Chapter 28

"Where have you been these past two days? You still know how to come back!" Guo Bapi glared at Yang Bo, his anger surging up.

Yang Bo understood, "There was an issue at home, so I went back for a bit."

"Didn't you have a phone? Couldn't you have called in advance?" Guo Bapi, still furious after hearing Yang Bo's explanation, continued, "Do you not know how valuable the items in my shop are? If they were really stolen while you were away, could you afford to compensate?"

Yang Bo looked at Guo Bapi calmly, not saying a word. He knew Guo Bapi's character; he must feel that since he had paid the wages, Yang Bo should have been working. He was upset about the two days' wages! Besides, all the valuable items in the shop were hidden away; what could possibly be stolen?

Seeing Yang Bo's reaction, Guo Bapi became even angrier, "What kind of attitude is this? When you make a mistake, you should admit it. What does your silence mean?"

"Deduct the wages! Since you were absent for two days, the money should be deducted, and you should be punished even more! Clearly, you don't want to work here anymore!" Guo Bapi seemed to be losing his temper.

Yang Bo, hearing Guo Bapi finally mention this, was ready to agree and quit his job.

Just as he was about to speak, a light laugh came from outside the door, followed by the sound of someone clapping and laughing, "Mr. Guo, you sure have a lot of authority! If you don't want this employee, why don't you let him go to me?"

Guo Bapi looked up and saw that the person who had arrived was his old rival, Jia Huairen from Bogu Hall. He glared at Yang Bo and coldly snorted, "This is an internal matter of Gudezhai. Do you, the boss of Bogu Hall, want to interfere?"

Jia Huairen smiled brightly, "Mr. Guo, you're joking. Who doesn't know your protective nature? How dare I take food from your bowl!"

Guo Bapi snorted, "I'll give you credit for knowing your place, Mr. Jia!"

Jia Huairen glanced at Yang Bo, noticing the brick-like inkstone on the side table. He smiled inwardly but said casually, "Oh, yes, I wouldn't dare take food from your bowl, but whether the food in the bowl has gone bad is another matter!"

Before Guo Bapi could react, Yang Bo was suddenly stunned and turned to look at Jia Huairen, surprised by his intentions.

Jia Huairen rarely came to Gudezhai, and every time he did, something significant happened. Yang Bo clearly remembered the last time Jia Huairen came, Guo Bapi lost over 100,000 yuan. This visit was likely not innocent!

Guo Bapi was also curious, "Mr. Jia, your words are quite puzzling!"

Jia Huairen laughed, turning to look at Yang Bo, "Little Yang has been at Gudezhai for two years, right?"

Yang Bo stiffened when Jia Huairen looked at him, realizing that Jia Huairen's visit to Gudezhai was specifically for him!

Guo Bapi nodded, "Yes, two years. He came around the same time as Li Ling from your shop. He was just a young boy back then, but he has grown up now!"

Jia Huairen smiled, "Two years is not a short time. Some people don't change in two years, while others can transform completely, from a poor boy to an appraiser!"

Guo Bapi, despite the vague words, quickly understood, "What do you mean, Mr. Jia?"

Jia Huairen's face was filled with a playful smile, "I see Mr. Guo doesn't know about this. Little Yang, haven't you told Mr. Guo about it?"

Guo Bapi looked at Yang Bo, "What's going on?"

Yang Bo stared at Jia Huairen, unsure of his intentions. If he wanted Guo Bapi to fire him, it wouldn't be so complicated. After a brief pause, seeing Guo Bapi's impatience, he said, "It's nothing much. I bought an item recently, and Mr. Jia saw it. He might have mistaken it for something valuable!"

Despite his dissatisfaction with Yang Bo's slow response, Guo Bapi believed him. In his mind, this was the kind of thing that would happen, as Yang Bo was just a two-year apprentice. If he could easily find valuable items in the antique market, it would be quite surprising!

"Mr. Jia, you can't really believe that Yang Bo found a treasure, can you?" Guo Bapi said.

Jia Huairen was taken aback by Guo Bapi's reaction, "Mr. Guo, you're so gullible! Do you know who was with me that day? Curator Qu!"

"At the time, Little Yang brought a Qing Dynasty Yongzheng imitation Jun glaze fish basket vase to my shop, which he bought at the ghost market. Curator Qu was there, and he praised Little Yang's skills, saying he has a bright future!"

Guo Bapi was stunned, "No way, I've never seen him go to the ghost market to buy items. Did he really find a bargain?"

Guo Bapi's mouth dropped open, finding it hard to believe. It was like a classmate who always studied hard but performed poorly suddenly announcing that he got into a prestigious university. The surprise was unimaginable!

Jia Huairen, seeing Guo Bapi's reaction, laughed, "Mr. Guo, your teaching is excellent. Even your young employees can find bargains. Truly impressive!"

Guo Bapi's face was awkward, and he could only laugh, "Mr. Jia, you're flattering me. I think Li Ling has more talent!"

Though he said this politely, Guo Bapi's face was already starting to show his discomfort. Yang Bo was his employee, and for such a significant event to happen, he might be the last to know. This was unbearable for him! Moreover, Yang Bo's sudden departure without notice made him even more frustrated, feeling that he couldn't control this young employee anymore!

"Little Yang, where is that fish basket vase now?" Jia Huairen asked with a smile.

"Sold!" Yang Bo glanced at him, feeling that Mr. Jia was particularly active today, always targeting him.

"Sold?" Jia Huairen laughed, "Where did you sell it, and for how much?"

Yang Bo shook his head, "I just wandered around the outskirts of the ghost market and didn't get much money."

Seeing Yang Bo's reluctance to speak, Jia Huairen became even more interested, "Oh, just wandering around the outskirts, that's not bad at all!"