Chapter 11

When Yang Bo returned to Gu Dezhai, the shop door was already open. He was not too surprised, and his mind was even at peace.

"Yang Bo, where have you been?" Guo Bapi sat in the middle of the hall with his legs spread wide, holding a cup of tea and asked.

"Oh, I just went out for a walk. Staying in the room all day makes me feel a bit stuffy," Yang Bo explained.

Guo Bapi was slightly taken aback. Normally, if he asked Yang Bo a question, Yang Bo would respond weakly. But today, he was calm and composed!

Yang Bo walked upstairs, intending to put the string-patterned jue in a safe place.

However, Guo Bapi's eyes were sharp, and he noticed the object with green rust in Yang Bo's hand. He quickly stopped him, "Yang Bo, wait a moment!"

Seeing Yang Bo pause, he smiled, "What's that rare thing in your hand? Can I take a look?"

Yang Bo hesitated for a moment and placed the string-patterned jue on the table.

Guo Bapi grinned, "You've been here for two years, and this is the first time you've brought something in, right?"

Yang Bo did not respond, remaining noncommittal.

Guo Bapi was not bothered by this; he even thought it was normal. He rolled up his sleeves, took out a magnifying glass, and carefully examined the string-patterned jue.

A jue is a drinking vessel, similar to a modern wine glass but more intricate. The string-patterned jue Yang Bo had was egg-shaped, with a spout in front, a pointed tail at the back, a handle on the side, and two mushroom-shaped knobs next to the spout, with three triangular feet at the bottom.

Guo Bapi studied the green rust for a long time before looking up, "I don't know much about bronze artifacts, so I can't tell if it's genuine or not."

Yang Bo had been with Guo Bapi for two years and could guess his intentions from his actions. When Guo Bapi spoke, his left eyebrow raised, indicating he was not being honest.

However, Yang Bo did not want to argue with Guo Bapi. He was focused on earning 850,000 yuan as soon as possible to help his father recover. So, after hearing Guo Bapi's words, Yang Bo picked up the string-patterned jue, nodded slightly, and turned to go upstairs.

Guo Bapi, seeing that Yang Bo was ignoring him, became anxious, "Hey, I can't tell if it's genuine, but I have friends who can. Why don't you let me handle it for you?"

Yang Bo was already on the stairs. Hearing Guo Bapi's words, he turned around, "No, I'll take a look at it myself."

Guo Bapi quickly said, "Ah, you young man, let me be honest. I think this string-patterned jue has a good chance of being genuine, so I want to have a friend look at it. You need money, and if it's genuine, I can help you sell it!"

Yang Bo looked at Guo Bapi without speaking. He didn't believe Guo Bapi was being so kind!

Sure enough, Guo Bapi continued, "You know I have a wide network of contacts. Finding a friend to help with something like this is easy. If it sells, a 10% commission would be enough."

Yang Bo's eyes widened. If the string-patterned jue was genuine, it should be from the early Shang Dynasty. Even if bronze artifacts are hard to sell now, it should fetch at least 10,000 to 20,000 yuan. A 10% commission would be 1,000 to 2,000 yuan, which he absolutely could not tolerate. After all, he had eaten egg-fried rice for over half a year to save 5 yuan!

Yang Bo shook his head, "No, I'll handle it myself."

After being refused multiple times, Guo Bapi became agitated, "What's wrong with you? I'm helping you sell it, and you don't even want to give me a commission? We don't even know if this string-patterned jue is genuine. Even if it is, I might not be willing to help!"

Yang Bo smiled at Guo Bapi, "Since you're not willing, let's just forget it."

Guo Bapi was speechless, unable to understand what was going on. Was Yang Bo not interested in working anymore?

As they were talking, a thin man, as slender as a bamboo pole, walked in. He stepped into Gu Dezhai and was surprised to see the two of them facing off.

Guo Bapi reacted quickly, shouting at Yang Bo, "Yang Bo, bring tea, good tea!"

Then, he greeted the man with a broad smile, "Professor Cao, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here today?"

The thin man glanced at Yang Bo, smiled, and was about to greet him but saw Yang Bo shake his head, which surprised him. He then smiled at Guo Bapi, "Boss Guo, I have some free time on the weekend and thought I'd take a look around. I also hope to find some interesting items!"

"Professor Cao, if what you find are just small items, then what we find must be nothing at all!" Guo Bapi said, making a not-so-funny joke but feeling quite pleased. It seemed his small shop had a good reputation, attracting even Professor Cao Yuande.

Yang Bo was deeply moved. He hadn't expected to see the thin man from that night at Jiyatang. His 850,000 yuan plan was not yet complete, and he did not want to expose himself, especially to Guo Bapi. After two years of working together, just as Yang Bo understood Guo Bapi, Guo Bapi also understood Yang Bo's habits. Sudden wealth or repeated lucky finds would inevitably raise suspicions, which he did not want.

He poured a pot of Longjing tea and waved at Yang Bo, "Go, go clean up. Professor Cao is our guest today, and we must leave a good impression!"

Yang Bo, who did not want to stay, took this opportunity to leave.

Unexpectedly, Professor Cao said, "No need to be so formal. Cleaning can wait. I think young people should get more practice and exposure to antiques."

Guo Bapi quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, Professor Cao is right. Young people should learn more!"

"Go thank Professor Cao," Guo Bapi said sternly to Yang Bo.

Guo Bapi's sudden change in attitude made Professor Cao frown, and he couldn't help but look at Yang Bo, wondering what their relationship was.

Yang Bo did not leave, feeling extremely unwilling, and could only glare at Professor Cao.

Professor Cao felt a bit embarrassed, "Boss Guo, it's better to educate young people."

Then, without waiting for Guo Bapi to respond, he asked, "I heard you two talking about a string-patterned jue just now. Is it a bronze string-patterned jue? Of course, I wasn't eavesdropping; I just happened to hear it at the door."

Guo Bapi's face froze, feeling quite unhappy. He had thought his antique shop had attracted Professor Cao, but it turned out he had come because he heard about the string-patterned jue.

Yang Bo was also surprised, feeling helpless. He had planned to take the string-patterned jue to Jiyatang, but he hadn't expected the thin man to come to the shop for it.