USWHC -Chapter 305 Bubble of Foolishness (Part 5)

“Five hundred taels and you’d buy it too? Are you out of your mind?” The old man was practically steaming with anger. “This kid’s even sharper than us! We only tricked her out of a hundred taels, and in the blink of an eye, she’s asking us for five hundred!”

“Father, don’t be upset. Soon, some fool will hand over the money to us willingly!” The elegant lady wasn’t the least bit troubled. Soon, they’d earn a thousand taels! That five hundred taels would just be an investment.

“You should teach this silly girl a lesson. She’s way too easy to deal with! How is she going to survive as a trickster like this? I bet one day someone sells her out and she won’t even know it!” The old man turned to the old lady, fuming.

“Enough. Who cares? We need it right now! Five hundred taels it is!” The old lady defended her precious investment firmly.

“Father, it’s at that inn just up ahead. I already asked!” The elegant lady said excitedly.

That inn was the most luxurious and grand in town, and they’d be staying in the number-one “Tian” room. This was unmistakably how wealthy people acted!

The old man quickened his pace and knocked on the inn’s door. It was just dawn, and the inn hadn’t opened yet.

“Coming!” A sleepy voice called out, dragging the words. Clearly, the servant hadn’t fully woken up.

When the servant opened the door and saw the odd-looking family, he blinked. The two elders were dressed plainly, as if they’d been digging in the soil, while the young lady was dressed in luxury, looking like a wealthy lady of some household. Paired with the elders’ appearance… well, maybe she was a mistress. And showing up at this hour? Quite possibly a mistress who intended to run off with money.

“Are you guests staying or dining?” the servant asked warmly.

“Looking for someone!” The old man said bluntly. “Did you have two guests from Qi yesterday? The woman in red, the man in earthy yellow?”

“Yes. Are you looking for them?” The servant responded immediately without hesitation. Judging by this, Ji Yi and the others had made quite the impression.

“Are they still in the number-one Tian room?” The old man pushed forward into the inn as he spoke, clearly intending to barge right in.

Seeing this, the servant panicked. “Sir, what’s the matter with you looking for them?” He blocked their way, nervously glancing at the elegant lady. Could it be that he had misread the situation? Was she here to find the husband’s legitimate wife?

“We’re here to help him!” At this point, the old man’s tone was still pleasant. “Doesn’t he want the Shanglu root? We have it right here!”

Hearing this, the servant relaxed immediately. A smile spread across his face. “Ah, what bad timing! You’re late. Someone already came last night to sell the Shanglu root, and those two were in a hurry to go home. They’re no longer at our inn!”

“What?” The old man was stunned. “They already bought it? Impossible! How could you find this in the north?”

“Exactly! You just said they were here. How are they gone now? What’s your game—trying to trick us?” The old lady called out, clearly annoyed.

“I’m not tricking you! You asked about yesterday. They were here yesterday, but they left at the crack of dawn,” the servant explained, slightly irritated. “And how do you know it’s not available in the north? I heard they came all the way from the previous town—it’s quite nearby!”

“Ah? From the town ahead?” The old man’s eyes widened. Could it be the same fool they tricked before? He felt a pang of regret for forgetting this. They had tricked several people along the way; there were quite a few holding this lousy radish root.

“No way? That pair of fools left? Then who do we sell our Shanglu root to? We spent five hundred taels to get it!” The elegant lady shouted in panic. Could their luck be that bad?

“It’s that damn old lady’s fault! Refusing to sell made us miss the chance!” The old lady scolded angrily.

“You must be lying! How come we didn’t hear about them leaving? And it was so late, how could they have crossed Qishan? Weren’t they afraid of getting lost?” The elegant lady still didn’t believe it.

“They were worried about their father and rushed home to treat him!” The servant explained earnestly.