Chapter 262: Treasure Trade
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Goatee Garter browsed for some time. He too had his eyes on the crystal chandelier.
He walked back to them and asked, “What’s the value of the chandeliers?”
Li Du said, “We’re not planning to sell them. If you like them, you can take them, but you’ll have to take all the other stuff around it.”
Garter said in disdain, “That’s all junk, why would I take any of it?”
“You expect to get something valuable for free?” Li Du asked with a chuckle.
“The chandelier is already broken,” Garter continued in displeasure. “A lamp that doesn’t light up, isn’t a good lamp—you can’t consider it valuable!”
“Alright,” Li Du shrugged, “suit yourself, that’s our condition.”
The reason that the George brothers and Garter weren’t willing to accept these conditions was that they came with their pickups. For small pickups like theirs, this mountain of trash was too much.
“Let’s change the conditions, alright?” Garter said. “Like, I can buy it with cash.”
Li Du shook his head. “Sorry, I’m not strapped for cash now. What I need is someone to help me clear this trash.”
“Come on, brother,” Garter said helplessly. “Look at my car—it’s too small. D*mmit, I can’t take it all away!”
“Sorry, I can’t trade with you then,” Li Du said. “You know my terms. Though, there might be another way for you to get it.”
“What way?”
Li Du pointed to something in Garter’s pickup that looked like some sort of jade sculpture. “I think that thing is quite pretty, like some work of art.”
He paused, and then continued, “How about we do it like the Amish, and barter? If you’re willing to trade, then I’m willing to trade my chandelier for it.”
Garter glared at him suspiciously. “That’s a replica, it’s not worth much.”
“Is that so? Well, I quite like its style,” Li Du laughed.
Seeing his smile, Garter gradually smiled as well. He then collected the sculpture to carry over to him, but then said, “No, no. This can’t do. It’s actually quite a treasure, I can’t trade this.”
The older George walked over and said, “Don’t be silly, it’s just a man-made replica. It’s worthless. Li, are you sure you want to trade your chandelier for this?”
Garter scoffed, “Fool, Li has a good eye for things. Whatever he has his eyes on is surely something good!”
Godzilla came walking over. He lifted the distilling boiler and said, “How much for this?”
Li Du cast him a bizarre look and asked, “You want this thing? What’s it for? It’s just junk.”
Godzilla shook his head and said with an awkward cough, “It can make alcohol.”
Garter rubbed his hands together and asked, “Is he a partner of yours?”
“Yes, a good brother of mine,” Li Du said.
Garter’s eyebrow twitched slightly. “We can do it like the Amish and barter. However, not with this precious thing, but with this boiler for your chandelier. You can give it to your friend as a gift!”
Li Du laughed. “You’re really calculative, buddy.”
“Don’t be so quick to object,” Garter put down his hands and said. “If your friend wanted this chandelier, would you give it to him? It’s broken.”
Li Du pondered for a moment, and said, “I guess I’d give it to him.”
“Right?” Garter said, “So, since you’re willing to give this chandelier to him, why not just trade the chandelier for something that he likes, and give that to him?”
Li Du considered again, and said with a nod, “Sounds logical. I have no counter argument for that.”
“Then don’t think of any arguments, and just accept it,” Garter said excitedly.
The George brothers were displeased. The younger George walked over and said, “Li, we asked for the chandelier first, you can’t do this.”
“Yeah, buddy, it’s just a distilling boiler for moonshine. If you like it, I can get it from some second-hand store for you.”
Li Du said, “It’s not that I like it, fellas. My friend likes it.”
Godzilla glared at the George brothers like a ferocious beast looking down on weaklings.
Seeing such, the George brothers gave up and said, “Alright, I guess there’s no way to make it happen. Looks like we’re gonna lose out on this treasure.”
“You guys know the rules of the old goods market,” Garter said proudly. “Bartering will always be a viable method of trade. When doing business, bring along some good stuff with you. Know your way around before coming, idiots!”
“That guy’s a real scumbag,” the older George said angrily.
“Yeah, he’s definitely a scumbag,” the younger George agreed.
Godzilla carried away the distilling boiler. Garter carefully placed the chandelier into a large box and moved it to his pickup.
“Are you going to fix them?” Li Du asked.
Garter glanced sideways at him, and said, “These are mine—what I’m going to do with them doesn’t concern you anymore.”
Li Du could now acknowledge what the George brothers had said; there was nothing wrong with the name that everyone else was calling him—Garter was a scumbag!
The younger George saw that Li Du had been brushed off, and said with a smile, “Are you regretting doing business with him now?”
Li Du shook his head. “No—Godzilla and I both wanted this thing.”
The older George was puzzled, and asked, “Why a distilling boiler? You guys want to sell moonshine? If so, you guys still lack a racing car.”
Li Du didn’t understand the latter half of what he had said. “What do you mean? What do we need a racing car for?”
Hans explained, “It’s a joke. In the 1930s to 1950s, moonshiners would stash their goods in cars, and to avoid the cops, they had to do the transport everything at night.”
“With that, due to the constant pressure, their driving techniques kept improving. They grasped how to boost the performances of their cars to escape arrest.
“In some southern states, a culture of loving cars appeared. It eventually gave birth to the NASCAR races. That’s why he said you need a racing car—to avoid arrest from the state cops.”
NASCAR was a series of racing competitions in America, with over 1.5 billion people watching them every year. The races had higher viewer ratings than other sports like baseball, basketball, and football.
In fact, the first winner of the NASCAR championships was a car that was driven to smuggle moonshine just a week before the competition.
Li Du laughed as he shook his head. “No, no. We’re not planning to sell moonshine. We don’t do illegal stuff.”
The older George seemed disappointed. “You have this equipment and you’re not making moonshine? What a waste.”
Li Du looked at the boiler and said, “The reason for buying this is because I feel that it’s an antique.”
The George brothers laughed loudly; they thought he was joking.
Hans knew that Li Du wasn’t joking, or else he wouldn’t have spent so much effort trying to get this distilling boiler.
Mr. Li believed that this was a treasure, and that it was very valuable!
