Chapter 67 - 67: The "Blind Box" of Four Treasure

House_l

Translator: 549690339

“Aren’t you supposed to demonstrate your sincerity to change first when you ask me for an opportunity to change? Instead of asking others to take you out while also begging them for a chance to make amends. You want all the benefits, don’t you?”

There were no outsiders present, so Wei Ruo didn’t need to worry about her image and simply rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“But…”

“No buts, keep your thoughts to yourself. If you need company, go find your close girlfriends. Hasn’t the young miss from the Qian Family invited you out? If not, go by yourself and don’t bother me. I’m busy.”

After saying this, Wei Ruo sidestepped Wei Qingwan. Not wanting to waste any more time, she quickened her pace towards the door, leaving Wei Qingwan behind with a decisive and carefree image.

Wei Ruo arrived at the Four Treasure House where she had arranged to meet Xie Ying.

The meeting place had been chosen by Xie Ying. It was slightly unconventional for women to arrange to meet in a stationery shop, rather than a lipstick or jewelry store.

“Are you here to buy something?” Wei Ruo enquired.

“Yes, I need to buy some paper. My brother will be returning soon. There are plenty of good things in the Capital City, so I don’t need to bring anything special for him. But this kind of paper is not even available in the Capital City. I intend to buy it for him to broaden his horizons!”

With these words, Xie Ying stepped confidently into the Four Treasure House.

“Shopkeeper, I want to buy a hundred sheets.” Xie Ying took out a piece of silver and placed it boldly on the counter.

The shopkeeper explained apologetically: “I’m sorry, miss. As our notice outside indicates, each person can only purchase fifty sheets per day. If you wish to buy more, you can purchase one of our sets. These sets also contain paper, but there is no limit to the amount.”

“What kind of rule is this? I have money, can’t I just buy your paper?” Xie Ying asked.

“Please calm down, miss. The issue is that our shop has a very limited daily supply of this paper. We fear that without a buying limit, some people might buy all the stock, leaving none for other customers,” the shopkeeper explained patiently.

Xie Ying reluctantly accepted this explanation, but she was still unhappy.

“How can I give my brother such a small gift? Isn’t it too petty?”

“Shopkeeper, I’ll also take fifty sheets,” Wei Ruo stepped forward and said to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper immediately prepared fifty rolls of paper for Wei Ruo.

Receiving the paper, Wei Ruo handed it directly to Xie Ying.

“For me?” Xie Ying asked.

“Yes.”

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony and I’ll repay you later,” Xie Ying didn’t hold back and accepted the paper readily.

“Don’t worry about repaying me, consider this my gift to you for the Qixi Festival.”

“Okay.” Xie Ying didn’t say much more.

Next, Xie Ying looked around at other items in the shop, planning to buy some brushes, inks, and ink stones to give to her brother along with the paper.

Xie Ying noticed some identically sized and shaped wooden boxes on a shelf. Each box was tied up with silk ribbons and sealed tightly.

Xie Ying asked: “Shopkeeper, what’s inside these wooden boxes?”

“These boxes contain our store products. They could be paper, ink stones, or a combination of a few items. Some are of better quality than others,” the shopkeeper explained.

“So each one is different?” Xie Ying looked puzzled.

“Yes, each one is different, but they are all sold at the same price. Each wooden box costs five taels of silver,” the shopkeeper answered.

“Can I open them and see?” Xie Ying asked.

“No, you can only find out what’s inside after you purchase one.”

“So if the items are different but the price is the same, doesn’t that mean some people will lose out while others gain?” Xie Ying enquired.

“Indeed, it’s a matter of luck. One of the boxes contains a piece of calligraphy by Tibetan layman. Whoever buys that one will only need to pay five taels of silver,” the shopkeeper continued to explain.

“Again, with the Tibetan layman? I’ve heard that on your opening day you gave away a piece of the Tibetan layman’s calligraphy. How do you have so many pieces by the Tibetan layman? I’ve heard from my mother that the Tibetan layman doesn’t like to distribute his calligraphy and paintings.”

“Please be assured, miss. The calligraphy from the Tibetan layman in our store is genuine. Our owner, Master Heyou, is an old friend of the Tibetan layman and has received numerous pieces of his work.”

The shopkeeper only found out a few days ago that his boss was a gentleman named Heyou, not the naive and honest farmer who lived in the courtyard behind.

With this information, everything seemed more reasonable. Otherwise, he would really begin to question his own judgment about people.

“What if I want to directly purchase a piece of the Tibetan layman’s calligraphy? How much would you charge?” Xie Ying asked.

Her brother loved calligraphy and paintings, and she figured he would be thrilled if she presented him with a piece of Tibetan layman’s calligraphy.

“The calligraphy is not available for direct purchase. It all depends on luck,” the shopkeeper explained. ‘Tn addition, anyone who purchases this ‘blind box’ will be recorded in our system. In the future, our owner, Master Heyou, will select one lucky customer at random to write a recommendation letter to the Tibetan layman.”

Xie Ying wasn’t too interested in the recommendation letter, as her brother was studying at the academy in the Capital City and didn’t need to find another teacher.

However, Xie Ying knew that many students in Xingshan County would want this recommendation letter if the relationship between the shop owner and the Tibetan layman was as good as the shopkeeper claimed.

“In that case, I’ll take all the boxes on that shelf!” Miss Xie Ying was quite lavish and took all the boxes without a second thought.

The shopkeeper apologized with a smile, “I’m sorry, miss. Each person can only buy a maximum of two ‘blind boxes’.”

“Why? Even if I want to buy more, I’ll pay for it. Why won’t you let me buy more?” Xie Ying asked.

“It’s like this. If someone bought all the boxes, they would definitely receive the Tibetan layman’s calligraphy and also the promised recommendation letter from Master Heyou. In this case, the fairness of this game would be lost, and it would turn into whoever arrives first, whoever has money, will definitely get the rewards.”

The shopkeeper had already given this explanation to several people these past few days.

Xie Ying considered this and nodded, “What you’re saying makes sense. It really wouldn’t be fun if that was the case.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you for your understanding, miss.”

“In that case, I’ll take two,” said Xie Ying.

“Alright, you can pick any two you want from the shelf,” the shopkeeper told her.

Xie Ying went to the shelf and picked up one box to weigh it, then picked up another to examine it. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Originally not too interested in the Tibetan layman’s calligraphy, the “blind box” buying method stirred up her competitive spirit.

If she can buy the box containing Tibetan layman’s calligraphy with only two purchases, she would definitely have a good story to boast about to her brother later!

After looking around, Xie Ying asked, “Are these the only ones left? Are there any others? I want to see all of them.”

“These are all we have left. We started this promotion at the beginning of the month, and these are the only boxes left after selling up until today,” the shopkeeper answered..