Madam Wu Liba paused and asked, "What else?"
The treasure house was the most famous smuggler and antique shop in the Northern Borderline. There was no most expensive item, only more expensive. Many nobles in the Northern Borderline frequented this shop to show off their status. To be honest, this shop had a wide network of connections. Almost anything could be obtained. Most importantly, the background of the shop was very clean, which was reassuring.
"Ladies, please wait a moment. I'll bring it for you to see."
With that, the shopkeeper went upstairs and brought back a red sandalwood box the size of a grown man's palm. The outside was carved with complicated and gorgeous patterns. A strange fragrance wafted in the air. Many ladies were curious and wanted to stretch their necks to take a look.
But they still sat where they were, waiting for the shopkeeper to bring out their precious children.
"Ladies, please take a look."
With that, the shopkeeper opened the hidden button with his well-maintained and fair fingers, revealing the treasure inside.
There was plenty of light in the room, and the bright light reflected from the light blinded their eyes, almost making them unable to open their eyes. There was even a madam who was so scared that she raised her hand to cover her eyes. Her beautiful face turned pale, and her rough voice became sharp.
She screamed in surprise, "Ah, what is this? How can it be so dazzling?"
After a while, the crowd slowly adjusted to it. Sounds of inhaling could be heard in the room.
Inside the red sandalwood box was an exquisite dragon and phoenix hairpin!
The hairpin was crystal clear and came from the same source as the previous colored glass wares. A dragon and a phoenix were entwined together. The dragon's scales and phoenix's feathers were fine and lifelike. The phoenix spread its wings, ready to fly. The dragon looked like it was about to soar into the sky. Between the phoenix and the dragon's mouth, there was a string of transparent beads strung together to form tassels. Under the sunlight, it was so beautiful that one could not take their eyes off it.
The shopkeeper carefully took it out. The beads collided slightly and the crisp sound was very pleasing to the ear.
Liu She gave him twenty glass tea wares and the dragon and phoenix hairpin. He was allowed to decide the price.
Seeing the eyes of the nobles in the Northern Borderline, the shopkeeper knew that the dragon and phoenix hairpin could be sold for a very good price.
Women could not like exquisite antiques, but they could not resist the temptation of dazzling jewelry.
The shopkeeper smiled warmly, "It took a lot of effort to get this. Ladies, please take a look. What do you think?"
Madam Wu Liba shouted, "Buy! Shopkeeper, please be straightforward and quote a price. "
The other madams were not willing. What? They had bought the best glaze, and they still wanted to monopolize this peerless treasure?
The plump lady raised her chin slightly, her eyes slanting.
She said unhappily, "Madam Wu, this isn't right. Everyone didn't say that they wouldn't buy it, so how could they let you buy it all? I also want to buy this hairpin. Shopkeeper, we are old acquaintances and know the rules here. Why don't we go to the highest bidder? "
The shopkeeper knew how to maximize the value, and he also knew that this kind of transparent and dazzling jewelry could not only be sold once, so he couldn't be too ruthless the first time, or else he wouldn't be able to make use of it in the future.
This principle was the same as raising pigs and only killing them during festivals. Because they were fat, it would feel good to slaughter them.
"Madams, please listen to me. There's news from my store that there's more than one piece of jewelry."
The shopkeeper spoke up to ease the atmosphere. "It's just that they're currently in someone else's hands. It'll take some time to get them. Madams, if you can wait for a while, then you can buy it again. Don't hurt the harmony. "
When the madams heard this, their expressions turned slightly better. They believed in the shopkeeper's ability, and indeed, he could get whatever he wanted.
However, the earlier they bought, the earlier they could enjoy. There were only so many treasures, but there were many people fighting over them.
When the reputation of this dragon-phoenix hairpin spread, who knew how many northern borderline madams would want to buy it? How many competitors would there be then?
Thinking of this, everyone had their own thoughts.
At this moment, a familiar male voice came from outside. Madam Wu Liba's expression changed, and she was faintly unhappy.
The shopkeeper secretly raised his eyebrows. He had long heard of the reputation of the northern borderline's fierce general Wu Liba, but this was the first time he had seen him in person.
If it was an ordinary person, he would probably be so frightened that he would bow and scrape, or even make a fool of himself.
But who was the shopkeeper? He had dealings with many northern borderline nobles. Back then, the princess royal of the northern borderline had a crush on him, and wanted him to be her guest. He had managed to deal with such a large entourage, so why would he be afraid of Wu Liba?
On the other side, when Wu Liba found out that his wife had spent 41,000 strings of coins to buy a set of flashy but impractical items, his face turned green with anger.
"It's just something to scare people. You're quite generous, wife. You don't even know that you've been cheated," Wu Liba said.
Madam Wu Liba snorted and rolled her eyes at her husband. Pointing at the set of glass tea sets, she said, "You say that I've been cheated. Then why don't you tell me where they came from? Haven't you been to Dongqing and have a deep understanding of the customs and objects there? You can tell that they're not ordinary. Then why don't you take a look and see if they're treasures? "
Wu Liba was choked by his own wife and was momentarily speechless. His brown-black face was twisted together.
After a long while, he said embarrassedly, "They look like porcelain …"
Nowadays, there was already the technology to bake porcelain. However, the porcelain that was produced was mostly of poor quality. There were crisscrossing cracks on the surface. There were not many that looked good, so most of the people in the central plains still used pottery. As for porcelain, Wu Liba kept a set in his study. He often played with it. Porcelain was considered a luxury item in the central plains.
The shopkeeper curled his lips and said in a warm voice, "Porcelain is mostly green or gray in color. It's of poor quality and is made from ordinary clay. Although I don't know what material is used to make these colored glass wares, they are clear and shiny. The texture is crisp and does not look like something from the mortal world. How can mere porcelain be compared to them? "
Wu Liba heard this and could not explain it.
He had some understanding of the things in the central plains, but he had indeed never seen anything made of this material.
The color of the clay on the ground was mostly gray, black, yellow, and brown. It was impossible to make it transparent.
Madam Wu Liba saw that he could not say anything and said angrily, "Hmph, it's not your money. Why are you so distressed?"
Wu Liba became more and more embarrassed, but he did not dare to argue with his wife, lest others laugh at him.
Seeing the shopkeeper frown and lower his eyes, he became even angrier.
The culture of the North borderline was so superficial and extravagant. It was impossible to avoid this treasure house. Even if other similar shops popped up like mushrooms after the rain, the treasure house still sat firmly on the fishing platform. Who knew how much money it had earned over the years. Wu Liba was furious. "It's you scoundrels who make the North borderline so luxurious!"
The shopkeeper said smoothly, "General, you are wrong. Life is short. You have tens of thousands of taels of silver at home. You can enjoy delicacies from the land and sea. Why do you still have to live like this? Your wife is of high status. Her clothes and daily necessities should be in line with her status. Otherwise, how is this different from wearing silk clothes and walking at night? "
The shopkeeper's words could also be translated as —
You don't have money to buy for your wife. Your wife will buy for herself. Why are you blabbering!
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