According to Zhou Yongxiang, the era of this bone flute is unknown.
However, he knew its origins dated back to the Qing Dynasty.
It was said that a Peking opera troupe had a famous actor who, on one occasion, performed for a wealthy merchant. The merchant, impressed by his performance, gifted him the bone flute.
Not long after the actor received the bone flute, his entire troupe was attacked by mountain bandits. No one survived, and the bone flute disappeared without a trace.
Hearing this, I felt a pang of confusion and couldn't help but ask, "Did those mountain bandits kill everyone to get the bone flute?"
Zhou Yongxiang looked at me and replied, "Yes, it was precisely because of this bone flute."
"What is so precious about this flute?" I asked.
He sighed and said, "There is something hidden inside this flute."
"What is it?"
He turned over the photo frame-like object on the table and handed it to me.
I took it and glanced at it, then froze.
Inside the frame were fragmented pieces, seemingly made of copper.
And what these fragments formed, I felt I had seen somewhere before.
I racked my memory and suddenly recalled a photograph I had seen not long ago.
Before seeing the object before me, I had almost forgotten about it.
Li Zhasi, that Laku tribesman, had asked me for five hundred yuan earlier. It had been over a month, and I hadn't heard anything from him.
I hadn't given the matter much thought, but I never expected to see the "rubbing" from that photograph today.
As if sensing my expression, Zhou Yongxiang asked, "Have you seen this before?"
After thinking for a moment, I described the photograph of Li Zhasi.
To my surprise, upon hearing this, Zhou Yongxiang urgently wanted to see that photograph, and he wanted it immediately.
Seeing his insistence, I had no choice but to call Hong Yunpeng and ask him to bring the photo.
When the photograph was handed to Zhou Yongxiang, he was a completely different person from before.
He had been like a deflated eggplant earlier, but now he seemed revitalized with youth.
This sudden transformation caught me off guard.
"Shopkeeper Xiang, you've helped me immensely this time!" Zhou Yongxiang exclaimed, gripping my hand in excitement.
"Elder Zhou, are these copper fragments particularly special?" I asked.
He hesitated, not explaining in detail, but instead said, "These things are very important to me."
Seeing his reluctance to elaborate, I didn't press further and instead asked, "What about the bone flute?"
Zhou Yongxiang pointed to the copper fragments in the frame and said, "These things were hidden inside the flute."
Hearing this, I finally understood. He must have smashed the bone flute.
I was somewhat puzzled. What made these copper fragments so valuable?
I couldn't understand any of the text on them; it was clearly a unique script, somewhat resembling Tibetan.
Zhou Yongxiang asked me to tell him Li Zhasi's address, as he intended to visit him.
Li Zhasi had indeed left me an address when he departed, and I had considered visiting him then.
Seeing my hesitation, Zhou Yongxiang offered, "Just give me the address, and I'm willing to pay you a consultation fee of two hundred thousand."
Hearing the price he was willing to pay, I became even more convinced that these copper fragments were no ordinary items. However, judging by Zhou Yongxiang's demeanor, he was unlikely to divulge any more information.
Could these copper fragments be a treasure map?
Even if it were a treasure map, Zhou Yongxiang shouldn't be this agitated, right?
He had been in the antique trade for so many years; I doubted he had never encountered a treasure map before.
Moreover, treasure maps passed down from ancient times were generally untraceable. Due to historical development and changes in terrain, those treasures would either have been unearthed during construction or their locations would have shifted.
It could be said that treasure maps were the least valuable items in the antique world.
Not only was the authenticity of the treasure to be verified, but the possibility of actually finding the treasure was also unknown.
Investing a large amount of money and effort for such uncertain outcomes was entirely not worth it.
But if these copper fragments were not a treasure map, then why was Zhou Yongxiang so excited?
What exactly were these copper fragments?
Seeing my silence, Zhou Yongxiang increased his "consultation fee" by another hundred thousand.
"Elder Zhou, it's just an address, there's no need for such an expense. I'll tell you."
He looked taken aback. "Really?"
"However, Elder Zhou, can you tell me what this is?" I asked.
He hesitated and said, "Shopkeeper Xiang, please name a different condition."
Seeing his firm refusal to explain, we stood in a stalemate for a while. Finally, he sent someone to bring a piece of Jun ware, stating it was in exchange for the address information.
This piece of Jun ware was clearly not cheap, and I was surprised by his generosity.
I knew that if I didn't give him the address, he would likely find a way to extract it, potentially souring our relationship.
Besides, I was merely curious about the copper fragments; they held no personal value for me.
Ultimately, I gave Zhou Yongxiang Li Zhasi's address and did not intend to accept his Jun ware. To my surprise, the next day he delivered the Jun ware to An Yuan Tang.
The more I thought about this incident, the more curious I became.
However, it was merely curiosity, and I didn't delve any deeper.
With Chinese New Year approaching, I was preparing to return to my hometown.
There were two main reasons for my trip: firstly, to redeem the ancestral home that had been mortgaged, and secondly, to buy back the stone lions I had sold when I left home.
Most importantly, however, I wanted to visit the graves of my family.
After setting the departure date, Hong Yunpeng insisted on accompanying me, and Fatty, of course, would go wherever I went.
Thus, the three of us drove back to my hometown.
We traveled on national roads, stopping very little along the way. Fatty and Hong Yunpeng took turns driving, and we reached the county town in just over six hours.
We spent a night in the county town and then proceeded to the village the next day.
As soon as our car entered the village, it attracted the attention of many people. Hong Yunpeng had sold his Santana, and now his Crown sedan was considered a luxury even in the city, let alone in our small village.
The village chief specifically welcomed us. When I mentioned my intention to redeem the house, the chief summoned the person who had bought my house.
Since we were all from the same village, negotiations were amiable. I bought back the old house for double the original price.
We stayed in the old house for the following days.
Returning to this familiar place gave me a sense of unreality, as if I were dreaming.
On the day of the grave visit, I wasn't stingy. I asked Hong Yunpeng to have the village chief purchase several sheep and a cow. I hired some village cooks and treated the entire village to a feast.
To outsiders, this might have seemed like a display of filial piety, but I knew that my ancestors had experienced far greater glory in the past.
Alas, times had changed, and those were merely old tales now.
After cleaning the graves of my grandparents and parents, I burned paper offerings and paid my respects.
Especially at my father's grave, I knelt and recounted my experiences of the past year.
I also told him that I would find out who had come looking for him back then and avenge him!