192: Chapter 188 Rejection 192: Chapter 188 Rejection Not too far away, Dong Dahai, who had been chatting leisurely with a few stall owners, had also stopped speaking by now.
Separated by a distance of seven or eight meters, whether it was him or the few stall owners, their gazes had already shifted towards Chen Hai and the elderly man.
“I didn’t expect that there would really be people interested in that kind of yellow paper at this cultural exchange meeting!”
“Just a few yuan can buy a big stack of that yellow paper, cut it up, scribble a few strokes, and then sell it for hundreds to a thousand?”
“If there’s such a business to be done, why am I still selling antiques and curios?”
The speaker was a stall owner named Zhang.
While he was talking, his voice was very soft, probably only a few people around him could understand what he was saying!
In his words, there was also a strong sense of disdain, and anyone could clearly hear the sour tone leaking out of his statements.
He had set up his stall at the auction, although he had arrived a bit late, he had already been there for two or three hours.
In the glass showcase at Zhang’s stall, a variety of items were displayed, nearly filling all the available space.
But until now, he hadn’t made a single sale.
After witnessing the scene where someone was willing to offer one thousand yuan for the two pieces of yellow paper on Chen Hai’s display, and that silly boy actually refused to sell them, he was overcome with jealousy and bitterness.
“Hush, keep it down, Zhang!”
“The elderly man interested in buying the yellow paper is Wei Zhidong!”
“Aren’t you afraid of inviting unnecessary trouble if he hears these comments of yours?”
Another stall owner named Zhou, with a peculiar expression, quickly gestured Zhang to be quiet and whispered a warning to him.
“Wei Zhidong?
The Boss Wei who controls nearly half of Capital City’s aquatic product industry?”
Zhang was taken aback and quickly shrank his head.
Although he was in the antique business and had a small fortune, he was obviously several levels behind Wei Zhidong in terms of stature.
“Yes, that’s him.
I’ve heard long ago that Boss Wei has been obsessed with divination in recent years and has taken a great interest in some objects related to the Mysterious Sect of Taoism.”
“What we see as yellow paper, Boss Wei sees as Taoist talismans.”
“You can’t put a price on true affection; given his wealth, it’s not strange for him to spend a few hundred to a thousand yuan on something he likes!”
Stall owner Zhou, leaning close to Zhang, explained in a low voice.
After hearing this, including Zhang, the few stall owners suddenly felt relief.
“Dong, isn’t that young man your junior?”
“Boss Wei is willing to spend a lot of money to buy his two pieces of yellow paper, yet he has money to make but refuses to sell!”
“Why don’t you go over there and persuade him?”
“The amount of money you can make from those two pieces of yellow paper is only secondary—reaching out to Boss Wei through this transaction would be the real benefit!”
After whispering among themselves for a while, Zhou, Zhang, and the other stall owners all turned their gazes toward Dong Dahai.
“Fellows, don’t look at me like that!”
“That young man you’re talking about, I do indeed know him, and it’s true that I brought him here.”
“However, he’s not my junior; in front of him, I have to call him Mr.
Chen.”
“What he wants to do is not something I can control, and whatever decisions he makes are not for me to interfere with!”
Shrugging his shoulders, Dong Dahai gave a wry smile and explained.
If it were his stall and someone offered one thousand yuan for the two pieces of yellow paper he had drawn talismans on, he would have sold them without a second thought.
Then, he would take out another stack of talismans from his bag and ask if the buyer wanted more!
You see, in this day and age, one thousand yuan is not a small amount of money for the average person.
Especially for a college student like Chen Hai, living frugally, one thousand yuan could barely cover a year’s living expenses!
Although Dong Dahai knew that Chen Hai probably didn’t lack money, he still couldn’t quite understand Chen Hai’s decision to refuse selling talismans to Wei Zhidong.
Not far away, in front of Chen Hai’s display case.
The elderly man dressed in traditional Chinese attire, Wei Zhidong, was visibly startled upon hearing Chen Hai’s refusal.
“Young man, two talismans for one thousand yuan—this price I’m offering you is already very generous; do you still think it’s too little?”
“So how much do you think your two talismans should sell for to meet your expectations?”
Frowning slightly, Wei Zhidong was clearly annoyed; he hummed softly and asked back.
He was genuinely interested in talismans, and at this cultural exchange meeting, he believed that there would be no one else who could offer a higher price for these two talismans.
Under such circumstances, having his good intentions flatly rejected, it was natural for him to feel displeased.
“Elder, this is the first time I’m selling talismans; I’m not really sure what price they’re worth!”
“You want me to name a price, I think it’s better to forget it!”
“There are plenty of good things at the exchange meeting, you can go look somewhere else…”
With hesitance in his heart, Chen Hai fell silent for a while and then gave a bitter smile, saying.
He knew exactly what his talismans, which he himself had drawn, were capable of.
As for the Corpse Transformation Talisman, let alone, there were a few that sold for thousands to tens of thousands of yuan apiece, he might have sold them!
But that Danghui Talisman, the difficulty of successfully drawing one was hellish.
The value of the talismans that could effortless resolve the almost unsolvable yin snake gu of Xiangxi Gu Technique was already obvious.
In Chen Hai’s eyes, such talismans, if sold, would not be considered without a price of three to five hundred thousand yuan!
However, such an asking price was something he was only clear about in his mind.
In front of an outsider like Wei Zhidong, if he disclosed his asking price, he would only invite ridicule and contempt.
Given that, he felt it was better not to say anything at all when asked to name a price!
“Kid, you’ve put out your goods but aren’t willing to sell, and you tell me to go look elsewhere?”
“What are you trying to say?
Are you planning to play hard to get and then fleece me, Wei Zhidong, for a lot of money?”
“Alright!
I really want to buy these two talismans, you want to make more money?
I will grant your wish then!”
“On top of the previous price, I’ll double it for you, two talismans for two thousand yuan, how does that sound?”
Wei Zhidong spoke again.
Although he chose to compromise and doubled the offer for the two talismans, his expression had clearly darkened.
Looking at him, it seemed as if he was already holding back a fair amount of anger, almost on the verge of exploding.
In the southeastern area of the exhibition hall where they were, although not many people circulated there and it was relatively quiet, eventually some did come through!
Wei Zhidong had a significant reputation within Capital City and was well-known.
Seeing him here, apparently having some discontent with a stall owner, quite a few people stopped nearby and gathered around.
“Boss Wei, what good thing has caught your eye?
Talisman?
Are these for sale at the exchange meeting too?”
“Boss Wei is a Master of Divination, and has always had a profound understanding of Taoist talismans!”
“Kid, you’re lucky, setting up a stall selling talismans and happening to meet Boss Wei, otherwise with those things you’re selling, most people wouldn’t bother giving them a second glance!”
“In the circle, Boss Wei has a good reputation.
He’s always been fair with his pricing, and is willing to pay more for things he truly likes.”
“Two talismans drawn on yellow paper, and Boss Wei has already offered two thousand yuan, where else would you find such a deal?
Kid, make up your mind quick and sell the goods!”
…
Among the onlookers were some who recognized Wei Zhidong, and others that wanted to curry favor with him.
These people, following right behind Wei Zhidong, put on airs, echoing his sentiments and vigorously flattering him while urging Chen Hai to quickly sell the talismans.
“I’m sorry, Boss Wei, but these two talismans, at just this price, I definitely can’t sell them!”
Chen Hai put the two talismans back into the display case, still shaking his head refusing.
Now, he was indeed in desperate need of money, there was no denying that.
But what he needed was not a few thousand yuan, but tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands.
If he had to sell the hard-won talismans for just a thousand or two, he might as well pocket them and take them back!
If he really couldn’t make any money and couldn’t come up with the money he owed for the house, he felt he might as well just go under the overpass and set up a stall for divination.
With his level of divination, if he could meet a real wealthy client, making a big profit was not impossible!
Of course, when doing divinations for others, one needed to have a keen eye.
Just the other day, when I was reading a newspaper in the school library, I saw a true story of a fortune teller who was murdered at home because his divination was too accurate.
Unknown fortune tellers who give inaccurate readings get called swindlers and can anger people; too accurate, and they risk bringing trouble upon themselves.
It really must be said that life for those who follow this profession can be quite difficult!
If one’s reputation and credibility rise, the situation can improve considerably, such as the case of the White Dragon King from Siam.
If it were not absolutely necessary, and there were no other options, Chen Hai would definitely not want to set up a stall under the overpass for divination; after all, it was really too demeaning.
“A man’s greed is like a snake swallowing an elephant, young man, I made an offer, you don’t sell, yet you won’t give a reason.”
“Do you think, I, Wei, am easy to talk to and easy to bully?”
“There are cameras watching over the exhibition hall, with your behaviour now, if I go and complain to the organizers, do you think you can continue to keep your stall here?”
Still being refused by Chen Hai, especially under the watchful eyes of the public, Wei Zhidong’s face had turned grim.
Staring coldly at Chen Hai, his words now carried a slight threat.
It seemed that if Chen Hai didn’t give him a satisfactory answer, he would truly go and file a complaint against Chen Hai with the organizers.