Chapter 18

Wei Yan, with an impatient look on her face, said, "Are you done yet? If you're done, let's go!"

"Let's go!" Yang Kang nodded, dragging his suitcase and walking out on his own. It was July, and at two in the afternoon, the heat was like being roasted by a fire. As soon as he stepped out the door, a wave of heat hit him.

The bank wasn't far, and it only took a few minutes to walk there. But Jiang Yan still asked Jiang Shanghua to drive them. Since the bank had just opened, and it was such a hot day, there was no one around at this time. After Yang Kang filled out the transfer form, he asked Wei Yan and Jiang Yan to sign the two contracts and borrowed some stamping ink from the bank so they could press their fingerprints.

Then he went to the bank to process the transfer. The transfer was naturally quick, and in less than ten minutes, Jiang Yan received a text message from the bank confirming the deposit. Instantly, he and Wei Yan both beamed with joy, and Jiang Shanghua was extremely pleased.

"Mr. Jiang Yan, did you receive the money?" Yang Kang stood in front of Jiang Yan and asked.

"I received it!" Jiang Yan was in a great mood at this moment, and he seemed to find Yang Kang much more tolerable.

"From now on, we're even, right?" Yang Kang asked deliberately.

"Yes!" Before Jiang Yan could speak, Wei Yan hurriedly interjected.

"Oh, that's good!" Yang Kang nodded, and then suddenly raised his hand and slapped Jiang Yan's face hard.

"Ah..." Jiang Yan was completely caught off guard. He didn't expect Yang Kang to strike him while smiling and talking. He was instantly dazed by the blow.

"My father didn't owe you any money, and I didn't freeload at your place. So why did you hit me?" Yang Kang said with a cold laugh. "I'm just returning the favor."

Wei Yan, after a moment of shock, quickly recovered. She started cursing loudly and tried to grab and hit Yang Kang.

But Yang Kang had already moved to the side, dragging his suitcase and the snake skin bag out of the bank. He turned and walked away, completely ignoring them.

It took about ten minutes to walk from the bank to Ruyi Workshop. It wasn't far, and standing at the entrance of Ruyi Workshop, Yang Kang hesitated for a moment. The workshop was clearly recently renovated, with two storefronts, and the interior was decorated in an ancient and elegant style.

Just as he was hesitating, the door of Ruyi Workshop opened from the inside, and a middle-aged man with a gentle face and a refined demeanor walked out. He looked at Yang Kang and asked, "Yang Kang?"

"Yes, are you Mr. Shao?" Yang Kang asked hurriedly.

"Yep!" Mr. Shao nodded and smiled. "Old Zhou just told me about you. Since you're here, come in quickly. It's so hot outside. Why are you standing there in the sun? You'll get sunburned!"

As he spoke, he ushered Yang Kang inside, took the suitcase and the snake skin bag from his hands, and asked, "Did you have an argument with Jiang Yan?"

"Uh?" Yang Kang was a bit stunned. How did he know about that?

Mr. Shao chuckled and said, "Look for yourself. Since the doors are opposite each other, I would have known even if I didn't know before. Come, come, let's not talk about that. Sit down!"

As he spoke, Mr. Shao gestured for Yang Kang to sit on the leather sofa inside, and then he turned and walked towards the kitchen.

Yang Kang took a look around the shop. With two storefronts, it was quite spacious. The outer room had shelves along one wall, displaying various exquisite vases. However, he didn't see any genuine antiques, so they were likely from Jingdezhen.

At the end of the shelves, opposite the door, was a large computer desk with an Apple laptop. The two storefronts were separated by a multi-tiered cabinet.

The multi-tiered cabinet, which originated in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, was made of high-quality wood and had various-sized compartments without a back or doors, used to display antiques or decorative items.

On the multi-tiered cabinet, there were also some vases and other decorative items, but Yang Kang didn't see any antiques, only modern crafts, which looked quite nice. The inner room was like a living room, with comfortable leather sofas and a daybed by the window for reading and relaxing.

There was also a small dining area and kitchen, as well as a bathroom, but since Mr. Shao didn't invite him, he didn't feel comfortable looking around.

As Yang Kang was looking around, Mr. Shao came out with a large glass of watermelon juice and handed it to him, saying, "Here, have some watermelon juice. I just made it for you."

"Thank you!" Yang Kang took the watermelon juice, took a sip, and said, "Mr. Shao, Uncle Zhou said you need a helper?"

"Yes!" Mr. Shao smiled. "I need someone to take care of the shop, so I need someone who knows about antiques and the rules of the trade. Uncle Zhou said your family used to be in the antique business, so I assume you know the general rules?"

"Um!" Yang Kang nodded. "If it's just about knowing the rules, I think I can handle it."

"That's settled!" Mr. Shao said. "I'm not looking for a master appraiser, so you don't need to know how to authenticate antiques. Of course, if you do, that would be even better."

"I studied history, so I can talk about it theoretically," Yang Kang said honestly. The *Taiyin Baojian* was his secret, and he wouldn't tell anyone about it.

"Great!" Mr. Shao chuckled. "You're very honest. To be frank, all your conditions fit my requirements. Now, let's talk about the most important point. If you agree to this, I'll hire you."

"What's the most important point?" Yang Kang asked curiously.

"We're in the antique business, and although we're not a pawnshop, people will still come to pawn items, right? Look, who doesn't have a sign outside their door that says 'High Prices for Antiques, Calligraphy, Gold, Silver, and Jade'?"

"Um!" Yang Kang nodded. The sign was also on the door of Yuzhenzhai, and although not many people came, some did.

"The most important point is that you bear your own profits and losses," Mr. Shao said. "I'm being upfront to avoid any complaints later. If someone comes to pawn something and I'm not around, the items you accept are yours, and the profits or losses are yours. Can you handle that?"

Yang Kang was taken aback for a moment, then he gestured and asked, "Mr. Shao, do you mean that if someone comes to pawn something, and I buy it for 300 yuan, then sell it for 1,000 yuan, the 700 yuan profit is mine?"

"Exactly!" Mr. Shao nodded repeatedly. "That's right. If you buy it for 1,000 yuan, but it's only worth 300 yuan, the 700 yuan loss is also yours, and I won't be responsible."

Yang Kang thought for a moment and understood Mr. Shao's concern. If he hired a shop assistant who randomly accepted items, even a fortune might not be enough to cover the losses. So, this rule was to prevent the assistant from misusing the name of Ruyi Workshop.

(Thank you, Jingyi0903, for your support. I'll try to write more, but 120,000 words is an impossible goal! Next time, could you vote for a smaller amount?)

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