America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 42 Bargaining

Zhang Ailun devoured the sandwiches and yogurt, randomly gave the cup of coffee to someone on the street, and then rode his bicycle to George's Pawnshop.

"Welcome to George's Pawnshop. How can I help you?"

Upon entering, Zhang Ailun noticed that the layout of the pawnshop was different from the last time.

Perhaps influenced by the shooting, that guy was truly reckless, but also incredibly unlucky.

George, the white boss, looked up and recognized Zhang Ailun's face. He looked surprised and said, "It's you?"

His expression softened considerably, and he pulled one hand out from under the stage.

It's no wonder he's so cautious; after all, there was a shooting here the day before. That homeless man was probably too high on Ye Zi, because he broke in and tried to rob his shop!

He didn't hold back and took him down with two shots!

After all, he's from Texas, a country known for its simple and honest people, the birthplace of rednecks, and where people are skilled in American-style iaido.

In addition, his friend works for the local law enforcement agency, so handling a homeless person's case involving zero-dollar purchases is quite simple. He quickly issued a certificate of no liability, and the shop's business was not affected at all. It only had to close for half a day to replace the carpet.

"Hey buddy, do you want to pawn your items, or buy them?"

Old George warmly welcomed his regular customers; at least Zhang Ailun wasn't the kind of person who would risk leaving.

"I have a 15.6-gram Vantini gold necklace. I need to exchange it for cash."

As Zhang Ailun spoke, he took the gold necklace out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

Old George glanced at it; it was a genuine, brand-new product. He picked it up and examined it carefully in his hand.

However, the material of gold cannot be distinguished with the naked eye. He can only appreciate the manufacturing process by looking at it from left to right. To distinguish between real and fake gold, one would need high technology.

Old George rummaged around under the counter for a while and took out a special measuring instrument. After turning it on, the instrument flashed a red light. He pointed it at the necklace and tapped it, which made a beep sound and then flashed a green light. Detailed data also appeared on the display.

"It is indeed a Vantini 18k gold necklace." Old George looked at the data on it, confirmed its authenticity, and said with a smile, "Do you have any receipts or invoices? That would make it easier for me to buy it back and resell it."

"No," Zhang Ailun replied frankly.

"May I ask where you obtained this necklace?"

Old George has basically confirmed that the original owner of this necklace was not Zhang Ailun.

After all, he was dressed like a homeless person when he came last time. This time he was a bit better dressed, wearing a set of light luxury clothes, but they were mostly unsold items from discount stores. The gold necklace didn't really match his status.

"Although I'd love to say I bought this a long time ago, or that my girlfriend gave it to me, I actually found it in the trash. I have the right not to tell you where it came from, don't I?"

Zhang Ailun, always ready to speak the truth, glanced at the room full of collectibles and said, "A large portion of what you have here is of dubious origin, isn't it?"

You're absolutely right.

Old George nodded. He was only responsible for pawning and recycling items; how the customers came to him was none of his business. It's difficult to make a fortune solely through legitimate pawnbroking without engaging in shady dealings. Doing business requires both a spirit of adventure and a flexible moral compass.

Since the customer can't produce specific shopping receipts or invoices, it's a good opportunity for him to negotiate the price.

But this is gold after all, so no matter how much you try to bargain, you can't cut the price too much.

"Today's gold price is $64 per gram, but I certainly won't sell it for that much. This necklace weighs 15.6 grams. I can give it to you for $960. Is that acceptable?"

Old George took out his phone, checked and calculated the price, gave his price, and then asked Zhang Ailun.

"Didn't you go a little too far?" Zhang Ailun was speechless.

A single cut costs over a hundred?

They were fair when I came last time, so why are they so shady this time?

Old George laughed and said, "This isn't a gold shop, after all. If you go to other pawn shops, you might get a lower price."

"This is a Vatican necklace," Zhang Ailun argued forcefully.

"Brand recognition is worthless, and this doesn't look like a handmade product," Old George immediately retorted. After all, it was something worth four figures, and he wouldn't be doing his shop a disservice if he didn't wield his dragon-slaying sword.

"My target price is $1000!" Zhang Ailun said. "I can't go any lower than that, otherwise I'd rather wait for the price of gold to rise before I sell."

"$980?" Old George tentatively offered his price again.

"How was that bottle of tequila from last time? Your friend should have been quite satisfied, right? Maybe I'll come back to your store to buy drinks sometime."

Zhang Ailun changed the subject and started playing the emotional card.

"The taste is indeed very special. It's rarer than what's available on the market. My friend brought it out at a party, and after they tasted it, they heard that a bottle only costs $260, and they all said they got a great deal! It tastes almost exactly the same as the real thing."

Old George, an honest man, smiled and said, "But if you think you can use this method to get me to raise the price, you're mistaken! Buddy! You'll definitely be hard-pressed to come up with tequila like that last time!"

"Okay, you figured it out." Zhang Ailun shrugged. "But a price below $1000 is really hard for me to accept."

"That's a real shame..."

The two argued endlessly about the price until a new customer walked in. "Excuse me, do you buy and sell antiques here?"

The woman wore red sunglasses, had long brown-black hair, a gray dress, and high heels. She was plump with rounded features and carried a beige handbag. She looked to be in her forties.

Old George immediately welcomed them warmly, saying, "Of course, George's Pawnshop accepts everything. May I ask what kind of antiques you wish to sell?"

Upon hearing that it was an antique, Zhang Ailun became interested and prepared to observe from the side to see what kind of novel thing it was.

The woman took out a rusty iron box wrapped in plastic film from her handbag. The box had the words "Military Medical Equipment" written on it in English.

Upon seeing this, both Zhang Ailun and George frowned, immediately sensing something ominous.

Then I saw the other person open the metal box, and a strange smell came out.

Zhang Ailun immediately took two steps back and hid far away, fearing that some ancient virus might have resurfaced.

The woman then took out a syringe and solemnly introduced it, saying, "This is a urethral syringe used by a general during the Civil War! He was a good friend of my husband's great-grandfather. He fought while ill and led his troops to victory in the Civil War, fighting for freedom and liberating slaves. I also have a document and a medical certificate issued by the army doctor at the time!"

"..."

Zhang Ailun's jaw almost dropped in shock.

This thing can actually be collected as an antique?

Are you Americans crazy?

What shocked him even more was old George's attitude. He put on gloves and a mask, took it very seriously, and looked it over a few times.

He then took the documents and certificates and examined them carefully before asking in a friendly manner, "How much do you want to sell them for?"

"$5000," the woman said without hesitation. "If it weren't affecting our normal life as a couple, I would never have sold it. After all, it's very meaningful and a valuable antique."

Zhang Ailun is starting to have doubts about life.

No, how could it have an impact?

$5000? A urethral syringe? WTF?

Just kill me already!!

This is too magical.

Old George fell into deep thought. "During the Civil War, many women in the sex industry camped near military camps. Many soldiers contracted gonorrhea because of their sexual practices. The medics tried everything to solve these difficult cases. One medic even suggested injecting high concentrations of boric acid into the urethra to kill bacteria and disinfect. But this proved to be an unwise move and ruined many people's lives! Later, that medic had his genitals cut off by angry soldiers at night. The general you mentioned probably used this method as well..."

"While I don't advocate collecting these old antiques, there are many weirdos who specialize in collecting similar items, and there's no shortage of a market for it. I can offer up to $500," Old George said earnestly.

The woman hesitated for a moment, but readily accepted the price, nodding in agreement, "Okay, $500, I can sell it to you."

"make a deal."

Old George smiled, turned around, went inside, wrote a receipt, took the money, and came out.

"..."

That dragon-slaying blade cuts!

That's utterly absurd.

Zhang Ailun watched the two exchange money and goods, and fell into deep thought.

I feel like I'm still too inexperienced.

I suddenly remembered that box of luncheon meat from World War II. If I made up a couple of stories and put on a certificate label, it would be considered an antique!

(End of this chapter)