Chapter 54: Family Legacy

Unfortunately, the fleeting smile at the corner of Chen Xie's mouth betrayed his paper tiger nature.

Qian Siyu keenly seized this subtle expression, revealing a seductive smile. She raised her hand to coquettishly tidy her hair, sat up straight, and when Chen Xie strategically retreated, she said lightly, "Being beautiful isn't my fault; you should talk to my parents. If you really can't let it go, how about we do it right here?"

The alluring aura overwhelmed Chen Xie, who hastily retreated. Qian Siyu secretly rejoiced in her heart. "Little punk! Trying to compete with me. Do you even know who I am? A new woman of the internet age, I always set high standards for myself. Being able to handle both the living room and the kitchen is old news. Now, the standard is to be able to fight off a bully and outsmart a third party. A mere rookie almost fell for his fake tough act."

"You're ruthless! You even dare to say that!" Chen Xie silently admitted defeat, his cowardly nature fully exposed. "Beauty, you're not my type. Let's continue our business talk; we're both busy."

Qian Siyu, feeling a great victory, raised her chin triumphantly and said, "Alright, let's continue the business talk. Tell me, how can you continue to supply me?"

Chen Xie pretended to think for a moment before saying, "I recently acquired a few paintings, all used to settle debts. I'm not an expert in these, but if you can find someone to authenticate them, I'll continue to supply you."

Qian Siyu was delighted at this. "You're really asking for it. Let's go, bring your paintings, and I'll introduce you to someone."

Qian Siyu, acting swiftly, pulled Chen Xie out the door, pushed him into the car, and laughed triumphantly, "Little punk, let me show you what family legacy means."

The engine roared, and the car shot forward. However, after just a minute, Chen Xie burst into a mocking laugh, "Hahaha!" A rhythmic three loud laughs.

Jiangcheng, the provincial capital with a population of eight million, was notorious for its traffic jams. Even a Porsche couldn't avoid being stuck in traffic, causing one to feel utterly frustrated. Chen Xie always envied those who drove luxury cars, filled with jealousy and resentment! Seeing others stuck in traffic while he nimbly maneuvered his electric scooter always put him in a great mood.

"Hmph, hmph, hmph!" Qian Siyu could only sneer helplessly. Fortunately, the traffic jam wasn't too long, clearing up in about twenty minutes. However, the Porsche could only drive at about 20 km/h, and on the elevated road, it couldn't even outpace an electric scooter.

Finally, they got off the elevated road, turned a couple of corners, and arrived at a place Chen Xie had once longed for: Jiangcheng University.

"Do you live here?" Chen Xie put away his casual attitude. Qian Siyu, having lost her patience from the traffic, answered weakly, "My grandfather is a professor at Jiangcheng University, a famous cultural relic appraiser. Lucky for you, you met me."

The security guard didn't stop the car as it entered the campus. After a few turns, it stopped in front of a two-story villa. Qian Siyu got out and shouted, "Grandma, I want braised pork with pickled mustard greens for lunch."

An old lady watering flowers in the yard looked up at Qian Siyu, then at Chen Xie getting out of the car. Her expression immediately became interesting as she smiled and sized up Chen Xie.

You wouldn't believe how spirited this old lady was! Despite her white hair, she was rosy-cheeked and energetic. She walked briskly, showing no signs of the usual slowness of the elderly.

"Old lady, hello, my name is Chen Xie. I need your help with something." Chen Xie saw something different in the old lady's eyes, similar to how Zhou's family looked at him, a desperate desire to promote a well-bred young lady.

"This boy is good. I'm Zhou, just call me Grandma Zhou." The old lady's voice startled Chen Xie. "Why is she also surnamed Zhou? Do women surnamed Zhou all have a hobby of matchmaking?"

"Grandma!" Qian Siyu pushed the old lady, leading Chen Xie into the living room. An old man sat in a chair, holding a purple clay teapot, staring intently at a large screen TV showing a segment of a traditional opera: "Thinking of the World."

There's a saying in traditional opera: men fear "Night Flight," and women fear "Thinking of the World." Both segments require a high level of skill in both movement and singing. Chen Xie, an outsider, didn't understand this. He watched the old man staring at the little nun on the TV, and naturally, he followed along for a while.

Chen Xie naturally didn't understand anything, but he felt the little nun was like Yu Zhu and Yu Han at times, yearning for something yet afraid to cross the barrier to pursue it.

"Boy, do you like this?" The little nun finished her singing, and the old man turned off the TV, then spoke to Chen Xie. Chen Xie naturally shook his head, "I don't understand this. I just feel the little nun's eyes are very lively, as if they can speak. As for what she's singing, I didn't understand a word."

The old man raised a thumb, "Boy, you're good, you have a good sense."

Qian Siyu pushed the old man, pouting, "Grandpa, my friend needs your help. Why are you talking about such things?"

The old man said lightly, "What do you know? Kunqu opera is a treasure of national art. Many aspects of Kunqu are similar to cultural relic appraisal. This boy may not understand Kunqu, but he grasped the essence of this segment. I believe he will make rapid progress in learning cultural relic appraisal."

Chen Xie, not giving face, said, "Old sir, I don't have time to learn appraisal. I just want to sell these. If you can help, I'll make sure the fee is satisfactory."

"Ha ha, you're a straightforward person, to my liking. Show me what you have." The old man wasn't angry, always smiling. Chen Xie was impressed, seeing a resemblance to Zhang Yao in his composure.

Chen Xie first took out a painting by Dong Qichang. Although his works are famous, the volume is large, so the chance of a duplicate is low.

The paintings were wrapped in silk. Chen Xie carefully opened them, and the old man's expression became serious. He took out a magnifying glass from his pocket and didn't take his eyes off the paintings. Chen Xie, an outsider, and knowing these were antiques, didn't rush, patiently waiting.

The old man examined for about ten minutes before stopping, taking a deep breath, and saying, "I've never seen this work before, but I can confirm it's genuine. Boy, you have good luck. Where did you get it?"

"I really can't say. How about you look at this one?" Chen Xie took out another painting. This time, the old man examined it even more carefully, taking about twenty minutes before slowly putting down the magnifying glass and staring at Chen Xie for a while. "Where did you come from, boy? This galloping horse by Zhao Ziang, I've only seen mentioned in some documents."

Chen Xie chuckled, looking at Qian Siyu, and whispered, "Go out for a moment, some things are better if you don't see them."

Qian Siyu, angry, stomped her foot and stood up, "So rare!" She then walked away, and Chen Xie smiled apologetically at the old man, "I have a painting by Tang Bohu, its authenticity is hard to determine. If you don't mind, I'll show it to you."

The old man laughed heartily, "Silly boy, I'm not afraid of the work. The more of these good things, the better. I'm afraid I won't see enough in my lifetime. Show it to me, silly boy."

Chen Xie, not knowing that Tang Bohu was famous for his erotic works in the Ming Dynasty, felt a bit embarrassed as he took out the last long scroll. The old man's expression changed slightly, his hands trembling as he took out the magnifying glass and eagerly began to appraise it. As he examined, he made approving sounds, and Chen Xie felt confident; this was going to be a big deal.

After about half an hour, the old man sat up straight, leaning back in his chair, and raised his hand to lightly touch his forehead, remaining silent for a long time. Qian Siyu came in, and Chen Xie quickly rolled up the scroll. The old man smiled at him.

"Boy, all these are genuine and rare treasures. I want to know how you plan to handle them." This old fox had seen more than Chen Xie had walked. How could he not see through Chen Xie's intentions?

"How to handle them? Of course, to sell them for money. I need the money urgently. What? If you like any of them, just give me a reasonable price, and I'll sell them to you."

These words made Qian Siyu's eyes light up. She came over and sat close to Chen Xie, "That's great. I think the horse by Zhao Ziang is nice. I'll offer ten million."

Chen Xie looked at her speechlessly. Does a capable person need to be a money-grubber?

At this moment, the old man laughed, "Boy, I'm Zhang Xun, a well-known figure in the cultural relic appraisal field. These paintings are all top-notch genuine works. This galloping horse by Zhao Mengfu is the best horse painting I've ever seen. Emperor Huizong's eagles and Zhao Ziang's horses are both excellent works."

Chen Xie had never read "Dream of the Red Mansions" and didn't know that the old man's jesting phrase came from a saying by Yuanyang. In fact, he was telling Qian Siyu to stop trying to take advantage of others.

The words "I need the money urgently" made Qian Siyu's eyes light up. She came over and sat close to Chen Xie, "That's great. I think the horse by Zhao Ziang is nice. I'll offer ten million."

Chen Xie looked at her speechlessly. Does a capable person need to be a money-grubber?

At this moment, the old man laughed, "Boy, I'm Zhang Xun, a well-known figure in the cultural relic appraisal field. These paintings are all top-notch genuine works. This galloping horse by Zhao Mengfu is the best horse painting I've ever seen. Emperor Huizong's eagles and Zhao Ziang's horses are both excellent works."

Chen Xie, who had never read "Dream of the Red Mansions," didn't realize that the old man's jesting phrase came from a saying by Yuanyang. In fact, he was telling Qian Siyu to stop trying to take advantage of others.