Come to find out I did OK at the market for a lǎo wài (foreigner)! Today one of my coworkers (CW hereafter) noticed the dragon boat I purchased and asked me about it. I made him tell me what it said on the sails first before I got into how much I was gouged, which is what he was really after.
Apparently the piece is very good for business, so Rebecca’s rejection of it as home décor was maybe appropriate after all. The sails say something to the affect of good fortune, wind behind you at all times, make a lot of money, safe return, etc., etc., etc. There was a sticker on the bottom, which I then asked him to read because I figured it said a little more about the piece. Here’s the abridged transcript of the conversation:
CW: “It says it’s made of a certain metal. Oh, this is a fake!”
Me: “I figured that, but why do you say so?”
CW: “It says it’s from the Qing dynasty!” (The last Chinese dynasty, ended in 1911, piece is supposedly from a period over 200 years ago)
Me: “Excellent, I think it’s real. I guess I’d better start locking the office!”
CW: “So how much did you pay for it?”
Me: “Way too much I’m sure, but I look at it as an opportunity to learn my Chinese numbers, so I’m OK with overpaying a little.”
CW: “So how much did you pay for it?”
Me: “Tell me first how much you think you could get it for.”
CW: “Hmm, maybe 100 to 300 RMB.” ($15 to $45)
Me: “So not bad after all! I paid 200 RMB for it after the vendor told me the starting price was almost 1,000 RMB.”
CW: “I could get it cheaper.”
Me: (Hanging head) “I know.”
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