Chapter 3: A Display of Skill

Xu Mo said, “Young Master Ning, to tell you the truth, my grandfather used to be a restaurant manager in his youth. He was exceptionally skilled in running such a business, and he taught me all his methods!”

Ning Yongqiang said nothing, frowning as he scrutinized Xu Mo once more.

After a moment, Ning Yongqiang shook his head. “I don’t believe you—unless you can prove it to me!”

Xu Mo fell silent, his mind racing with ways to demonstrate his abilities.

Ning Yongqiang waited, but when Xu Mo offered no response, his patience wore thin. He placed a few copper coins on the table, stood up, and prepared to leave.

“You’ve wasted my time!” Ning Yongqiang’s expression was full of disdain.

Xu Mo quickly stood as well. “Young Master Ning, I’ll prove it to you right now!”

“How?” Ning Yongqiang demanded.

Xu Mo pointed to an elderly man across the street who was selling pears.

“Young Master Ning, if you buy all that old man’s pears, I can help you sell every one of them within an hour!” Xu Mo declared.

Ning Yongqiang was about to speak, but Xu Mo continued, “I know what you’re about to say. Rest assured, I will not sell at a loss or undercut the price. In fact, I’ll make you a profit!”

Interest sparked in Ning Yongqiang’s eyes. “Well, those are your words—if you sell them at a loss, I won’t allow it!”

Xu Mo nodded immediately.

The two approached the old man. He had four baskets of pears, each weighing about fifty catties. The price was one wen per two catties, totaling one hundred wen for the lot.

After bargaining, Xu Mo purchased all the pears and baskets for ninety-five wen.

The old man was delighted, took his money, and left with his shoulder pole, smiling broadly.

Ning Yongqiang urged, “Begin selling. I want to see how you’ll sell all these pears within the hour!”

Xu Mo remained calm. “Don’t be impatient, Young Master Ning. I’m just missing one thing, but I’ll have it in a moment.”

With that, Xu Mo walked over to a neighboring stall.

This vendor sold bamboo baskets and trays in every shape and size.

Ning Yongqiang watched as Xu Mo quickly picked out a small hand basket and began negotiating with the vendor.

After they came to an agreement, the vendor handed Xu Mo more than ten of the same small baskets.

“Wait here, young man—I have more at home. I’ll fetch them right away,” the vendor said, then hurried into the alley.

Xu Mo returned with the baskets, and Ning Yongqiang couldn’t help but ask, “What do you need so many baskets for?”

Xu Mo only smiled. “You’ll see soon enough.”

Once everything was ready, Xu Mo raised a small basket and began calling out loudly.

“Pears for sale! Pears for sale! Sold by the basket, not by weight!”

“Six wen for a basket—fill it as much as you can, it’s all up to your own skill!”

“Come one, come all!”

His cries drew a woman over to the stall.

“Young man, is it really only six wen per basket, and I can take as many as I can fit?” she asked.

Xu Mo nodded, raising his voice so others could hear, “Absolutely, madam! I’m closing up shop early today, so I’m selling by the basket—six wen per one. As long as the pears fit in the basket and none fall out when you lift it, they’re all yours!”

He handed her a basket.

Satisfied, the woman knelt down and began selecting pears. “You’re not tricking me, are you?”

Xu Mo patted his chest. “You have my word, madam. If I’m lying, may my tongue rot away!”

With that assurance, the woman carefully chose her pears.

While she picked, Xu Mo continued to call out to passersby.

Soon, a gathering formed.

“I’m done. Is this enough?” The woman held up the bulging basket.

Xu Mo glanced at her efforts and smiled. “No problem, madam! Six wen, and the basket is yours.”

The woman was delighted, handed over six copper coins, and left with her prize.

“I want to buy one too—give me a basket!”

“Me too! Me too!”

Seeing it was genuine, the crowd all clamored to purchase.

In no time, Xu Mo’s stall was packed with eager buyers.

Less than half an hour later, the four baskets of pears were gone.

Xu Mo walked over to Ning Yongqiang, carrying a small bamboo basket brimming with copper coins. He smiled. “Young Master Ning, do you believe me now?”

Ning Yongqiang had witnessed the entire process, and his astonishment left him with no trace of scorn.

“You… you actually sold every last one!” he exclaimed.

Xu Mo remained composed. He first went to the neighboring stall to pay for the small baskets, then returned to Ning Yongqiang. “Here’s your initial investment of ninety-five wen…”

He counted out the coins and handed them over.

Ning Yongqiang eyed the money. “How much did you make in total?”

Xu Mo counted, then replied, “Ninety-six wen.”

Ning Yongqiang was stunned. Glancing at the pile of coins, he thought, He’s made more than double!

“How did you do it? Tell me!”

Xu Mo didn’t keep him in suspense. “Young Master Ning, the reason I made such a profit is because I took advantage of most people’s fondness for a bargain…”

The small baskets were carefully selected. At most, each could hold six catties of pears. At half a wen per catty, six catties cost three wen. Each basket, however, was sold for six wen, doubling the profit.

As for the baskets themselves, they were very cheap—one wen bought five, and buying in bulk made them even cheaper.

In total, it took thirty-three baskets to sell all the pears, costing seven wen.

Thirty-three baskets at six wen each brought in one hundred and ninety-eight wen.

Subtracting the ninety-five wen initial investment and the seven wen for baskets, the final profit was ninety-six wen.

After hearing Xu Mo’s explanation, Ning Yongqiang was full of admiration. “How did you ever come up with this idea?”

Xu Mo replied, “As I told you, my grandfather was once a formidable restaurant manager. He passed all his skills on to me.”

Having seen Xu Mo’s cleverness firsthand, Ning Yongqiang finally believed in him.

“Wait a moment, your name is Xu… Xu what?”

“Xu Mo,” he reminded him.

Ning Yongqiang’s eyes shone with hope. “Xu Mo, can you truly help me defeat Wang Shunyang?”

Xu Mo nodded with utmost confidence.

“Excellent!” Ning Yongqiang clapped his hands excitedly. “You wouldn’t help me for nothing… So tell me, what do you want?”

Xu Mo replied solemnly, “One hundred and thirty strings of cash!”