From Hong Yunpeng, I learned that the old man surnamed Bai was named Bai Zhujing, the current head of the Bai family.
The Bai family was quite famous in the Guangling antique circle, with over a dozen antique shops. The largest one was said to possess many precious collections that were practically priceless.
Essentially, anyone dealing in antiques in Guangling knew the Bai family.
I couldn't help but ask, "Brother Hong, what's the standing of An Yuan Tang in Guangling?"
"An Yuan Tang?" Hong Yunpeng chuckled. "Let me put it this way, An Yuan Tang is equivalent to half of the Bai family's assets."
Hearing this, I was surprised and blurted out, "An Yuan Tang belongs to Sister Ying?"
"To be precise, it belongs to Sister Ying's family," Hong Yunpeng said while picking up food. "Sister Ying's family has been in the antique business for generations. Last year, Sister Ying's father fell ill and was hospitalized. It was only then that Sister Ying started taking over the family business."
I nodded. "Then what does Sister Ying's fourth uncle do?"
Hong Yunpeng seemed surprised by my question and looked at me, asking, "Xiao Fei, hasn't Sister Ying told you anything?"
I was a bit confused. "Told me what?"
Hong Yunpeng gave an awkward smile. "Since Sister Ying hasn't told you, it's not convenient for me to say much. If you really want to know, you can ask Sister Ying yourself then."
His secretive demeanor made me even more curious.
Although Sister Ying dealt in antiques, her demeanor and style were nothing like others in this profession. Most importantly, she wasn't very old, yet she gave off an unfathomable aura.
After the meal, Hong Yunpeng offered to take me to An Yuan Tang to have a look. I didn't refuse and followed him.
An Yuan Tang was located on Guangling Ancient Street, bustling with people, mostly tourists.
On the main street, we quickly spotted An Yuan Tang. It was a traditional courtyard house with three entrances and three courtyards. From a distance, one could see the three gilded characters "An Yuan Tang" on the lintel, with a red seal beneath them.
As Hong Yunpeng led me in, someone greeted him right at the entrance.
"Brother Hong is here?"
It was a woman in her twenties, dressed as a sales associate.
The hall of An Yuan Tang was like an exhibition hall, with numerous glass display cases filled with various antique items.
A casual glance was enough for me to conclude that those items were not genuine.
Hong Yunpeng told me that the front hall was just for appeasing tourists, and the real treasures were inside.
He led me around the hall and then to a small door. Pushing it open revealed a courtyard. Passing through the courtyard, we saw an ancient-style house.
Inside this house, the items were different from those in the front hall. Although all genuine, they were not from very ancient times.
There were no salespeople in the room, only a counter. Behind the counter, an elderly man was busy with an abacus.
"Uncle Lin, busy?" Hong Yunpeng greeted him with a smile.
The old man looked up at him, showing a smile. "Why are you here today? Did the young lady ask you to come?"
"No," Hong Yunpeng waved me over and introduced, "This is Xiao Fei, the person in charge of the Hong Yuan store. This is Uncle Lin, the manager of An Yuan Tang."
I nodded and greeted him, "Uncle Lin."
Uncle Lin looked to be in his sixties. He was wearing a cross-collared cloth shirt and gold-rimmed glasses. As he looked at me, he deliberately adjusted his glasses.
"The Hong Yuan store is now under your management?"
I smiled and replied, "Currently, I'm the one overseeing the store there."
"I haven't heard the young lady mention you before..."
"Uncle Lin, Xiao Fei is one of us," Hong Yunpeng said, putting an arm around me. "This is what Sister Ying said, not me."
"One of us?" Uncle Lin gave a wry smile. "It's all your generation's world now... Please, sit down. I'll pour you some tea."
I initially intended to decline, but Hong Yunpeng gave me a look. While Uncle Lin went to pour tea, he leaned in and asked, "Xiao Fei, do you want to withdraw cash from the card Sister Ying gave you?"
Honestly, I hadn't quite grasped the significance of that card yet.
When Hong Yunpeng told me I could exchange the card for one hundred thousand yuan at An Yuan Tang, it felt almost unreal.
How much did I earn in a month working at Hong Yuan?
And I earned a hundred thousand for helping Sister Ying with a fake stove?
It felt like winning the lottery. The problem was, I hadn't even figured out how to spend that hundred thousand yuan.
Given my current situation, I wasn't particularly in need of money. I didn't have anything I wanted to buy, and my food and lodging were provided, so I didn't really need any cash.
I shook my head and told Hong Yunpeng, "Brother Hong, I want to save this money for now."
"That's fine too. If you need money in the future, you can come directly to Uncle Lin here. But you must keep the card safe. That card is unregistered; whoever finds it can come to An Yuan Tang and collect the money."
I nodded. "Thank you, Brother Hong. I understand."
"No need to be formal; we're all family."
After sitting at An Yuan Tang for half an hour, Hong Yunpeng sent me back to Hong Yuan.
Upon returning to the shop, I was about to roll up the shutter door when I noticed that the lock was open.
I thought back carefully. When I left in the morning, I remembered locking it. Who could have opened it?
As I thought about it, I was about to pull the door when I heard a "crash, bang" sound from inside.
I was startled. In broad daylight, could it be another break-in?
I licked my lips, locked the now-unlocked door, and went around to the back.
The back door of the Zisha teapot shop faced a smelly ditch, so it was usually not opened, and very few people knew about it.
I had been working there for a long time before I found out about the back door.
Picking up a brick from the ground, I used my key to open the back door, my heart pounding with nervousness.
If it could be robbed in broad daylight, then I had really wasted my time here!
Sneaking in through the back door, I entered the storage room. Even through the wall, I could hear the "crash, bang" sounds from the hall.
This thief was too brazen, not only stealing but also smashing things. What was the meaning of that?
I gritted my teeth and rushed out. Just as I was preparing to fight the scoundrel to the death, a familiar face appeared before me.
"Sister Ying?!"
I stared blankly at the figure less than a meter away from me, frozen in place.
Sister Ying also seemed surprised to see me. She glanced at the brick in my hand and let out a chuckle.
I felt awkward and, not knowing how to explain, quickly placed the brick on the ground nearby.
Before I could even start explaining, Sister Ying said, "Go make me a cup of tea."