105 CH105

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There was a night market near the food street, as busy as the food street itself despite its name- plenty of vendors had their stands out.

Lin Yi thought that he’d go shop a bit over there, seeing how Mengyao and Yushu were still enjoying themselves. He preferred normal clothes sold on the streets over high quality ones.

A good eye and a knowing mind could very well yield high quality attire even in a place like this.

“Ah…” Lin Yi spotted a familiar figure, unsure whether he should be laughing or crying- the two of them seemed to keep bumping into each other.

Tang Yin was crouched over at a girl’s clothing store, seemingly liking the dress in her hand a lot.

“Um… Can you make it cheaper?” Tang Yin asked after a moment’s hesitation.

“Look here, little miss- this is high quality material on the dress, and don’t even get me started on the workmanship! It’s the latest fashion, too! You put this in Pengzhan Stores and you won’t get it without at least something like a thousand eight hundred…” The owner explained, as if the dress was the best piece he was selling.

“I mean… Two hundred is a bit much isn’t it…”

Lin Yi could tell that Tan Yin was no haggler.

“Not at all! Don’t you know everything’s getting more and more expensive nowadays? The cloth, the workmanship- that’s way past two hundred now! Two hundred’s the old price, I’m even raising it after this shipment’s sold out!” The vendor continued praising his stock.

“I… I’m from the food street over there… Can’t you just cut it a bit? I’ll buy it if you just cut it a little.” Tang Yin said, putting her identity out on the haggling table.

“Oh? You’re from the food street?” The vendor looked at Tang Yin before continuing. “You should know then, as a fellow vendor- we don’t earn much in this business here at the night market. How many stores are there, we can’t just cut prices for every customer just caz he or she’s a vendor too… I still have taxes to be paying for tomorrow, and there’s still the rent to take care of… Not much left for profit…”

“Ah?” Tang Yin couldn’t believe it- why was this guy so unrelenting? She even said she’d buy it if it were just a bit cheaper, and she even told him about her identity as a fellow vendor! Why couldn’t he just cut the price a little! Was it because the vendor knew how much she liked the dress, was that why he was acting like such a jerk?!

Lin Yi shook his head at Tang Yin’s haggling methods- that would never work! He decided to go help her out a bit, seeing how Tang Yin’s family wasn’t very well off and all.

“Yo, bro! I didn’t know you have a stand here!” Lin Yi said as he walked over, giving the vendor a pat on the shoulder in greeting.

“Ah? Uh, you are..?” The vendor asked, clearly not recognizing Lin Yi.

“You don’t remember me? We both got our goods from Old Zhang a while back, remember?” Lin Yi continued with a laugh. “I used to set up shop at that night market at Qiaonan!”

“Oh, oh!” The vendor nodded his head upon hearing the words. “It’s you! I say, no wonder your face looks so familiar! How’s business, buddy?”

“Gah, don’t even. My wife’s got a baby in her belly back home, I still have to look after her every day! No time to be doing business outside at all- I’m only here caz my sis visited, for old time’s sake you know?” Lin Yi said smoothly as he squatted at the stand.

Tang Yin blinked at the chain of words Lin Yi was spouting… Setting a stand up at Qiaonan? And when did he get a wife, who was pregnant, even?! Wasn’t the guy a high school student?!

“Hey, that’s a good thing man! You’re a dad now, congrats!” The vendor congratulated with a nod of his head. In actuality, however… He didn’t know who the hell this guy was! There were a plethora of places he got his goods from, there was no way he’d remember every single boss with a surname as common as Zhang- there had to be at least three or five of those he’d been acquainted with before, if not ten! He couldn’t just say he didn’t remember him, either- the guy was acting so friendly with him because the two of them had clearly met and chatted before, the guy was in the same business he was, after all. He couldn’t just say that he didn’t remember, either- that’d be rude. The best way out was to pretend he’d remembered him.

“Yeah well, that wife of mine’s always in front of the mirror, like I told you before- she even asked me to go get her some makeup and summer dresses for her. I was just about to go to her, but hey- didn’t think I’d meet you here! I’ll just get a couple of dresses from your stall!”

“Sure thing, brother!” The vendor said passionately. “The shopping center’s pretty far from here, too- just take one or two from my place, I’ll sell it to you cheap; we both know how much we got them for, am I right?”

“Oh yeah, man. I’ll just get two then!” Lin Yi said as he took the dress Tang Yin was looking at, picking up a pair of short male jeans while he was at it. “These two, please!”

“You got it.” The vendor said. “Dress came in forty five, pants twelve- that’s fifty seven kuai!”

“Here, take sixty. I would’ve had to pay for gas to get to the shopping center, yeah?” Lin Yi said as he pulled sixty kuai out from his pocket.

“That won’t do, man! We’re in the same business, after all!” The vendor said with a wave of his hands. “Small stalls like ours- I didn’t even get you any gifts for that good news about your wife getting pregnant! I can’t just profit from you!”

“Haha, don’t be like that man- I’m not gonna come here if you do this! Take the sixty, alright man?” Lin Yi said, acting as if he were a bit pissed off at the guy rejecting his goodwill.

“Alright then- sixty it is!” The vendor said with a laugh as Lin Yi put the money onto his palm. “Really, man- find some time for a drink in the future, yeah?”

“Of course, of course.” Lin Yi said with a nod of his head as he left the place. “Well, see ya around!”

Tang Yin didn’t know what to say as he watched Lin Yi get away with her dress- forty five kuai, seriously? This vendor was too much, selling it to her for two hundred, what the hell?

“Ah, that’s right- what did you wanna buy again?” The vendor said, suddenly remembering his customer as he waved goodbye to Lin Yi, still smiling.

“That… dress he took away. Do you still have it in stock?” Tang Yin asked.

“Nope, just that one.” The vendor shook his head.

“Why’d you sell it to him for forty five? You were gonna sell it to me for two hundred!” Tang Yin asked, very unsatisfied.

“That guy’s my colleague, alright? You got a problem with me selling it to him for forty five?” The vendor said, a little impatient. The girl was hesitating so much that he’d really have not bothered with her if she weren’t such a pretty lady.

“Him? He’s your colleague?” Tang Yin asked curiously.

“Yeah, what? You buying anything or not?” The vendor said with a frown- what was this girl doing, asking so many questions if she wasn’t buying anything? His wife had better not misunderstand anything if she caught him talking with her later!

“Oh…” Tang Yin shook her head before getting up to leave...

*[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes

*[12.47 to 13.07]: don't ask me about the tree sap