Too high to reach

Chapter 98 The First Pot of Gold
Mo Yi was holding the amethyst and reminiscing when she heard this, and she was stunned for a moment.

Shopkeeper Zhao rushed over, all smiles, "Yes, Miss Wang! Please wait a moment! Miss Mo... Miss Wang wants to see this amethyst. Please give it to me..."

He held up the tray.

Mo Yi was secretly delighted and subconsciously reached out to hand it over, but... she turned to look at "Miss Wang"...

From head to toe, she was decked out in luxury. And that smug little expression!

Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she said with some difficulty, "But... shopkeeper, I was the one who first took a liking to this amethyst! If you could give me a discount, make a small concession, my father would pay immediately! If you let this young lady see it now... what if she takes a liking to it...?"

Before Manager Zhao could speak, Miss Wang complained, "You haven't bought anything yet, have you? This is still part of the store's inventory, why can't I look at it?"

Miss Wang is probably around the same age as Mo Yi. She's a little chubby, with fair and smooth skin.

He had narrow, almond-shaped eyes and wasn't particularly handsome, but he had a very smug and arrogant air about him.

Mo Yi tried to get closer to her: "Miss Wang, right? I also really like this amethyst. My sister just got engaged, and I'd like to give it to her..."

"I don't know your sister!" Miss Wang turned her head away haughtily, thinking to herself: What does your sister's marriage have to do with me?

"Miss Wang, there are many things in the store... Why don't you take a look at something else first?" Mo Yi kindly suggested.

"I don't want to look at it! I want to look at the one you're holding!" Miss Wang was very insistent!

The young woman next to her, Ms. Li, quietly pulled her aside.

"Why are you pulling me! Shopkeeper, are you going to let me see or not?" Miss Wang said impatiently.

Manager Zhao, with a serious expression, forcefully shoved the tray towards her: "Miss Mo, if you don't pay immediately, Miss Wang will have to see it!"

Mo Yi, looking pitiful, somewhat helpless, reluctant, and dawdling, placed the items on the tray.

Look at how stingy she is... Miss Wang doesn't like her!
Manager Zhao took back the small tray, reached for a piece of fine cotton from the side, and gently wiped the amethyst.

Then, place it on another small tray and hand it to Ms. Wang with both hands.

"Miss Wang, please take a look!"

Is this because you think I'm dirty?
"..." Mo Yi looked down at her clean little hands and was speechless.

Miss Wang, however, was pleased and gave her a huff, pointing her nose at the sky.

What's that on that girl's face?! She's ugly!
Such a beautiful thing, let's not even talk about whether you can afford it, do you even deserve to wear it?
At first glance, she was immediately captivated: "Sister, look! This amethyst isn't the absolute best... but doesn't it look amazing with my new yellow dress? The contrast between the two colors is striking, it'll definitely stand out! I can wear it to the palace banquet on the second day of the second lunar month! It'll look amazing, hmph, this time I'll definitely win over Xu Fengjiao..."

She didn't continue.

It seems they're planning to challenge someone in a competition.

Mo Yi thought to herself: Purple paired with yellow is indeed quite nice.

But... young lady, do you really have the looks and temperament to match her?

Oh dear, what am I thinking?

This girl is definitely a perfect match for her! She must be exceptionally beautiful! Please, please buy her!
Mo Yi clenched her fists nervously, her forehead almost sweating.

Miss Wang saw it at a glance and assumed that she still cared about this thing.

Pshaw! Poor girl, do you even have the money to buy it?

"You'll be so hungry!" she said, even more smugly.

The young woman agreed: "Wow, that's really great! I wouldn't have imagined it if you hadn't told me. You have excellent taste!"

"Hehe, of course! The more you buy, the better your eye becomes!" She glanced at Mo Yi disdainfully: "Shopkeeper, wrap this up for me!"

Mo Yi forced herself not to laugh out loud.

Manager Zhao nodded at just the right moment, looking completely convinced of Miss Wang's judgment.

The young lady, having already chosen her items, came over and asked, "Sister, what have you taken a fancy to?"

"Sister-in-law, look, isn't it beautiful?!"

Miss Wang presented the items in her hands to her sister-in-law.

Madam Wang glanced at it and nodded, "Sister, you have excellent taste. This amethyst has a perfect color and a beautiful pattern! It would be a perfect match for the pale yellow dress you just finished making the other day!"

Miss Wang was even happier: "Sister-in-law, you have such good taste! That's exactly what I was planning! Hurry up and wrap it up."

The girl next to me asked, "What's the price of this?"

Manager Zhao looked completely honest. "Your patronage will cost one thousand taels of silver!"

Not to mention Mo Ruhai, even Mo Yi's eyes widened in surprise. Manager Zhao, however, maintained his smile.

The lady shook her head: "Such a small thing is too expensive."

Mo Yi immediately realized, "Yes! That's outrageous! Otherwise, I would have bought it just now! Shopkeeper, if you could lower the price, I was ahead of this Miss Wang in line! There has to be a first-come, first-served order, you have to ask me first!"

Miss Wang was displeased. "Who said he should lower the price? It's a rare find! I wouldn't even blink if it were ten thousand taels, let alone a thousand. It's the highest bidder wins! Sister-in-law, transfer the money!"

"..." Mo Yi was so surprised that she couldn't close her mouth. She was such a silly goose!
Miss Wang looked at Mo Yi with disdain, seeing her dumbfounded expression!

Ugly freak! How dare you come to a store like this dressed in such shabby clothes!

Ugly and shabby... I bet your sister isn't much better! She's probably marrying into a poor family; she'd be lucky to even have a gold hairpin, let alone something like this!
Sigh, I'm a kind-hearted girl, so I won't say anything mean!
She affirmed herself.

Manager Zhao glanced calmly at the Mo family father and daughter, and instructed the shop assistant, "Use top-quality packaging!"

That Madam Wang knew that nearly half of her grandmother's private property had been given to this girl! Let her spend it if she wants, it's not my money! She nodded directly, and the maid next to her went to pay the bill.

Mo Ruhai pinched his thigh; he felt a little dizzy.

Miss Wang glanced at Mo Yi with disdain once more, snorted, and walked away with her chin held high.

The Mo family father and daughter stared in disbelief as they left the house.

Mo Yi suddenly turned her head, staring at Manager Zhao with shining eyes.

How do you want to settle accounts with me?

Manager Zhao clapped his hands and took a thousand-tael silver note from the shop assistant.

“Miss Mo, you just mentioned five items, totaling one thousand taels. Now, here’s a one thousand tael silver note for you. I’ll just accept these four items directly. That way, we can avoid any further formalities… Aren’t you happy?”

Mo Yi swallowed hard, somewhat taken aback.

She and Mo Ruhai exchanged a glance. Happy?
I should have been extremely happy. But now...

"Uncle Shopkeeper, this isn't right! I feel like you've gotten four items for free all at once!?"

Shopkeeper Zhao was displeased. "Miss Mo! How could this be for free? First of all, I have such a large shop to back me up. Otherwise, even if you had the best things, if you just stood by the roadside and tried to chat with Miss Wang, would she even acknowledge you? I'm afraid the guards with you would have already..."

He swallowed the unpleasant words. "Furthermore, my intelligence and skills also played a part in making this deal possible. Add to that miscellaneous taxes, the shop assistants' wages, tea expenses..."

Turning my head, I saw Mo Ruhai nervously drinking his third cup of tea.

“These costs are enormous! Moreover, maintaining these major clients is incredibly time-consuming and labor-intensive. Every year during holidays, we have to visit them to offer New Year's greetings and gifts. Just think about how much it all adds up to?”

He thought to himself: There is another crucial point: information channels. If you don't know the Wang family, who would dare to ask for such a price for such a small item?

That's a joke!
He knew that Miss Wang dared to buy, knew how to buy, and had the ability to buy!

How much does this analysis and decision-making cost?

I just can't tell you!
“But you… you’ve essentially gotten something for nothing, haven’t you?!” Mo Yi looked at Manager Zhao with a complicated expression.

I was so glad that I used to think he was refined and kind, sincere and easy to talk to, and didn't seem like a businessman at all.

How do I see it?!
Manager Zhao smiled warmly: "If you think it's easy, why don't you ask your father to open a shop for you and see how it goes? Then you'll understand how difficult it is for me."

Mo Ruhai was extremely anxious at this moment. He was afraid that Manager Zhao would regret it and wanted to get the money into his pocket as soon as possible.

He gave his daughter a sharp look.

Mo Yi waved his hand generously, "Very well! The deal is done! We've had a very pleasant collaboration!"

Manager Zhao nodded: That's true!
"Thank you very much, Uncle Zhao. If I have any more good stuff..."

Manager Zhao looked at her warily: "Miss, let's keep things separate. Miss Wang today is a rare and wonderful customer, a once-in-a-lifetime find! That's why we have today's price. If there's a next time... the price you're offering is really unacceptable!" He seemed to be scratching his head.

The father and daughter, carrying silver notes, stumbled out, their steps uneven.

"Father, this is the biggest money we've ever made! I can hardly believe it's true..." Mo Yi was even a little anxious.

"Yiyi, that Manager Zhao is clearly helping us. With this deal, we've used up all our capital and are even making a profit! That's great!"

Mo Yi looked at her father and said, "It's like this right at the start of the year! From now on, good things will happen to us, father and daughter!"

"Well said! Yi Yi, let's hurry home and make sure we put the silver notes away!" Mo Ruhai said in a low voice.

“Okay!” Mo Yi said happily.

(End of this chapter)