Kapitel 75: Seeing Color, Forgetting Friends
"Indeed, that's true. San Pao, show me what you've purchased..." Fang Yi nodded, acknowledging that the string of beads on their stall, worth merely a few hundred yuan, did not warrant high-quality accompanying beads.
"Fang Yi, are we supposed to wear these beads ourselves?" San Pao placed the bag of beads on the stall and remarked, "This string is quite simple, but tying the knots is challenging. I practiced over there five or six times and still couldn't master it..."
"I can't manage it either..."
Fatty tossed a moderately thick book onto the glass counter and said, "The vendor gave us a book and some string, but after staring at it for ages, San Pao and I couldn't make heads or tails of it. What's with all these terms like 'diamond knot' and 'butterfly knot'? Isn't that work for girls?"
"Tying knots isn't difficult..."
Fang Yi picked up the illustrated book and flipped through it, casually taking a piece of string and effortlessly tying an infinity knot. Turning to the next page, he tied a diamond knot as well, leaving Fatty and San Pao wide-eyed in astonishment—wasn't that a bit demoralizing?
"Fang Yi, we'll leave the knot-tying to you; you can handle the extra work, right?" Fatty unceremoniously pulled out all the beads from the tricycle and piled them in front of Fang Yi.
"You thread the strings, and I'll tie the knots..." Fang Yi replied, "Don't tell me you two can't even thread a string; that would be quite embarrassing..."
"Fine, just giving ourselves more work..." Fatty slapped his forehead and suddenly noticed Fang Yi's wrist, quickly asking, "By the way, did you find out the actual price from Zhao Ge at noon? How much can we sell this string of beads for?"
"Zhao Ge said he wouldn't sell for less than fifty thousand..." Fang Yi thought that with the addition of the coral bead, this large diamond knot bracelet should start at sixty thousand, but considering that the female police officer seemed quite pleasant, he decided to reduce it by ten thousand.
"What? This bracelet can sell for fifty thousand?"
Upon hearing the price, Fatty and San Pao exchanged incredulous glances, unable to fathom that a bracelet with only twelve beads could command such a high price. This was not merely selling beads; it felt like daylight robbery!
"Fang Yi, you must have added an extra zero, right?" Fatty stared at Fang Yi in disbelief, saying, "That string of old star and moon beads is only worth thirty to fifty thousand; how can yours, with just a few beads, be so expensive? We can't make a profit off of such exorbitant pricing..."
"Exorbitant pricing? Fatty, why are you turning against me?" Fang Yi replied with a bemused expression, "Tell that girl that if it's less than fifty thousand, we won't sell; that's the price, take it or leave it..."
"I'm not saying anything; let... let San Pao handle it..." Fatty cowardly shrank back, fearing that the beautiful officer would scold him for being utterly broke, as nearly five thousand per bead was a hard sell for him.
"Fang Yi, isn't that a bit too steep?" San Pao hesitated and said, "That girl might come from a wealthy family, but I doubt she can accept a price of fifty thousand. Are you reluctant to make this sale?"
San Pao pondered more than Fatty; upon hearing Fang Yi's price, he sensed that Fang Yi might not be genuinely interested in selling, so he needed to clarify before calling the girl.
"San Pao, Zhao Ge said that when dealing with knowledgeable individuals, fifty thousand is indeed reasonable. And have you seen this coral bead? It's Akha-level, costing several thousand for just one..."
Fang Yi recounted Zhao Hongtao's exact words, but Zhao's notion of knowledgeable individuals encompassed not just an understanding of decorative arts but also the ability to recognize that this was a ritual object; otherwise, viewed purely from a decorative perspective, the bracelet wouldn't be worth that much.
"Zhao Ge said that? Then it should be reliable..." San Pao turned to Fatty and said, "Fatty, here's your chance. Are you going to make the call?"
"I'm not calling; I don't want to invite trouble..."
Fatty shook his head vigorously. He had boasted in front of Officer Bai about finding her something of good value, yet here he was quoting a price of fifty thousand, feeling that he couldn't face her and it would be quite embarrassing.
"Fatty, you must make this call..." Upon hearing Fatty's words, Fang Yi's expression darkened.
"Why me?" Fatty protested, "Can't San Pao do it? Besides, the phone number is with San Pao..."
"No, it must be you..." Fang Yi insisted, "Fatty, do you think you have any chance with that beautiful police officer? Be honest with yourself..."
"This... this, probably not?"
Fatty's face flushed at Fang Yi's words, his lips trembled slightly, and he deflated, saying, "Honestly, I wasn't thinking of dating her; I just thought she had a nice personality and was pretty. We can't take advantage of her..."
After a simple meal, which cost a couple of thousand yuan, Fatty noticed that Officer Bai didn't blink when using her card. He understood that they belonged to different worlds, and this disparity couldn't be bridged merely by money; in fact, he had already resigned himself to that reality.
However, men always care about their pride, and Fatty's disdain for Fang Yi's high asking price stemmed from his fragile self-esteem.
"How do you know I'm taking advantage of her? This item is genuinely worth fifty thousand..."
Fang Yi replied with irritation, "Fatty, remember what profession we're in? Is there anything wrong with selling at a fair price? If you're going to think like this, perhaps you should find a regular job instead; at least that way, you won't suffer losses..."
The old Taoist had once read both Fatty's and San Pao's fortunes. He remarked that San Pao was steady but had a somewhat dark disposition, prone to extremes. He would face a significant hurdle at twenty, and if he overcame it, his life would be smooth sailing thereafter.
Although Fatty had a prosperous appearance, his seemingly small eyes were actually peach blossom eyes, suggesting he might encounter difficulties with women in the future. Hence, Fang Yi took this opportunity to give him a straightforward talking-to.
"Work a regular job? I refuse to do that..."
Upon hearing Fang Yi's words, Fatty jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, exclaiming, "Yi Ge, I... I wasn't saying anything; I just thought your price was high..."
"Do you understand decorative arts? Do you know the market value? On what basis do you claim my price is too high? I say you're forgetting your friends for the sake of aesthetics!" Fang Yi bombarded Fatty with questions, leaving him speechless. After a long pause, he lowered his head, visibly dejected.
Seeing Fatty's demeanor, Fang Yi sighed and said, "Fatty, if you find a girlfriend who needs this item, I wouldn't charge you a penny. But right now, we are conducting business; let's keep personal feelings out of it. Otherwise, you'll only ever be a small-time vendor..."
Fang Yi now believed that his master had been quite accurate. Fatty had no real connection with that girl; he was merely trying to defend her against what he perceived as an unfair price. If he were to encounter a woman with ulterior motives, Fatty would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage.
Fang Yi's social experience and basic understanding of society might not surpass those of Fatty and San Pao, but having lived a tranquil life on the mountain for over a decade, when it came to mastering one's mindset and analyzing situations rationally, neither Fatty nor San Pao could compare to him.
"Fang Yi, you don't need to say any more; I've figured it out..."
After hearing Fang Yi's words, Fatty lifted his head, his eyes slightly reddened as he said, "Yi Ge, don't worry; I'll make the call, and I won't engage in such behavior again. I would never do anything to betray my brothers..."
Fatty had finally come around, realizing that even if he were to gift the bracelet worth several tens of thousands to Officer Bai, she would likely just consider him an ordinary friend. If he did so, he would be undermining his own interests and those of his companions.
"Alright, go make the call. Inform her of the price; whether she buys it or not is up to her. I won't interfere in this matter..."
Fang Yi patted Fatty's shoulder, understanding that despite Fatty's frequent boasts of his romantic conquests, he was, in fact, quite immature and even more naive than himself in matters of love.
"Fine, with my charm, even if she doesn't want to buy, I'll make her buy..." After losing interest in the girl, Fatty returned to his usual self, cheerfully wandering over to Lao Ma's stall, chatting for a bit before borrowing Lao Ma's phone.
"San Pao, we need to get a phone too; otherwise, it's quite inconvenient..."
Noticing Fatty's action of borrowing a phone, Fang Yi mused that whether dealing with antiques or decorative arts, most business relied on repeat customers. Just like Man Jun, who rarely stayed at the shop, he still depended on modern communication tools like phones to connect with clients.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein