Chapter 8

After Yu Lifei arrived in Tanzhou yesterday, Wu Wengu was the first person to truly communicate with him. Moreover, Wu Wengu helped him find a job. If it weren't for Wu Wengu last night, he might have had to spend the night at the police station. When someone helps you, you naturally need to thank them. Even if you don't have much ability at the moment, your intentions must be sincere.

Starting from the child bathing ox figurine he bought last night, Yu Lifei realized that he might possess a unique ability that others don't have. From the moment he got off the train yesterday evening, the Tanzhou City Museum had been invisibly attracting him. Although he only slept next to the museum last night, he felt unusually comfortable and at ease. Especially that dream, which was both real and illusory, left him with endless aftertaste.

Yu Lifei thought that if he could find a stable job in the future, he would definitely come to the museum often. The atmosphere here deeply attracted him, and he vaguely felt that this place would change his life.

Yu Lifei wandered around the street stalls. He did like a few items, but when he picked them up, none of them gave him that comfortable feeling. Across the street, there was an antique market with some genuine antiques, but the prices were far beyond what Yu Lifei could afford.

Suddenly, Yu Lifei remembered the child bathing ox figurine he bought yesterday. Although he liked it, he could see that Wu Wengu was also very interested in it. If he couldn't find anything else, he would give the figurine to Wu Wengu. As for the value of the figurine, Yu Lifei hadn't really thought about it.

Just as Yu Lifei was about to leave, he saw a young man riding a bicycle toward him. As soon as he reached the square, he propped up his bicycle, didn't even wipe the sweat from his face, and immediately started unloading his items.

Even before the young man got off his bike, Yu Lifei had a special feeling. So as soon as the man's bike stopped, Yu Lifei slowly walked over. Coins, wooden objects, porcelain, and calligraphy and paintings—his items were quite diverse. As soon as he put the items on the ground, Yu Lifei picked them up to take a look. This man's items were much better than those at other stalls. At least three out of ten items gave him a good feeling. However, Yu Lifei wasn't particularly interested in coins, wooden objects, or porcelain.

But when he picked up a beautifully printed and well-preserved old manuscript from Nanyue, the feeling was very strong. The book seemed to instantly enter his mind, and he could "see" the characters on every page clearly. Although Yu Lifei knew a bit about books—his father had mostly shown him line-bound books—he couldn't determine the age or value. But he knew this was a good thing.

Yu Lifei flipped through the pages. The paper in the book was neither bamboo paper nor bark paper, but typical white hemp paper: smooth and white on one side, slightly rough on the other, and uniformly textured and resilient.

"Boss, how much for this book?" Yu Lifei asked. He didn't know the exact age of the book, and it could be a modern imitation, but he trusted his feeling. Holding the book in his hands felt even more comfortable than the child bathing ox figurine he had yesterday.

"150 yuan," the young stall owner said quickly, arranging his items and then sitting on a stool leaning against his bicycle.

"150 yuan is too expensive. This book isn't really an ancient text, at most a modern imitation. How about 20 yuan?" Yu Lifei asked. More and more people were coming to the antique market, and he hadn't seen any transactions over 100 yuan as he walked through it.

"I picked this up last night. It's in perfect condition and beautifully printed. I spent a lot of money on it. You can't expect me to take a loss, right?" Li Xuanmo said. He had a nickname, "Grass Shoes," and was one of the "shovelers" in Tanzhou. "Shovelers" are people who go to the countryside to collect antiques, and the industry calls this "shoveling the ground." They are naturally called "shovelers."

Li Xuanmo had nothing—no money, no wife, just a poor, single man. He was the type who, when he ate, his whole family was fed. He was a good person, kind-hearted. He had previously worked as a butcher and later ran a grocery store, but ultimately, due to financial pressures or perhaps because he heard that the antique business was profitable, he entered the antique trade and apprenticed to collect antiques.

Perhaps it was fate or destiny, but soon after Li Xuanmo apprenticed, his teacher passed away. The young man, who had only learned a little, was left to fend for himself, traveling through the countryside. Because there were many examples of people becoming rich overnight, the poor Li Xuanmo was also lured by the dream of sudden wealth, so he worked very hard, setting up his stall at every antique market.

He often rode a broken bicycle, wearing a tattered straw hat, braving the scorching sun, and without even wiping the sweat from his face, he would hurriedly set up his stall. He was diligent and sweet-talking, and the items he collected were very diverse, good and bad mixed together. As long as he made a profit, even if it was just enough to fix a flat tire, he would sell them.

The antique dealers in the market found him easy to deal with and were willing to trade with him. So, from the beginning of his career, the young man was very popular and well-liked. Of course, the most important reason was that he didn't know much about the trade, and people could always get a good deal from him.

In fact, if you always try to take advantage of others, your relationships will get worse and worse, and you will eventually be seen as cunning and deceitful. But if you let others take advantage of you, your relationships will get better and better. It may seem like you are losing, but in reality, you are gaining.

"Let's do this. Tell me the lowest price. I'm a poor student. If I can afford it, I'll buy it; if not, I'll pass. I really want this book, and it would be a good start for our business." Yu Lifei said. He probably only had 150 yuan on him, but he still needed to eat and sleep. Even if sleeping was easy to solve, he couldn't go without food.

"Alright, 80 yuan, you can take it," Li Xuanmo said. Even though he was honest, after a few years in the antique business, he had become more worldly and sophisticated. He had bought the book for 10 yuan and thought it was a modern imitation, only suitable for selling as a used item, not an antique.

"Boss, 80 yuan is still a bit expensive. I'm buying this as a gift. How about a fixed price of 50 yuan? This would be your first sale, and it would also be a good start for our relationship. We can become friends, and I'll come back to buy more from you in the future," Yu Lifei said sincerely. He thought Li Xuanmo was only a few years older than him, and young people should be easy to talk to and not too stubborn.

"Alright, 50 yuan it is. Let's be friends," Li Xuanmo nodded straightforwardly. For him, turning a 10 yuan item into 50 yuan was already a good deal.

Although Yu Lifei felt a bit heartbroken, he paid the money quickly, put the book in his bag, and was about to leave. But just as he stood up, a middle-aged man nearby spoke up, "Young man, are you selling this book?"

PS: New book uploaded, please recommend, collect, and support.

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