The old granny was dressed pitifully shabbily. Her tattered clothes seemed to have been worn for many years, but the bracelet in her hand was of good quality.
Seeing Li Chuchu stop, the old woman became even more enthusiastic in her sales pitch. "Girl, do you like it? If not, I have other items at home."
Huh?
Li Chuchu picked up the bracelet and took a look.
It was an enamel bracelet. Although it was beautiful, it was hard to turn into cash. This wasn't the time to pursue such things. Just as Li Chuchu was about to put it down, she unexpectedly noticed the character "Jiang" on the side of the jewelry box.
The Jiang family?
It seemed to be mentioned in the original story as a large family.
However, it had declined by now.
This was a politically sensitive period. Many large families were being liquidated. Their properties were flowing into the black market, or to Hong Kong and overseas. If one knew their value, they could try their luck in the black market and make a fortune. Back then, the female protagonist, Guan Rumeng, had found a treasure from the Jiang family in the black market and made a lot of money.
It seemed to be an... imperial green jade bracelet?
Come to think of it, in time - travel novels, the treasures that helped characters get rich were basically all kinds of precious jewels and bracelets.
"What other treasures do you have?"
"I have all kinds of items, gold bracelets, jade rings, and Western watches."
The old woman listed them off like a treasure trove.
None of these were what Li Chuchu wanted.
But she couldn't just say so directly. She didn't want the old woman to think she was only after one particular thing.
The reason was simple.
It would be hard to bargain.
Li Chuchu remembered that in the original story, the female protagonist had bought the bracelet for 1,500 yuan. She was still a bit short of money and would definitely have to bargain with this old woman.
"Okay, bring them out for me to take a look."
"Are you really interested, girl? If not, it's not convenient for me to show them to others..." The old woman looked a bit embarrassed.
Li Chuchu immediately understood what she meant. She patted her chest and promised, "I'm really interested. I'm getting ready to prepare a dowry for myself. If there's something suitable, I'll take it right away. I've almost got everything, but I'm just missing a bracelet. I wonder if you have a suitable one."
The origin of these items was unknown. The more people who knew about them, the greater the risk.
With Li Chuchu's words, the old woman felt much more at ease.
She quickly packed up her stall.
Limping on her arthritic legs, she walked towards home.
A neighboring vendor said, "Old lady, aren't you doing business anymore? Do you want me to watch your stall for you?" "No need, no need. I'm going home!"
The old woman waved her hand and walked home without looking back.
People in this black market just looked and didn't buy, or they simply didn't have the money. She had been here for several days and hadn't sold a single thing. What was the point of staying here?
She thought this little girl seemed nice. Maybe she could sell her one or two items.
After leaving the black market, just two steps to the side was a street corner. The old woman carried her things into the alley next to it and told Li Chuchu to wait for her at the alley entrance.
After about ten - plus minutes, Li Chuchu saw the old woman hurrying back on her arthritic legs.
She fished out a jewelry box wrapped in red brocade cloth from her bosom. "Girl, take a look. Is this suitable?"
The moment she opened the box, Li Chuchu was almost certain at a glance that this must be the treasure the female protagonist was after.
She weighed the bracelet and held it up to the light for a closer look. Since her family was slightly involved in the jewelry business, Li Chuchu knew a thing or two about these shiny gemstones and jade.
Imperial green, glassy texture. It was truly a good one.
The original story mentioned that the female protagonist had bought a Jiang family bracelet in the black market and then sold it on the exchange for 15,000 yuan.
If a few more years passed, the price of this bracelet would only skyrocket.
Moreover, while gold had a set price, jade was priceless. A top - grade imperial green jade like this could easily find a buyer. There was never a shortage of rich people in any era. If it weren't for the politically sensitive label on this bracelet at the moment, she wouldn't have had this opportunity.
An investment that could multiply in value with a simple resale. Li Chuchu was extremely tempted.
"How much is this bracelet?"
The old granny pleaded, "Good materials like this are hard to price. I wouldn't sell it if I didn't need the money urgently. If you're really interested, I'll give it to you for 1,500 yuan."
"Make it cheaper. 800 yuan."
Li Chuchu closed her eyes and cut the price in half.
Li Chuchu: Sorry, conscience. I really need the money.
Old woman: I misjudged. This girl isn't sincere at all.
The old woman stammered, "This... this is too low. Can you add a bit more?"
If it weren't for the fact that she had already brought Li Chuchu here to see it and hadn't made a sale for several days, the old woman probably wouldn't have bothered with someone who cut the price in half right away.
Li Chuchu bargained with her. "How about this? Let's each make a concession. 1,000 yuan. If we agree, it's a deal."
"1,200 yuan."
"900 yuan." After saying that, Li Chuchu pretended to leave. "Forget it. I see you're not really willing to sell. If it's really not possible, I won't take it."
After these two rounds of bargaining, Li Chuchu had figured out that the old woman was probably a middle - man and didn't know the market price of the bracelet.
Old woman: Hey, this little girl is so shrewd!
"Fine, fine, fine. 1,000 yuan. You can take it."
The old woman waved her hand, afraid that if they continued to bargain, she would end up with nothing.
Although the price was lower than expected, the little girl paid quickly. And since it was for a dowry, she might as well take it as a sign of good luck.
With the jade bracelet in hand,
Li Chuchu put it away carefully and headed home.
Although the money had just come into her hands and was gone in no time, thinking that she had exchanged 1,000 yuan for a great treasure, it wasn't too bad. Li Chuchu hadn't forgotten that there was a sick person at home, so she quickened her pace and left in a hurry.
However, not long after Li Chuchu left,
a young girl walked into the alley.
Su Huan frowned and murmured to herself, "It should be here... I can't have remembered wrong, right?"
When she saw the old woman, her eyes lit up and she ran up quickly.
"Grandma, do you have any jade bracelets?"
The old woman gave her a sideways look.
Just sent one away and another one came. Why did all the business come at once? Having just made a deal, the old woman wasn't in such a hurry to do business now.
She said slowly, "Yes. What kind do you want?"
"Just a jade one, imperial green."
Oh, what a coincidence.
The old woman glanced at her. "Are you also getting married and preparing your dowry?"
Su Huan was so eager to get that bracelet at the moment. When she woke up today, she found that she had been reborn. Since God had given her a chance to start over, she must seize it well. So the first thing she did was to find Guan Rumeng's bracelet.
That bracelet was a powerful magical item. It contained all kinds of gold, silver, and treasures, and could even store items.
She didn't even notice why the old woman had used the word "also". She quickly nodded. "Yes! I need it urgently."
The old woman slowly took out a jade bracelet similar to the one Li Chuchu had bought from her home.
"Here. This is the last one. Take a look."