Chapter 5

"Live in your house?"

Qin Feng fell silent upon hearing this. After a long while, he shook his head and said, "Zimo, even if this thing is very valuable, it is a gift I gave you. I can't take this money!"

"Qin Feng, you are too stubborn. Even if you don't have the ability to give me such an expensive gift now, if you did, I wouldn't feel at ease accepting it. Don't be so stubborn; you must take this money!"

After hearing Qin Feng's words, Liu Zimo was somewhat at a loss, finding that this guy was good in every way except for his overly strong self-esteem, which was almost to the point of being overly sensitive.

"You have a point. Alright, I'll take the money, but only half. The other half, you help me return to Grandpa Liu."

Qin Feng thought for a moment, divided the money in half, and handed it to Liu Zimo, saying, "Eating at your place is fine, but my sister and I won't stay there. Also, I want Grandpa Liu to teach me how to identify antiques. This money will be the tuition."

Qin Feng's relationship with the children around him wasn't very good. He didn't want to bring his sister to face others' disdain, so he was unwilling to stay at the Liu family's house.

There was also a more important point: whenever he saw other parents scolding or doting on their children, Qin Feng always felt an indescribable pain in his heart.

As for learning how to identify antiques, Qin Feng had a bit of a hidden motive. The fact that the broken glass bottle was worth so much money truly shocked him. He didn't want to miss out on any treasures in the future due to his lack of knowledge.

"You are really a strange one, why do you want to learn those things?"

Liu Zimo stared at Qin Feng for a long time, then shook his head and said, "I can't make the decision. Take the money and talk to Grandpa yourself tomorrow."

Although his name was elegant, Liu Zimo preferred martial arts to literature. His martial arts skills were even better than Qin Feng's, which was why Grandpa Liu always kept him by his side, hoping to pass on his legacy to him.

"Alright, I'll talk to Grandpa Liu myself tomorrow."

Qin Feng nodded, glanced at the sky, and said, "I should go back. I'll take you to catch crickets another day. There's a big general in Old Li's pepper field, but it got away."

"Alright, don't forget." Hearing Qin Feng's words, Liu Zimo immediately smiled, and if Qin Feng hadn't been in a hurry to go home to take care of his sister, he would have dragged him to catch crickets right away.

After saying goodbye to Liu Zimo, Qin Feng crossed a乱坟岗 (graveyard) and returned to his "home" by the railway. The big yellow dog, which had been lying at the door, silently wagged its tail at Qin Feng.

As the saying goes, "A dog that bites doesn't bark." The big yellow dog, raised by Qin Feng and his sister since it was a puppy, was extremely fierce. Even the large wolf dog that guarded the martial arts school in town would tuck its tail and run away when it saw the big yellow dog.

A few days ago, a man who had gone mad during the turmoil had inexplicably intruded here. If Qin Feng hadn't returned early and stopped the big yellow dog, the man's throat might have been bitten off.

Qin Feng affectionately rubbed the fur on the big yellow dog's neck, then gently pushed open the door. The candle on the table was almost burned out, and the thin flame seemed about to go out at any moment.

After tucking his sister back under the thin blanket she had kicked off, Qin Feng lay down in his clothes. Since the incident at home five years ago, he had never slept without his clothes on.

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"Qin Jia, if you don't behave, your brother won't want you anymore!"

Standing at the entrance of the Railway Primary School, Qin Feng frowned. Although he and his sister were still wearing old clothes today, they were very neat. Even people who often saw them might not recognize them at first glance.

However, the stubbornness of the little girl exceeded Qin Feng's expectations.

Just now, when he brought his sister to register at the school, Qin Jia, who had already completed the fourth and fifth grades of primary school, pretended to be crazy in front of the teacher and failed the simplest entrance exam.

"Bad brother, you don't want Jia Jia anymore, no one will love Jia Jia anymore!"

Hearing Qin Feng's words, the little girl pouted and immediately burst into tears, "Jia Jia doesn't want to go to school, Jia Jia wants to be with her brother, forever and ever!"

For Qin Jia, the world had not given her many pleasant memories. Apart from her brother, she had received a lot of ridicule and disdain. Although she didn't hate those people, she couldn't convince herself to study and live with them.

"Alright, Jia Jia, don't cry. It's my fault. Forget it, if you don't want to go to school, then don't go."

Seeing his sister sobbing, Qin Feng felt as if his heart was being squeezed by a large hand. The saying "an elder brother is like a father" fit him perfectly. Every time the little girl cried like this, Qin Feng would always give in.

However, Qin Feng was still somewhat angry. After taking the money from Liu Zimo yesterday, he had already planned to register himself and his sister in the town, which would cost only eighty yuan.

By registering, his sister could enroll in school, and Qin Feng planned to learn a trade to earn money. This way, they wouldn't be looked down upon by the people in the town. However, his sister couldn't understand his intentions.

"Is your brother's word true?" Qin Jia's fingers, which were covering her face, revealed a small gap.

"It's true. Don't cry. I'll take you to Zimo's house to play. You must be good."

Qin Feng smiled bitterly, knowing that his sister was pretending, but he couldn't bear to discipline his only relative in the world.

"Jia Jia is the most obedient." Hearing her brother's words, Qin Jia put down her hands, and her eyes curved into a crescent moon, revealing a mischievous glint that made Qin Feng unable to think of punishing her.

"Alright, if you don't want to go to school, then don't. When I learn about antiques and earn money, no one will look down on us anymore."

Shaking his head, Qin Feng held his sister's hand and walked toward the Liu family's house.

The snuff bottle incident had greatly inspired Qin Feng. He decided to postpone the registration and use the money as capital to start collecting antiques. Even if he could only find one valuable item a month, it would be far more profitable than scavenging.

With Grandpa Liu's approval and Liu Zimo's care, the few boys who didn't like Qin Feng didn't cause any trouble. After having lunch with his sister, Qin Feng was called into the back room by Grandpa Liu.

"Little guy, do you really want to learn about antique appraisal?"

Liu Yunjiao still had a good impression of Qin Feng, but he couldn't see the boy's destiny clearly. Qin Feng's aura of violence and short life span made him subconsciously not want to get too involved.

"Grandpa Liu, yes, this hundred yuan is my tuition!"

Qin Feng nodded seriously and placed ten ten-yuan bills in front of Grandpa Liu. He was a very sensitive person and could vaguely sense the old man's thoughts.

"Keep the money. Giving you two hundred yuan was already a bit too little, so you don't need to give it to me."

Grandpa Liu waved his hand. He had a large business in Taiwan, managed by his third son. Although he wasn't a billionaire, he was still considered wealthy and didn't care about such a small amount of money.

"You are smart, understanding the principle that it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. As the saying goes, in troubled times, gold is valuable, but in peaceful times, antiques are valuable. The world is peaceful now, and the antique market is about to boom."

Looking at Qin Feng, the old man's eyes were full of approval. He continued, "A teacher can lead you to the door, but the rest is up to you. Here, you can only observe, not ask questions. Can you do that?"

This requirement to observe but not ask questions indicated that Grandpa Liu had some thoughts. If Qin Feng could avoid the disaster in his destiny, he would take him as a disciple. If not, everything would be over.

Qin Feng nodded and said, "Yes, Grandpa Liu, you can rest assured. Qin Feng will not cause you any trouble."

"Good, today I'll tell you about the snuff bottle. It's a good thing. I had one made in the imperial court, but I don't know where it is now..."

In Taiwan, Liu Yunjiao had once been a martial arts instructor in the presidential office and had seen many valuable antiques. His knowledge was far beyond that of ordinary people.

In 1992, there weren't many people collecting antiques in mainland China, especially in this remote town. Liu Yunjiao often felt lonely and had no one to talk to. Now that he had started talking, he couldn't stop.

He talked for two or three hours, leaving him parched. However, Qin Feng was a good listener, occasionally flattering him, which greatly comforted the old man.

The old man's detailed explanation made Qin Feng's eyes sparkle. He never imagined that a small broken glass bottle could have so many intricacies.

"Alright, tomorrow I'll tell you about calligraphy and paintings. Go find Zimo."

Looking at the time, it was almost time for the children to practice martial arts, so the old man stopped talking. However, just as Qin Feng was about to leave, he called him back and warned, "Don't run around or get into fights in the coming days. If I find out you've been doing these things, don't come back."

Although he knew some face-reading techniques, Liu Yunjiao wasn't an expert. He could only see that Qin Feng would face a disaster in the next year or so. He had no way to resolve it, so he could only give this advice.

"Grandpa Liu, I understand."

Qin Feng nodded and ran out of the room happily. The knowledge the old man had shared today was like opening a door for him, revealing a world he had never seen before.

With Grandpa Liu's care, the lives of Qin Feng and his sister changed significantly.

Instead of scavenging in garbage piles, they now walked through the streets, collecting items like toothpaste tubes and waste paper from households during the day. At night, they practiced martial arts at the Liu family's house.

Qin Feng was in the middle of his growth spurt. With better food, in less than half a year, the thirteen-year-old had grown to nearly 1.7 meters tall and developed strong muscles.

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PS: Thank you, Danni Miaomiao, for becoming a supporter of Baojian. Thanks to all the friends for your support. New day, please give me your recommendations!