Chapter 46

A meal was delayed until it was almost eleven o'clock at night. Wang Gang and Zhang Kai's meal was unknown. Fangzheng Wang Yong was quite satisfied with his meal, pondering whether to poach the manager and chef here. If the service could be this good in his future eco-restaurant, it would be amazing.

"Hey! Do you have any plans tomorrow? If not, why don't you come with me to Panjiayuan? You might get lucky and find a great deal!" Zhang Kai extended an invitation to Wang Yong.

Hearing this, Wang Gang let out a long breath. Today, he brought Wang Yong here to introduce them to each other, helping Wang Yong expand his network. He had been worried whether Zhang Kai would accept Wang Yong, but hearing Zhang Kai's words, he felt relieved. The purpose of today's visit was more than accomplished. He had only planned to let the two get to know each other, but unexpectedly, Zhang Kai had a very good impression of Wang Yong. In his memory, Zhang Kai had never invited anyone else except himself.

"Panjiayuan? Oh! A while ago, I sold a Taiping Heavenly Kingdom gold brick there. It was my first time at Panjiayuan." Wang Yong recalled the feeling when he received that large sum of money. If it weren't for the small world and Xiao Guang, that money would have been enough for him to live well.

"What? The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom gold brick from Xianggu Hall was sold by you?" Zhang Kai asked in surprise.

"Alright, I'm tired. Let's each go home. Meet at Panjiayuan at nine tomorrow morning." Wang Yong ignored Zhang Kai's question and walked out the door. Zhang Kai, eager to study the gold brick, scratched his head in frustration. He wanted to research it and maybe even write a good paper, but by the time he heard the news, the gold brick had already been auctioned off.

In the end, Wang Yong fabricated the origin and appearance of the gold brick and told Zhang Kai, promising to ask his colleague if the other two gold bricks were still in his possession. He also promised to help borrow them if they were available for Zhang Kai to study. Only then did Zhang Kai let Wang Yong go.

It was midnight when Wang Yong returned to his uncle's house. Yuan Yuan and Wang Qian were already asleep. His uncle and aunt had to work overtime and called to say they wouldn't be coming back. At this level of officialdom, there was always work to be done, especially with a large backlog of urgent documents to handle after returning home. Wang Gang was used to this and showed no reaction. He arranged a room for Wang Yong and went back to his own room to sleep.

The next morning, Wang Yong said he was going to Panjiayuan to look for a good deal. Wang Qian mocked him coldly, saying she wasn't interested and took Yuan Yuan shopping. Yuan Yuan's apologetic and helpless look also had a hint of excitement, showing that shopping was indeed a woman's nature, even for someone as quiet as Yuan Yuan.

By the time the two arrived at Panjiayuan, it was already past ten. The traffic in Beijing was too congested. Zhang Kai, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately asked about the gold brick upon seeing them. After learning that the gold brick was still in Wang Yong's colleague's possession and that Wang Yong had promised to lend it to him for research, Zhang Kai relaxed and took the two on a tour of Panjiayuan.

It was a weekend, and Panjiayuan was crowded with people. It truly was the era of nationwide collecting. The crowd included not only Chinese but also foreigners of different skin colors. Wang Yong encountered a fair-skinned, blond foreigner bargaining with a stall owner in fluent Chinese.

Panjiayuan had not only shops but also many small stalls lining the streets. People who dreamed of finding a good deal usually didn't visit the shops, as they believed the chances of finding a good deal there were almost zero, while the chances at the small stalls were much higher. Of course, the chances of encountering fakes were also higher.

Zhang Kai seemed to have some skills, constantly imparting various antiques knowledge to Wang Yong, regardless of whether he was interested. However, Wang Yong's mind was elsewhere. He had just activated Xiao Guang's scanning mode, and after scanning, he found nothing worth buying. Just as he was about to leave, Xiao Guang finally found something good.

"Master, I've found a tiger talisman. It is from the Warring States period and is extremely valuable. I recommend buying it."

Following Xiao Guang's guidance, Wang Yong found the large jar containing the tiger talisman. It was at a small stall not far ahead, mainly selling copper coins. The jar also contained many rusty copper coins, giving the impression of ancient artifacts.

Wang Yong approached the stall, greeted Zhang Kai, and squatted down to casually flip through the various copper coins. The stall owner, seeing three young customers, greeted them with a smile:

"Three young gentlemen, my copper coins are of all kinds, from all dynasties. Just name it, and I have it. If you like something, I'll give you a 20% discount, how about that?"

"We'll take a look first," said the experienced Zhang Kai, pulling Wang Yong's arm to signal him to leave quickly, as there was nothing good here. Anyone with a basic knowledge of antiques and coins could tell that the copper coins on the stall were not valuable and some were clearly fakes.

With Xiao Guang's guidance, Wang Yong, of course, wouldn't leave with Zhang Kai. He was thinking of how to buy the jar and its contents without drawing attention.

The stall owner noticed that Zhang Kai might be an expert and realized the deal might be off. He ignored the three and sat with his eyes half-closed, not speaking.

"Boss, how much for this jar?"

Just as the owner had given up hope, Wang Yong spoke up.

"Oh! Sir, you have a good eye! This is a genuine Warring States period pottery. It was dug up by my brother from my hometown a few days ago and is consigned to me. Think about it, after thousands of years, it's still in such good condition! Plus, there are many Warring States period coins inside. If you really want it, I'll give you a fair price. How about this number?" The owner held up three fingers.

"Three thousand? I'll take it!" Wang Yong reached for the jar.

The stall owner quickly stopped him, smiling bitterly. "Don't joke with me. Three thousand? Do you think this is a joke? It's three hundred thousand!"

"Ha!" Zhang Kai couldn't help but laugh. "Bro, this is supposed to be a Warring States period pottery? And these so-called Warring States period coins?"

Zhang Kai picked up a knife-shaped coin. "Iron? Our ancestors could use iron to make coins in the Warring States period? That's a scientific breakthrough!"

The stall owner was stunned.

"Alright! Three thousand, this is my first find. I'll keep it well. Who knows, maybe it will be more valuable than the real thing when I become famous?" Wang Yong took out his wallet, counted out three thousand yuan, and handed it to the owner.

The owner took the money with a sad face, smiling bitterly. "I'm unlucky today, meeting an expert. What do you do, sir? Let me die with an understanding."

"He's a Ph.D. from Peking University who deals with dead people and spends his days in the mountains," Wang Yong said happily, revealing Zhang Kai.

Ignoring Zhang Kai's rolling eyes, Wang Yong put the jar in a cloth bag given by the owner and walked away. When they were out of sight of the stall, Wang Yong let out a long breath and said, "Let's find a place to show you something good."

"Ah!" Both were surprised by Wang Yong's words. Zhang Kai had known from the start that the stall and the so-called ancient coins were modern fakes. Could there be something special inside? Could this kid really have found a good deal?

"What's the good thing? Didn't Kai just say it was a fake? How can there be a surprise?" Wang Gang had no interest in antiques, knowing that the things at home were definitely better. A broken jar with some rusty iron pieces, what could be surprising?

"Stop talking nonsense. It's not safe on the street. Let's find a place quickly."

"Alright, let's go to the appraisal hall up ahead. My senior is a clerk there," Zhang Kai suggested, seeing that Wang Yong wasn't lying. Although he still didn't believe there would be a surprise.

The three walked a few steps and entered an antique shop on the street. A clerk greeted Zhang Kai:

"Mr. Zhang, what brings you to Panjiayuan today?"

"Nothing much, just visiting with two friends. Is my senior here?"

"Yes, go straight to the reception room. Mr. Li is there too."

"Alright, I'll go directly." Zhang Kai led Wang Gang and Wang Yong up the stairs to the second floor.

The second floor was an open structure, with only a few ancient-looking pillars and no partitions. At the top of the stairs, there was a wooden screen. Through the gap, they could see two middle-aged men in their forties examining something on a wooden table with a magnifying glass.

Their footsteps startled the two men, who looked up.

"Zhang Kai? What brings you to Panjiayuan today? Isn't your teacher making you write a thesis?" One of the men, dressed in a traditional Chinese robe, asked.

"Alright, why do you all ask the same thing? Can't I take a break? Let me introduce you. This is Wang Gang's cousin, Wang Yong. Wang Yong, this is my senior, Cheng Hui, and this is Mr. Li, an expert in miscellaneous items at the Palace Museum. Don't let his young appearance fool you; he's already sixty-five."

"What's in the bag, little brother? Did you find a good deal today?" Mr. Li asked excitedly. "Let me see it."

Zhang Kai glanced at Wang Yong, signaling him to decide. He still thought that something so obviously fake couldn't be a surprise.

Wang Yong calmly took out the pottery jar and placed it on the table. Cheng Hui quickly put away the ancient book he was examining and looked at it, only to be stunned.

Like Zhang Kai, he saw it was obviously fake. Zhang Kai smiled helplessly, waved his hand, and pointed at Wang Yong, indicating it wasn't his doing.

Mr. Li frowned, put on a pair of white gloves, and carefully cleaned the coins in the jar. As he took out one strange coin after another, the others lost hope. Suddenly, he stopped, staring into the jar. When everyone was puzzled, Mr. Li carefully took out an object.

"Tiger talisman!" Cheng Hui exclaimed, seeing the object in Mr. Li's hand.

The tiger talisman is an ancient Chinese metal artifact in the shape of a tiger, used as a military command token. It is said to have been invented by Jiang Ziya of the Western Zhou dynasty. The central government issued it to the commander, with inscriptions on the back, divided into two halves. The right half was kept in the court, and the left half was given to the commander or local official. The token was only valid when the two halves matched. Each army had a corresponding tiger talisman.

"There are inscriptions! Here!" Cheng Hui pointed excitedly to the other side of the talisman.

"It's oracle bone script! Oracle bone script!" Mr. Li became excited. Zhang Kai, who had been indifferent, quickly approached to examine it. Wang Gang and Wang Yong, who knew nothing about it, chatted and drank tea.

"That's right, it's oracle bone script, 'tiger talisman for the army.'" Zhang Kai quickly translated the text.

"Oracle bone script on a tiger talisman? Could the legend be true?" Cheng Hui asked excitedly.

"From all aspects, this is a tiger talisman from the late Shang dynasty or early Western Zhou dynasty. This is a significant discovery!" Mr. Li was also very excited. Tiger talismans were widely used in ancient China. It is said that they were invented by Jiang Ziya of the Western Zhou dynasty, but no tiger talismans from that period have been found. The earliest ones are from the Eastern Zhou and Warring States periods. This discovery proves that tiger talismans were indeed used in the Western Zhou period, and even in the early stages.

The computer monitor suddenly went black and didn't respond. It seemed to need repair. Fortunately, there were still drafts saved, or it would have been a disaster!

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