Chapter 10

Update Time: 2012-11-04

The day of harvest was undoubtedly a pleasant one. With the joy of a bountiful harvest, Wang Ke said goodbye to Liu Gang and hurried toward his rented residence.

The two magical artifacts he had picked up for a bargain had sold for a total of 250,000 yuan, and he had sent 50,000 yuan to his parents. Now, he had 200,000 yuan left in his bank account.

200,000 yuan!

For someone who had been poor for so long, this was a substantial amount of wealth.

He pondered whether he should rent a better place to live. The house he was currently renting was in a dilapidated courtyard with a total of eight tile-roofed rooms. Two of these rooms were occupied by the landlord's family, and the rest were rented out.

"That kid is sensible, always honest and straightforward. Otherwise, I would have kicked him out long ago. But still, a young man like him is too much of a failure. He locks himself in his room every day. Hmph, I think that kid Wang Ke is just a good-for-nothing who waits for death..."

As he approached the courtyard gate, Wang Ke heard a slightly hoarse woman's voice. His face darkened instantly. In the courtyard, there was a middle-aged couple. The woman had a bit of charm but a foul mouth, while her husband was a burly man with tattoos, very aggressive. The other residents in the courtyard often gossiped that the man was involved in the underworld, so no one wanted to provoke this couple.

Even though the middle-aged woman constantly stirred up trouble and gossiped about others, everyone adopted a "better to avoid than to confront" attitude, and there had been no conflicts with the couple.

Wang Ke despised the middle-aged couple. They were the only ones in the courtyard with a broken-down minivan, which made them feel superior, and they often showed off.

Pushing the courtyard gate open with a blank expression, Wang Ke glanced at the middle-aged woman and ignored her, walking toward his room.

Seeing Wang Ke return, the woman's face lifted slightly, a look of disdain on her face. She stepped in front of Wang Ke and said, "Hey, kid Wang, don't just lock yourself in your room every day. Your meager salary won't get you far. You should go out more and find more ways to make money. I really look down on you. At your age, you should be working hard. How will you live in the future? Where will you get the money to date and find a wife?"

Wang Ke's brows furrowed, and he said coolly, "Whether I make money or find a wife is none of your business."

The middle-aged couple was taken aback. They didn't expect Wang Ke to stand up to them. The woman's face turned red with anger, and she almost pointed at Wang Ke's nose, shouting, "You little punk, are you getting too bold? What attitude is this? I'm just concerned about you. You're really ungrateful. If we weren't neighbors, I wouldn't care about you. With your attitude, you won't amount to much. You just look good, but you'll probably end up being a pretty boy..."

Wang Ke looked at the gossipy woman coldly, unmoved by her tirade.

He changed his mind and walked straight to the landlord's room, bypassing the woman.

The woman thought Wang Ke was backing down and spoke even more confidently as he walked away.

"Little Wang, is there something you need?"

The landlord was a very honest middle-aged man. Seeing Wang Ke, he looked puzzled.

Wang Ke nodded and said, "Uncle Landlord, it's the end of the month. I won't be renting the house next month."

The landlord's face froze, then he looked distressed, quickly glancing at the gossipy woman, and invited Wang Ke into his room, closing the door before asking, "Little Wang, did that gossipy couple bother you?"

Wang Ke shook his head and said, "No, it's for other reasons."

The landlord nodded silently, took out a cigarette, lit it, and smoked a few puffs before saying bitterly, "If you're moving out, you'll be the third person this month. If this continues, no one will be left here."

Wang Ke understood the landlord's situation. Two households had already moved out this month due to the gossipy couple.

"Little Wang, today you came to see me, let's chat. Sigh, to be honest, I'm almost at my limit. My son is taking the college entrance exam this year, and the exam is getting closer, but he can't study at home. You know, that couple plays loud music every night, almost shaking the roof. And they often have hooligans and gangsters over to drink and play cards, making a lot of noise. We can't even sleep."

"Little Wang, you're a good young man. You don't talk much, but you're very thoughtful. I know I can't keep you here for long. There's a saying, 'A golden carp is not a pond fish; once it meets the wind and clouds, it becomes a dragon.' I've been feeling down for a long time, and today I'll tell you."

"That couple has lived here for two and a half years and still owes me two years' rent. Our family is very poor, and we have to support my son's education. I've asked them many times, but they always say they have no money. I've decided to move my wife and son out soon to create a good study environment for my son. I'll stay here and deal with them."

Wang Ke looked at the honest landlord, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Every family has its own troubles. He wanted to comfort the landlord but didn't know what to say. He knew that any comforting words would be weak and ineffective.

Seeing the landlord smoke cheap cigarettes, Wang Ke sighed. Looking around the room, he could see how poor the landlord's life was.

Suddenly, his eyes stopped, and they lit up.

On the old eight-legged table, there was an incense burner. From its ancient and simple design, Wang Ke sensed something unusual. Although he wasn't an expert, he could tell the difference between good and bad.

"Landlord, can I take a look at the incense burner on the eight-legged table?" Wang Ke asked.

The landlord was taken aback and waved his hand, saying, "Sure, it's just an old incense burner."

Wang Ke walked to the table, picked up the incense burner, and examined it carefully. The more he looked, the more he felt that this incense burner was not ordinary and might be an old artifact.

It was a tripod incense burner, with a blue and white design. The body was divided into three sections: a long, wide basin at the top, a square middle section, and a base with four outward-sloping legs. The shape was robust and elegant, and the blue and white patterns were fluid, indicating a high level of craftsmanship.

There were no flaws or signs of forgery.

Wang Ke was excited but couldn't be 100% sure it was an antique. However, he felt it was genuine, a mysterious intuition he couldn't explain.

It might even be a magical artifact!

This thought came to him and couldn't be suppressed.

Could it be that he was having a stroke of luck and found another bargain?

Today, his supernatural eye couldn't be used, which was a bit disappointing. If he could use it, he could easily determine if the incense burner was a magical artifact.

Wang Ke hesitated for a moment and then turned to the landlord, saying, "Landlord, would you sell me this incense burner? I think it might be valuable, but I'm not sure."

The landlord was taken aback, his eyes becoming strange. He knew Wang Ke worked in an antique shop, but could this incense burner, which had been in his home for decades, really be valuable?

"Little Wang, are you mistaken? This thing has been in our home for decades, it's just a regular incense burner!" The landlord reminded him kindly, fearing he might be wrong.

For decades?

So, this incense burner wasn't a recent forgery?

Suppressing his excitement, Wang Ke said, "Landlord, to be honest, I'm not sure. As you know, I'm just a helper in an antique shop, and I don't have much experience. I was fired today. But if you're willing to sell it to me, I'll pay more."

No one turns down money, not even the honest landlord.

After a moment's hesitation, the landlord asked, "Little Wang, how much can you offer for this incense burner?"

Wang Ke had thought about it and said, "What about 500 yuan?"

The landlord was startled and almost without hesitation, said loudly, "Okay, 500 yuan, it's yours!"

Wang Ke nodded. He had 1,500 yuan in cash from his boss, and he hadn't spent much of it. He quickly counted out five 100-yuan bills and handed them to the landlord, then smiled, "So, this incense burner is mine now!"

He had already decided that if the incense burner was genuine, or even better, a magical artifact, he would give half of the money he earned from selling it back to the landlord. In his view, finding a bargain should also be done with integrity. The landlord was honest and had a hard life, so returning half the money would make him feel better.

A few minutes later, Wang Ke returned to his room with the incense burner. Before his buttocks had even warmed the bed, loud rock music started playing from the room of the gossipy couple next door.

Wang Ke's face darkened. He had endured the couple for a long time, and they had become even more brazen recently.

Enough was enough. Since he was leaving anyway, he decided to warn them and help the landlord.

Wang Ke stood up, placed the incense burner on the bedside table, and walked out of his room.

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