The Fallen Medicine Woman: The Daily Life of Chun Nuan-Chapter 242 - 170: Ten Taels of Silver

Ten taels of silver?

How should I put it, in the eyes of someone who knows the goods, such an ancient book is a priceless treasure; of course, if it falls into the hands of ordinary people, it might just be used as fire starter paper and burned away.

Not to mention ten taels of silver, even a hundred or a thousand taels wouldn’t be out of place.

How could Zhao Minghua dare to say that out loud?

Chun Ning looked at Zhao Minghua with great surprise, thinking that, if he didn’t know the trade, he could repair ancient books; if he did know the trade, the price he offered was indeed too contemptuous.

"Ahem, Mr. Zhao, we have known each other for a long time, and I’m an honest person, so I won’t quote you a high price." Manager Wen said, "I don’t want your money either, just consider it a gift to Mr. Zhao, hoping you can help me out in the future when I need your help."

"How can that be, ten taels of silver is still silver, I can’t just take your things without giving silver, letting you make a loss, can I?"

"Well, I’m really embarrassed to take the silver because I only spent one tael of silver." Manager Wen laughed awkwardly, "Giving it to Mr. Zhao, just consider it a favor, a small gift with deep affection."

"One tael of silver?" Zhao Minghua nodded, very well, truly worthy of Manager Wen, a master at picking up a bargain: "I, Zhao Minghua, will remember this favor and will bring it to you for appraisal as soon as it’s restored." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Then thank you very much, Mr. Zhao."

Chun Ning watched as they exchanged the ownership of such a valuable ancient book with laughter and chatter, feeling a thousand emotions in his heart.

Indeed, experts reside among the common folks!

In the Capital, such ancient books are very much in demand, and he was very curious about how Manager Wen acquired it for just one tael of silver.

Zhao Minghua was actually curious too.

"Having been in the business of antiques and paintings for a long time, I have become even more convinced of the concept of fate," Manager Wen said, "I saw this ancient book at a market, where it was being used as a lining for a basket that held eggs by an old lady. The old lady was selling eggs, and I didn’t notice it was an ancient book at first, I just saw that the paper looked a bit old and took a second look."

With that look, I discovered it was extraordinary, truly a rare treasure.

"The old lady had forty eggs, totaling less than twenty wen, and I didn’t have a basket to pack them in, so I just decided to be generous and gave her one tael of silver, buying the eggs and the basket together."

Needless to say, the old lady was grateful to him, would thank his ancestors for eighteen generations.

She might even go back and tell everyone she met that she encountered a compassionate noble while selling eggs today, selling ten eggs for one tael of silver, how she was so thankful for him.

Little did she know, it wasn’t the eggs that Manager Wen valued, nor the basket, but the yellowed, worn-out ancient book inside the basket.

What kind of family would possess such an ancient book?

Having fallen to the point of selling eggs to make a living, Chun Ning inevitably felt a sense of sympathetic compassion.

"I once asked the old lady where she got the paper from."

Zhao Minghua and Chun Ning were both very curious about the answer to this question.

"The old lady said she picked it up on the road, just thought it could be used to start a fire at home, so she set it aside, and when she was about to sell eggs, she thought it was a good choice to line the basket with it."

That’s how this ancient book fortunately came to be discovered by Manager Wen.

"I really am destined with it, not only saving it from being burned as fire paper, but also finding it an owner who can give it new life; if this isn’t fate, what is?"

"It truly is fate."

The three of them were very moved.

Zhao Minghua accepted the wooden box containing the ancient book.

Then he asked Manager Wen to bring out a few fine paintings for Chun Ning to choose from.

In the past, Chun Ning might have thought himself more skilled than Zhao Minghua in choosing paintings.

But after the incident with the ancient book, Chun Ning had a new appreciation for Zhao Minghua, so he handed the choice over to him.

The main reason was Chun Ning believed he didn’t have enough silver to afford them either, so naturally, the one paying should choose what they like, letting him choose didn’t make much sense.

"Chun Ning, you choose, choose one that your sister likes," Zhao Minghua said frankly, "as a dowry for your sister."

Chun Ning felt a bit embarrassed, there’s no way he could say he couldn’t afford it, right?

"Let me have a look first."

Chun Ning had no choice but to brace himself and go forward.

"Others may bluff, but in front of Mr. Zhao, I dare not be the least bit dishonest," Manager Wen said as he brought out a few paintings from the bottom of the box, "These are the best ones I currently have."

Chun Ning looked at the paintings once more with admiration: they indeed were the best.

In the painting and calligraphy shops of the Capital, you might not find such fine ones.