I handed Li Gonglin's inkstone to Hong Yunpeng, asking him to find Uncle Hong to handle it.
After all, Uncle Hong had a wide network of contacts, and with him involved, dealing with an inkstone should be no problem.
Hong Yunpeng and I agreed that after the inkstone was sold, Uncle Hong would take twenty percent, and the rest would be split equally between us.
He refused to do anything, saying that I had obtained the inkstone through my own skills and that he shouldn't take my money.
I smiled and said, "Brother Hong, don't forget, if you hadn't helped me coordinate, would it have been this easy?"
"What coordination did I do? I'm just glad I didn't mess up your plan," Hong Yunpeng said.
"Brother Hong, if you consider me a friend, then you must accept this money." I held my ground.
Hong Yunpeng had no choice but to agree in the end.
The next day, I continued to research Zisha teapots in the factory warehouse. I felt a bit unaccustomed to not seeing Sister Ying for several days.
I felt too embarrassed to call her, so I could only think of finding some clues as soon as possible so I could legitimately go see her.
Looking through boxes upon boxes of Zisha teapots made my eyes blur. Each box contained at least seven or eight teapots.
And the warehouse had at least several hundred wooden crates.
If I had to examine them all from the beginning, I estimated it would take at least one to two months.
With patience, I took down a wooden crate, opened it, and crouched down to examine it.
As I looked, I pondered.
If I were Sister Ying's second uncle, how would I replicate the map onto the Zisha teapots?
If I didn't want to be discovered, I could only create some special patterns.
But if Zisha teapots had patterns, they would appear conspicuous, unless they were some special patterns.
As I thought, I picked up the teapot in my hand and weighed it.
If not on the outside, then what about the inside?
With this thought, my eyes lit up. I opened the lid and looked inside the pot.
To verify my idea, I retrieved the teapots I had checked before and was about to investigate when the sound of brakes screeching filled the air.
I looked up at the large iron gate and saw Sister Ying's Crown.
Putting down the teapot in my hand, I stood up and hurried to meet her.
I saw Sister Ying get out of the car, a smile on her face.
That day, she was wearing a black V-neck top and a coffee-colored pencil skirt. Her perfectly straight legs were particularly eye-catching under the sunlight.
Her amber high heels encased her slender feet.
The white gold pendant around her neck bobbed up and down with her steps.
I had to admit, Sister Ying was not only beautiful but also dressed impeccably.
With her outfit, I dared say that no one else in Guangling could compare.
Not only was it fashionable, but it also perfectly matched her temperament.
"Xiao Fei," Sister Ying said to me as she approached, "You've worked hard these past few days."
I sniffed and caught the faint, unique fragrance emanating from her.
"It's not hard," I said with a silly grin. "It's just that there hasn't been any progress yet..."
"It's okay, take your time."
As she spoke, her eyes swept over me. "Let's stop here for today. I'll take you somewhere."
"Where to?" I asked.
"First, I'll take you to buy some clothes."
Before I could reply, she turned and said, "Let's go."
I quickly followed.
Why all of a sudden did she want to buy me clothes?
Was there something wrong with my clothes? I was a bit confused and had a stomach full of questions in the car, but I didn't dare to ask.
Soon, Sister Ying drove me to a very large department store.
After parking the car, we took the escalator.
It was my first time in such a large department store, and everything looked new and exciting.
After getting off the escalator, she led me to a foreign brand clothing store.
As soon as we entered, she called over a sales assistant and said, "Pick out a few outfits for my younger brother."
Upon hearing this, the sales assistant immediately took me to the fitting room.
The store only sold suits, and the sales assistant brought several suits for me to try on.
In the end, it was Sister Ying who helped me decide, saying that the black one suited my temperament.
Hearing her say that, I stood in front of the mirror and examined myself. It really was as she said.
This was also the first time I realized that clothes really do make the man.
When I wore that black suit, I looked like a different person. Even I found it incredible.
After picking out the clothes, I was about to take them off when Sister Ying walked over with a tie and said, "Here, put this on."
I quickly lowered my head, and she put the tie around my neck.
Sister Ying's hands were delicate, and her fingers were very long. When they touched my neck, there was a cool sensation that made my hairs stand on end.
As she tied the tie, she was very close to me. I could clearly feel her warm breath, carrying a faint scent of chocolate tobacco.
I felt as if my body had lost control. I stood there like a piece of wood, my whole body rigid.
After she finished tying the tie, Sister Ying patted my shoulder and smiled, "You look much better like this."
I forced a smile to ease my tension. "Sister Ying, should I take this suit off then?"
"Why take it off?" she asked.
I said, "These clothes are probably not cheap. It wouldn't be good if they got stained."
"It's fine, just wear them. If they get stained, I'll wash them for you."
As she spoke, she turned and called the sales assistant over and paid without a word.
I was startled when she paid; a suit cost over eight thousand yuan.
It was the first time I had worn such expensive clothes, and I felt a bit uneasy.
After buying the clothes, we went to the parking lot. When we got in the car, Sister Ying handed me a black box.
"What is this?" I asked.
Sister Ying smiled and said, "My dad's friend gave him this watch, but he didn't like it, so it's been at home. You wear it."
"Ah?" I was stunned. After a moment of hesitation, I said, "Sister Ying, you're..."
"A man, whether he has money or not, must have a decent watch," she said.
She opened the box, took out the watch, took my hand, and put the watch on my wrist, then smiled and said, "It looks good."
"Sister Ying... this watch looks expensive... I..."
"The value of a watch isn't measured by money, but by who wears it," Sister Ying said. "Xiao Fei, you must remember that in this world, money isn't the standard for measuring a person, understand?"
I nodded my head dimly.
She took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff. "I'll take you to an internal auction later. If you see anything good, just tell me directly. Don't worry about the money."
Hearing this, I finally understood.
So, Sister Ying buying me clothes was to take me to such an important event.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. Antique auctions are indeed good places!