Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 353 A Contest

Yan Jiekuang slept until noon and woke up almost at noon. He came to his senses and got up and washed up. Then he found out that Yang Ruiping had taken the children out to support Xiaopang.

Yan Jiekuang took a quick bite of his meal, said goodbye to Tian Guixiang, and left.

Yan Jiekuang, wearing his usual blue pants, old man's shirt, thousand-layer cloth shoes and military backpack, strolled to Liulichang without riding a bicycle or driving a car.

When I arrived at Yuzenzhai and looked at this three-story building, I felt very emotional. I almost bought it at the beginning, but I didn't expect that Manager Tian would intervene and quickly complete the purchase agreement.

Yan Jiekuang went to the first floor. There were several old-fashioned counters with some small items on them, mostly cultural relics and jade artifacts, as well as some small ornaments, all of which were folk items. I don't know what kind of money they were, and there were some ancient coins as well. There was nothing special about it. There was a second shopkeeper and a clerk on the first floor, both of whom knew Yan Jiekuang.

The waiter came up to him and said, "Third Master, you are here to look at something. Please go upstairs."

Yan Jiekuang said, "Your shopkeeper Tian has been looking for me for several times. That's why I came here the first time I got back. Where is shopkeeper Tian?"

The young man said, "He's in his office on the third floor. I don't need to lead the way, right?"

"You go ahead and do your work, I'll go upstairs by myself." After Yan Jiekuang said this, he greeted the second shopkeeper and then went upstairs.

The second floor is for porcelain and jade wares, but most of them are folk treasures, with a few from official kilns mixed in. This is to test the customers' vision and also to attract customers. But whether or not the customers' vision can be attracted depends entirely on the waiter's words. He will guide you and you will be able to find it.

Yan Jiekuang went straight to the office on the third floor without stopping. Shopkeeper Tian was looking at the account book. Yan Jiekuang knocked on the door. Shopkeeper Tian looked up and saw Yan Jiekuang. He stood up quickly and said, "I've been looking for you for a long time. Come and sit down."

Yan Jiekuang said, "I went on a long trip and just came back yesterday. I wonder if Shopkeeper Tian has anything to do?"

Shopkeeper Tian said, "No hurry, no hurry. What kind of tea do you want? Jasmine or green tea?"

"Jasmine," Yan Jiekuang replied.

Shopkeeper Tian made a cup of tea for Yan Jiekuang, put cigarettes and matches on the square table next to Yan Jiekuang, and then sat down at the seat next to him.

"That's right, I heard that you have a set of Liurui?" asked Manager Tian.

Yan Jiekuang looked at him suspiciously and said, "Yes, did Old Zhang from Zhenbaozhai tell you that?"

Shopkeeper Tian smiled embarrassedly and said, "It's like this. A customer came to us some time ago and asked about Liu Rui. He asked me if I could get it. He offered a high price to buy it. I suddenly remembered that Shopkeeper Zhang once mentioned that you have a set. I wonder if you can sell it?"

Yan Jiekuang finally understood what was going on. It turned out that he was after the things in his hand. He looked at Shopkeeper Tian and asked, "Who is the other party and how much is he offering?"

Shopkeeper Tian said, "It's a Chinese expatriate. He wants to see the goods first and then discuss the price."

Yan Jiekuang thought about it and said, "Okay, let's make an appointment, and I'll come with the goods then."

Shopkeeper Tian was ecstatic. The commission for this trip was quite high and the other party had also invested a lot of money.

The two chatted about the interesting things that happened in Liulichang. Shopkeeper Tian deliberately flattered Yan Jiekuang, and Yan Jiekuang's doubts suddenly increased.

Yan Jiekuang left Yuqianzhai, took a walk, and then went to Zhenbaozhai. Manager Zhang was receiving several foreigners. Yan Jiekuang did not disturb them and just sat on the first floor. After a while, the foreigners left with satisfaction. Manager Zhang made another fortune, so he came to Yan Jiekuang's side.

"How come you have time to come here today? I haven't seen you for a long time." Shopkeeper Zhang said with a smile.

Yan Jiekuang took a deep look at Zhang the shopkeeper and said, "Let's go to your office to talk about something."

Shopkeeper Zhang was a little puzzled, but he still took Yan Jiekuang to the office upstairs. Yan Jiekuang asked, "Did you go to the sacrificial site I told you about?"

"Oh, don't mention it. I went to find Manager Tian from Yuqianzhai, but Manager Tian said it was illegal and advised me not to go. So I gave up the idea and didn't go." Manager Zhang said.

Yan Jiekuang understood a little bit, and said with a smile: "You, you've been fooled. Do you know where I come from?"

Shopkeeper Zhang asked, "Where did you come from?"

"I came from Yuqianzhai. Shopkeeper Tian has come to me many times, saying that a foreign Chinese has taken a fancy to my Liurui and plans to buy it at a high price." After Yan Jiekuang finished speaking, he lit a cigarette and pushed it to Shopkeeper Zhang.

Shopkeeper Zhang fell into deep thought. He couldn't understand why Shopkeeper Tian wanted to build this bridge. He turned around, looked at Yan Jiekuang, and asked, "Why does he want to do this business?"

Yan Jiekuang said, "It proves that there is a set of sacrificial supplies, except that my six lucky ones are missing. He sold his own to that Chinese American. Unexpectedly, that person is well-versed in sacrificial offerings and pointed out that the six lucky ones are missing. So Shopkeeper Tian had to build this bridge no matter what."

Shopkeeper Zhang asked in confusion, "Where did Shopkeeper Tian get the remaining sacrificial supplies?"

Yan Jiekuang looked at Zhang the shopkeeper with a look of disappointment and said, "What do you think?"

Shopkeeper Zhang was about to say, "How would I know?" but he suddenly remembered that incident and said, "You mean he advised me not to go, but he went and took the ruins for himself?"

"You just realized it, but it's too late." Yan Jiekuang said. Shopkeeper Zhang slapped the table, stood up and said, "Grandma, if you try this on me, I'll go find him."

Yan Jiekuang quickly stood up, held down Shopkeeper Zhang, and said, "Calm down. This is not a good thing in the first place. Listen to me."

Shopkeeper Zhang sat down angrily. Yan Jiekuang tried to comfort him, saying, "Do you know that those sacrificial objects are from the Warring States Period? They have a long history and are of great collection and research value. That foreign Chinese must want to take them out of the country. There must be something wrong here. So don't worry. I'll show you a good show in a few days."

When Shopkeeper Zhang heard this, his eyes widened and he said, "They want to take this thing out of the country. They are really bold."

"Wait a minute, the truth will eventually come out. I came here just to prove my guess, but I didn't expect that I was right." Yan Jiekuang said.

Shopkeeper Zhang nodded and said, "Okay, I got it. Give me a heads up in a few days so I can see the excitement."

Yan Jiekuang knew the whole story and didn't want to delay any longer. He left and went back to Yuer Hutong. When he got home, he called his second brother and told him about the incident. His second brother said, "I will report it to the higher-ups right away. Wait for my notification."

On August 30th, there was only one day left before school started. Yan Jiekuang started to get busy early in the morning. After washing up, he went straight into the kitchen to prepare all kinds of food that Wei Xiaobao had sent yesterday.

When it was almost eight o'clock, Shopkeeper Tian came to the door and informed Yan Jiekuang to do the transaction in his shop at one o'clock. Yan Jiekuang agreed with a smile, and then went on with his own business.

He made breakfast, including fried eggs, spinach porridge, three-fresh buns, red bean paste buns and some side dishes.

After the children got up and washed, they came to the front yard and the family had breakfast. Tian Guixiang helped to serve the porridge. While eating breakfast, Ji Lian repeatedly reminded the children who were going to school not to go out again, to concentrate and prepare their school supplies.

Several children also agreed. Xiaohai and Xixi looked at their brothers and sisters with envy. Yan Jiekuang said, "Okay, you don't have to be envious. In two years, you will have to go even if you don't want to."

Xiao Hai said, "I want to go now." The whole family laughed.

After breakfast, Yan Jiekuang went to the department store in Wangfujing, where there was a full range of stationery. He bought some and went home. He put the stationery on the table in the study. Several children rushed over and started to share it.

At noon, Yan Jiekuang made noodles with soybean paste and also prepared a few other dishes to go with it. After finishing his meal, Yan Jiekuang took Liu Rui and drove to pick up his second brother.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the two brothers appeared in Yuqianzhai on time. After Yan Jiekuang appeared, Shopkeeper Tian never took his eyes off the box in Yan Jiekuang's hand.

A few minutes later, a short man with two followers came into the store. When the shopkeeper Tian saw him, he greeted him with a smile and said, "Mr. Tanaka, we are honored to have you here. It is a great honor for our store."

When the two brothers heard the name of Manager Tian, ​​they became a little angry, but they remained calm on the surface.

Shopkeeper Tian welcomed the three of them in, and then introduced the Yan Jiekuang brothers to Mr. Tian Zhong.

Tanaka looked serious and said, "Let's just look at the goods."

Yan Jiekuang casually opened the box, and when Mr. Tanaka saw the items in the box, a greedy look appeared on his face.

Yan Jiekuang closed the lid and said, "Tell me the price. Also, does the gentleman know what dynasty this item is from?"

Tanaka suddenly woke up and realized that this thing did not belong to him yet. Tanaka calmed down and said, "Let's not beat around the bush. We all know what dynasty this thing is from. Twenty thousand yuan is the highest price I can offer."

Yan Jiekuang said disdainfully: "Pounds? Or dollars?"

Mr. Tanaka was stunned and said, "RMB, don't ask for too much."

Yan Jiekuang said: "There are very few Six Auspicious Symbols from the Warring States Period that have survived. Have you ever seen a complete set in the world?"

Tanaka was very conflicted, and after thinking for a while he said, "One hundred thousand at most, it's already a lot, people should be content."

Yan Jiekuang pretended to think for a moment and said, "Deal, take the money."

Tanaka turned around and nodded to his attendant, who then left. Yan Jiekuang took this opportunity to ask, "Mr. Tanaka is a great collector?"

Tanaka said proudly: "Yes, I am very interested in these cultural relics. I will return to my country in a few days. I will study them carefully when I return."

Yan Jiekuang smiled without saying anything. He turned to look at his second brother. Yan Jiefang had been trying hard to hold back his anger. Seeing the third brother looking at him, he said, "I'm a little bored. I'm going out to smoke a cigarette." After that, Yan Jiefang walked out of the store and smoked at the door.

The transaction was completed quickly. Yan Jiekuang left with his second brother carrying a bag. When they arrived at the door of his house, Yan Jiekuang handed the bag of money to his second brother. This was stolen money, so Yan Jiekuang took it without hesitation.

Yan Jiekuang said, "Second brother, I don't want that set of Liurui anymore. You can bring the whole set back and give it to the museum. It didn't cost me much anyway."

Yan Jiefang looked at Yan Jiekuang with satisfaction, patted Yan Jiekuang on the shoulder, turned around and left with the bag.

(End of this chapter)