From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him-Chapter 15: Selling

"Just the two of you, here to pawn something?" A tall figure appeared behind the counter. This was the Shopkeeper the clerk had called for.

He frowned, looking at the ragged refugees before him. ’Looking like a gust of wind could blow them over, what could they possibly have that’s valuable?’

He shot a harsh glare at the clerk to the side, inwardly considering whether he should get someone else to watch the shop. ’This kid’s judgment is terrible.’

Ancient Wen Heng, however, seemed not to notice. He gave the Shopkeeper a scholar’s bow, which made the Shopkeeper regard him more seriously.

"Shopkeeper, this humble one wishes to pawn an heirloom passed down from my ancestors. I’d like to ask you to appraise it."

"You are a scholar?"

"This humble one is untalented, having only just passed the examination to become a child student. It’s a pity to be born in such unfortunate times. Now that I’ve fallen on hard times, I can only let my ancestors down."

Thinking of the current state of the world, the Shopkeeper’s expression softened slightly. "In that case, let me see the item first."

This county town only had a few wells left that could still draw water; otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared to hold out here.

"Of course." Ancient Wen Heng carefully placed the mirror in his hands on the high counter. "This was also something an ancestor acquired by chance. If we weren’t truly in such dire straits, this humble one would never dare to part with it."

The Shopkeeper was stunned at a single glance. He had never seen something that could so clearly reflect the roof beams.

"Is this a copper mirror?"

Ancient Wenheng said, "You could say that, but this item is very different from a copper mirror. It can reflect everything with perfect clarity."

The Shopkeeper carefully took the mirror into his own hands. He looked at his own face, clearly reflected on its surface, but his expression revealed nothing.

He gestured to the clerk beside him. The clerk quickly opened a small door to the side and politely invited the two of them inside.

"How do you wish to pawn this item?"

"..." Jin Qianqian and Wenheng didn’t react for a moment.

"If it’s a dead pawn, I can give you this much," the Shopkeeper said, making a hand gesture. "But if it’s a live pawn, the price will be halved."

Ancient Wen Heng looked conflicted. "But this is an heirloom, after all. I was hoping to redeem it one day."

Jin Qianqian, however, grabbed Ancient Wen Heng’s arm. "Can we eat this or drink this? We have a whole family waiting for food to survive! Having more Silver on us is better than anything else."

"But I can’t sell it for a pittance. My grandmother repeatedly warned me that this is a family treasure. If I sell it off like this, how will I ever face her?"

Jin Qianqian also looked reluctantly at the item in the Shopkeeper’s hand, then secretly leaned close to Wenheng’s ear and muttered, "Didn’t I leave one for you?"

The Shopkeeper’s eyes lit up. ’So, there’s a pair!’

Seeing the corner of Jin Qianqian’s mouth twitching, Ancient Wen Heng knew she was about to lose her composure. "Your husband knows what he’s doing. Since when do you make the decisions in our family? Stand aside."

Jin Qianqian took two steps back with a wronged expression, bowing her head low.

The Shopkeeper watched her trembling shoulders and her hands covering her face, assuming the young wife had been scolded by her husband and was now sadly wiping away tears.

But that was their family business. He was only thinking about how to acquire the treasure in his hands, and ideally, how to get them to sell the entire pair.

He glanced guiltily at Jin Qianqian. "I just heard the young lady say that these items come in a pair. If you sell them together, I can raise the price for you a bit."

They were holding out here in hopes of using the drought to acquire some fine, inexpensive antiques to profit their master.

If he could bring this item back, it would be a great contribution.

"..."

The moment Ancient Wen Heng stepped out of the pawnshop, he handed the silver notes and Silver to Jin Qianqian, who quickly hid them in her space.

"I can’t believe a small mirror is worth so much here." Jin Qianqian clutched her chest. "I was holding it in so hard just now, I almost burst out laughing."

Ancient Wen Heng was also a little excited. Now that he had currency from this era, he felt a bit more at ease.

Otherwise, if he kept pulling things out of thin air, he would sooner or later arouse suspicion.

"We actually sold it for a low price, considering the circumstances. After all, the pawnshop is only so big; this was probably the most they could offer." Thinking about the haggling inside, Ancient Wen Heng found the experience rather novel.

"Then they’re too poor," Jin Qianqian said, glancing back at the aging shop. "Just a few hundred taels emptied their coffers. It seems they aren’t very well-off."

Ancient Wen Heng tapped her on the head. "And you studied economics? Have you forgotten the purchasing power of several hundred taels of Silver over here? Be content!"

You have to remember, that old man was adamant about fifty taels at first. It was only after Wenheng’s sob story and playing hard to get that the price was set at 330 taels.

"My brain didn’t make the switch," Jin Qianqian mentally calculated, feeling a little guilty. A mirror worth only a few bucks had been exchanged for several thousand pounds of grain.

"Has your brain caught up now?" Ancient Wen Heng stood in the middle of the street and looked around. "Let’s hurry and buy some things. We can’t miss the closing of the city gates."

When they entered, the Government Officials had repeatedly warned them that if they didn’t cross their names off the list before leaving, their entire group would be implicated.

Jin Qianqian said, "Then let’s go buy some grain, and then a couple of sets of clothes."

Buying grain was for appearances, but the clothes were because the two of them were simply too poor. Their two tattered outer robes had been mended over and over again. If they didn’t get new ones, they’d probably have to start tearing up their blankets to wear.

Ancient Wen Heng looked down at himself. Even if he wanted to be more low-key, he couldn’t approve of his current attire. Just yesterday, he had taken a slightly larger step, and the inner seam of his trousers had split open.

Thank goodness for the long outer robe covering it. Otherwise, he wasn’t sure if he’d even have the courage to take a step.

"We’ll buy them. We’ll buy several sets to keep as spares. We still have a long road ahead of us."

As for staying in this border city, both Ancient Wen Heng and Jin Qianqian knew it wasn’t realistic. Never mind their current status as refugees; the drought here was getting worse, and the days ahead would only become more difficult.

They would continue onward, following the direction of the main group of refugees. This was the conclusion they had reached after several days of discussion.

Although this small county town wasn’t large, it had all the necessary shops. Jin Qianqian had originally thought she was already quite wealthy, with plenty to eat and use.

But upon actually visiting these shops, she realized that the things in her space were completely out of place in this era. Even the most common coarse grains were several grades higher than what was sold in the shops here.

Not to mention the clothes and daily necessities—none of those could see the light of day.

"Let’s buy a lot," Ancient Wen Heng said. He had naturally noticed the discrepancy as well. In any case, their pockets were full now, so they should buy what they needed.

Regardless of the quality of the clothes, they each bought so many in their own sizes that they nearly cleaned out the shop.