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A friendly bargain
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Matthew Malowany
ONCE upon a time I found myself in a small boat going down a tributary of the Yangtze River. The boat was full of tired travellers who either slept or listlessly watched the scenery roll by. In the seat ahead of me, however, was a little girl who wasn't tired at all.
The girl's mother, though, was asleep. Having no one to talk to or play with, the girl started playing a little game with herself. She had some small stones she'd picked up somewhere, and started pretending she was selling them in a market.
“How much for this one?" she asked herself.
“Fifty yuan*," she answered.
“Oh, that's too much," she then replied.
But she quickly tired of this game, so I jumped in.
“How much for that?" I asked her.
“Fifty yuan," she replied, smiling.
“Wah! Twenty yuan!" I countered.
“Twenty US dollars," she said with a sly grin.
I took a closer look at one of her stones and pointed out an ancient fossil to her. I also turned my binoculars backwards so she could have a closer look. I pointed out some interesting rock formations on the riverbank.
While we chatted, we occasionally fell into bargaining over the stones again. The more we chatted, the lower her price became. By the end of the journey, we were like old chums, and she handed me the stones, free of charge. I still have them.
*Fifty yuan is equal to six US dollars.
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