Chapter 132: Rest Assured 2/2
Ying Sisi grinned. The vendor picked out a crucian carp that weighed more than three pounds and charged her two yuan.
She carried the fish and the change. She was about to leave.
She didn't notice that an old man had been watching her pay. He walked towards her. “Girl, are you collecting copper coins? One is only one cent.”
The fishmonger said, “You can't buy anything with copper coins. Why are you asking for one cent? One cent can buy a bowl of soy sauce and a bowl of vinegar. That's enough for the whole family to eat for two or three months.”
“I'm asking the girl. I'm not asking you. Girl, take a look. They're all old items. If you collect them, they'll be worth money later.”
“If they're worth money, why aren't you collecting them?” The fishmonger couldn't help but retort. “You think the girl is young and easy to fool, right?”
The old man's face turned beet red. “Mind your own business, you dog meddling in a cat's business.”
“I'm just standing up for what's right.”
Ying Sisi remembered what Qin Yanci had said. There are specific places that collect old items.
She sold a stamp for a thousand yuan last time.
Maybe these copper coins can also be sold at a good price.
She interjected, “Can I take a look first? If I like them, I'll buy them.”
“Sure, sure.” The old man immediately took out the copper coins in his pocket and stuffed them into Sisi's hand.
Ying Sisi avoided it. She took out her handkerchief and spread it out.
The old man put the copper coins on the handkerchief.
Ying Sisi looked at them one by one. She picked out the ones with illegible handwriting that she didn't recognize. She counted them. There were twenty-six. “I want all of these. Here's two yuan and six cents.”
The old man panicked. “Why don't you want the others? I'll give you an extra four cents. Will you take it? I wouldn't sell them if it wasn't for my family's difficulties.”
Ying Sisi felt sympathy. Fine. I'll take them. It's only an extra four cents. “Alright.” Let's call it doing a good deed.
The old man took the money and ran off.
The fishmonger slapped his thigh. “Girl, you can't spend your money like that. My house is full of these copper coins. I give them to my kids to play with. They don't even want to hold them. You're going to get scolded when you go home.”
Ying Sisi said nonchalantly, “It's fine.”
She rode her bike home. She turned on the TV and watched it for a while. Then she started to clean the fish and prepare the ingredients.
Qin Yanci came back as she was making the pan-fried dumplings.
“It smells so good. What are you making?”
Ying Sisi said, “Small fish pan-fried dumplings. I added wild garlic. They'll be ready to eat in a while.”
Qin Yanci put down his book and went over. The fried fish mixed with the soup and vegetables was bubbling. “It looks so delicious.”
“You'll have to wait a while to eat.” Ying Sisi took out her handkerchief. “Help me look at what's written on these. I can't recognize any of the characters. They're all scribbled. But I think they should be worth a lot. The other copper coins, I only recognize Qian Tong and Dao Guang Tong.”
Qin Yanci smiled. “That's Qian Long Tong Bao and Dao Guang Tong Bao. I don't recognize the scribbled ones either. Where did you get them?”
“I bought them for three yuan. Are they worth it?”
Qin Yanci hesitated. “Maybe the ones with the scribbled characters are worth money. But Qian Long Tong Bao and Dao Guang Tong Bao definitely aren't worth much. My family has a lot of them. I used to play with them as a kid. It didn't hurt my heart to lose them.”
Ying Sisi was disappointed and disheartened. “Didn't I lose money?”
Qin Yanci comforted her. “It's not 30 yuan, it's only three yuan. What's the loss? Just think of it as playing. If you want to know the exact value, I'll ask someone for you.”
“Okay. If they're worth money, I'll buy you something delicious.”
“Alright.”
The pan-fried dumplings were cooked. They sat by the stove and ate.
Qin Yanci had a good appetite. He ate most of the pan-fried dumplings by himself. He said with a sigh, “I don't think I'm full.”
Ying Sisi added some noodles and boiled them. “That should be enough now. By the way, it's Saturday. Can we go back to the courtyard?” We didn't go back last week. If we don't go back this week, my mother-in-law will feel bad. If Lu Yuechun takes advantage of the situation and stirs up trouble, my mother-in-law might blame me for not helping to mend their mother-son relationship.
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