Novel Bin Chapter 20
The Charity Sale Began
In response to Darkaeluz\'s review on , I apologize for not stating that there are some references made to the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West written in the 16th century, like the characters Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, especially in early chapters. However, they do not impact the main plot of the story in any significant manner, which is why I felt like it didn\'t have to be mentioned. I appreciate your review and I\'m glad you liked the story. Footnotes are added to the , and . Please rate the series on NU if you enjoyed the story. =)
Welcome our new editor Moxie! First regular chapter of the week.
"The second item to be auctioned is provided by one of our students in Wucheng Subhigh, Tang Xi. It\'s a Chinese calligraphy cross-stitch work," Lin Shuang said with a smile. "Let\'s give her a round of applause!" Once she finished her sentence, a cross-stitch fabric rolled open to an astounding three meters, with the words \'荣辱不惊\' which meant "remaining indifferent whether favored or humiliated".
[TL note: I\'ll be writing words of Chinese calligraphy in Mandarin for translation accuracy and convenience.]
"Xi, you wrote these words, didn\'t you?" Guo Huai said as he looked at the blushing Tang Xi. "Not bad, if you continue writing for around a hundred more years, you can form a faction of your own, hahah!"
"Brother Huai, how do you know that I wrote them myself?" Tang Xi asked.
"Hahah, is there anything that your husband wouldn\'t know? I\'ll have to bring this home. It\'d be a waste if it ended up in someone else\'s hands," Guo Huai said, smiling.
"This fabric has a starting price of a thousand yuan, with each call requiring an additional twenty yuan. Let\'s start," Lin Shuang announced.
"Since my junior Tang Xi herself crafted that, I\'ll pay ten thousand yuan," a student from year twelve said loudly.
"Does Tang Xi even recognize herself as your junior?! I\'ll pay fifteen thousand yuan," a guy from year eleven shouted.
"The kids nowadays are so much bolder than we used to be, hahah," an old man said and laughed.
"If the final price exceeds Li Xunyu\'s Dongpo Zhilin, just imagine how embarrassed he would be, hahah!" an old man beside said.
"One million!" Guo Huai shouted and raised his hand.
"Look! He\'s Tang Xi\'s boyfriend! I believe he\'s Guo Huai, I\'ve seen his picture on the forum before where he forced Tang Xi into a kiss," a student from year ten said loudly.
"He\'s so handsome and he\'s willing to spend money for his girlfriend. I want a guy like this as well..." a girl said with a hint of jealousy.
"Is his brain still functioning? Who\'d pay a million yuan for a cross-stitch work?" an envious guy said.
"1.1 million!" Xi Fei suddenly shouted as he stood up, before looking at Tang Xi. "Tang Xi\'s cross-stitch work belongs to me Xi Fei!"
"1.5 million," Guo Huai said before standing up slowly. "You may continue as you like. This way, we can help more people and change the studying environment for the students at the countryside." This sentence was a lot stronger than Xi Fei\'s.
"1.6 million, I will continue nevertheless. What do you think, Guo Huai?" Xi Fei asked.
"Since there are four words, I\'ll pay one million for each. 4 million," Guo Huai said relaxedly. After using his telepathy ability, Guo Huai knew that Xi Fei did not actually want the artwork, but his motive was to inflate the price for Guo Huai. He also got to know that Xi Fei had 5 million yuan that his family allowed him to spend.
"4.5 million!" Xi Fei said, staring at Guo Huai. A middle-aged man with sunglasses whispered something to Xi Fei. The old man beside them then nodded his head, indicating agreement.
"4.9 million, what do you think? Xi Family from Wucheng County is indeed powerful," Guo Huai said, smiling.
"Third Uncle, should I bid a higher price?" Xi Fei asked softly. He had no idea what to do next.
"Make it five million yuan. This guy is really anxious, make it the final the bid. After that, no matter how much he calls, make way for him to purchase it," the man in sunglasses said before laughing.
"Five million! I\'ll pay five million. Just call a higher price if you have balls," Xi Fei said loudly.
"Damn, I was still wondering who was the one giving him instructions. I didn\'t expect Xi Yun to be here today. I\'m afraid Fourth Brother will have to suffer this time…" Jia Yuan said to Wang Shen, looking at the excited Guo Huai after Xi Fei called for five million.
"I give up. Damn, since my friend Xi Fei really admires Tang Xi\'s cross-stitch work, I\'ll give it up for you. I still have lots of time in the future anyway, and Tang Xi can craft another one for me," Guo Huai said. "Teacher Li, I\'ll let Xi Fei have the artwork. Let\'s thank him for making a huge contribution for this charity sale," Guo Huai said before sitting down.
"Hahah, it\'s such a miracle! I didn\'t expect Fourth Brother to be this calm. Haha, Xi Family must\'ve gone crazy. Third Brother, do you think we should go back to school for a few days as well? Look at how much Fourth Brother has changed," Jia Yuan said and laughed.
"Naughty boy, you\'re such a genius! Just like that, Xi Fei bought Tang Xi\'s artwork for five million," Su Ye said happily.
"My first wife, you won\'t blame me for not getting it, right?" Guo Huai whispered to Tang Xi. "To make up for my mistake, I\'ll buy anything that you want later."
Though the following items did not exceed the price of a hundred thousand, the auction sale still went well, thanks to the active participation of the ones present. The charity sale was a huge success. The hundredth item was Su Ye\'s cross-stitch artwork. Though it did not sell for five million yuan, it sold for five hundred thousand yuan, making it the item with the second highest bid so far, giving Su Ye\'s conceited heart a sense of satisfaction.
"Sixth Ren, you said that there\'ll be good wine during this auction. When will its sale begin? If the wine we buy later tastes bad, you have to give us the few bottles of thirty-year-old goodness sitting in your store," an old man who was beside Ren Xuance said.
"Chu, I\'m afraid we don\'t have the opportunity to drink it today. Its price will not be any lower than ten million. I don\'t think I can gather that much money even if I sell my small restaurant off," Ren Xuance said. Being a fortune teller, he pinched his fingers to predict the future the moment he saw Jia Yuan and Wang Shen enter the hall earlier. He was likely to return home with nothing in hand.
"Ten million yuan? Sixth Ren, are you drunk? A wine gourd can only contain around one and a half kilograms of wine. Unless it\'s made for emperors, it\'ll not cost ten million," Chu said with contempt.
"We\'ll see. I bet Lin Shuang left the wine for last," Ren Xuance said and looked at Lin Shuang who was on stage.
A day before, Lin Shuang visited Ren Xuance\'s restaurant with a delicate wine gourd in hand. Ren Xuance recognized it on first sight—it was the same one that Guo Huai has. If what Guo Huai said earlier was true, the gourd of wine would be sold during the auction, Ren Xuance thought.
"Sixth Grandpa Ren, I didn\'t come here for food today. I just want to inquire something," Lin Shuang said.
"If the gourd you\'re holding is from a kid named Guo Huai, there should be no questions asked. It should be the finale of the charity sale," Ren Xuance said as he shook his head.
"Sixth Grandpa, should we try it first? What if the wine inside this gourd is different from the one you tried? We\'d be at fault if that happens," Lin Shuang said, smiling.
"Yes, yes! We should really have a taste beforehand," Ren Xuance said as he licked his lips. "However, if the wine is legit, we have to pay according to the final bidding price, regardless of how much it\'s sold for. Otherwise, the reputation of Wucheng Subhigh would be damaged if people know about this."