Chapter 4

Jiangcheng has always been a key town of the country, with a deep cultural and historical heritage. Artifacts and antiques from various dynasties can be found here, attracting a steady stream of treasure hunters and collectors, thus forming a unique antique collection culture.

The Antique Street is the place in Jiangcheng with the most comprehensive variety of antiques and the highest concentration of treasure hunters. Besides the antique shops lining both sides of the street, a unique street stall culture has also formed on the periphery. A few newspapers or an old cloth laid on the ground, with some old items placed on top, and business can begin.

Although they all pay market management fees, there are differences in the locations of the stalls. Those who get up early to secure a good spot usually have a few customers throughout the day, so they set up their stalls before dawn.

For Xu Qing, it was just a passing by, and he had no interest in the old items displayed, especially since he only had ten yuan in his pocket.

"Sir, could you help this old lady buy a book?" An elderly woman with gray temples softly tried to sell an old book from her stall, but her words immediately triggered a burst of laughter from the neighboring stall owners.

"Old Lady Hua, didn't you see the dew on his face? He probably ran out of the house after a quarrel. He's not in the mood to read books..." A stall owner dressed in a traditional money suit and wearing a melon-shaped hat, looking like a wealthy landlord, said.

"Look at his outfit; he probably can't even pull out a red note."

Xu Qing had rushed out, wearing a tank top and shorts, and had fallen in the park, so his clothes were covered with grass and dirt. He indeed didn't look like someone with money.

The old lady smiled indifferently and said, "This book is the cheapest at five yuan each, not an expensive item. Opening for business early in the morning is a good omen."

"I think Old Lady Hua is so eager to open for business that she's lost her mind. Can your few books of quotes and Republic of China books really be worth five yuan each?" Someone else teased.

Old Lady Hua came to secure her spot every early morning, but her business was extremely slow. She hadn't made a sale in the past few days, so she actively called out, hoping to make a sale for a good omen.

Miraculously, Xu Qing stopped and squatted down to casually flip through the old books on Old Lady Hua's stall. When he picked up a tattered map book with a missing cover, his right eyelid suddenly twitched, and in his pupils, he saw a thin square piece of paper with a picture of an elephant and the words "Da Qing, Post Office, 5 Li Silver" printed on it.

"Is this a stamp?" Xu Qing's heart skipped a beat. He flipped through a few pages and found that the stamp with the elephant was stuck to the page, moving with it as if glued.

He tried to peel it off with his fingers, but the stamp didn't budge. The page had a hidden layer, and a thought flashed through his mind. Xu Qing was startled and quickly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the page had returned to its original state, as if it were a momentary illusion.

"Sir, this book is quite old. If you like it, take it for ten yuan, and it will be a good start for this old lady..." Old Lady Hua saw Xu Qing's lack of interest and couldn't help but start whispering again.

"Eight yuan? I'll have two yuan left for the bus fare." Xu Qing put down the map book, patted the grass and dirt off his pants, and stood up.

Old Lady Hua hesitated for a moment, picked up the map book, and thrust it into Xu Qing's hands, saying, "Alright, eight yuan..."

Being able to make a sale early in the morning, even at a lower price, was a good omen. This map book had been appraised before and was not a rare ancient book, just a common early print, worth only a few yuan.

Xu Qing was straightforward, took out the crumpled bill, handed it over, rolled the map book, and tucked it into his pocket, then took the change and left.

After wandering all night, Xu Qing had made up his mind to go home. No matter how much his sister-in-law complained, he would stick to the job introduced by Ms. Zhu, working hard and earning his own living.

Xu Qing didn't take the bus but chose to walk, saving the two yuan for a breakfast at a nearby food stall.

As he walked to the breakfast stall, he ran into an acquaintance, his beautiful landlord, Zhu Xiaoling. She was slurping soup noodles with her head down, her back to Xu Qing, but he recognized her from her silhouette.

"Boss, a bowl of two-yuan soup noodles..." Xu Qing called out softly. Two-yuan soup noodles were rare in Jiangcheng, only found in such remote food stalls, a way to make a small profit by selling more.

"Sure thing! A bowl of plain noodles."

This was a father-son team, with the father cooking and the son serving. His call was unique, drawing the attention of two young men who joined in the fun.

"Boss, a bowl of thinly sliced meat noodles..."

"Uh! I want the one with the code, add more Wutong Lan... I mean, beef brisket..."

Ha ha ha...

One stone stirred a thousand waves. The mention of "no code" brought up Wutong Lan, causing a burst of laughter among the diners. Zhu Xiaoling also turned her head in surprise. When she saw Xu Qing sitting behind her, her eyebrows furrowed, and she walked over to sit opposite him with her bowl of noodles.

"Eating noodles?"

"Yep!"

Just then, the boss's son brought over the noodles. Hearing their conversation, he smiled and said, "When eating noodles, use fresh noodles!" He pointed to the soy sauce at the corner of the table.

Zhu Xiaoling remembered an advertising slogan and her tight lips curved into a smile. She glanced at the bowl of plain noodles and said, "Add some pork ribs for him."

"Sure thing!" The young man responded and walked back with the bowl.

"No need..." Xu Qing pinched the two yuan in his pocket, feeling a bit uneasy.

"What do you mean no need? I'll treat you," Zhu Xiaoling seemed to understand Xu Qing's predicament and smiled. "Where did you go last night? Your sister-in-law didn't sleep all night. If it's too much trouble, we can forget about yesterday's matter..."

"No, I have to do this job, but I need to ask you for a favor," Xu Qing bit his lip and said, "I will do the job well, just don't tell my sister-in-law."

"Alright! Go back and rest well. I'll call you when there's work." Zhu Xiaoling nodded, got up, paid the bill, and left. Xu Qing watched her graceful silhouette, feeling a warm sense of care. Ms. Zhu was a good person, just a bit fierce when she got angry.

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