The waiter finally finished serving all the dishes. There weren't many, just six light side dishes, with no meat. Perhaps the old man was a vegetarian.
The formal discussion began. Old Master Jin was not like He Laoliu; he was very upfront. He had brought all the money directly to the private room. There were eight boxes in total, identical to He Laoliu's two briefcases. It seemed this style was quite popular in the antique world.
Jin Xiaomei opened the boxes one by one to show me. After she finished, the old man waved his hand and smiled, "I've brought the money, where is the merchandise?"
I also readily took out the Chuyunpin from my bag and handed it to the old man.
The old man took out a delicate small box from his robes, opened it, and revealed a small, single-barreled telescope (perhaps a microscope or something similar). He aimed it at the Chuyunpin and examined it from head to toe, even reading aloud the Manchu script engraved on it.
"It is indeed genuine!" The old man was very pleased after inspecting the item. He put away the small box but then returned the Chuyunpin to me, leaving me completely bewildered.
"Eight million yuan was the guide price given by young Xie. While your item is good, in my opinion..." Old Master Jin smiled, clearly intending to bargain.
Eight million yuan already felt too low. Was I going to let him haggle it down further?
I quickly reached out to stop him, "Old Master, we are honest people, no hidden dealings, no hidden words. We both know how much this hairpin is truly worth, and I believe today's transaction will be a pleasant one. However, what I wish to discuss is not the matter of these eight million."
I pointed at the money boxes on the floor, "I don't want any of this money."
"Oh?" The old man looked puzzled. He glanced at the Chuyunpin in my hand and asked nervously, "You don't want to sell it anymore?"
"Not sell, but exchange," I smiled.
"Exchange? How?" the old man asked.
"Old Master, every industry has a profit margin. I venture to ask, what is the profit margin for your sect in producing weapons?"
Old Master Jin smiled slightly, "That is... difficult to say, isn't it?"
"It's certainly not less than 30%, right?" I guessed. Most industries have higher profit margins; otherwise, how would they make money? Just for the applause?
"Naturally," Old Master Jin admitted.
"Good," I had been waiting for him to say that. "Then for 9.63 million yuan, the cost price would be at most 6.7 million, still over a million short of this 8 million."
Old Master Jin looked confused. However, his granddaughter understood, "Oh! Brother, you want to use the Chuyunpin to pay for the weapons, right?"
When Cui San reported the accounts to me in the afternoon, Jin Xiaomei was present and knew the origin of the 9.63 million figure.
I nodded.
Jin Xiaomei explained the afternoon's events to her grandfather. Old Master Jin pondered for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. I thought he was calculating the costs, but after a moment of silence, he shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Wu, I will not do this deal."
"Huh?" I was puzzled. By all calculations, he was the one making a profit. Why wouldn't he do it?
Old Mr. Jin smiled, "I'm not referring to the business of this hairpin, but the business of weapons. Since a deposit has been paid for the Zi Wu Yuan Yang Yue, I will naturally deliver it to you. However, for the other nine weapons, I regret to say that our Jin Qiang Sect's resources are limited, and we cannot produce them for you. As for this hairpin, 8 million yuan it is, I won't bargain with you anymore. Keep the hairpin, take the money. If Mr. Wu truly needs these weapons, you can use this money to procure them elsewhere. Mention my name, and they will likely give some face and perhaps offer a better price."
"Grandfather, our sect clearly has enough meteorite resources..." Jin Xiaomei interjected, but a stern look from Old Mr. Jin silenced her.
Yao Yao and I exchanged glances, sensing something peculiar about this matter.
It definitely wasn't about the money. Cui San, as an employee, wouldn't give me a quote his boss couldn't accept.
Could it be that based on the styles of these weapons, the old man had become suspicious of our identities?
I looked at Yao Yao and inquired with my eyes: Should we still sell the Chuyunpin?
Yao Yao nodded.
"If that is the case, then I will not force the issue. As for this hairpin, we can proceed with the transaction." I stood up and shook hands with Old Master Jin, the deal concluded.
Afterward, Old Master Jin left with his granddaughter.
Yao Yao peered out the window for a moment, then turned to me and asked, "Do you dare to stay here alone?"
"Why wouldn't I?" I replied. This wasn't a battlefield, but a hotel filled with the ambiance of romance and poetry.
"I'm going to follow this old man and see what he's so worried about..."