Chapter 26

Su Wen never dreamed that the earring he had recovered would actually belong to Yi Xue. However, now these details weren't the key point. The two women seemed extremely curious about him, and in less than thirty seconds, they had already sized him up three or four times.

"Where did you find it?" Yi Xue finally spoke.

"In the yard," Su Wen replied casually.

In fact, when he recovered it, he hadn't paid much attention to the location, but it was roughly within a 500-meter radius. Saying he found it in the yard was the most appropriate.

"Su Wen, I never thought you had this kind of skill. My cousin searched for days and couldn't find it, but you found it on your first day here. Tell me, how does my cousin repay you? Having a meal with you is also an option," Chu Fei said with a sarcastic tone.

Su Wen was quite depressed: "Do I look like someone who would seek repayment for a favor? A meal? No thanks."

Yi Xue took the earring and examined it carefully: "It's definitely mine. If you have any requests, you can put them forward. This isn't about seeking repayment for a favor; I genuinely need to thank you. Otherwise, I would feel bad."

Su Wen smiled inwardly, as expected.

"What, afraid to make a request?" Chu Fei mocked.

Su Wen wouldn't back down, and he said, "Who's afraid? I've already thought of something."

"Go on!" Yi Xue looked at Su Wen.

"I want you to..."

"What did you say? Do you think I won't kill you!" Chu Fei roared.

"I want you to make an extra breakfast every day. Your cooking is really good. The fried eggs are smooth and tender, and there's no greasiness. The porridge is also amazing, almost as good as what my mom makes. It's delicious!" Su Wen said with a smile.

"Alright, I'll make an extra breakfast every day from now on." Yi Xue didn't think much of it.

"Thank you!" Su Wen bowed.

Having a beautiful woman make breakfast for him every day was truly a blissful thing.

Chu Fei pouted and looked at Su Wen, feeling quite angry: "Hmph, no one will take care of your lunch and dinner. You'll have to solve that yourself."

Su Wen smiled but said nothing.

At 8:30, Su Wen set off on time.

He estimated that it would take about twenty minutes to walk to Jubaizhai.

The timing was just right.

The first day of work seemed different.

"Do you need a ride?" Yi Xue asked as she drove past Su Wen.

"Is that your car?" Su Wen was taken aback. He looked ahead and shook his head: "No need for a ride. There are six traffic lights from here to Jubaizhai, and it's rush hour. Walking might be faster."

"Alright, I'll go ahead then." Yi Xue didn't say much more.

Twenty minutes, to be precise, twenty-one minutes.

Su Wen entered Jubaizhai.

"Wu Ma!"

"It's Xiao Wen, you're here for work?" A middle-aged woman said cheerfully.

Su Wen had met Wu Ma yesterday. She usually cleaned the place in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

"Yep, I'm here for work!" Su Wen chuckled. "Is Old Chu here yet?"

"He's upstairs." Wu Ma pointed.

"I'll go see him." Su Wen started to head upstairs.

Wu Ma hurriedly pulled Su Wen aside and whispered, "Don't talk when you go up. Old Chu is in a bad mood. If you speak, he might get angry at you."

"What happened?" Su Wen was puzzled.

"Wang Xiao and Cui Guan resigned together. Do you think Old Chu would be happy?" Wu Ma told Su Wen mysteriously.

"Resigned?" Su Wen was stunned.

Zhang Bufan left yesterday, and now two more people were gone today.

"Right! One was responsible for purchasing outside, and the other for managing outside. They're starting their own business now, with no shortage of goods or connections. They're going to make a fortune on their own." Wu Ma sighed, "Old Chu has raised some ingrates. He taught them for years, but they're ungrateful!"

Su Wen scratched his head.

Could he be a jinx? A small antique shop with fewer than ten people.

Three people left just as he arrived.

"I'll go see him."

Su Wen decided to comfort Old Chu.

Second floor.

This is where the valuable items were kept.

The second floor was about 300 square meters, slightly smaller than the first floor.

In the antique business, it was rare to have a shop with nearly 1,000 square meters over two floors. If this place wasn't passed down from Old Chu's ancestors, it would be hard to find someone willing to use such a large space for an antique shop.

Su Wen went upstairs and saw three people.

Two were Zhao Shu and Ma Shu, who did antique maintenance, and the other was Old Chu.

"Su Wen, you're here?" Old Chu waved, "Now you're part of Jubaizhai. Sit down and listen."

Su Wen sat next to Zhao Shu.

"Jubaizhai has lost two more people, and they were key figures. Without them, it's hard for us to purchase goods or negotiate deals outside. I plan to hire two more people, but it's not easy to find trustworthy people in this line of work." Old Chu explained the situation briefly.

"That's true, but Jubaizhai needs a steady supply of goods to operate," Zhao Shu said.

Zhao Shu's name was Zhao You. He used to be a curator at the provincial museum and later joined Jubaizhai, where he has stayed for ten years.

"Supply!" Old Chu sighed, "In this business, the biggest challenge is securing a steady supply. If you have goods, people will buy them. If you have nothing, a large shop is useless. This has always been our weakness."

Su Wen listened quietly, thinking to himself.

"Maybe we can do this: Zhao You and I can go out to purchase goods. We might not get the best items, but it should keep Jubaizhai running," Ma Shu suggested.

Ma Shu's name was Ma Cheng. He was a relative of Old Chu and the most loyal to him. Starting as an apprentice at Jubaizhai thirty years ago, he has become a top expert in the field. Although he works in antique maintenance, he is also skilled in appraisal, collection, and cultural research. Old Chu sometimes felt that Ma Cheng was underutilized.

"Can you handle that?" Old Chu smiled bitterly, "Securing a steady supply requires constant travel and can be dangerous. I don't want you to work so hard. I might have to consider Yi Xue's suggestion."

"Old Chu, are you thinking of selling or leasing Jubaizhai?" Zhao You was shocked.

"That's out of the question," Ma Cheng also exclaimed.

Su Wen was silent, not expecting Jubaizhai to be in such a state.

"I was just saying. Don't worry so much," Old Chu quickly reassured them, "We'll manage with the few of us. From now on, I'll look for suitable people and help out. Also, Fei'er can come to help. We'll get through this tough time."

Zhao You and Ma Cheng clearly didn't believe him.

Seeing this, Su Wen took a deep breath: "Old Chu, if you trust me, I'll take care of the supply of goods."

He couldn't let Jubaizhai fail. Not only was it his first job, but he also needed a place to handle the items he recovered.

Jubaizhai was clearly the best place.

"You?" Old Chu was taken aback, "Su Wen, getting a steady supply in this business is incredibly difficult. Sometimes you have to scavenge at antique markets, search in remote villages, or even deal with tomb raiders. You also have to be wary of second-hand dealers who might deceive you. If you're not careful, you could end up with fake goods, which can be a huge loss. This business is unstable; you can be well-fed one day and starving the next."

Su Wen chuckled, "Old Chu, I'm a coward, don't scare me."

Old Chu frowned, "I'm not joking. You're young and just entering society. You have no connections. How can you secure a steady supply?"

"I have my ways. Just wait and see, Old Chu." Su Wen smiled mysteriously, "I'm not an ordinary person. If you treat me like a fool, you'll be the fool. When we first met on the train, I could casually take out a stone finger ring. I can also bring out even more valuable items."

Old Chu sensed the arrogance in Su Wen's words.

"This is the stone finger ring from our first meeting. It's the first item I've secured for Jubaizhai. In the future, Jubaizhai will have many more precious and rare items." Su Wen took out the stone finger ring, "It's all about fate. We'll work well together."

"Work together?" Old Chu was speechless.

"Ha ha, I'll be a good employee," Su Wen quickly corrected himself.

Zhao You and Ma Cheng were speechless. Was this newly hired young man crazy?

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