Chapter 14

The two exchanged a few words, and seeing that he had gained little, Yang Bo turned and left.

Li Ling watched Yang Bo's departing figure, lost in thought. The two had become close due to their similar ages, and because of Yang Bo's kind nature, Li Ling was willing to be close to him. However, in recent times, Yang Bo had become increasingly mysterious, even to the point where Li Ling could no longer understand him.

Back at the Bugu Hall, Li Ling recounted his encounter with Yang Bo to Jia Huairen, concluding, "I feel like I can no longer see through Yang Bo."

Jia Huairen glanced at Li Ling, recalling the somewhat stubborn young man from the past. Unwilling for his nephew to associate with Yang Bo, he asked, "Has your friend ever told you that he bought a Qing Dynasty Yongzheng imitation Jun glaze fish basket vase a few days ago?"

Li Ling was taken aback, shaking his head with a smile, "His skills are just so-so, not much better than mine. It's probably fake!"

"No, it's a genuine piece. I saw it with my own eyes, at the last ghost market!" Jia Huairen watched Li Ling's expression, seeing him finally react, and then smiled, "You see, you value him, but he doesn't consider you a true friend. Otherwise, why wouldn't he share his good fortune with you?"

Li Ling sat to one side, silent, his expression changing. Although he had a premonition that their friendship had been rapidly deteriorating, he never expected it to happen so quickly!

"Li Ling, don't be easily deceived by others, and don't easily trust any outsider. Remember, it takes three days to test jade, and seven years to identify timber! Distance reveals the strength of a horse, and time reveals the heart of a man!" Jia Huairen laughed, "Now, you might not believe what I'm saying, but this is the wisdom of decades of experience!"

Li Ling sat there in a daze, unsure of what to think.

After a while, Jia Huairen casually asked, "I remember you once mentioned that Yang Bo's family was sick and in need of money, right?"

Li Ling nodded absentmindedly, "His father has liver cancer and needs a lot of medical expenses."

"Oh, I see!" Jia Huairen nodded and continued, "Speaking of which, I remember a few days ago, he appeared at our door with that money-grabbing guy. I'm thinking, this might not be Guo Bapi's doing, but perhaps it was all his own scheme!"

"That can't be, he wouldn't do that!" Li Ling defended.

"Don't rush to defend him, after all, the heart is a deep well!" Jia Huairen sighed.

"You must be tired. Go home and rest early tonight. I have some matters to discuss with someone here!" Jia Huairen said.

Li Ling's mind was full of questions, and he didn't seem to hear Jia Huairen. He nodded and left.

Jia Huairen watched Li Ling leave, sighing lightly. This can't be blamed on me; it's that boy's own fault for not knowing his place!

Yang Bo returned to the shop, tidied up a bit, and had dinner. His eyelids were already drooping.

He read for a while but couldn't keep his eyes open, so he went to bed early.

...

When he woke up in the early morning, Yang Bo was a bit hesitant. The ghost market had plenty of items, but good ones were rare. Yesterday, he had walked around for a long time but didn't find a single genuine piece, which left him feeling frustrated.

However, for 850,000 yuan, he quickly got up. This was an opportunity, and if he seized it, he might be able to gather the money sooner!

The last time he sold Kuncan's "Rain Washed Mountain Roots" painting, he got 350,000 yuan. He transferred 200,000 yuan home, leaving him with 150,000 yuan. Yesterday, he sold an early Shang Dynasty bronze string-patterned jue for 25,000 yuan, bringing his total to about 175,000 yuan. The amount he still needed was still quite large!

Entering the ghost market again, it was noisy and crowded with stalls and cluttered items.

Learning from yesterday's experience, Yang Bo was less patient and meticulous when examining items. Most of the traders at the small ghost market were small vendors and shopkeepers from around Nanjing, who had low requirements for items and even lower standards for the craftsmanship of fakes. As a result, most items were crudely made, and genuine pieces were rare, if not nonexistent.

After looking around for a while, he found nothing that caught his eye. Yang Bo frowned and continued to look.

"Hey, brother, want to check out my stuff?" Yang Bo was focused on an item when he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind.

He turned around and saw a man in his thirties with shifty eyes, raising his eyebrows and whispering, "Brother, I have a few good pieces. Want to take a look?"

Yang Bo didn't respond immediately. This was the first time he encountered such a situation, but he had heard of it before. The man was a middleman, trying to pull people in to make a commission. This happened because some items were better kept out of sight, and even displaying them on a stall could cause trouble.

"Where is it?" Yang Bo asked.

"Not far. Don't worry, I, Li Er, have been around these streets for a long time. I have a good reputation and won't rob you!" the man smiled.

"You, Li Er, might not rob people, but you're not gentle when it comes to overcharging!" A nearby stall owner, who had overheard their conversation, glared and interjected, "Li Er, you're overstepping. This is my stall, and you're pulling people right in front of it. That's not giving me face, is it?"

"Brother Zhang, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to. Have a smoke! Have a smoke!" Li Er kept smiling and tossed a cigarette over.

Seeing this, Yang Bo frowned. The two seemed to be acting deliberately!

This must be a trap! Yang Bo realized that even if Boss Zhang was magnanimous, he wouldn't be happy about Li Er pulling customers right in front of his stall, clearly trying to get him to vouch for him!

Moreover, if this deal became public, wouldn't it just invite trouble?

Despite suspecting a setup, Yang Bo considered it and decided to go along. After all, there were no good items at the small ghost market, and staying would just waste time. It was better to go and see, even if it was a dangerous situation, it might be worth it if he found something valuable!

Of course, Yang Bo was willing to go because he only had 5,000 yuan on him. Even if they tried to scam him, they wouldn't get much!

"Alright, lead the way, Boss Li!" Yang Bo said.

"Great, you're a man of action!" Li Er grinned, showing a row of white teeth.