Sister Ying not only cheated me, but also the Hong family father and son.
Everyone was played for a fool by her.
Thinking back to the days I spent with her and every word she said to me, it all felt so unreal.
I suddenly remembered Sister Ying asking me to find the Zisha pot map.
Glancing at Yan Hongguang, for some reason, I didn't tell him about it.
I don't know if it was because of Sister Ying's matter that made me more cautious, or what, but I always felt it was better to keep some things to myself.
"Uncle Yan, what are you going to do now?" I asked.
Yan Hongguang gave a wry smile. "Since it involves the Anyuantang, we have to give everyone an explanation. That means compensating them for the fakes they bought at the original price."
"Compensate at the original price?!"
I could hardly imagine how much that would be.
"Yes," Yan Hongguang nodded. "Xiao Fei, don't worry. I'll explain your situation to them. But what are your plans for the future?"
I shook my head and gave a bitter smile. "I still haven't recovered from this... I never expected to encounter something like this on my first trip out."
Yan Hongguang smiled and comforted me. "You are young, and experiencing this early is good for you. Consider it a learning experience."
As he spoke, he stood up and handed me a business card. "This is my card. Keep it. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me. Don't be shy."
I took the card and said, "Thank you, Uncle Yan."
After Yan Hongguang left, he asked me to wait in the study.
After several hours, my stomach was growling with hunger, when someone finally came to find me.
The person who came to find me was none other than Bai Hanyan.
"You know the Yan family?"
As soon as she entered, she asked me that.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
She sat down beside me casually and toyed with the teacup on the table. "Mr. Yan has already compensated everyone for the losses on behalf of your Sister Ying... Do you know how much he paid?"
I frowned. "How much?"
She smiled and held up two fingers. "Twenty million."
Hearing that amount, I was also startled. "That much?"
"For the Yan family, it's really not a lot," she said with a smile that seemed a bit mocking.
"Is the Yan family very rich?" I couldn't help but ask.
She looked at me thoughtfully. "You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"The Yan family is the leader of the four major families in Guangbei," Bai Hanyan said. "In Guangbei, aren't all four major families incredibly wealthy? All of us in the small antique dealing circle of Guangling combined are not even a fraction of their iceberg."
Her words were tinged with a sour tone.
I didn't know if she had any issues with the Yan family.
"So, I'm fine now?" I asked.
Bai Hanyan looked at me. "With the Yan family vouching for you, you're lucky this time. But I still warn you, you'd better behave yourself in Guangling. If I catch you..."
Before she could finish, I stood up and walked directly towards the door.
"Hey! I haven't finished speaking..."
I closed the door, shutting her unfinished words inside.
After leaving the villa, Yan Hongguang and the others had clearly already left.
I took out my phone and quickly called Uncle Hong. This time, it went through.
The person who answered was Hong Yunpeng.
I asked him where he was, and he told me he was in the hospital.
"Did they come looking for you too?" Hong Yunpeng asked on the phone.
"Brother Hong, I'll come to find you now. We'll talk when we meet." I said.
"Okay."
When I took a taxi to the hospital, I saw Hong Yunpeng as soon as I got out.
He had a bandage on his head and some bruises on his face. When he saw me, he threw away the cigarette in his hand and hurried over. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head. "I'm fine."
"Damn it! Those bastards, I'll make them pay sooner or later!" Hong Yunpeng cursed.
I learned that Hong Yunpeng and Uncle Hong had both been captured by a guy named Liu, and they had suffered a lot.
The guy named Liu was a notorious old rogue in Guangling, specializing in dealing "mingqi" (funerary objects).
All his subordinates were tough characters.
I recounted the entire incident to Hong Yunpeng. After listening, like me before, he was completely stunned.
"You mean Sister Ying is a fake?"
I nodded.
"Then... then..." He stammered, unable to speak for a while. "Damn it! So we walked into a trap, like Lin Chong entering the White Tiger Hall, and fell for the enemy's trick?"
I gave a wry smile, unsure how to answer him.
Given the current situation, that's exactly what it was.
"What will my father say if he finds out?" Hong Yunpeng licked his lips. "That Sister... that woman is really something! Not only did she trick everyone in the Guangling antique circle, but she even deceived those around her!"
He sighed. "Indeed, the more beautiful a woman is, the less trustworthy she is!"
To avoid angering Uncle Hong, Hong Yunpeng and I decided not to tell him about it until he was discharged from the hospital.
For several days, Hong Yunpeng and I stayed at the hospital.
With the money from selling the inkstone last time, I didn't have to worry about food or drink.
As Uncle Hong's condition improved, I rented a place outside and settled down.
As for the Anyuantang, it closed down that very day.
I didn't go to the Zisha pot shop in Hongyuan anymore.
I had planned to find Yan Hongguang to inquire about my father's affairs, but he left right after that day.
I had been in Guangling for more than half a year. My food and drink problems were solved, but I still had no leads on my father.
I came to Guangling because of a brief entry in my father's notebook, which contained several keywords: Guangling, official kiln, Tian Shui, Han Dong...
These keywords were completely disconnected and I had no idea what they meant.
Literally, "official kiln" refers to porcelain, but I had no clue what Tian Shui and Han Dong referred to.
This day, as usual, I was preparing to go to the hospital to see Hong Yunpeng.
As I was changing clothes to go out, I took a bank card out of my pocket.
I then remembered that this card was given to me by Sister Ying.
Looking at this card, I felt a sense of helplessness. Although some time had passed since the incident, I still found it difficult to let go.
Without knowing why, I took the card and went to the bank.
I wanted to see how much money was on this card.
I inserted the bank card into the ATM, entered the password, and was stunned!
There wasn't a single cent in it?
If there wasn't a single cent, what was the point of Sister Ying giving me this card?
I took out the card, feeling a bit bewildered.
Just as I was wondering if Sister Ying was playing a trick on me, I noticed some engraved marks on the bank card.
I looked closely and found an address...