The cannon fodder fake prince at the beginning, I won by hugging thighs

Lu Jiao thought for a moment. She didn't want to give Concubine Shu a Guanyin statue made of expensive materials. An ordinary copper with gold plating would be enough.

If sending a bronze statue to the palace wasn't too shabby, she would have wanted to just send a bronze statue of Guanyin.

It all depends on sincerity!

When the shopkeeper heard that she just wanted to buy a cheap thing, the smile on his face suddenly became a little stiff, but at least he did not get angry.

A gold-plated Guanyin statue can be sold for at least one or two hundred taels of silver. No matter how small a mosquito leg is, it is still meat, right?

Open a business and make money with harmony.

After Chengzi came over and served tea, the shopkeeper stood up and prepared to go to the warehouse in the backyard to help Lu Jiao find the Guanyin statue.

Lu Jiao was quite satisfied with the shopkeeper's attitude. When he was about to enter the back hall, he said loudly, "Shopkeeper, if you have any good Duan inkstones, you can bring them over as well."

The shopkeeper's face brightened visibly: "Hey! I'll find it for you right away!"

That smile was like seeing the God of Wealth.

“There is also a statue of Guanyin!”

"I won't forget it! Don't worry!"

After a while, another waiter brought a wooden box.

He opened it and carefully placed it on the table, saying, "The shopkeeper lets you choose first. If you don't like it, you can tell me."

Lu Jiao looked at Lu Ze with a smile: "Pick which one you like."

"For me?"

Lu Ze didn't expect that this was bought for him.

But he had just started studying with Brother Hao's staff, and what he learned were just children's enlightenment content.

There is no use for such a high-quality inkstone as the Duan Inkstone. It is such a waste of resources.

He quickly refused, "I don't want it. Brother Hao has a lot of inkstones. I don't need them."

"None of those belong to you. Pick them quickly, or I'll take whatever I want!"

Seeing that he couldn't win over Lu Jiao, Lu Ze started to choose.

Finally, I chose a free-form inkstone with a black and purple tint, which did not have any excessive carvings.

With just a few rough strokes, the pattern of auspicious clouds was outlined.

At this time, the shopkeeper also came in, and the waiter behind him was holding several wooden boxes in his arms.

"Young Master, you have a good eye! This piece is a rare old pit material, it's rare out there!

Look at this inkstone. It feels as smooth as jade, the stone is fine and you can leave an imprint just by touching it.

Looking at the shape again, it is completely natural, but with a little bit of carving, it can be said to be returning to its original simplicity..."

The shopkeeper wanted to boast for a few hundred words, but was interrupted by Lu Jiao: "Just tell me, how much is it?"

The shopkeeper had an expression that said, "How dare you use vulgar things like gold and silver to measure such a refined thing?", but he was still very honest.

"Five thousand taels."

After hearing this, Lu Ze opened his mouth wide, silently put down the inkstone in his hand, and said, "Brother, it's too expensive! I don't want it anymore."

Lu Jiao slapped Lu Ze's mischievous hand away and said, "Stop it!"

She turned to the shopkeeper and said, "This is it. I won't bargain with you. You can give me an inkstone and this Guanyin statue as a bonus. How about that?"

The shopkeeper's eyes flickered twice, and he calculated secretly in his mind.

There are a few clay inkstones in the backyard, their quality is average, and the purchase price is no more than a hundred taels of silver.

The Guanyin statue is slightly more expensive, meaning that the gold plating on the outside is worth a little more silver. Including the labor cost, the total cost is two hundred taels of silver.

By this calculation, there is still profit.

The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Sir, you are so generous! I have made friends with this guest! May I know your name?"

"No need to mention your surname Lu. If I have any rare stuff in the future, Shopkeeper Yu, please help me to take a look at it!"

"Okay, okay. Chengzi, why don't you go get a wooden box and put this Duan inkstone away!

Dayong, go get those clay inkstones from the storeroom and show them to the young guest to see if there is anything that suits your taste."

The two waiters walked towards the back hall together.

Lu Jiao looked outside the door calmly. Seeing that no one came in, he whispered to Shopkeeper Yu, "This shop is big and powerful. There must be a backer behind it!"

Shopkeeper Yu was willing to reveal a few things because he saw that Lu Jiao was young and generous.

"Our master is the chief priest of the Imperial Academy."

"So this is the shop of the wife of the chief priest. No wonder it looks like the study of our young master.

We have walked along the way and visited so many shops, but Shopkeeper Yu's is the most friendly one!"

"Thank you for the compliment, sir!"

Shopkeeper Yu was secretly shocked. How could a servant take out five thousand taels of silver without blinking an eye?

After searching all the powerful people in the capital for several rounds, he still couldn't determine which family it was.

But none of them are people that Manager Yu can afford to offend.

Thinking of this, his smile became even brighter.

"Young Master, if you are unsure about anything, just bring it to me and I will take a look at it for you!"

"Since you said that, I won't be polite!"

Hehehe——for a moment, both the host and the guests were happy.

Dayong quickly came out holding a few cardboard boxes.

It is said to be a paper box, but it is actually a wooden box.

But it's not a good wood, and it's covered with a layer of thick patterned paper.

The packaging looked quite exquisite and Lu Jiao couldn't find any fault with it.

Shopkeeper Yu took the box, laid it out on the table, opened the lid and let Lu Jiao choose.

Lu Jiao just glanced at it and didn't look at it again.

He gestured to Chen Wen: "You go and choose."

"what?"

Chen Wen had been looking at the furnishings in the store, and then he sat there quietly drinking tea.

I didn't expect there would be something happening to him.

"Ah what? See which one you like."

Chen Wen was stunned for a moment.

At first he thought that Lu Jiao asked the shopkeeper to give him another piece for the young master to practice calligraphy, but he didn't expect it was for himself.

"Sir... I can't use this thing. I... don't want it..."

"Just pick what I told you to pick. Why are you talking so much? We should go back after you pick!"

Lu Ze had already carefully examined the inkstones and pointed at one of them and said, "Brother Wen, choose this one. This one looks the most delicate."

"Young Master, you have a really good eye! This one is also the best in carving, but there is a little flaw on the bottom, so it is put together with the others."

Shopkeeper Yu turned the inkstone over and showed the three people a barely visible scratch on the bottom.

If you don't remind others specifically, they may not notice it.

Lu Jiao gently squeezed Lu Ze's shoulder and said, "These are your brother Wen's things. Let him choose for himself."

"Then... I want this one." Chen Wen pointed to another one.

Lu Jiao didn't try to persuade him: "Please pack these three items."

She pointed at a Guanyin statue at random, took out five silver notes worth one thousand taels from her bosom and handed them to Shopkeeper Yu.

Shopkeeper Yu took the banknote and, without caring that Lu Jiao and the others were still in the store, immediately walked behind the counter, took out a magnifying glass, and checked the authenticity of the banknote.

"How is it? Any problem?"

"Haha, our store is a small business, so we have to be more cautious."

"That's how it should be."

Lu Jiao took the largest box and said to Lu Ze and Chen Wen, "Take your own things."

Lu Ze picked up the wrapped inkstone and smiled: "Thank you, brother!"

Chen Wen also realized it later: "Thank you...A Jiao."

"Practice your calligraphy well, that's your way of thanking me."

The three of them walked out of the antique shop together, and Lu Jiao keenly noticed a prying gaze coming from the entrance of the alley diagonally opposite.