"These things are a dime a dozen. They're worthless," the owner said disdainfully. "Do you really think this is Aladdin's Lamp?"
"Please, sir, have a heart. We need money at the hospital," the girl pleaded anxiously. "What's the most you can offer?"
"Uh..." The owner glanced at her, then said, "It does look fairly old, and it's solid copper. Three hundred is the most I can give you. Not a cent more."
"Three hundred?" The girl's eyes reddened, and she almost burst into tears. After a moment's hesitation, she said softly, "All right. I'll try somewhere else."
With that, she turned toward another stall, clinging to a sliver of hope.
She had barely handed it over when the stall owner glanced at it and said bluntly, "Two hundred and sixty, tops. Take it or leave it."
"Why is that even less than the last offer?" the girl asked anxiously. "Sir, I really need the money urgently. Couldn't you give me a little more?"
"Your urgency isn't my problem. That's the going rate," the owner said coldly. "We're running a business, not a charity."
The girl asked all around, but not one person would offer more than three hundred.
"What am I going to do? Dad's surgery can't wait any longer." Tears streamed down her face. "But we've already sold everything we could."
Finally, she looked at the people passing through the market, gritted her teeth, and ran into the middle of it. She called out loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, everyone, please look this way!"
Her shout immediately drew the attention of passersby, and a sizable crowd soon gathered.
The girl continued, "This is a family heirloom. It's been in our family for three or four hundred years. I'm only selling it because my father needs money for surgery. Please, have