TGCFNM -Chapter 449 Buying Gifts

After leaving the government office, Tang Yang, worried about the safety of the other students, left first to return briefly to Canglan Courtyard.

Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin boarded the carriage to pick up Su He at the charity hall.

After all, when it came to bargaining while buying gifts, it was best to have Su He there—his presence alone was more effective than hundreds of persuasive words.

Once Su He had washed his hands and removed his outer robe, he climbed into the carriage, clean and tidy.

Wan Sanjin looked at him curiously. “Su He, it’s really hard for you to get blood on yourself, huh? I’ve known you for so long, and I’ve never seen blood on your clothes.”

“I dissect corpses, I don’t hack them with knives,” Su He said disdainfully. “Besides, I wore a protective coat.”

“Ohhh.” Wan Sanjin made a look of realization and then leaned closer. “Everything we buy today is expensive—remember to haggle for me.”

Su He nodded helplessly. “By the way, what do you want to buy? The Master and I also need to prepare gifts, and it wouldn’t be good if we bought the same thing.”

“You’re buying too?” Wan Sanjin asked in surprise.

Chu Ling, unwilling to part with her small fortune, replied, “We’ve been freeloading at the Wan family all this time, so we definitely need to prepare a gift. Zhang Dong and Xiao Hua have already prepared theirs… Besides, we know that Brother Wan and Fu Qingyu share the same birthday, so we can’t not buy something for Fu Qingyu.”

Wan Sanjin nodded. “True. Then you buy a pricier gift—after all, everyone earned a lot at this year’s Lantern Festival.”

Chu Ling: “…”

Su He: “…”

“Coroner Su, it’s a shame we didn’t make a profit from the medicinal pills. What if we poison them again and make some antidote money?” Chu Ling suggested.

Su He felt a little tempted.

Wan Sanjin was tempted too. “But didn’t Perfect Feng say it’s best if the Master doesn’t go out these days? How could we poison them? Should we wait a couple of days?”

Chu Ling’s eyes narrowed, and she gave a knowing smile. “We could just set up a stall right in front of the Wan Mansion. Sell it openly, sincerely! Just change the name of the powder. These unfaithful people, people who play both sides, deserve a lesson. Surely, many will buy it.”

Su He nodded. “To avoid harming the wrong people, this time it should be an edible powder with color and flavor, so they know exactly what they’re taking.”

“Oh, right!” Su He suddenly looked at Chu Ling. “Did Perfect Feng really say it’s best if the Master doesn’t go out these days?”

Chu Ling nodded and explained what had happened in Anma County, including that Perfect Feng would investigate thoroughly.

Su He’s expression relaxed. “It’s really good that this matter will have a result. The Huang family should be arrested.”

“I suspect the Huang family is either trying to make a big profit or seeking fame from this incident,” Wan Sanjin said.

Chu Ling nodded; it was very possible.

After a while, the carriage stopped at a place Wan Sanjin had decided on earlier: Wan Baozhai.

Zhang Dong, who was driving, followed the shop’s servants to the back to drink tea and rest, while Chu Ling and the others went upstairs. Soon, the shopkeeper came out to greet them.

In the capital, who didn’t know the Wan family’s young master? He was generous, easygoing, and always bought something when he entered a store.

The shopkeeper greeted them warmly and led them directly to the second floor.

Wan Sanjin had already decided what he wanted to buy. “I want inkstones, two different ones. They should be rare and obviously valuable.”

The shopkeeper nodded and immediately instructed his staff to fetch them.

Su He thought for a moment and asked for two brush holders.

The shopkeeper knew that anyone coming with Young Master Wan was not short of money, so he had someone bring out the brush holders for Su He to choose from.

After the inkstones and brush holders were delivered, Wan Sanjin quickly picked out two.

The shopkeeper immediately stepped forward, smiling: “Young Master Wan truly has an eye for things. These two inkstones are one-of-a-kind—not just in the capital, but in the entire Great Zhou!”

Wan Sanjin nodded with satisfaction and had one of the jade inkstones wrapped up—it was for Fu Qingyu. The other, a black-and-gold inkstone, was for his elder brother.

Meanwhile, Su He had also chosen the brush holders, made from the same type of wood and feeling very smooth to the touch. One, shaped like a crane, was for Fu Qingyu; the other, with a tiger’s head, was for Young Master Wan.

Seeing that the two had finished choosing, the shopkeeper smiled at Chu Ling: “Young Master Chu, have you decided? What would you like?”

After strolling around the second-floor section, Chu Ling returned and asked the shopkeeper, “How much are the inkstones he picked?”

The shopkeeper smiled: “Young Master Wan is an old customer, and naturally, his friends are friends of our shop too. So we give the most favorable prices: the jade inkstone is 2,300 taels, the black-and-gold inkstone 2,500 taels. The crane and tiger brush holders are each 1,000 taels.”

After the shopkeeper announced the prices, Chu Ling and the others were a bit dumbfounded, staring at Wan Sanjin and Su He.

Since Wan Sanjin and Su He were about to haggle, both subtly rolled their eyes.

Chu Ling understood: this money is nothing to them—they have it.

In the county office, it seemed she was the only one without money!

At this moment, Chu Ling thought that if she didn’t buy from this shop, she might just glance at some small trinkets, and that’s exactly what caught her eye. She walked over to take a closer look.

The shopkeeper, still smiling, approached and earnestly explained: “Young Master Chu, these are works by Master Song. Master Song usually makes brush holders, but on a whim, he created a few small wooden ornaments—tiny pieces that fit in the palm of your hand.”

Chu Ling asked quietly, “How much for this one?”

“This small ornament is fifty taels,” the shopkeeper replied.

Chu Ling’s eyes lit up. “Alright, I’ll take this adorable little chubby tiger, and this slightly silly little fat cat.”

The shopkeeper couldn’t help but laugh and had them wrapped up immediately.

Chu Ling also instructed that the packaging clearly indicate which was the tiger and which the cat—the cat was for Fu Qingyu, the tiger for Young Master Wan. This mustn’t be mixed up.

Wan Sanjin curiously asked, “Sir, if your tiger is also for elder brother, then that’s the same as Su He, isn’t it?”

Chu Ling nodded.

“Then why is Qingyu getting a cat?” Wan Sanjin asked.

Chu Ling pointed to the little fat cat being wrapped: “Fu Qingyu is too clever—he deserves a slightly silly cat. Your elder brother seems very decisive, so he gets a goofy tiger.”

Su He spoke quietly from the side: “Sir, when you give gifts, you mustn’t say what you just said today.”

Chu Ling replied: “I understand.”

Then the haggling began.

Suddenly, Wan Sanjin and Chu Ling stood behind Su He and pushed him forward.

Su He wore a stern expression as he looked at the shopkeeper.

At first, the shopkeeper thought this young master just looked cold, a little intimidating, but with Young Master Wan nearby, it was manageable.

Now, standing alone in front of him, he felt as if this young master’s gaze could devour him—or drag him straight to the underworld…

“Shopkeeper, can you give a discount?” Su He asked.

The shopkeeper’s beard trembled in fright: “…Yes.”