Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Negotiation

Qin Hui Yin made the choice for her. “Boss, 10 jin of the broken rice that isn’t yellow.”

Then she looked up at Li Tao Hua. “Mom, this rice is all good. It’s just two wen cheaper because it isn’t pretty. Food goes in your mouth and gets chewed up anyway. Looks don’t matter. Health does.”

Li Tao Hua huffed, but her eyes softened. “You’re right.”

She leaned on the counter like she owned it. “Boss. 10 jin of flour, 10 jin of broken rice, and 30 jin of peas. Give me a discount.”

The grain shop owner spread his hands. “Young madam, we’re a small business…”

“Don’t feed me that,” Li Tao Hua cut in. “This town has more than one grain shop. If you won’t sell to me, we’ll go somewhere else.”

“All right, all right!” The owner winced. “I’ll throw in two jin of peas for free.”

“Five.”

“My lady,” he groaned, “I’m not making any money. If you do this, I’ll lose money.”

While Li Tao Hua battled for every coin, Qin Hui Yin leaned close to Tang Lu Wu and nudged her arm. “Did you learn anything?”

Tang Lu Wu stared blankly. “Huh?”

Qin Hui Yin’s mouth pinched. “You came into town. You should at least gain something. My mom demonstrated so many times and you still didn’t learn? Look—move your lips a little, and you save a lot of money.”

She pointed with her chin. “When you’re out in the world, you have to have thick skin if you want an easier life.”

Tang Lu Wu’s face warmed. “I… I can’t. I don’t know how to talk.”

“Then learn.” Qin Hui Yin’s eyes lit with mischief. “After we buy rice and flour, we still have to buy meat. You go negotiate the meat price.”

Before Tang Lu Wu could protest, Qin Hui Yin pulled 50 wen from the purse and pressed it into her palm. “I need two jin of meat, two pig trotters, one pig head, and pig heart, pig lungs, and pig offal. Buy all of that. Whatever is left is your private money.”

Tang Lu Wu nearly dropped the coins. “I can’t!”

“I’ll go with you.” Qin Hui Yin called toward the counter. “Mom, we’re going to check the butcher shop. When the boss packs everything up, we’ll come back and carry it.”

Without waiting for approval, she tugged Tang Lu Wu toward the butcher shop.

Tang Lu Wu’s stomach fluttered like it was full of sparrows, but she didn’t pull away.

At the butcher’s stall, the boss was a big, thick-necked man with a face full of meat. He swung his cleaver with sharp, efficient thuds that made customers keep their distance.

Qin Hui Yin stepped forward and put on a sweet smile. “Boss. Last time I bought meat here, I got one jin. When I weighed it at home, it was an extra liang. I’ve never met someone as generous as you.”

The butcher froze mid-motion, clearly stunned by the sudden praise.

Qin Hui Yin turned and grabbed Tang Lu Wu’s arm, shaking it gently. “Sister, is this the boss you said was generous and always fair—never cheating customers?”

Tang Lu Wu’s cheeks burned. Honest as she was, she understood the hint. She forced herself to nod.

“Good.” Qin Hui Yin patted her chest, acting relieved. “I thought I came to the wrong place. There’s another butcher shop over there. If it’s not this one, then it must be that one.”

The butcher’s face tightened. “You didn’t come wrong,” he said quickly. “It’s me. I never short anyone on weight.”

He leaned forward, almost eager. “Little girl, since you’re an old customer, tell me what you want this time. I’ll make it cheaper.”

Qin Hui Yin listed it without blinking. “Two jin of meat, two pig trotters, one pig head, and pig heart, pig lungs, and pig offal. Boss, calculate the price.”

Before he could answer, Qin Hui Yin tugged Tang Lu Wu closer and spoke loudly enough to carry. “I just asked at Yang’s Meat Shop. He said pig trotters are mostly bone, so he’d only charge five wen. Pig head, pig heart, pig lungs, and offal together would only be 10 wen. Meat is 13 wen per jin. That adds up to 41 wen, and that boss said he’d take 40.”

Her smile sharpened. “If this place is higher than that, we’ll buy from the other shop. There are still a few weddings coming up in the village. We can introduce them to Boss Yang.”

Tang Lu Wu’s heart hammered so hard it hurt. She glanced at the anxious butcher and forced herself to speak, voice trembling. “But this boss always gives a full measure. We just praised him. If we buy somewhere else now, people will think his meat isn’t good.”

Qin Hui Yin gave her a look of heavy, exaggerated suffering, as if torn. “We’re all poor. One wen can buy half a jin of cornmeal. If we can save, we should. When the village holds weddings, if they can save some money, they’ll be even happier.”

The butcher thumped his chest, pride flaring. “You two sisters, I haven’t even named my price yet. How do you know whose is cheaper?” He lifted his chin. “I do honest business. The meat is fresh, and the price is fair.”

He slapped the counter. “How about this—two jin of meat for 25 wen. The rest I’ll charge 13 wen. That’s 38 wen total.”

Qin Hui Yin’s face brightened instantly, all sunshine and gratitude. “Elder brother, really? Elder brother, you’re such a good person!”

She clasped her hands as if she might bow. “We’ll only buy from your shop from now on. And when the village holds weddings, we’ll send them here too. Sister, you were right—elder brother really is a good man.”

Tang Lu Wu could only manage a stunned, “Mm.”

The butcher floated on the praise. The tall, fierce-looking man suddenly seemed almost simple and cheerful. Watching that, other customers edged closer, less afraid, and the stall grew crowded.

Tang Lu Wu packed the meat into her basket and covered it with weeds.

Qin Hui Yin counted out coins, then held out six wen to Tang Lu Wu. “We planned to use 50 wen. We saved 12. We’ll split it.”

Tang Lu Wu shook her head so hard her hair loosened. “No, no. I don’t need it. I didn’t do anything. And the house is short on money. How can I take the family’s money?”

“It’s only a few wen.” Qin Hui Yin pushed it into her hand anyway. “Keep it for emergencies. If you ever need it in a pinch, it’ll help. If you don’t want to spend it, then save it.”

As Qin Hui Yin turned, she caught a familiar figure slipping out from the crowd near the stall. He moved fast, head down. With so many people pressing in, she couldn’t see clearly—only the shape, the stride.

Before she could think more, an older man hauled a wild boar into view, its body heavy and dark. He called to the watching crowd, “You’re in luck! Someone brought in a wild boar today. We’re selling it cheap!”

Wild boar didn’t taste as good as domestic pig, but meat was still meat. For people who hadn’t tasted fat in a long time, it was more cost-effective than buying a few slivers of pork.

Qin Hui Yin stared at the boar, and the glimpse she’d caught sharpened in her mind.

Song Rui Ze.

Yesterday she’d left right away. Song Rui Ze had been injured—and bitten by a venomous snake. She had no idea how he’d managed to drag such a heavy wild boar down the mountain afterward.

She swallowed that thought and hurried back with Tang Lu Wu to the grain shop.

Li Tao Hua was waiting with their purchases already bundled. Qin Hui Yin lifted her chin proudly and showed the meat. “Is your apprentice ready to graduate now?”

Li Tao Hua peered into the basket and clicked her tongue. “Can you even eat this stuff? There’s barely any meat and barely any fat. We might as well have bought another jin of meat.”

She complained, but she still hefted the heaviest basket onto her shoulder.