Green Willow and Lüdou quickly stepped in front of Duoduo.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The shopkeeper cracked a smile. "Young miss, you’ve misunderstood."
"I simply wished to invite you inside for a look."
"We've just received a fresh batch of jade stones—excellent quality. Why not come in and see?"
Duoduo’s eyes flickered.
"Are you sure your shop has good stones?"
The shopkeeper was a bit taken aback, but he pressed on, trying to persuade Duoduo.
"Young miss, along this street, our shop is the largest dealer in jade materials."
"If you can't find what you want here, you won't find it anywhere on this entire street!"
Their shop was tucked away in a remote spot, and most of the business was snatched up by the stores nearer the main road.
Now that a customer had finally come, the shopkeeper was determined to talk her into buying something—anything.
Besides, he could tell from her two maids and two attendants, as well as her expensive clothes, that she came from a wealthy family.
Kids like this were the easiest to trick.
Rich and dumb!
Duoduo noticed how firmly he spoke and felt a flicker of doubt.
"Fine, I’ll take a look inside."
"But let me be clear upfront: if I don’t find anything I like, don’t you dare throw a tantrum!"
"You stay here and wait for the tutor and the others to arrive!"
Duoduo pointed at one of the guards and gave the order.
"Yes, miss." The guard stood still.
The shopkeeper’s eyes darted around as he bowed and ushered Duoduo inside.
Duoduo entered the shop.
On the right side of the store were rows of display racks holding stones with small windows cut into them to reveal the jade inside.
On the left, a heap of stones lay scattered casually on the floor.
Duoduo’s gaze swept over the opened stones.
The quality was decent—she spotted several pieces with nice colors.
But when she leaned in to check the prices, she balked.
Too expensive!
Even though Duoduo had just pocketed a thick stack of silver notes from Li Jin, she’d lived through too many lean days to part with her money easily.
Besides, she’d come here hoping to find a bargain.
Buying a jade stone at a high price was definitely not her plan.
Duoduo let her eyes wander over every stone, looking as relaxed as if she were strolling through her own backyard.
The shopkeeper kept his gaze fixed on her. Whenever her focus landed on a particular stone, he would launch into an extravagant sales pitch.
He laid it on so thick that even Duoduo raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Noticing the curiosity in her eyes, the shopkeeper fell silent.
"Shopkeeper, is this your own store?" Duoduo looked around the quiet, empty shop.
The shopkeeper shook his head.
"I don’t have that kind of luck! I’m just working for the boss."
Duoduo had finished inspecting the stones inside and turned to leave.
The shopkeeper’s face fell with disappointment.
"Young miss, won’t you take a look at the stones on the floor?"
"These are only a little more expensive than the ones outside. If you find one you like, since you’re a familiar face, I’ll charge you the outside price."
Duoduo glanced over the stones on the floor. Among them, she spotted a palm-sized stone glowing with a soft green light.
It wasn’t a vivid green—more like a muted bean-sprout green—and it had a pleasing look to it.
Remembering that Lüdou wanted a stone, she turned to the shopkeeper. "You mean what you said?"
The shopkeeper perked up at the possibility and nodded eagerly.
"Of course I do! If you fancy any of these, I’ll fetch them for you."
Duoduo shook her head.
"I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’ll keep looking."
The shopkeeper sagged with disappointment, though he kept a smile plastered on his face.
"Take your time, young miss. Let me know when you’ve settled on something."
Duoduo nodded and genuinely knelt down to examine the stones more closely.
Apart from the bean-sprout green one, she wasn’t impressed with the rest. Some had only faint traces of color, while others were too muddled.
Her gaze finally stopped on a stone near the doorway.
"Shopkeeper, is that stone for sale too?" Duoduo pointed at it.
The shopkeeper followed her finger.
"Young miss, that’s just a river stone, not jade material."
Duoduo walked over and studied the stone from all angles.
It shimmered with a rainbow of colors, quite eye-catching.
It had been tucked away in a corner near the entrance, easy to overlook.
"I think it’s pretty. Do you sell it?" Duoduo looked up at the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper hesitated.
"Young miss, this is just an ordinary stone. It won’t yield any jade."
"If you want jade, wouldn’t you rather pick something else?"
Duoduo was a bit surprised by the shopkeeper. Though he talked a mile a minute, he wasn’t trying to cheat her out of her money.
She walked back and picked up the bean-sprout green stone.
"Here’s the deal: I’ll buy this stone, plus that one over there. What’s your price?"
The shopkeeper glanced at the palm-sized stone in her hand.
"Young miss, this one is five taels of silver."
Lüdou immediately exclaimed,
"Outside, a stone the same size sells for just one tael!"
"Shopkeeper, are you trying to rip us off?"
The shopkeeper hurriedly explained,
"The stones outside have a much smaller chance of containing jade."
"These stones indoors are almost guaranteed to yield jade."
"So the price is a bit higher!"
Duoduo nodded to herself.
What the shopkeeper said was true—the stones inside all had at least some hint of color.
"And what about the one by the door?" Green Willow could see how much Duoduo wanted that river stone.
"That’s just a common river stone. If you’d like it, young miss, I can give it to you for five hundred coppers."
That stone had been there ever since the shopkeeper started working. He usually used it as a stool.
Business was slow, so selling it for whatever little coin he could get was better than nothing.
"What? Five hundred coppers for a stone like that?"
"Shopkeeper, are you robbing us?" Lüdou was shocked.
Back when she worked as a scullery maid in the kitchen, her monthly wages were only five hundred coppers. How could this stupid stone be worth a whole month of her pay?
The shopkeeper looked a bit embarrassed.
He’d indeed overpriced it.
But he could tell the young miss really fancied that stone.
Even if it was just a river stone, the value of someone’s liking it was worth charging for!
Duoduo grabbed Lüdou’s arm to stop her protest.
"Lüdou, pay the silver."
"Take this stone and move it onto the carriage!" Duoduo ordered the guard.
The guard hesitated, then walked over, hoisted the stone, and carried it out.
Soon after, the guard who had been waiting outside came in and stood behind Duoduo.
Livid but reluctant, Lüdou dug out the silver.
"You shopkeeper, you’re such a swindler. We’re never coming back!"
The shopkeeper smiled apologetically and didn’t argue.
Duoduo noticed that even after Lüdou’s complaints, the shopkeeper didn’t lose his temper. Her eyes glinted thoughtfully.
"Shopkeeper, how much do you earn in a month?"
The shopkeeper blinked in surprise, staring at Duoduo.
Duoduo gave him an innocent, sweet smile.
"Just curious. You don’t have to tell me if you’d rather not."
