During famine years, I had a divination slip in hand, and my whole family ate chicken, duck, fish, a

Seeing that someone was pressing for details, Ye Qingqing also wanted to find out the price, so she casually said, "Fifty copper coins a pound, want some? They were just caught yesterday, very fresh!"

"My goodness, fifty copper coins can buy two pounds of flour! That's way too expensive!"

The people who asked about the price grinned and then fell silent.

Ye Qingqing smiled faintly, it seemed that directly contacting the restaurant was the right thing to do.

As noon approached, the aroma of wine and meat wafted from Fu Shun Lou. People coming and going were dressed in brocade robes and wrapped in furs. The restaurant was packed with customers, and business was booming.

The young waiter who had introduced Ye Qingqing to the shopkeeper last time was still greeting customers at the door. He couldn't help but smile when he saw her.

"Hey, isn't this Miss Ye? What mountain produce did you bring today?"

"Today's produce isn't from the mountains, it's from the water."

Ye Qingqing pulled a frozen, rock-hard mandarin fish from the car and handed it over, "Young man, can you take a look at this fish for me? What do you think?"

"This is a wild gooseberry!"

Having worked in a restaurant before, the young waiter was quite discerning, and said with a look of surprise,

"These fish burrow to the bottom of the water as soon as winter arrives. Where did you catch them?"

Our family occasionally manages to collect a few mandarin fish in winter, and they sell for a very high price!

Ye Qingqing smiled mysteriously, "Young man, how much do you think is appropriate for me to ask the shopkeeper?"

"I can't really say."

The young man peeked inside, secretly held up one finger, and said in a low voice, "Miss, there are some things I can't say, but I can only give you a heads-up."

If this dish were made successfully, it would sell for at least this price per plate in our shop… You figure it out yourself.”

"Alright, I understand now."

Ye Qingqing smiled and stuffed the twenty copper coins she had prepared in advance into his hand. "Please take me to see the shopkeeper, young man."

"No problem, no problem."

The young waiter smiled knowingly and said enthusiastically, "Let's go through the back door."

This little girl is a gossip; every time she comes, she slips him a dozen or twenty copper coins, which is almost equivalent to his daily wage.

No wonder he's so enthusiastic!

The shopkeeper came out and was also surprised to see a large cart full of mango seeds. He casually picked up a few, looked at them, and asked...

"It's alright, it looks quite fresh... How much are you planning to pay per pound?"

"I plan to hear what the shopkeeper thinks first. If it's suitable, I'll sell it; if not, I'll look for another shop."

Ye Qingqing said with a half-smile, "Anyway, my dad said that it's hard to catch mantis shrimp in winter, and he won't sell them for less than fifty copper coins."

Li Chunyan quickly made up the difference, afraid that the shopkeeper would think it was too expensive.

"Exactly! That whole family almost fell into the Erlang River to feed the turtles just trying to catch a few fish!"

The shopkeeper frowned upon hearing this. "How can it be so expensive? Ao Hua Zi is not cheap, but it's at most thirty-five coins per catty."

"Since your goods are so fresh, I'll add three coins, making it thirty-eight. Sell it if you can, otherwise forget it, I'm busy at my shop right now..."

He had decided in his heart that he would give her at most forty, but he didn't expect this girl to ask for fifty.

However, the price was negotiated; if the other party quoted a high price, he could lower it.

"That's way too much. I'm sorry, shopkeeper, but my dad said it can only be sold for fifty. I can't just sell it anywhere."

Ye Qingqing sighed dramatically and waved to Li Chunyan.

"There's no other way, sister-in-law, let's try asking at other restaurants."

A sly smile flashed across the shopkeeper's face, but he remained standing still.

Haha, are you playing a game of cat and mouse with me?

Even if this girl were to sell it to another shop, the price would be at most forty.

Besides, of the four or five restaurants on the whole street, only Fushunlou could handle four or five hundred catties of Aohuazi.

"Oh? You're leaving already!"

Li Chunyan sighed in frustration, thinking to herself, "Didn't Dad say he'd sell it for forty? Why are you insisting on fifty without any bargaining? What if they really don't want it anymore?"

She wanted to persuade Er Yatou to negotiate with the shopkeeper again and sell it for forty coins.

Unexpectedly, Ye Qingqing walked out the door without even turning her head.

She quickly caught up with him, taking small, quick steps. "Qingqing, slow down, wait for me!"

The shopkeeper was taken aback when Ye Qingqing left without looking back.

This batch of mandarin duck eggs is truly rare. When made into a signature dish, a plate costs 100 coins, and wealthy people scramble to eat them.

If this girl were to be sold to other restaurants, wouldn't those customers who love fresh fish have to go to other restaurants to eat?

His years of experience as a shopkeeper taught him that it was precisely at times like these that one should not be anxious; now it was a matter of who could remain calm.

The one that can't hold on has to accept the price!

To everyone's surprise, Ye Qingqing walked out the door without looking back, and the shopkeeper couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

"Qingqing, isn't fifty a bit expensive? I think forty will be fine."

Seeing the business deal fall through, Li Chunyan chased after Ye Qingqing, trying to persuade her, "Forty is already a lot..."

"Are these mandarin duck fish for sale?"

Before the words were finished, a middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe and wearing a mink hat, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, came over, accompanied by a servant. He peered intently into the carriage.

"Looks pretty good! How much are you planning to sell it for per pound?"

"Four...no, fifty coins a pound!"

Seeing someone wanting to sell, Li Chunyan immediately perked up, held up a hand and said, "If you want them all, I can give you a discount... Isn't that Qingqing?"

"Fifty coins is too expensive, forty-five would be more reasonable."

The man said with difficulty, "My family is having a wedding in a couple of days, with about a hundred tables of fine food. This amount of fish should be enough."

"This lady is forty-five. If you're interested, I'll take her all of them."

Li Chunyan was immediately overjoyed. Forty-five, which was higher than the price her father had quoted!

She was about to agree, but Ye Qingqing's face remained indifferent, and she didn't utter a single word. She immediately swallowed the words that were about to come out, gently nudged Ye Qingqing, and lowered her voice,

"Second Girl, they're offering forty-five! That's more than what the restaurants offer, why don't you ask for it?"

Ye Qingqing kept observing the seller, thinking about the oracle that said "Don't be greedy for small gains," and was extremely wary.

We should test the waters a bit more before making a decision.

She raised an eyebrow without ceremony and held up a hand.

"Fifty. My family only managed to catch this many fish, and my dad said he won't sell them for less than fifty."

"Hiss..."

Li Chunyan immediately felt a chill.

What's wrong with this brat? Why is she so stubborn?

A pound of pork costs only thirty-five copper coins, and they won't even sell it for forty-five? You think you can fly to the sky?

The man frowned, but his eyes darted around, and he said hesitantly,

"Too expensive, too expensive. Forty-eight at most. If you want it, come to my house with me. We'll exchange money for goods."

If that doesn't work, I'll buy a big carp; we'll eat that too.

Should we go home?

Ye Qingqing frowned imperceptibly. Judging from his clothes and appearance, he could buy more than 400 catties of fish for 45 coins a catty without batting an eye. Logically speaking, he must be a wealthy person living in a mansion.

Shouldn't we say "send it to my residence"?