?! Waiter, quickly bring some good tea!"

He was one of the few people who were so warm to them, father and daughter. Mo Ruhai smiled broadly and said, "Mr. Zhao, I wish you a belated Happy New Year! I went on a long trip and only returned just before the New Year. Please don't blame me for being impolite!"

“Mr. Mo, we’re in the same boat! Don’t stand on ceremony! Please have a seat!” Turning to Mo Yi, he asked, “Miss Mo, what would you like to see today?”

He looked at the girl with amusement. Oh, what happened to her face?
"She bumped into something by accident, but she's almost healed!" Mo Ruhai quickly explained.

This time, Mo Yi was not as dull as she was at home. She smiled sweetly and spoke pleasantly, "Uncle Zhao, Mo Yi wishes you a prosperous business and abundant wealth this year!"

"Thank you for your kind words, young lady!"

"Uncle Zhao, what good stuff do you have this time? Can I take a look?"

Shopkeeper Zhao teased, "You! People always talk about their business, and you, a young girl, ask about good stuff the very second thing! Good stuff, we have plenty in this shop. But money is also very valuable. Do you have any?"

"Uncle Zhao, please let me broaden my horizons!"

Manager Zhao looked down on her, "You don't need to broaden your horizons! You only like those insignificant little trinkets!"

Despite his words, he still took the tray himself, opened the drawer, and casually placed a few items on the tray.

He brought it over, placed it in front of Mo Yi, and then started chatting with Mo Ruhai.

On the velvet cloth were jade bracelets, jade pendants, jade hairpins, yellow amber pendants, and several coral hairpins. Mo Yi carefully examined these items: their texture, craftsmanship, the designer's intentions, and their potential selling price…

After looking at it for a long time, he said, "Uncle Zhao, this time the coral is blood red, the color is so real! And it's such a big piece! My goodness... it's really a good thing!"

Manager Zhao calmly replied, "It's so-so!"

“However…” Mo Yi carefully picked it up, pondering, “This hairpin isn’t festive enough. Something this red should be part of a set worn by a newlywed. The current style… is somewhat lacking. Ordinary people rarely wear red jewelry, afraid of being ostentatious or appearing superficial!”
"If you can create a gimmick like 'essential for the eldest daughter's wedding, a family heirloom passed down through generations,' then the price will go up!" He muttered to himself as he looked around.

Manager Zhao listened in, and his heart stirred as well.

Although the shop has countless items, he would examine each one, regardless of size, as soon as it arrived.

When I saw this piece of jewelry, I thought the color was fantastic, but the carving was a bit of a letdown. However, to him, it was just an insignificant little item, and he didn't pay much attention to it.

Hearing Mo Yi's explanation, he suddenly understood... but he was deep in thought and acted as if he hadn't heard it at all.

In the small bag Mo Yi was carrying, there were several finished products that her father had brought back.

They didn't take the best goods from Song Jiafu. One reason was that Boss Zhang had made her wary. Another reason was that the general store determined they couldn't sell at a high price.

I brought it here today, thinking I'd like to try it out at this store...

Looking at Manager Zhao's items, sigh, they still can't compare to others! Look at this bracelet... the faint purple hue, so beautiful!
After reading it, I handed the tray to Manager Zhao and told him to keep it safe.

She started planning her own affairs: "Uncle Zhao, my father went out a while ago and brought back a few things. Could you help me take a look?" "Oh? So you have some good stuff! Let me see!" Shopkeeper Zhao nodded generously, smiling as he watched Mo Yi carefully take the items out.

The young waiter next to him noticed and quickly took a tray.

She unwrapped each item in cotton paper and placed them on the tray.

"Please check if this is the right thing!" she asked, holding it over.

Manager Zhao didn't refuse. He picked them up and looked at them. Although he didn't care about them at all, he was very serious. He looked at each piece and put them back on the tray.

"Mr. Mo has a good eye. The items are all perfect, and the materials and craftsmanship are excellent!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Ruhai's eyes lit up.

"Uncle Zhao, could I sell these items on consignment at your shop?"

Shopkeeper Zhao smiled and refused outright, "Miss Mo, the items sold in our shop are all from specific sources. We never resell items from outside sources."

Previously, Mo Ruhai was unaware that his daughter had this plan, and now that he saw that she had been rejected, he became somewhat nervous.

“Uncle Zhao, these items are different in style from the items in your shop, so they won’t clash with or take away your customers.”

"Hehe, young lady, you know quite a lot. But... this is business! And business has to have certain rules..."

Mo Ruhai hesitated, torn between his daughter and the shopkeeper...

"My shop never accepts goods like this, nor does it sell on consignment. There's no such rule!" Manager Zhao explained patiently.

"Uncle Zhao..." Mo Yi looked pitiful.

"Hehe! Miss Mo! Let's put it another way, even if we sell your things here, the majority of the profit will probably still go to the shop. That wouldn't be a good deal for you!"

You come to the store often, I know you like these things, but these kinds of items are never cheap! The young lady doesn't have much savings… In my opinion, you should keep these for yourself!

Then she turned to Mo Ruhai and said, "The girl is all grown up now, she should dress up properly!"

Mo Ruhai was left speechless, unsure how to respond to what he had said.

Mo Yi smiled and said, "These are the ones I wear myself. My father kept them all for me! Look, these pieces are different from the ones in your shop. When your customers see them, they'll feel that you have all the good stuff here! Isn't that great? I guarantee that Qizhenlou will become the most prestigious shop in the capital."

"Haha, we are the most prestigious shop in the capital!" Manager Zhao said proudly.

"Uncle... could you please do us a favor? We'll give you our bottom price, and we won't be envious of how much you sell it for. Besides, we'll settle the payment whenever it's sold, okay?"

Manager Zhao chuckled. "Little girl! You're already talking to me about business?"

"Thank you for your trust, young lady. But I really can't do this. However... I'm curious, what's your bottom line for these five items?"

Mo Yi said in a serious tone, "These five pieces of material vary in quality and carving. Some are better, and some are just average. To make things easier to negotiate, let's set a price. The starting price is two hundred taels for each piece. Five pieces, totaling one thousand taels."

Mo Ruhai was in a bad mood after being rejected by Manager Zhao. Seeing his daughter still trying to persuade him, he took a sip of tea. Upon hearing his daughter's price, he was shocked and almost spat out his tea!

The most expensive item he bought cost twenty taels of silver.

I just glanced at it, and it's not among these five. These, at most, would only cost a few taels of silver.

A thousand taels? He bought so much, but it didn't even cost this much in total!

Oh my, my girl is a tough one!

not good!

This shrewd and mercenary nature of hers is just like her mother's!
Thinking of myself, I am refined and aloof. It is only out of necessity that I dabble in these things to earn a little pocket money.

Little did I expect that I would drag the girl down like this... How can she find a decent husband now?
What should I do...

(End of this chapter)