Emerging from the inkstone shop, Hong Yunpeng asked me where I was headed.
"I'll find a place to eat first," I replied. "And then in the afternoon, I'll head to Anyuantang to withdraw my hundred thousand yuan."
"Xiao Fei, what exactly are you planning to do?" Hong Yunpeng asked, looking at me.
"Brother Hong, as I said before, as long as you listen to me and cooperate well, you'll get your fifty thousand yuan back."
Seeing that I wouldn't elaborate, Hong Yunpeng sighed and said, "Alright, I'll listen to you."
We found a street food stall, and Hong Yunpeng asked the owner to stir-fry a few hot dishes. We ended up having lunch there.
At noon, when we arrived at Anyuantang, I found Uncle Lin and handed him the card Ying Jie had given me.
Without asking any questions, he packed a hundred thousand yuan for me in a leather bag.
It was the first time I had seen so much money in my life. It felt heavy in my hand, and the sensation was quite peculiar.
After getting into the car, we went back to the inkstone shop.
When Boss Feng saw us arrive, he was clearly not as enthusiastic as he had been in the morning. He merely gestured for us to sit and then went to attend to other customers.
"This Boss Feng is really something," Hong Yunpeng muttered, pouting. "His attitude changed completely from when I brought money this morning. Once the money was in hand, he acted like a different person."
I smiled and said, "Aren't all people in the antique business like this?"
Hong Yunpeng shrugged. "I suppose so."
"Brother Hong, how long have you been working for Sister Ying?" I asked.
"A little over two years, I think."
"Then, by rights, you must have seen many good things?"
"Seen what?" Hong Yunpeng gave a bitter smile. "I'm just in charge of the logistics company. It was only when Sister Ying had some matters this year that she asked me to come over."
I nodded. "What about Uncle Hong?"
"My father and Sister Ying's father grew up together. Back then, my family was poor, and Sister Ying's family was wealthy. My father worked as a farmhand for her family. Later, when Sister Ying's father was hospitalized, my father started assisting Sister Ying."
"So, you and Sister Ying must have known each other since childhood?"
Hong Yunpeng scoffed. "How could that be? Sister Ying's family was prominent. I had no connection with her. After she graduated from university, she went abroad and only returned last year."
"Sister Ying studied abroad?"
"Indeed. Sister Ying is very capable. Don't let her being a woman fool you. Ever since she took over the family business, there haven't been many incidents."
I nodded, recalling my interactions with Sister Ying.
Sister Ying was indeed very experienced in her dealings, remaining calm in major situations and handling minor matters with meticulous organization.
Take the incident with the Xuande censer last time, for example. How many ordinary women could have managed such a situation?
However, I was also a little curious. Since Sister Ying had studied abroad, she should, by rights, have a scholarly air about her.
But for some reason, she exuded a certain rogue demeanor.
Yes, a rogue demeanor, carrying the aura of someone who had navigated the rougher side of life.
Could it be related to her family's history of being grave robbers?
"You've kept me waiting!"
Boss Feng's voice interrupted my thoughts. He approached with a smile and said, "Brother Xiang, you mentioned this morning that you wanted me to help you pick out a good inkstone. It's perfect timing. I just acquired a decent inkstone earlier. How about you take a look?"
I nodded and smiled. "Certainly, Boss Feng. I'll trouble you then."
"You're too kind."
Boss Feng brought over an inkstone covered in dirt and placed it on the table. "Here you go, Brother Xiang. Give it a discerning eye."
I picked it up and took a look. The inkstone was covered in a layer of dust, square like a mud brick.
I quickly identified it as a Duan inkstone because the dust was superficial, a result of the stone's surface undergoing degradation.
Looking closer, there were also some patterns, referred to in the trade as "stone veins."
"What do you think? Not bad, is it?" Boss Feng asked with a smile. "This is a genuine Duan inkstone, a rare find."
I smiled back. "And how much are you asking for it, Boss Feng?"
"I won't ask for too much. You can have it for forty thousand."
I found it rather amusing. While this inkstone shared many characteristics with a Duan inkstone, it was, in fact, merely a piece of Qiyang stone.
The layer of dust was artificially applied, and the patterns were also tricks of aging.
An ordinary person would truly be deceived by this.
Even my grandfather was almost fooled by Qiyang stone once.
Fortunately, the transaction didn't go through. I heard this story from my father.
Therefore, I knew very well that this was a fake and worthless.
I smiled. "Do you have anything of better quality? This one looks too dirty."
"Oh, my dear Brother Xiang! Antiques aren't judged by their cleanliness!" Boss Feng exclaimed. "If an old item isn't a bit dirty, can it even be called an old item? Let me tell you, with this inkstone, once you pass this shop, you won't find another like it."
Hong Yunpeng interjected unexpectedly, "If it's so good, why don't you keep it?"
He was clearly still irked about the fake he had bought for fifty thousand yuan.
"Boss Hong, I'm in the business of selling. If there's a profit to be made, why would I keep it?" Boss Feng replied with a smile.
I put the inkstone down and walked over to the red sandalwood display racks by the door, where inkstones were priced at five thousand yuan, to examine them. "Brother Hong, why don't you help me pick one out?"
"Sure thing."
As soon as Hong Yunpeng came over, he gave me a knowing look, as if to ask, "What are your instructions?"
"Brother Hong, which of these do you think is good?" I asked.
Hong Yunpeng feigned seriousness and picked up one of them. "The ones on this side are of good quality, but they just don't feel quite refined."
"I think so too."
As we spoke, I turned and walked towards the wooden racks in the back, my gaze fixed on the inkstone attributed to Li Gonglin.
As I reached out to pick it up, I deliberately, as if by accident, hooked an inkstone beside it with my little finger.
With a "crack," the inkstone fell to the ground.
"Oh dear!" Boss Feng rushed over almost immediately, frowning at me, clearly on the verge of anger.
"I'm so sorry, I..." I said, looking embarrassed.
Boss Feng ignored me and quickly picked up the inkstone from the ground, revealing a chipped corner.
"Brother Xiang, you must take this inkstone with you today!"
Hong Yunpeng leaned in. "Boss Feng, what are you doing? Xiao Fei didn't do it on purpose."
"Look at how this inkstone is broken! Who am I going to sell it to?" Boss Feng said, his face flushed and his voice hoarse.
Before Hong Yunpeng could say anything further, I quickly interjected, "Alright, then I'll take this inkstone. Boss Feng, give me a price."
He didn't hesitate. "Eighty thousand!"
"Eighty thousand?!" Hong Yunpeng shouted. "Are you robbing me?"
"This is a Tang Dynasty item. Eighty thousand is a friendly price."
"Two thousand at most!" Hong Yunpeng gritted his teeth.
"No way. If it's less than fifty thousand, we don't need to talk!"