Chapter 22: Sold at a High Price

Shopkeeper Sun could no longer sit still. He hurriedly grabbed several handkerchiefs and rushed out.

"Young lady, young lady, what’s so good about those rabbits? Take a look at mine! I have winter jasmine, peach blossoms, and bamboo—every style you could want."

The young lady curled her lip in disdain. "Ew, these are so tacky!"

With a splash, Shopkeeper Sun’s enthusiasm was doused in cold water.

Watching the shopkeeper’s disheveled state, Wen Lan and Yu'er looked back at Wen Ye, both letting out sighs of relief. It turned out these rabbit handkerchiefs weren't ugly at all; someone actually liked them!

"How much for this handkerchief?" the young lady asked, turning to Wen Ye.

"Thirty wen each!" Wen Ye stated without hesitation.

Wen Lan and Wen Yu'er gasped. Just like that, she had doubled the price!

Shopkeeper Sun acted as if he had caught her in a trap. "Look at that, look at that! Thirty wen? Why don't you just rob people? Miss, mine are only fifteen wen."

The young lady frowned. "I don't want yours even for fifteen wen. I only want the little rabbits."

Shopkeeper Sun was crushed once again.

"Here, thirty wen." The young lady’s maid had already pulled the money from her purse.

Wen Ye did not take it immediately, instead smiling and saying, "Thank you, beautiful miss. Would you like to buy a few more? These patterns are the latest, and you won't find them anywhere else on the market. You could give them to your sisters or friends—how prestigious that would be!"

The young lady pondered this for a moment and nodded. "My birthday is coming up soon; I could use them as return gifts for my friends. How many do you have?"

"Thirty-two in total," Wen Ye replied.

The young lady thought for a moment. "That should be just about enough. I'll take them all!"

"Wonderful, thank you, you beautiful and lovely miss!" Wen Ye’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her.

Wen Lan and Yu'er were stunned. They never expected that after Wen Ye’s display, they would sell them all! And at such a high price, too!

Shopkeeper Sun felt as if he were coughing up blood. She had sold them for double his price and cleared her entire stock. How could this be? If these had been sold in his shop, the profit would have been his. Moreover, such a popular new style would have brought more customers to his store.

"Thirty-two pieces, that comes to nine hundred and sixty wen." The maid took out a small piece of silver, exactly one tael.

The young lady said, "It’s one tael. Keep the change."

"Thank you, miss. You are as kind as you are beautiful. May you be happy every day, forever!" Wen Ye rattled off one sweet compliment after another.

This was the first pot of gold she had earned since transmigrating! It was so meaningful.

The young lady was giggling at Wen Ye's antics and was about to walk away when Wen Ye suddenly called out to her.

"By the way, miss, you mentioned your birthday is coming up. Might I ask which day it falls on?"

"Why?" The young lady was slightly displeased. Why was she asking about her birthday? These three girls clearly looked like they came from a poor family; were they trying to cling to her?

"You mentioned using the handkerchiefs as return gifts," Wen Ye explained. "We plan to sell these in large quantities later on. I wanted to wait until after your birthday to start selling them."

The young lady realized what she meant. This little girl was looking out for her reputation! If the rabbit handkerchiefs became common before her birthday, her return gifts would seem cheap. But if the trend started only after she had given them out, her gifts would be the talk of the county—what a boost to her status!

The young lady felt warmed by the gesture. She smiled and said, "It’s in half a month, on the 27th of the fifth month. By the way, my surname is Yao."

"Understood, thank you, Miss Yao."

Miss Yao smiled and left with her maid.

Wen Lan and Yu'er rushed over, Wen Lan weeping with joy. "One tael! We sold them for one tael! How much did we spend again?"

"Six hundred wen. We made a profit of four hundred wen." Wen Ye took their hands. "Come on, this is the first fortune I've made, my treat—let's go have wontons."

As the three were about to leave, Shopkeeper Sun hurried to block their path.

"Wait, wait! Girls, let’s have a talk!"

"What is there to talk about?" Wen Ye asked.

Shopkeeper Sun gritted his teeth, swallowing his pride to smile. "Just now... just now I was blind. Looking at them now, these little rabbits aren't so ugly after all. I can give you more work, at the same price as before. How about you continue embroidering these little rabbits for me?"

Wen Lan and Wen Yu'er exchanged glances, feeling very hesitant.

"No, thank you," Wen Ye refused, pulling her companions away.

Shopkeeper Sun watched the three disappear into the crowd, feeling deeply annoyed as he grumbled his way back to his shop. "It’s just an ugly rabbit. It’s so simple; it’s not like anyone else can’t embroider it."

"I’ll have someone embroider a batch right now. I’ll make sure they’re everywhere before that Miss Yao’s birthday. Let’s see what you do when she comes looking for you!"

He took paper and brush from his drawer, intending to sketch the rabbit pattern. But as he picked up the brush, his face went rigid. Because he had been so dismissive earlier, he had already forgotten the details of the little rabbit. He couldn't draw it at all.

Shopkeeper Sun’s plan fell through, and he threw the brush down in a fit of rage.

...

After leaving the embroidery shop, the three were in high spirits.

"Which place in town has the best wontons?" Wen Ye asked.

"Little sister... wontons are too expensive. Let's just eat steamed buns instead," Wen Lan said, heart aching at the thought of spending money when they had so many expenses at home.

"Yu'er helped us so much just now; are we really going to treat her to steamed buns?"

Wen Lan finally realized the need to return the favor. "Of course not. I'm sorry, Yu'er, we’ll have wontons."

Wen Yu'er giggled. "The wontons on East Street are the best. Every year on my birthday, my father takes me there to eat."

The three headed to East Street. The stall was run by a couple in their thirties, and with only six small, low tables, it was already nearly full. Wen Ye quickly claimed the last table.

The owner walked over. "What will you have? Small bowl for ten wen, large bowl for thirteen."

Hearing the price, Wen Lan felt her heart bleed. "How many are in a small bowl?"

The owner rolled his eyes. "Ten in a small bowl, fourteen in a large."

"Three large bowls, please," Wen Ye said generously.

After the owner left, Wen Lan was still fretting over the cost. She had originally thought that Wen Yu'er would have a large bowl while she and Wen Ye shared a small one. But since Wen Ye had already ordered, she couldn't argue.

Soon, the wontons arrived. The savory aroma wafted up, the clear broth sprinkled with green onions, with the plump, smooth wontons floating on top. It was mouth-watering.

"Eat up!" Wen Ye said.

Wen Yu'er took a bite. "Delicious."

Wen Lan had never eaten wontons before; she had only ever been able to smell them when passing by. She took a nervous bite and was immediately moved to the point of tears.

Wen Ye ate, but curled her lip slightly. The skin wasn't thin or smooth enough, there wasn't enough meat, and the broth was too bland. They were nothing compared to what she had in the modern world.

Seeing that Wen Lan stopped after two, she winked at her. "Sister, do you think they aren't good?"

Wen Lan was shocked. "You think these aren't good? They’re delicious, absolutely delicious!"

"Then why did you stop?"

"I wanted to bring some home..."

Wen Ye said, "How can we bring them home without a bowl?"

Wen Lan’s face stiffened, and she had to finish her bowl of wontons with a mix of guilt and happiness. By the end, she had even finished the broth.