Chapter 516: The Junk Your Dad Delivered
’The moment Gu Yuan saw Ye Qianning, he guessed her identity. This was the child who had made his grandfather want to remove his name from the family records. The girl wasn’t bad-looking, but she was too chubby. She was less cute and more... simple-looking.’
"So, it’s Miss Xiang. What, has the General’s household fallen on such hard times? Are you so poor you’ve been reduced to pawning your belongings?" Gao Yunyue jeered, her anger barely concealed.
"Of course, we’re not as wealthy as Second Miss Gao," Ye Qianning said, looking up with a smile.
Gao Yunyue was stunned by her sudden smile and quick retort.
"If you don’t know how to do business, don’t force it. You’ll only end up ruining the sterling, century-old reputation of Yu Min Pawnshop." Ye Qianning glanced past her to look at Gu Yuan, a broad smile on her face and her voice light and airy.
Gu Yuan couldn’t quite read her tone, but her words certainly packed a punch.
"Miss Xiang, what do you mean by that?"
"All of my jewelry, at a conservative estimate, is worth around one hundred fifty thousand. Your offer of fifty thousand is a bit of a disappointment, given your reputation for being honest with all your customers."
’One hundred fifty thousand?’ Gu Yuan had never spent that much money on a single purchase.
"Who do you think you’re fooling? One hundred fifty thousand for that junk of yours?" Gao Yunyue, who had never seen so much money in her life, immediately shot back.
"Quality goods are never hard to pawn. Oh, by the way, one of the bags contains that piece of junk your father sent over when he came to visit. Tsk, tsk. If even you think it’s junk, that must mean the apology gift from Prime Minister Gao was just a piece of trash. Hah. I’ll be sure to spread the word about the Prime Minister’s great prestige tomorrow." Ye Qianning was starting to think she and the Gao family were destined to clash.
"You..."
"Yun Yue."
Gu Yuan held her back.
The incident with Prime Minister Gao had caused a huge stir a while back. The story of his wife’s humiliating actions had spread all over the Capital City. The rumor was that if it hadn’t been for Miss Xiang, the Prime Minister’s wife would have offended the Crown Prince of Xi Yan, implicating the entire household.
Gao Yunyue gritted her teeth in anger, forcing herself to maintain her composure in front of Gu Yuan.
"Miss Xiang, my companion misspoke. Please don’t take offense. The items you’ve brought are indeed very fine, but I feel that a price of one hundred fifty thousand is too high. If you’re sincere about selling, I will take them all for one hundred thousand."
Though Gu Yuan’s words were gentle and conciliatory, to Ye Qianning they sounded condescending, as if he were offering charity.
"That won’t be necessary. Luo Wen, let’s find another pawnshop." Ye Qianning idly twirled the large, Imperial Green bracelet in her small hand.
Gu Yuan didn’t know much about market prices, but he knew the items were of high quality. As he was thinking, his eyes happened to catch sight of the large, deeply green bracelet in the little girl’s hand.
His pupils widened. ’Is that Imperial Green jade? And so large?’
He had only ever seen Imperial Green in rings, never a bracelet of that size. Even from a distance, its color and clarity were clearly exceptional.
Gao Yunyue noticed Gu Yuan’s strange expression and followed his line of sight. A flash of brilliant green entered her vision. A chubby little hand was rubbing the bracelet, flipping it over, and playing with it casually.
’How could a mere child possess so many treasures?’
"Move."
Luo Wen’s cold voice snapped the two of them back to reality.
"Miss Xiang, if you include the bracelet you’re holding, how about a price of one hundred thirty thousand?" Gu Yuan decided to make a substantial offer.
Ye Qianning glanced down at the bracelet and said softly, "You won’t find another bracelet of this quality in all of Beili. You’d best save that little bit of money to buy some common trinkets."
’Seeing how casually the little girl handled such a valuable bracelet, Gu Yuan had assumed she was ignorant of its worth. He never expected her to understand its value.’
’If she knows it’s so precious, why isn’t she keeping it safe? What if she accidentally drops and shatters it?’
"Hah," Ye Qianning scoffed.
’I’ve never met such a penny-pinching businessman.’