Chapter 2

Zhou Bomin hurried over: "Xiao Yang... are you leaving?"

"Uncle Zhou, I... can I still continue working here?" Yang Kang smiled bitterly. Although he didn't want to leave, it was hard to find a job in his field, but if he stayed, could he really continue? Ever since he found out that the pawnshop belonged to the Wang family, he had felt uneasy. However, Zhou Bomin had been good to him, and Wang Qiyin hadn't caused him any trouble recently, so he had endured it, swallowing his pride for the sake of his livelihood. Sometimes, one has to swallow their pride to survive.

"But what will you do?" Zhou Bomin was still a bit worried and asked with a frown.

"Uncle Zhou, I have two good hands. Am I afraid of starving to death? Even if I go to a construction site to do hard labor, it's still a way to make a living. Thank you for always supporting me," Yang Kang said hurriedly, thinking that as a young man without a family to support, he could manage without starving.

"Alright, I'll help you look for a job. If I find something suitable, I'll introduce you. Since you're leaving, I won't say more. Go to the finance department to settle your salary for this month," Zhou Bomin said.

"No need!" Yang Kang felt a bit bitter. It was only the 5th of the month, and he had only worked for five days. The salary wouldn't be much. He decided to leave it and said goodbye to Zhou Bomin. Yang Kang picked up a simple convenience bag and left Wang's Pawnshop.

In the city of Nanjing in July, at 12:30 PM, the sun was scorching, making the heat unbearable. Cicadas were chirping loudly in the shade of the sycamore trees, adding to the summer atmosphere. The streets were empty, making the usually crowded roads seem desolate. Yang Kang tried to stay under the shade of the trees. Wang's Pawnshop was near the Confucius Temple, not far from the antique street, so he didn't plan to take a taxi.

However, after walking a few steps, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, especially with the intense heat and the hot waves hitting him. He leaned against a sycamore tree and couldn't help but touch his chest. Instinctively, he reached inside his shirt, but he froze when he felt nothing. The black woven cord around his neck was still there, but the small copper coin that was on it was gone.

"Lost?" Yang Kang's face turned sour. He quickly took the cord off his neck to check it. The cord was not broken, but the small copper coin that was on it had vanished without a trace.

Could it have fallen during the fight with Wang Qiyin? Thinking of this, Yang Kang hurriedly turned to go back to the pawnshop. This small copper coin was very important to him. It was worth nothing, but he remembered clearly that when he was eight years old, during the summer vacation, his mother took him to Yangzhou Daming Temple. When they passed the wishing pool, his mother, who was playful and had a childlike temperament, climbed over the railing and picked up a small copper coin from the edge of the pool.

Yang Kang still remembered how happy and proud his mother looked when she did that. After they returned, his mother personally wove a black cord and hung the small copper coin around his neck, saying it was a gift from Buddha and would bless him with a long life.

However, his father, Yang Chongxuan, who dealt in antiques, laughed when he saw the coin. It was a modern replica, and the ancient script on it was not "Tongbao" but "Taiyin Baoyan." This small copper coin was worth nothing, but it held precious memories of his mother. If his mother were still alive, Yang Kang wouldn't care about this worthless coin.

When he was fifteen, his mother died of cancer... So, he cherished this small copper coin, always wearing it, feeling as if his mother was always with him.

Now that the coin was lost, he was naturally very anxious and turned to rush back to the pawnshop. But after taking a few steps, he paused. The cord he used was a special woven cord for hanging jade, very sturdy. It hadn't broken, so theoretically, the coin shouldn't have fallen off.

He thought about this and couldn't help but search his pockets again—his shirt pockets, his pants pockets, even his convenience bag, but found nothing.

Just then, his eyes caught something. In his haste, he had unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. When he looked down, he saw a bloodstain on his left chest, clearly showing the ancient script "Taiyin Baoyan."

Yang Kang suddenly remembered that Wang Qiyin had kicked him in the chest. At the time, he only felt the pain, but could it be that the kick had pressed the coin into his skin, leaving the imprint? But where did the coin go?

Could it have somehow embedded itself in his flesh? Yang Kang thought about this and couldn't help but touch his chest. It was a bit painful, but it didn't seem to be a serious issue.

Unable to find the coin, Yang Kang stood under the shade of the tree for a moment, then buttoned up his shirt and picked up his convenience bag, walking listlessly towards his uncle's house.

Jiang Yan was not his real uncle but a distant cousin of his father. They didn't have much blood relation, but since they both lived in Nanjing, they had some interactions.

After the family's misfortune two years ago, he naively hoped that his uncle Jiang Yan would lend him some money to help him through the tough times. However, Jiang Yan took advantage of the situation, using some connections to buy their shop on the antique street at a low price.

Then, Jiang Yan's wife, Wei Yan, with a face of benevolence, took in the homeless and pitiful Yang Kang, letting him stay in their storage room.

Although Yang Kang didn't want to see the Jiang family, his salary of about 3,000 yuan a month wasn't enough to rent a place outside, so he had to accept the dirty and cluttered storage room.

As he entered the house, he saw Wei Yan about to leave with her handbag.

Wei Yan was a bit surprised to see Yang Kang and asked, "Why are you back so early? What happened to your face? Did you get into a fight?"

Wei Yan's eyes fell on Yang Kang's face. The finger marks had faded, but the redness and swelling were still visible, and his lips were cracked with some blood that hadn't been wiped clean.