Chapter 62 - 62 Chapter 62: Buying a Handcart
62 Chapter 62: Buying a Handcart
“No, let’s go together this time.”
“Let’s go buy a handcart first! Then, your straw sandals and our tools can be thrown onto the handcart!”
“After that, we’ll go to the market on West Street and see if we need to replenish stocks for Uncle Qin and my parents.”
“At that time, we can leave the handcart with Uncle Qin, and then we can split up!”
As for the handcart, although Sister Sanya was the one buying it, Big Girl Li couldn’t wait to see it.
Qin Xiaoyao paused for a while, then she nodded.
“Okay. Then let’s go to the large livestock market!”
Thus, the two of them quickly walked off.
Soon, they arrived at a large livestock market further away from the main street.
This area mainly dealt with oxen, horses, mules, sheep, and other large-scale livestock businesses.
There weren’t many customers, but they bought livestock in single units.
Many shopkeepers directly locked the livestock in the pens for the convenience of their customers to choose.
After Qin Xiaoyao and Big Girl Li arrived, they also went in for a look.
They didn’t ask for the price of the livestock, but they did see some signs with prices.
Big Girl Li couldn’t read, but Qin Xiaoyao could guess them.
Yes, she could only guess.
After all, the language of this era was written in the traditional form, which was different from what she had learned.
However, the general structure and strokes were similar, so it wasn’t hard to guess after seeing the characters.
“There! There’s a handcart there!” Suddenly, Big Girl Li pointed to the front.
Only then did Qin Xiaoyao pull her gaze away from the ox at the side and look in the direction that Big Girl Li was pointing.
When they saw a shop at the corner of the street with a few handcarts displayed at the entrance, they knew they had found the place they were looking for.
Hence, Qin Xiaoyao said, “Let’s go and make some inquiries!”
As they spoke, the two of them quickly rushed to the shop.
After they got closer, they realized that this shop wasn’t the only one selling handcarts. The two shops next to it were also in the business of selling handcarts.
“Yo, these two ladies, do you want to buy a cart?” There were no customers in the shop at the moment, so the shop owner welcomed them warmly when he saw Qin Xiaoyao and Big Girl Li approaching.
Looking at the two girls’ clothes, the shop owner’s first thought was that these two people might have been sent by their families to buy some cart accessories for their carts.
Accessories were things like coffee tables, small stools, and so on.
He also sold these small pieces of furniture here.
Big Girl Li was a little nervous under the shop owner’s gaze.
However, Qin Xiaoyao smiled very calmly.
“We don’t want to buy cart accessories. We want to see your handcarts,” she said.
The shop owner was stunned.
“Well… it’s that kind of cart that can be used on its own. When we buy an ox in the future, we can also harness it to the ox,” Qin Xiaoyao elaborated.
The shop owner’s eyes lit up, and he instantly understood.
“No problem! These two were the ones! Miss, please take a look…” Then, he led Qin Xiaoyao to the cart parked at the side.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s used stand-alone or harnessed to animals. It can work either way!”
“Of course, if you want to harness it on animals, you have to add some extra attachments!”
The shop owner looked at Qin Xiaoyao.
“If Miss wants to buy this cart, I’ll give you the attachment items free!” He said with a beaming face.
Qin Xiaoyao didn’t look at the shop owner. Instead, she put down the things on her shoulders and tried pushing the handcart for a feel.
Then, she scrutinized the two big wheels of the cart.
“Don’t worry, Miss. The quality of my cart is guaranteed! The wood and iron used for the cart’s wheels are of the highest quality.”
“If it breaks down within half a year, as long as it’s not intentionally damaged, I’ll replace the wheel for free!” The shop owner said when he saw Qin Xiaoyao looking carefully.
He thought that Qin Xiaoyao was serious about buying the handcart.
Qin Xiaoyao nodded.
Then, she went off to try the cart next to it.
She also scrutinized the condition of the cart.
The shop owner quickly followed and continued to explain, not paying any attention to Big Girl Li at all.
Big Girl Li wasn’t angry and simply watched her Sister Sanya choose the handcart.
Finally, Qin Xiaoyao was almost done looking.
“What’s the price of these two cars?” she asked the shop owner.
The shop owner’s eyes lit up.
“This one is 600 copper coins, and the other one is 550 copper coins,” he said.
Qin Xiaoyao frowned immediately.
“If Miss is serious about buying, the price can be lower,” the shop owner said.
Qin Xiaoyao looked at the shop owner.
“Of course I’m serious. Someone recommended you. That’s why we came here to look for you.”
As she spoke, Qin Xiaoyao looked at the two shops further up.
“But Boss, your price is not sincere.”
The shop owner was stunned, and his attitude became much more serious.
“May I know… which customer recommended us to you?” he asked with a smile.
Qin Xiaoyao smiled and said, “It’s old Mr. Li who drives an ox-cart for a living. He said that the quality of your cart is good and the price is fair.”
“But…” Qin Xiaoyao looked at the two carts and shook her head.
She looked as if she had been deceived.
Naturally, Qin Xiaoyao was the one who made this up.
She didn’t know any old Mr. Li driving an ox-cart for a living. She was just making some broad statements.
Whether it was in the town or the countryside, most of the people who did the ox-cart driving business were old men.
In their Mountain Spring Town, the most common surname was Li.
This shop was obviously an old shop, and the shop owner would definitely know of an elderly man who matched this profile.
“Haha! Since it’s a recommendation from a regular customer, the price will naturally be discounted.” True to her expectations, the shop owner replied in the affirmative enthusiastically.
“How about this? This one here can be 500 copper coins, and the other one can be 450 copper coins.”
Seeing that Qin Xiaoyao was looking at him again, the shop owner hurriedly waved his hand and made a chopping gesture.
“This is the regular customers’ lowest price. No further negotiations.” He said in a low voice.
Qin Xiaoyao only nodded when she saw the shop owner’s serious expression.
“And the cart accessories freebie, as well as free replacement for the wheel if it breaks down within half a year?” she asked.
The shop owner hesitated like he was put in a difficult position.
Thereafter, he nodded.
“Deal! Also, if the cart breaks down in half a year, you can send it to me for repair. I’ll give you a good price,” he continued.
Qin Xiaoyao was surprised.
“Give me a year of warranty. If it’s broken within a year, you will fix it for me for free,” she spoke again.
Free replacement for half a year and free repair for one year. Wasn’t this supposed to be the normal procedure?
The shop owner was stunned.
“Alright! Miss, you are so calculative,” he said helplessly.
Qin Xiaoyao chuckled.
She thought to herself, “I can’t possibly be more calculative than you.”
After the price was settled, Qin Xiaoyao asked the shop owner to write her an invoice as proof before paying for the cart.
Big Girl Li was overjoyed. She immediately moved their belongings onto the handcart that Qin Xiaoyao bought.
She even offered to help push the handcart.
Qin Xiaoyao didn’t refuse and was happy to let Big Girl Li do the work.
The two of them walked along the large livestock market and went back the way they came.
“Sister Sanya, this handcart is too handy! It doesn’t take much effort to push it!” Big Girl Li said with some excitement.
In the future, when they entered the town to sell things, they would no longer have to carry stuff on their backs or shoulders.
“It’s not bad!” Qin Xiaoyao also patted the edge of the handcart in satisfaction.
After that, Big Girl Li continued to flatter Qin Xiaoyao, saying how good she was at bargaining.
Qin Xiaoyao only smiled, but she didn’t feel smug.
The price of 500 copper coins was definitely not the lowest, but she was already satisfied that she could bargain it down another 100 copper coins.
“Let’s go to the market first. It’s still early, so I want to try and see if I can sell straw sandals on the handcart!” Qin Xiaoyao said suddenly.