Intelligence and Wisdom
Slowly reaching into his waist pocket, Xin Yun pulled out a small cloth bag. Gently placing it on the counter, he said: “The accessories are all in here. Take a look…”
Picking up the cloth bag with some doubts, the shopkeeper looked at the odd father and children. Since they had come to sell gold and silver accessories, why were they not carried by the adult, instead being hidden by the child?
Puzzled, she shook her head and opened the cloth bag. Suddenly… two gold and four silver, a total of six plaques of longevity appeared before her. Carefully picking up the largest longevity plaque, the shopkeeper began analyzing it.
She then opened up a drawer below the counter and took out a shiny black rock and gently wiped it against the longevity plaque. She then looked at the rock…
Watching the shopkeeper’s movements, Xin Yun’s face was calm. He knew that rock was a Lydian stone. Not only could it tell if a piece of metal was truly gold, it could even detect the content and purity of the gold.
Under Xin Yun’s gaze, the shopkeeper carefully inspected the other longevity plaques. She then smiled and said to A Da: “Un, pretty good… The purity of these two gold plaques is very high and the craftsmanship is very good. How much do you plan on selling it for?”
“This…” Faced with the shopkeeper’s questions, A Da was rendered speechless. If you asked him how much this gold plaque was bought for, he could give an answer; however, if you ask him how much it should sell for, then he was much less certain.
At this time, Xin Yun’s voice could be heard once more: “Not only is this gold plaque of high quality, it is also very large. If it is melted down and reforged, this large plaque could make at least four smaller ones. There’s no mistake in that, right?”
Hearing Xin Yun’s very professional analysis, the shopkeeper was a little reluctant, but she still had to nod. In reality, even someone who was not knowledgeable about this could reach such a conclusion based on the size.
Seeing the shopkeeper nod, Xin Yun displayed a very sweet smile and picked up the smaller gold plaque: “For a gold plaque like this, it should be able to sell for one gold and five silver. With a total of five plaques, it would be seven gold and five silver. Since you are also a business and need to make money, how about this… you give me five gold, and these gold plaques are yours. As for the silver plaques, I will not take any money for them. Treat them as a gift.”
“Ah!” Hearing Xin Yun’s words, the shopkeeper lit up with joy. She would be getting four silver plaques as a gift! Each one would sell for up to one thousand copper. As for the gold plaques, she would be seeing a 50% profit. For such a good deal, she could not pass it up no matter what.
In her ecstasy, the shopkeeper seemed afraid that Xin Yun would regret it or would be stopped by A Da, so she hurriedly pulled out five gold. Hastily placing it in Xin Yun’s hand, she placed the six longevity plaques away and hurriedly said: “Alright, our accounts have been settled. Neither money nor goods are owed. There are no debts owed between us.”
Smiling as he received the five gold, Xin Yun revealed an odd smile. He then nodded and left the accessories shop, leaving behind an ecstatic shopkeeper.
Looking at Xin Yun in bewilderment, A Da’s face revealed his confusion. After enduring for a long time, A Da finally chased after Xin Yun and asked in confusion: “Hey… If you don’t know how to negotiate, just leave it to me. How could you just give away those four silver plaques!”
“Hm?” Looking at A Da, Xin Yun replied in an odd manner: “You don’t really think that those silver plaques were given away, right. You aren’t like that shopkeeper who believes that meat pies fall from the skies, right?”
“You didn’t give them away? What do you mean!” Hearing Xin Yun’s words, A Da revealed a stupified expression, as he did not understand what he meant.
Seeing A Da’s confused expression, Xin Yun helplessly shook his head and said: “Then let me first ask you, if you were to spend money at a jewelry store on those six plaques, how much would it cost?”
Hearing Xin Yun’s reply, A Da immediately became spirited. When it came to prices, he had truly done some investigating before.
Raising his head proudly, A Da put on a professional expression and said: “The large gold plaque should be worth three and a half gold. The small gold one is one and a half gold. The four silver plaques are worth a total of four silver. Adding it together, it should be five gold four silver. Un… that’s the price. There’s definitely no mistake.”
“Hm?” Speaking to this point, A Da suddenly froze. Even if he went to buy it in a shop, it would not be worth more than five gold four silver. But how had Xin Yun sold it for five gold? Would that shop not make a profit of only four silver?
On the surface, a profit of four silver was still a profit, but reality was different. Before anything else, there were still expenses. There was the shopkeeper’s wages, rent on the shop and all kinds of fees collected by the town. After carefully calculating, it would be great if they did not lose money on this deal, much less earned money from it.
Looking at Xin Yun in astonishment, A Da was completely speechless. He did not understand… how had this child’s brain developed. How were those four silver plaques a gift. That was clearly fish bait on the hook. If it was eaten, it would lead to a loss!
It was not that A Da did not curse that shopkeeper for being a fool, but just as he finished insulting her, his own face turned green. If he called that shopkeeper stupid, what was he considered? It had to be known… at that time, he had also thought that Xin Yun had clumsily made a losing deal. If the shopkeeper was stupid, he was not much better.
Perhaps someone would ask, A Da why not go steal the money from Xin Yuan? That was five gold, after all. In reality… A Da had truly considered the idea. He was not going to commit murder for money, but he felt that a child holding that much money was not safe. He felt that it would be safer if he handled it. Unfortunately, Xin Yun had an indifferent look, which did not give him a chance to speak up at all. He was also too embarrassed to speak up.
Up to today, although five gold was a small fortune, having experienced the trade of maize for mushrooms and having witnessed the sale of longevity plaques, A Da had already recognized Xin Yun’s wisdom. Don’t look at how he was still a child, his mind was very clever. He had even made a fool out of two adults. He had also increased his profits one fold. How could he afford to offend someone like this. With one mistake, Xin Yun does not need to harm him, but he simply needed to not tell him about good shops. Even if he was a god, there was no way of knowing.
Although five gold was not a small amount, based on the wisdom Xin Yun had displayed, it would not be long before he could help him out. Thus, the thoughts of scrounging for money were cast from A Da’s mind. As a person… he could not only look forward to money. He had to look forward too!1Although A Da was a bit straightforward, when it came to business, who didn’t make some considerations, and who didn’t use their eyes?
While A Da was pondering, up ahead… Yi Luo Xiang was all smiles. With her eyes squinted, she hugged Xin Yun’s arm and affectionately aid: “You’re really cunning. You don’t know… but at that time, I was really scared, but I did not think that shopkeeper would be taken in by you.”
“Cunning?” Hearing Yi Luo Xiang’s words, Xin Yun smiled. In reality… this sort of trick was used by fraudsters. How many smart people had been cheated before? Although she said cunning, in reality, it was just making use of human nature in desiring small victories. The number of people who could see this at a glance were truly not many.
Glancing at Yi Luo Xiang, he decided to try and find out how smart she truly was. Xin Yun deliberately said: “It can’t be considered cheating, look… That large plaque truly could be melted down and made into four smaller plaques. Like this, they can sell it for seven gold five silver. Adding on the four silver plaques I gifted them, that is seven gold nine silver. They would have made two gold nine silver. A profit of 50%, but I still feel they will lose a bit.”
“Smack!” Just as Xin Yun finished speaking, A Da, who had been walking behind them, suddenly slapped his own forehead. This caused Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang to turn around and look at him, but they heard this guy mutter: “That’s right! So it was like that. They truly would not lose out. Alright… I am still quite smart then. I have not been cheated.”
Hearing A Da’s words, Xin Yun could only reveal a helpless expression; however, Yi Luo Xiang was laughing so hard that she could not breathe. Seeing Yi Luo Xiang laughing, A Da stared and unhappily said: “What is there to laugh at. There’s definitely no mistake in this calculation. They truly will not be at a deficit…”
Hearing A Da’s words, Xin Yun shook his head with a wry smile. He did not say a single word, but Yi Luo Xiang did respond: “That’s right, you did not make a mistake with the calculations, but does it not take time and money to turn gold into jewelry? When have you ever seen jewelry sold based on its weight. If one liang of gold is worth one gold, then would it still be that price after it is made into a beautiful necklace?”
“This, I…” Hearing Yi Luo Xiang’s words, A Da wanted to cry but had no tears. That’s right… sometimes, the cost of making jewelry would exceed the original value of the material. When it came to crude jewelry, it was fine, but most of the time, jewelry really could not be purchased based on weight.
Helplessly looking at the two children before him, for a while, A Da felt that he was the seven year old child, while the two before him seemed to have lived for 30 years and were experienced people. What the hell, were they still people? At just seven and a half, they were smart to this degree! Was the law of heaven still there? Were there any laws left!
1: This is a pun on the word money and forward, both of which are pronounced the same.
Intelligence and Wisdom
Slowly reaching into his waist pocket, Xin Yun pulled out a small cloth bag. Gently placing it on the counter, he said: “The accessories are all in here. Take a look…”
Picking up the cloth bag with some doubts, the shopkeeper looked at the odd father and children. Since they had come to sell gold and silver accessories, why were they not carried by the adult, instead being hidden by the child?
Puzzled, she shook her head and opened the cloth bag. Suddenly… two gold and four silver, a total of six plaques of longevity appeared before her. Carefully picking up the largest longevity plaque, the shopkeeper began analyzing it.
She then opened up a drawer below the counter and took out a shiny black rock and gently wiped it against the longevity plaque. She then looked at the rock…
Watching the shopkeeper’s movements, Xin Yun’s face was calm. He knew that rock was a Lydian stone. Not only could it tell if a piece of metal was truly gold, it could even detect the content and purity of the gold.
Under Xin Yun’s gaze, the shopkeeper carefully inspected the other longevity plaques. She then smiled and said to A Da: “Un, pretty good… The purity of these two gold plaques is very high and the craftsmanship is very good. How much do you plan on selling it for?”
“This…” Faced with the shopkeeper’s questions, A Da was rendered speechless. If you asked him how much this gold plaque was bought for, he could give an answer; however, if you ask him how much it should sell for, then he was much less certain.
At this time, Xin Yun’s voice could be heard once more: “Not only is this gold plaque of high quality, it is also very large. If it is melted down and reforged, this large plaque could make at least four smaller ones. There’s no mistake in that, right?”
Hearing Xin Yun’s very professional analysis, the shopkeeper was a little reluctant, but she still had to nod. In reality, even someone who was not knowledgeable about this could reach such a conclusion based on the size.
Seeing the shopkeeper nod, Xin Yun displayed a very sweet smile and picked up the smaller gold plaque: “For a gold plaque like this, it should be able to sell for one gold and five silver. With a total of five plaques, it would be seven gold and five silver. Since you are also a business and need to make money, how about this… you give me five gold, and these gold plaques are yours. As for the silver plaques, I will not take any money for them. Treat them as a gift.”
“Ah!” Hearing Xin Yun’s words, the shopkeeper lit up with joy. She would be getting four silver plaques as a gift! Each one would sell for up to one thousand copper. As for the gold plaques, she would be seeing a 50% profit. For such a good deal, she could not pass it up no matter what.
In her ecstasy, the shopkeeper seemed afraid that Xin Yun would regret it or would be stopped by A Da, so she hurriedly pulled out five gold. Hastily placing it in Xin Yun’s hand, she placed the six longevity plaques away and hurriedly said: “Alright, our accounts have been settled. Neither money nor goods are owed. There are no debts owed between us.”
Smiling as he received the five gold, Xin Yun revealed an odd smile. He then nodded and left the accessories shop, leaving behind an ecstatic shopkeeper.
Looking at Xin Yun in bewilderment, A Da’s face revealed his confusion. After enduring for a long time, A Da finally chased after Xin Yun and asked in confusion: “Hey… If you don’t know how to negotiate, just leave it to me. How could you just give away those four silver plaques!”
“Hm?” Looking at A Da, Xin Yun replied in an odd manner: “You don’t really think that those silver plaques were given away, right. You aren’t like that shopkeeper who believes that meat pies fall from the skies, right?”
“You didn’t give them away? What do you mean!” Hearing Xin Yun’s words, A Da revealed a stupified expression, as he did not understand what he meant.
Seeing A Da’s confused expression, Xin Yun helplessly shook his head and said: “Then let me first ask you, if you were to spend money at a jewelry store on those six plaques, how much would it cost?”
Hearing Xin Yun’s reply, A Da immediately became spirited. When it came to prices, he had truly done some investigating before.
Raising his head proudly, A Da put on a professional expression and said: “The large gold plaque should be worth three and a half gold. The small gold one is one and a half gold. The four silver plaques are worth a total of four silver. Adding it together, it should be five gold four silver. Un… that’s the price. There’s definitely no mistake.”
“Hm?” Speaking to this point, A Da suddenly froze. Even if he went to buy it in a shop, it would not be worth more than five gold four silver. But how had Xin Yun sold it for five gold? Would that shop not make a profit of only four silver?
On the surface, a profit of four silver was still a profit, but reality was different. Before anything else, there were still expenses. There was the shopkeeper’s wages, rent on the shop and all kinds of fees collected by the town. After carefully calculating, it would be great if they did not lose money on this deal, much less earned money from it.
Looking at Xin Yun in astonishment, A Da was completely speechless. He did not understand… how had this child’s brain developed. How were those four silver plaques a gift. That was clearly fish bait on the hook. If it was eaten, it would lead to a loss!
It was not that A Da did not curse that shopkeeper for being a fool, but just as he finished insulting her, his own face turned green. If he called that shopkeeper stupid, what was he considered? It had to be known… at that time, he had also thought that Xin Yun had clumsily made a losing deal. If the shopkeeper was stupid, he was not much better.
Perhaps someone would ask, A Da why not go steal the money from Xin Yuan? That was five gold, after all. In reality… A Da had truly considered the idea. He was not going to commit murder for money, but he felt that a child holding that much money was not safe. He felt that it would be safer if he handled it. Unfortunately, Xin Yun had an indifferent look, which did not give him a chance to speak up at all. He was also too embarrassed to speak up.
Up to today, although five gold was a small fortune, having experienced the trade of maize for mushrooms and having witnessed the sale of longevity plaques, A Da had already recognized Xin Yun’s wisdom. Don’t look at how he was still a child, his mind was very clever. He had even made a fool out of two adults. He had also increased his profits one fold. How could he afford to offend someone like this. With one mistake, Xin Yun does not need to harm him, but he simply needed to not tell him about good shops. Even if he was a god, there was no way of knowing.
Although five gold was not a small amount, based on the wisdom Xin Yun had displayed, it would not be long before he could help him out. Thus, the thoughts of scrounging for money were cast from A Da’s mind. As a person… he could not only look forward to money. He had to look forward too!1Although A Da was a bit straightforward, when it came to business, who didn’t make some considerations, and who didn’t use their eyes?
While A Da was pondering, up ahead… Yi Luo Xiang was all smiles. With her eyes squinted, she hugged Xin Yun’s arm and affectionately aid: “You’re really cunning. You don’t know… but at that time, I was really scared, but I did not think that shopkeeper would be taken in by you.”
“Cunning?” Hearing Yi Luo Xiang’s words, Xin Yun smiled. In reality… this sort of trick was used by fraudsters. How many smart people had been cheated before? Although she said cunning, in reality, it was just making use of human nature in desiring small victories. The number of people who could see this at a glance were truly not many.
Glancing at Yi Luo Xiang, he decided to try and find out how smart she truly was. Xin Yun deliberately said: “It can’t be considered cheating, look… That large plaque truly could be melted down and made into four smaller plaques. Like this, they can sell it for seven gold five silver. Adding on the four silver plaques I gifted them, that is seven gold nine silver. They would have made two gold nine silver. A profit of 50%, but I still feel they will lose a bit.”
“Smack!” Just as Xin Yun finished speaking, A Da, who had been walking behind them, suddenly slapped his own forehead. This caused Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang to turn around and look at him, but they heard this guy mutter: “That’s right! So it was like that. They truly would not lose out. Alright… I am still quite smart then. I have not been cheated.”
Hearing A Da’s words, Xin Yun could only reveal a helpless expression; however, Yi Luo Xiang was laughing so hard that she could not breathe. Seeing Yi Luo Xiang laughing, A Da stared and unhappily said: “What is there to laugh at. There’s definitely no mistake in this calculation. They truly will not be at a deficit…”
Hearing A Da’s words, Xin Yun shook his head with a wry smile. He did not say a single word, but Yi Luo Xiang did respond: “That’s right, you did not make a mistake with the calculations, but does it not take time and money to turn gold into jewelry? When have you ever seen jewelry sold based on its weight. If one liang of gold is worth one gold, then would it still be that price after it is made into a beautiful necklace?”
“This, I…” Hearing Yi Luo Xiang’s words, A Da wanted to cry but had no tears. That’s right… sometimes, the cost of making jewelry would exceed the original value of the material. When it came to crude jewelry, it was fine, but most of the time, jewelry really could not be purchased based on weight.
Helplessly looking at the two children before him, for a while, A Da felt that he was the seven year old child, while the two before him seemed to have lived for 30 years and were experienced people. What the hell, were they still people? At just seven and a half, they were smart to this degree! Was the law of heaven still there? Were there any laws left!
1: This is a pun on the word money and forward, both of which are pronounced the same.
