Chapter 129: Learning to Apply What One Learns

Tang Wei knew the moment she saw Wanwan’s expression that the shopkeeper was in for trouble. Whenever the little girl wore that look, it meant she had cooked up some scheme, and someone was about to suffer.

The young girl immediately struck a pose of haughty arrogance. Surprisingly, this air of superiority actually gave the little beggar a touch of nobility. It looked rather awkward on someone in rags, but before anyone could dwell on it, the little beggar pulled a gold ingot from her person, instantly capturing everyone’s attention.

You heard that right—it was indeed a gold ingot. In this place, gold ingots were standard ten-tael units, and it took ten thousand taels of silver to exchange for one. One could imagine how much of a draw that gold held for the shopkeeper.

Indeed, seeing the gold was like seeing her own mother; the shopkeeper’s attitude shifted instantly. She donned an exaggerated, fawning smile, bowing and scraping before Wanwan with flattering words. They say some people change their faces faster than flipping a book, and that was perfectly exemplified by this woman. "Oh, a noble guest! Please forgive my loose tongue, I was truly being rude." The shopkeeper patted her own lips while speaking, her demeanor so sycophantic that the onlookers couldn't help but feel a wave of revulsion. It was truly unbearable to watch.

Wanwan, however, adopted an aloof, high-and-mighty attitude. She glanced at the shopkeeper sideways and said, "Introduce me to some of the fine clothing you have here!"

"Yes, yes, of course! Miss, please follow me. Our shop is the most high-end establishment in the entire town. These garments are all mainstream styles custom-made for wealthy families. Look, these few pieces are our finest; they usually retail for two hundred and eighty-eight taels of silver each. If you find them to your liking, I’ll give you a twenty percent discount—just two hundred and thirty taels for each piece!" The shopkeeper led Wanwan to the area with the most expensive displays and gestured toward a gaudy, ornate garment.

Wanwan frowned, appearing utterly unimpressed and arrogant. "I have plenty of silver; there is no need for your petty discounts—it sounds rather cheap. As long as you can guarantee the quality of the clothes in your shop, I wouldn't bat an eye at buying out the entire store."

"Of course, of course! You can rest assured, Miss. The quality of our clothing is top-notch. The fabric uses the finest cloud-brocade silk, woven with eighteen-color thread. Even after wearing them for eight or ten years, they would hold up perfectly. The seams are reinforced with double-sided stitching, so even if the fabric wears thin, the seams will never unravel." The shopkeeper used her silver tongue to praise the clothes to the heavens, making it sound as if they were garments fit for the celestial realms, rarely seen in the mortal world.

"Fine, I won't say more. As long as you guarantee the quality, I’ll buy eight or ten pieces!" Wanwan waved her hand, cutting off the bragging.

"That goes without saying! My clothes are absolutely top-tier... you can be completely at ease!" The shopkeeper started to boast again, but seeing Wanwan’s impatient expression, she hurriedly shut her mouth, though she still felt uneasy and couldn't help but add a final word.

"That’s enough. I can’t trust your word alone, and since I’m buying more than just one or two, what if the quality turns out to be poor? Who would I go to cry to? You might as well write me a guarantee," Wanwan said calmly, quietly setting a trap for her.

The shopkeeper hesitated. "This... is that really necessary? If the clothes were no good, how could I display them for sale?"

"Why wouldn't it be necessary? Are the clothes in your shop only good for talk? Are you afraid to write a guarantee?" Wanwan intentionally provoked her, forcing the shopkeeper down the path she had laid out.

"Fine! Since you insist, I’ll write a guarantee right now. My clothes have never had any issues before, so what do I have to fear?" The shopkeeper, unable to resist the provocation, immediately pulled paper and ink from the counter. "Tell me, how should this be written? I’ll write whatever you dictate." Alas, impulsivity is the devil!

Just because her clothes hadn't had issues before didn't mean they wouldn't have them today. Watching from the side, Tang Wei couldn't help but shake her head. The shopkeeper was about to meet her doom.

"Just write that if any non-human-caused quality issues arise within three days, I may exchange one piece for ten. Then sign your name," Wanwan recited, gesturing for her to hurry. The statement had a massive loophole, though it was unclear if the shopkeeper would notice.

"This! A one-for-ten exchange is unnecessary, isn't it? At most, I’d just exchange it for a new one!" The shopkeeper, not thinking of anything else, was shocked by the "one-for-ten" clause.

"Heh! Listening to you, it seems you have no confidence in your own clothes? Sigh, forget it, I’ll just go buy from another shop!" Wanwan mimicked Tang Wei’s tactics perfectly.

"Wait, wait, Miss! How about this? Let’s both inspect the clothes on the spot. You won’t have to worry about me cheating you, and I won’t have to worry about the clothes having issues after they leave. That would be the best of both worlds, wouldn't it?" After all, the shopkeeper had been in business for a long time; she wasn't so easily wrapped around the little girl's finger.

Wanwan’s eyes rolled around, and failing the first move, she tried another. "Fine, then I’ll just pick out a few pieces!" She began wandering around the shop, waving her hand at one garment and pointing at another. "This one... no. Hmm, that one... no, never mind. Let's take that one! Actually, that’s not good either. Just give me the one on the far end..." After a circuit, she finally picked out a dozen pieces and asked the clerk to pack them up.

The other customers in the shop stopped browsing to watch her performance.

Tang Wei saw Wanwan pointing here and there and understood her plan. A master of internal energy could convert internal force into external power, allowing for strikes from a distance. It was similar to the technique Tang Wei had used at the pawnshop, though the little girl lacked the strength to turn the fabric into dust. Tang Wei smiled, not intending to expose her, and stayed on the sidelines to watch the show. To be honest, the shopkeeper’s behavior was truly excessive; just because Tang Wei wasn't acting herself didn't mean she wouldn't let others do so.

The clerk inspected every piece of clothing carefully, found nothing wrong, folded them, and prepared to pack them for Wanwan’s final check.

Wanwan took the clothes from the clerk and leafed through them casually. "Hmm, the needlework is decent, but the fabric isn't the best, is it? Oh well, it’s a small town, I suppose this is all there is. Pack them up for me!" As she tossed them, she gave a sleeve a subtle, sharp tug. With a "snap," the entire sleeve tore off, leaving Wanwan standing there in feigned shock. Of course, it was all an act; she had tampered with it secretly.

"You... you...!" The shopkeeper was about to flip out. Although she did sell inferior goods as quality items, the fabric shouldn't have torn from a mere tug. It had to be the girl's doing.

The shopkeeper prepared to make trouble, but Wanwan cut her off. "Is this your 'top-tier' clothing? Did I see that right?"

"You little wench, are you here to cause trouble? I was wondering why you had such a strange request—demanding a guarantee to buy clothes. So this was your scheme! You dare to try and scam me? I’ll have you know, I’m not someone you can bully! Did you do this? You better give me a good explanation, or you aren't leaving this door!" The shopkeeper began rolling up her sleeves to curse, looking every bit like a shrew. Despite her outward arrogance, she felt a pang of panic inside: *Damn it, I have to make this girl take the blame, or if this gets out, I’ll have to close my shop!*

"Shopkeeper, what kind of fine fabric have I not seen? It was precisely because I feared your fabric wasn't as good as you claimed, and I didn't want to lose face, that I asked for that guarantee! Look, it broke before I even took it out of the shop! I haven't even paid yet, or I’d be the one losing out. You want to pin this on me? Look at all these people here—you think they’ll let you get away with that?" Wanwan wasn't easily intimidated. She remained calm and logical, her argument sound. After lecturing the shopkeeper, she turned to the other customers. "Everyone, take a look! How much strength could a little girl like me possibly have to tear a sleeve like this? I’m not born with superhuman strength."

The shopkeeper felt a wave of anxiety, but she refused to back down. "You little wench, you’re clearly here to swindle me! Everyone, don't believe her! I’ve sold so many clothes, and no one has ever said they were this fragile! You’re just a fraud."

Wanwan scoffed. "I have plenty of silver; why would I need to swindle you? No one else has tried to pull on your clothes while they were just draped over them, of course they didn't break! Why don't you let everyone here try pulling on them? Then we’ll see if I’m the fraud."

"And another thing! A mere beggar like you happens to have a gold ingot? Where did you steal it from? If you can't explain that, you’re going to the magistrate!" The shopkeeper pounced on this as if it were a weakness, her attitude growing even more arrogant.

"The gold is mine. Why would I need to steal it? It’s you who is deliberately changing the subject—are you feeling guilty?" Wanwan said with a malicious glint in her eye.