Chapter 26

Yang Bo got off the bus and walked along the street, looking at the familiar surroundings with a deep sense of emotion. He had never imagined that he could achieve this much. According to his previous plans, it would have taken him until his forties to reach this point, but now he had achieved it much earlier.

As he walked to a small alley not far from Gu De Zhai, Yang Bo saw a man in his thirties with a bulging cloth bag around his waist, acting quite suspiciously.

Yang Bo just glanced at him and didn't want to meddle. He had encountered such vendors before; they didn't set up stalls honestly but roamed the streets, attracting buyers with a mysterious demeanor and then luring them in. The items these vendors had were often overpriced, and Yang Bo didn't want to get involved.

"Little brother, do you want to buy an inkstone?"

Just as Yang Bo was about to walk past, the man blocked his way, holding an inkstone and covering it with the corner of his clothes.

"No, thanks." Yang Bo glanced at it and saw that the inkstone was as black as ink, with a lot of dirt on its surface. Just one look was enough for him to know it was a fake, with obvious signs of artificial aging.

"Brother, take a look, I have quite a few more!" The man didn't give up and quickly took out another item from his pocket, offering it to Yang Bo.

Yang Bo didn't even look at it and shook his head, "Forget it, I don't have the money to buy it."

Fang Yuan carefully examined Yang Bo, seemingly trying to confirm something, but said casually, "Brother, you're talking as if you don't have money. In this antique street, who doesn't have money?"

Yang Bo glanced at him and noticed that the man was holding a peach-shaped Duan inkstone. Duan inkstones are one of the four famous inkstones, produced in Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province. "Let me see this inkstone."

Fang Yuan was delighted that Yang Bo didn't refuse and quickly handed the Duan inkstone over.

Yang Bo carefully examined the inkstone. It was shaped like a peach, small and delicate, with several peach leaves carved at the top. The inkstone pool followed the shape of the leaves, and the inkstone surface was shallow and flat, forming a complete and harmonious shape.

Yang Bo had never had the opportunity to handle a Duan inkstone before, though he knew some of its characteristics. He couldn't easily authenticate a contemporary Duan inkstone. He flipped the inkstone over and saw the inscription "Qingxuezhai Owner" in small regular script.

"How much is this inkstone?" Yang Bo asked, squinting his eyes as he stared at the inkstone.

"Ten thousand yuan," Fang Yuan said, adding, "Nowadays, Duan inkstones are very rare. The stone mines are depleted, and the production of Duan inkstones is extremely low. Many Duan inkstones are not genuine, and even the best ones are hard to come by for ordinary people. This Duan inkstone was made around the mid-Qing Dynasty, which is quite rare!"

A light flashed before Yang Bo's eyes, and a halo slowly gathered in the center of the Duan inkstone. Before the halo fully formed, Yang Bo had already given up, seeing its shape.

He handed the peach-shaped Duan inkstone back, "It's too expensive, I can't afford it."

Fang Yuan was taken aback, not expecting such a reaction from Yang Bo. After all, businessmen understand the principle of asking a high price and then negotiating. However, after a moment of awkwardness, he took out another inkstone and offered it to Yang Bo, "Here, take a look at this one!"

Yang Bo glanced at it and shook his head, "Forget it, I won't look. I can't afford it anyway."

"Hey, don't be in a hurry, there's bound to be one that suits you!" Fang Yuan laughed and took out three more inkstones from his bag, two of which were Duan inkstones.

Yang Bo smiled, "Looks like you specialize in Duan inkstones?"

"More or less. Among the four famous inkstones, I prefer Duan inkstones the most," Fang Yuan said.

Yang Bo took them and examined each one, quickly returning them, "Still, forget it!"

Fang Yuan became anxious, seemingly worried that he couldn't sell the inkstones to Yang Bo. He pressed his hands down, "Wait a moment, I'll go back and get a few more inkstones. I don't believe I don't have one you want!"

Yang Bo shook his head, "No need to trouble yourself. Your inkstones are too expensive. I have some business to attend to. We can talk another time."

Fang Yuan held onto Yang Bo, "Don't be in a hurry, just a moment, five minutes. I live nearby, just wait for me a bit, okay?"

Without waiting for Yang Bo's response, Fang Yuan turned and ran.

Yang Bo stood there for a while, puzzled. What was the man's intention? Did he really want to sell the inkstone to him?

Did he really want to sell the inkstone to him?

Yang Bo's heart skipped a beat at the thought. He was a suspicious person, and two years of living frugally had made him very cautious with money. He had been suspicious when Li Er tried to lure him in the ghost market, but fortunately, it turned out well.

This time, he decided to wait, as he had the confidence to authenticate the items. Even if the man tried to deceive him, he could simply not buy.

...

Fang Yuan looked around and hurried into a small courtyard, which was shaded by a grape arbor, making it quite secluded.

A man was already standing there, looking at Fang Yuan, "How did it go? Did he buy any?"

Fang Yuan was panting, "Boss Jia, the one you want to deal with isn't easy to fool. He looked at all the inkstones, but none of them satisfied him!"

"None of them satisfied him?" Jia Huairen frowned. This time, he had indeed contacted Fang Yuan, a street vendor, to plot against Yang Bo's few ten thousand yuan. Although he didn't know how much the fish basket was sold for, he knew Yang Bo had made money!

Jia Huairen recalled that early morning when Yang Bo, after his stern words, resolutely walked out of the shop. Later, Yang Bo became a lackey for Guo Bapi, trying to deceive his money. All of this he could not tolerate!

"No," Fang Yuan paused, hesitating, "Do you think it's because our prices were too high?"

"How much did you ask for?" Jia Huairen asked.

"I asked for ten thousand. The price sounds high, but the key is that he didn't negotiate!"

"He didn't negotiate?" Jia Huairen's voice sharpened, "Did he see through it?"

"I don't think so. I didn't say much. I have to go back quickly; if he leaves, it will be bad!" Fang Yuan didn't know about their grudge and wisely didn't ask more.

"Didn't you prepare some items? Bring them over!" Fang Yuan walked into the room.

"There's a Buddha statue, an ivory board, and an inkstone, but the quality isn't good," Jia Huairen said loudly, instructing, "Don't set the price too high, but don't set it too low either. A price between thirty thousand and fifty thousand yuan should be within his reach!"

"Got it, I understand!"