Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

So he smiled and responded in a friendly tone: "This old man really has a keen eye! This is a pen holder used by a scholar in the middle of the Qing Dynasty. Just from its exquisite carving craftsmanship, it can be determined that it must have been made by a master."

"Look at this lifelike plum blossom pattern. It is just as beautiful as a real flower. I only charge you thirty yuan for such a precious thing. It is not expensive, right?"

Xu Damao asked for a relatively high price and waited for the other party to bargain.

However, the middle-aged man shook his head gently, without showing any anger on his face. He still looked at Xu Damao with a smile and said slowly: "It's just a small pen holder like this, and you dare to ask for a full thirty yuan? Young man, you can't ask for exorbitant prices like this when doing business!"

"Brother, you are asking for a high price, but I will pay you back on the spot. This is a genuine pen holder from the mid-Qing Dynasty! Look at how well it is preserved! Moreover, the craftsmanship of the craftsmen at that time was really amazing. They even carefully painted a layer of varnish on it. I believe that you are also an expert and must have seen it very well! How about this, you name a price, and if it is suitable, I will sell it to you without hesitation!"

"Okay, fifteen dollars! If you're willing to buy it, I'll buy it right away!"

"Okay, deal!" A bright smile instantly broke out on Xu Damao's face and he agreed without hesitation.

"Brother, do you need me to help you wrap this pen holder?"

"No need to bother, I'll just take it back." The middle-aged man took out fifteen yuan from his pocket with a slightly depressed look and handed it to Xu Damao.

"Oh, I bargained too little..." The middle-aged man muttered, turning his head to look at the customers who were selecting items beside him. He felt that they were looking at him with strange eyes, as if they were secretly laughing at him for not being able to bargain. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh helplessly: "Oh, I should have lowered the price a little earlier."

Hearing this, Xu Damao quickly explained: "Brother, please don't think so! How can you say that you bargained too little? It's because there are so many people here today, and you are the first customer who came to ask for the price when I just set up the stall, so I specially gave you such a special preferential price!"

"Humph! If it weren't for the fact that you're in a good mood today, I would never sell this thing to you for less than twenty dollars on a normal day! You better not take advantage of me!"

Xu Damao stared at the middle-aged man in front of him with a stern face and a firm tone with a hint of majesty. He did not reach out to take the fifteen yuan handed over by the other party, as if it was not a sum worth mentioning.

At this moment, Xu Damao looked solemn, and his eyes revealed an attitude that could not be questioned.

He knew very well that if he easily compromised and accepted the deal, the other customers around him who were paying close attention to the situation would probably immediately have a bad impression of him.

By then, everyone will think that he is a profit-seeking, unscrupulous businessman. Who will be willing to patronize his business next?

Therefore, even if it is just a small transaction, we must not take it lightly.

"Oh my, brother, I'm wrong. I shouldn't have said anything. Please take the money!"

The middle-aged man seemed to realize the problem and hurriedly put on a smile and apologized while quickly stuffing the money in his hand into Xu Damao's hand.

Then he grabbed the pen holder, turned around and left without looking back, fearing that staying for another second would cause more trouble.

"Hehe...they work together really well. Could the person who bought the things just now be a hired help?"

"That shouldn't be the case. How did you know that?"

"I don't know either. It's just a feeling. My feeling can't be wrong."

A young couple standing nearby joining in the fun whispered.

The girl's voice was very low, but it could not escape the ears of Xu Damao, who had extremely sharp hearing at the time.

Hearing this, Xu Damao felt helpless. How come there are fairies all the time?

Fortunately, the young couple just said it casually and didn't delve into it further. Their attention was soon attracted by other interesting things.

Xu Damao muttered to himself: "These young people nowadays have such rich imaginations..." As he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard a voice.

A gray-haired, vigorous old man came over, holding the pair of ceramic inkstones in his hands. He asked Xu Damao with a smile on his face, "Young man, how much do you sell these two inkstones for?"

Xu Damao hurried over and replied enthusiastically: "Old man, I can tell at a glance that you are an expert! Look, these two inkstones are exactly the same."

"I won't try to fool you. Let me tell you straight, this one is in perfect condition, and it costs forty dollars. As for the one next to it, which has a little flaw and a small piece of porcelain is missing, if you don't mind, you can take it away for five dollars."

After hearing this, the old man frowned slightly and continued, "Little brother, can you give me a discount?"

Xu Damao waved his hands and explained sincerely, "Grandpa, I gave you the most realistic price! It's almost the New Year, and there are a lot of people coming and going. I also want to take this opportunity to sell more things."

"Although I don't make much money from each item, as long as the sales volume goes up, the profit will naturally be guaranteed. And I guarantee that if you go to other stalls, you will never find a better price than mine!" After saying this, he patted his chest confidently.

The old man hesitated for a moment, still a little worried, and asked again: "Is it true? How about I go to another store first?"

Xu Damao was a little anxious when he heard this, and quickly added: "Grandpa, go and ask around. If you find someone selling it cheaper than me, come back to me and I will give you the difference without saying anything! How do you think?"

Seeing Xu Damao so determined, the old man finally made up his mind: "Okay, then forty-five yuan, you pack it well for me."

After saying that, he carefully handed the two ceramic inkstones to Xu Damao, then began to fumble for his wallet, preparing to pay the bill.

"Hey, Brother Kun, look, these two inkstones are exactly the same! But one of them seemed to have been accidentally bumped and a tiny piece of porcelain fell off. Hey, the price suddenly plummeted from 40 yuan to just 5 yuan!"