Back at the hotel, Fatty placed a bowl of instant noodles he had just prepared in front of me. “Brother Xiang, what do you make of this? They invite us to dinner, and we didn’t even get enough to eat…”
I glared at him. “You have the nerve to say that?”
He chuckled sheepishly. “Brother Xiang, this isn’t my fault. I was just telling the truth, you truly are someone with standing in Guangling…”
I ignored him and lit a cigarette, feeling utterly helpless.
During dinner, Fatty had praised me to the skies, and as a result, Fu Honglang asked me to help him find his wife.
Fu Honglang’s wife, Mao Guizhi, had an elder cousin named Mao Jieming who ran an antique shop on Nanxing Road.
This cousin, Mao Jieming, strongly disliked Fu Honglang, claiming he had even caused trouble when Fu Honglang and Mao Guizhi got married.
The two of them had never gotten along well.
Fu Honglang had considered the possibility that Mao Guizhi might have gone to her cousin’s place, but he dared not ask.
Mao Jieming was quite established on Nanxing Road. He had risen quickly in recent years with his sister Mao Guizhi’s help and was now one of the top five antique dealers in Nanxing.
Since Fu Honglang didn’t dare to ask, and with Xiao Liu’s mediation, the task was pushed onto me.
I initially refused, but I couldn't withstand Fu Honglang’s earnest pleas, and with Fatty fanning the flames, the job ultimately fell to me.
After finishing my cigarette, I looked at the bowl of noodles on the table, having lost my appetite.
Fatty leaned closer. “Brother Xiang, aren’t you going to eat your noodles while they’re hot?”
“I’m not in the mood,” I replied. “Tell me, whose side are you really on?”
“Oh! Brother Xiang, you ask whose side I’m on? I’m definitely on your side!”
“Then why were you spouting nonsense earlier?”
Fatty smiled. “Wasn’t I doing it for your own good?… Didn’t Fu Honglang say that if you found his wife, he’d give you another Jun kiln porcelain piece?”
“So you were just after the Jun kiln porcelain? That’s why you were being so helpful!” I said irritably.
“I know you’re not short of money, Brother Xiang, but you’ve come all the way to Shangdu. You can’t just go back empty-handed, can you? Besides, that Fu Honglang is a good fellow. How can you refuse him?”
Fatty continued, “Didn’t you say your sister is friends with him? As the saying goes, a sister’s friend is our friend. When a friend is in trouble, we can’t just stand by and do nothing, right?”
I waved my hand helplessly. “Alright, alright. You can talk the dead back to life with that mouth of yours.”
“Of course, that’s how Fatty makes a living in Yanjing, isn’t it? With this mouth!”
Fatty said proudly, plopping down on a chair and taking the bowl of noodles from me. Without another word, he started eating.
“You can still eat?” I asked.
Fatty laughed. “Wasting food is a disgrace. If you don’t eat it, I’ll have to bear the burden of finishing it.”
I shook my head in resignation, stood up, and lay down on the bed. I thought that since things had reached this point, there was no way to back out now.
If that was the case, I might as well help Fu Honglang.
The next day, Fatty and I went to Fu Honglang’s “office.”
What was called an office was actually a small warehouse, and it was in a remote location next to a logistics base, with large trucks constantly passing by, raising dust everywhere.
“Brother Xiang, you’re here.” Fu Honglang grinned and invited me to sit down, asking Xiao Liu to pour us some tea.
“Have you considered what I asked you yesterday?” Fu Honglang inquired.
I replied, “It’s not impossible for me to help you with a ‘dou kou,’ but I have to be clear upfront, I can’t guarantee victory.”
The so-called “dou kou” was a way of causing trouble in the antique trade, also known as challenging a shop.
It involved taking a fake item to a shop and having the owner identify its flaws, testing each party’s depth of knowledge in antique culture.
There was usually a prize for the winner.
Fu Honglang’s intention was for me to challenge his wife’s cousin in a “dou kou.” If I won, he would tell me where his wife was.
This idea was naturally Xiao Liu’s. I had to admit, it was a “brilliant” idea!
“Don’t worry, Brother Xiang, you definitely won’t lose!” Fu Honglang said with great confidence and gave Xiao Liu a wink.
Soon, Xiao Liu brought over a porcelain bowl. This was the Jun kiln porcelain Fu Honglang had mentioned the previous night as compensation for his debt.
“You want me to take a genuine piece over?” I asked.
Fu Honglang laughed. “Exactly. As long as you, Brother Xiang, take this Jun kiln porcelain, no matter how capable he is, he won’t be able to tell it’s a fake!”
Wasn’t that stating the obvious? Bringing a genuine item was clearly cheating.
I shook my head. “No. Doesn’t this break the rules?”
“Brother, in extraordinary times, we must resort to extraordinary measures. Besides, Mao Jieming is my brother-in-law, after all. If things come to it, I’ll take responsibility for anything that happens,” Fu Honglang assured me.
“Brother Fu, this isn’t about taking responsibility or not. As a treasure appraiser, there are certain rules that cannot be broken. If I break the rules today, it will be difficult to say for future reference,” I reasoned.
It wasn't that I was being rigid, but my father had always told me that in the antique business, reputation was paramount. If a person’s reputation was ruined, they couldn’t survive in this line of work.
I might not be well-known now, perhaps recognized by a few people in Guangling at most.
But if I broke the rules today, and later on when I met more people, this incident was brought up, I would have regrets.
Although I didn’t aim to make a name for myself in this field, it was best to avoid doing things that openly violated the rules.
“Then what should we do?” Fu Honglang asked, looking anxious as I didn’t agree.
I sighed. “Brother Fu, how about this? Since you’ve asked me to help, leave it to me. I’ll prepare the item myself, just give me some time.”
“Brother Xiang knows how to artificially age items?” Fu Honglang was taken aback.
“Some.”
Fatty chimed in. “Boss Fu, you can rest assured. Our Brother Xiang has been to ancient tombs and ventured through the martial world. Don’t let his young age fool you; he’s very capable.”
Fu Honglang was surprised. “Brother Xiang, you know how to rob graves?”
I glared at Fatty, telling him to shut up, and smiled. “Brother Fu, don’t listen to Fatty’s nonsense. Just leave this to me.”
“Alright! Then I’ll trouble you, Brother Xiang.” Fu Honglang said, “I’ll remember this favor. If you ever need anything in the future, just ask. If I say no, I’m a bastard!”
“Brother Fu, please don’t say that.” I replied, “I’ll do my best in this matter, but I can’t guarantee success. I only hope that if it doesn’t work out, you won’t blame me.”
“What are you saying, Brother Xiang? I’m grateful to you. How could I blame you? Just go ahead and do your best. If you need any help, just tell me.” Fu Honglang said.