Siheyuan: Returning to 61 to collect waste

She said: "Mr. Zhai, since I promised you, as long as you like the treasures in the store, please feel free to choose, and I will not be stingy.

Don't worry, I, Zhai Wenqiang, will never hold any grudges."

However, Ye Chuan did not look at the antiques he had appreciated before. Instead, he walked to a messy table, picked up a red plate and looked at it. After a while, he spoke: "If my wife is willing to sell it, I will choose this lacquerware plate."

Hearing this, Zhai Wenqiang quickly responded: "Sir, if you really like it, you can take it away.

But I wonder why I chose it? To be honest, it was brought by a Japanese and I only spent HK$3 million to buy it.

Two days later, I still don’t fully understand its value.”

Ye Chuan stared down at the lacquerware in his hand. Due to the rare exchanges between the mainland and Japan, people's understanding of lacquerware is still shallow, especially the products from Japan.

He had somewhat misunderstood his boss.

Ye Chuan patiently explained: "This is a Ming Dynasty carved lacquerware, a royal product.

Because of its bright red color, the Ming court stipulated that only the lacquerware in the imperial palace could be decorated with silver beads. In order to make it appear so bright in color, autumn lacquer was also used.

This vessel may look ordinary, but it is actually extremely delicate. It required careful application of a layer of lacquer every day for sixty days, and the details needed to be carved before the lacquer was completely dry.

Hearing this, Boss Zhai couldn't help but praise: "Sir, you really have profound knowledge!"

With a smile on his face, Ye Chuan looked at him and said, "Boss Zhai, I have explained the value of lacquerware.

If you change your mind later, you may want to communicate with me.”

Zhai Wenqiang waved his hand and said, "You are joking. We merchants value honesty. No matter if it is just one item, we will never refuse even if you take one or two more." Then he added, "With your sincerity, our business will surely prosper!"

"Thank you for your kind words." Boss Zhai happily put away the lacquerware.

However, Ye Chuan did not leave. While admiring various antiques in the store, he quietly accumulated energy points.

He spent more than 30 minutes scanning all the items on display in the store. He exclaimed: "Boss Zhai, your store is really eye-opening. There is not a single counterfeit item."

Zhai Wenqiang was also very happy about this. Being praised so highly by the academic master made his face glow with more light.

After the two talked for a few sentences, Ye Chuan answered the other party's questions as detailed as possible, and finally said goodbye to Ze Baoxuan.

Zhai Wenqiang accompanied Ye Chuan all the way to the store door, and watched him leave with awe in his eyes.

He has been in the antique business for decades, but has never met such a knowledgeable person, who seems to have no shortcomings in the field of antiques.

Ye Chuan and Hu Yanni visited almost all the antique shops on Hollywood Road, but such large-scale stores were quite rare, with only three or four in total.

It is difficult to distinguish the authenticity of products in most stores, and even the genuine products are of average quality and cannot bring him too many energy points.

Their treasure hunt did not stop until three o'clock in the afternoon, when they were all hungry.

The merchants in this entire area contributed a total of 100,000 energy points to him, which can be said to be a fruitful result.

What surprised Ye Chuan was that Hu Yanni was always by his side, listening with great interest to his explanation of ancient artworks and historical and cultural background.

She never showed any sign of annoyance from beginning to end, and it was not a pretense.

They had a hearty meal in a distinctive restaurant, not sure whether it was lunch or dinner, and then let Hu Yanni return to the apartment.

Ye Chuan said: "Yanni, I have something to take care of. I will come to you tomorrow." Although she felt attached to him, Hu Yanni still nodded in agreement, because she understood that he came to Hong Kong Island to carry out a mainland inspection mission and they did not have much time left.

As soon as he went out, Ye Chuan stored the telescope and Ming Dynasty lacquerware into the space and returned to the hotel where he was staying temporarily.

The daytime inspection mission was successfully completed. Wei Dong and Xiao Junnian happened to come back. Seeing him return to the room, they couldn't help but glare at him. "Little brother Ye, you are so lucky that you don't have to participate in group activities with us." Xiao Junnian said with a little jealousy.

Ye Chuan smiled when he heard this and said, "I'll invite you to the Peninsula Hotel to enjoy delicious food tonight."

The two's eyes lit up when they heard this. The change from luxury to simplicity was hard to accept. The experience at the Peninsula Hotel was already deeply imprinted in their minds.

They also went to a restaurant in the hotel for dinner in the evening. It was not until after seven o'clock in the evening that Ye Chuan left their room alone.

After changing into sportswear purchased locally in Hong Kong Island, he lit a cigarette, put his hands in his pockets, left the hotel and walked towards the alley behind.

This is a busy commercial area with street vendors and various stalls everywhere. Many white-collar workers or couples who have just got off work dine here.

Although the atmosphere is a little noisy, it is full of the life atmosphere of Hong Kong Island.

Going further inland, there are countless small shops on both sides of the road, and the flow of people gradually thins out.

He walked into a jewelry processing shop and saw a sign outside that said they were buying and selling gold jewelry, so he walked into the store.

There was a bench inside the store. A middle-aged man in a white sweatshirt was sitting lazily on the chair, reading a newspaper and yawning from time to time.

As soon as he heard the footsteps, the man immediately stood up and said with a smile: "Sir, do you need help?" However, Ye Chuan did not answer, but stared at the compartment inside - that was the jewelry processing and repair workshop, separated from other spaces by a window.

Satisfied with the environment and layout, he sat down on the sofa, took out two cigarettes, handed one to the boss, and lit one for himself. "Boss, there is something I want to discuss with you."

Beside him, the boss took the cigarette he handed over with both hands and responded politely: "Sir, please go ahead."

“Can you please close the store temporarily? I need to use the studio inside!”

The boss hesitated slightly at this request, "This is the first time I have encountered such a request, but..." he said.

Ye Chuan smiled and stood up, took out two Hong Kong dollars and put them on the coffee table: "Boss, I will only borrow it for a few hours and will pay the corresponding fees.

The requirements are not high, as long as there is a melting and casting equipment in the studio. "

When the boss heard this, his heart suddenly became heavy - smelting equipment can melt gold!

Suddenly, doubts emerged like a spring - could this young visitor be related to the recent gold theft case in Tsim Sha Tsui that caused a lot of sensation?

The boss asked cautiously: "Excuse me, what do you need the casting equipment for?"

Ye Chuan smiled and said, "Since you are asking, please rest assured that I am not involved in any illegal matters.

If you agree, close the door now and I will make good use of it."

“Close immediately? No preparation is required?” The boss looked at him in confusion.

Ye Chuan nodded, and the boss began to carry out the instructions.

The other party looked him up and down and found that he was dressed simply and did not carry a large amount of gold coins. He probably wanted to make a necklace for his girlfriend.

Considering that there was nothing to do in the store, it was not bad to earn the 200 yuan easily. He closed the store door, hung up a closed sign, and then took the payment on the table.

Ye Chuan smiled and asked, "Boss, I also need smelting equipment and molds for making gold bars. Do you have any?"

After a brief moment of distraction, the boss looked at the other person again, "We have everything!" Then he led the way into the work area and showed a work table with ten molds.

One plate can produce ten standard 20 ounce gold bars at a time.

Ye Chuan accepted it with satisfaction, lowered the heavy curtain and invited the boss to leave.

However, the boss returned to the sofa with a look of surprise and embarrassment, picked up the newspaper and continued reading.

He locked the door inside, took out two gold bars from the system, and started using the smelting equipment.

First, pour the molten gold into the mold and then form it into strips after it cools.

The first batch was a little rough, but had an incredibly high gold content.

In this way, each batch of ten gold bars took about half an hour, and two large gold bars took more than two hours.

He examined the forty rough but satisfactory gold bars in front of him, put them all into the system, and then concentrated on the rest of the work.

According to the United States standards, each gold bar weighed 400 ounces, which was just enough for him to make twenty 20-ounce bars.

The operation cycle for each batch of ten gold bars takes about half an hour, and two batches of twenty-four bars in total are completed in this way.

Faced with these works in the system, although rough and simple, Ye Chuan was very satisfied because there was no chance of them being questioned.

I opened the door of the workroom and saw my sleepy boss sitting on the sofa, fidgeting with fear. "Sir, is it over?"

He played with the ring he had customized for his marriage and thanked me with a smile. "It's done, thank you, boss!"

The boss glanced at the ring on the other person's finger, confirmed his guess, and respectfully escorted it out of the store.

Ye Chuan put on the ring and then walked towards the hotel.

Passing by a street stall, he bought some midnight snacks and cold beer to amuse himself.

After returning to the hotel, Ye Chuan first knocked on Chen Xiangdong's door and invited him to drink together. Chen Xiangdong happily accepted the invitation.

Since they are both in Mr. Xu's team, Ye Chuan and Chen Xiangdong have a close relationship.

But since arriving, the two have had fewer opportunities to talk.

Seeing Chen Xiangdong appear, Wei Dong and Xiao Jun stood up to show respect. They knew that he was the deputy manager of the material recycling company, and he was in a high position and awe-inspiring. "Sit down, just treat it as a free drink, you don't mind, right?" Chen Xiangdong said with a smile. "No, of course not." Wei Dong responded quickly.

Ye Chuan placed the midnight snacks and beer he bought on the table, and everyone found a chair to sit down and drink happily. "Xiao Ye, you really know how to enjoy yourself!" Chen Xiangdong said with a smile. His mentality was different from when he was in Beijing. On Hong Kong Island, enjoyment became the focus of life.

Wei Dong and Xiao Jun snorted, thinking: Only the feast at the Peninsula Hotel can be considered a real enjoyment, and what about these midnight snacks and beer! The two of them tasted expensive dishes and received courteous services at the Peninsula for days, and they envied the life of the rich. "How can we not taste the authentic food when we come here?" Ye Chuan took a sip of beer and burped comfortably. "Alas, it's easy to adapt from simplicity to luxury, but after returning to Beijing, I can only enjoy meat once a month. I really don't know if I can adapt to this change in life," Chen Xiangdong seemed to mutter to himself.