Chapter 42

The middle-aged woman added a few more words: “Can you reconsider? There are actually a few regular customers in the county who would be interested. If they hear that I have something to sell but didn’t offer it to them first, it wouldn’t be right. Honestly, I’m only considering selling to you because I know you’re preparing for your child’s wedding, and that’s not easy. Otherwise, I could sell it to them for a higher price.”

Hearing this, the man had already made up his mind. He reached into his pocket to take out the money.

But just then, Wu Xiaoxiao stepped forward. “Auntie, this French perfume—can I take a look? I’ve been listening to you and this gentleman talk about it for so long that I’m intrigued. I might not be able to afford it, but I’d still like to see it.”

The middle-aged woman initially didn’t want to be bothered, but Wu Xiaoxiao had already reached out, speaking politely. Besides, she took a closer look at the young woman—her clothes were simple, but she was beautiful. Even if she couldn’t afford the perfume, there were other items with different packaging that she might buy if the price was right. Girls like her often followed trends, and if someone as pretty as Wu Xiaoxiao had something, others might want to buy it too.

With that thought, the woman’s expression softened, and she smiled. “Oh dear, I wouldn’t normally show it, especially since this gentleman was about to buy it. But I suppose it’s rare to see something like this. It makes sense that you haven’t seen it before. Here, take a look.”

She handed over the shiny red bottle. “Be careful, though. If you drop it, it’ll break.”

“Mm, mm.” Wu Xiaoxiao took the bottle, carefully examining it. “Auntie, where is this from?”

The middle-aged woman, feeling proud, lowered her voice and said, “From France. This is from a famous French brand with over a hundred years of history. Very prestigious.”

Wu Xiaoxiao nodded, scrutinizing the bottle further. Then, she hesitated before saying, “Auntie, did someone give this to you, or did you buy it yourself? Could you have been scammed?”

“Scammed?” The man who was about to pay immediately froze, his hand still inside his pocket. Was this thing fake?

The middle-aged woman’s face darkened. She snatched the bottle back, glancing at Wu Xiaoxiao and the others angrily. “Don’t talk nonsense if you don’t know anything! This was sent by my relatives. How could it be fake? If you hadn’t happened to be here today, I wouldn’t even have taken it out. How could this be fake? You’re not from around here, are you? Just because you haven’t seen something before, you assume it’s fake?”

The man turned to Wu Xiaoxiao. “Comrade, why do you say it’s fake? This perfume is supposed to be from France. Do you understand French?”

Wu Xiaoxiao shook her head. “No, sir. I don’t.”

The middle-aged woman raised her voice. “Then don’t speak carelessly! How could I sell fake goods? Go ask around—I’ve been running this store for years! My home is just a street away. Why would I sell fake products? What good would it do me? I was just trying to help, but now I’m being accused. I might as well keep it for myself!”

Seeing how angry the woman was and that Wu Xiaoxiao admitted she didn’t know French, the man hesitated. “Ma’am, don’t be upset. It’s just that 40 yuan isn’t a small amount of money.”

The woman scoffed. “And this is why I don’t like doing business with people like you! So hesitant! Last time, two textile factory workers came in and bought three or four bottles without even bargaining. If I’d known you’d be this fussy, I wouldn’t have offered a discount. We already agreed on a price, and now you don’t want it. Fine! There are plenty of buyers. Leave now and stop wasting my time.” She began to usher them out.

Wu Xiaoxiao quickly spoke up. “Auntie, please don’t be mad. It’s not that we don’t trust you. It’s just that recently, a female educated youth in our village got scammed. She went into a store to buy clothes, and then the salesgirl suddenly mentioned a package from her French uncle had arrived, full of fancy skincare products. She ended up spending 35 yuan after lots of bargaining.”

Wu Xiaoxiao narrated vividly. “But when she got back to the village, another educated youth took one look and said it was fake—the French writing on the label was full of mistakes. I saw that bottle too, and the errors on it were exactly the same as the ones on your bottle. At first, the girl didn’t believe it either, but then the other youth brought out a real French product to compare. That’s when she noticed that two of the letters were completely different.”

—-

After hearing this, the man immediately decided not to buy the perfume. Even the middle-aged woman, Wang Huilan, looked visibly nervous.

Wu Xiaoxiao continued, “That educated youth even went back to the store with the police, and it turned out that store had scammed many people before. The police arrested them. Auntie, maybe you didn’t know, but if you sell fake products, you could be held responsible too. You might even be arrested! And just now, I saw that the letters on this bottle are exactly the same as the fake one in our village.”

Hearing this, the man fully realized he had almost been scammed. He now understood the entire setup—when he walked in, the saleswoman had figured out he was buying wedding supplies and then conveniently brought up this rare foreign perfume.

He had almost fallen for it, thinking 40 yuan was a good deal and that it would be impressive at the wedding. If it weren’t for this kind-hearted young woman, he would have been tricked. Worse, he might have proudly brought the fake perfume to the wedding, only for a city relative to point out the scam. That would’ve been humiliating! His son’s wedding would have turned into a laughingstock, and his future daughter-in-law might have thought they’d deliberately bought a fake gift to fool her.

Now, looking at the saleswoman’s face turning red and pale, he understood everything.

“How dare you sell fake goods in a state-owned store! I’m reporting you to the police!” the man fumed.

The middle-aged woman panicked but still defended herself. “I didn’t sell it to you! I’m not selling it anymore. Someone sent it to me—I didn’t know if it was real or fake. They told me French goods were valuable. I just wanted to earn a little extra.”

Turning to Wu Xiaoxiao, she quickly added, “Comrade, thank you! If it weren’t for you, I would’ve made a big mistake. Luckily, you were kind enough to notice and recognize it. Where are you from? I must find a way to thank you!”