Chapter 56

After finishing these tedious procedures, it was already past one o'clock in the morning. Even with his exceptional physical condition, Qin Feng felt exhausted after staying up for two consecutive days. He threw the items on the table and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Qin Feng took out the "small-leaf rosewood" bracelet from the incense burner. After buying the sandalwood, Qin Feng had placed the bracelet at the bottom of the burner, allowing the incense ash to fall on it.

After some processing, the bracelet, which had been darkened by the incense, regained its luster. A faint fragrance of rosewood still lingered on the bracelet.

"Brother Feng, why are you dressed like this today?" When Qin Feng walked out of the room, Li Tianyuan, who was practicing in the courtyard, couldn't help but be taken aback.

In Li Tianyuan's eyes, Qin Feng's attire today was somewhat "odd." He wore loose silk clothes with embroidered floral patterns, making him look like a young master from a wealthy family.

"We have work to do today; otherwise, how would we have the money to leave this place?"

Qin Feng dusted off his clothes and said, "Where's Xie Xuan? Today, the two of you need to put on a show. I'll explain the details later, and don't mess it up!"

This outfit was custom-made for Qin Feng last year by Zai Shi. Of course, it couldn't be worn in the labor camp, and this was the first time he had put it on, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Brother Feng, I'm here. What kind of show?" Xie Xuan walked out from another room. He had been quite tired these past few days, but as a young man, he recovered quickly and was now full of energy.

"Steal something!" Qin Feng said.

"Steal something? Steal what?"

Xie Xuan and Li Tianyuan were both taken aback. Li Tianyuan even said discontentedly, "Brother Feng, we are people of the江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the underworld or martial arts world), if we run out of money, we should rob, not steal. If this gets out, where would my reputation be?"

All of them had been through labor re-education. In the labor camp, apart from rapists, the most despised were thieves. In Li Tianyuan's cell, those who had been sent there for theft were treated poorly, often forced to sleep next to the toilet and wash their underwear.

"Rob? I said it's a show!"

Qin Feng glared at Li Tianyuan and said, "We'll go to Nie Family's Jade Shop later. Follow my lead, but we still need a wallet..."

"Brother Feng, I have a wallet." Xie Xuan, though unsure of Qin Feng's plan, took out a wallet from his pocket. Of course, it was empty.

"Really steal?" Li Tianyuan was dumbfounded, shaking his head. "Brother Feng, I can't do that kind of technical work. Why don't we just rob?"

"Robing isn't out of the question."

Qin Feng pondered for a moment and said, "Here's the plan: Xie Xuan will rob, I'll shout 'catch the thief,' and then you'll come and punch me, hard, right in the face!"

"Punch you?" Li Tianyuan looked at Qin Feng, shaking his head like a rattle drum. "Brother Feng, I dare not. You'll definitely get back at me later."

If there was anyone who understood Qin Feng best, it was Li Tianyuan. In the labor camp, anyone who openly bullied Qin Feng would mysteriously get beaten up. Others didn't know, but Li Tianyuan knew who was behind it.

"Less talk, or I'll deal with you now."

Qin Feng's words made Li Tianyuan shut up immediately, and he reluctantly listened to Qin Feng's instructions.

---

"Boss, you're here?"

A Honda car stopped in front of the Jade Shop on Hongqi Street. A middle-aged man got out and walked into the shop. The young clerk behind the counter hurriedly greeted him, and even the shopkeeper, who was listening to a play, stood up.

The middle-aged man who entered the shop had a hooked nose and narrow eyes, always looking at people with a scrutinizing gaze. According to physiognomy, such a person is cunning and has a strong control desire.

"Shopkeeper Zhao, has Yuanlong taken money from the shop again?"

The middle-aged man sat down, looking at the shopkeeper, who was in his fifties, with dissatisfaction. "I've told you many times not to give him money from the shop. I run an antique shop, not a bank!"

The middle-aged man was none other than the owner of the Jade Shop, Nie Tianbao, and also the father of Nie Yuanlong.

To say that Nie Tianbao was a legendary figure in Shishi City would not be an exaggeration. He was originally an ordinary worker at the Shishi Fertilizer Factory. Due to his quick thinking, he was promoted to the business department. After a few years, Nie Tianbao quit his stable job and started his own fertilizer business, which surprised many people.

However, no one expected that Nie Tianbao's business would grow so much, almost covering all the rural areas of Hebei Province, earning him the title of "Fertilizer King." He was one of the first businessmen in Shishi City.

Shishi City is close to Beijing, and its culture is deeply influenced by Beijing. With more money, people naturally wanted a more refined life. After interacting with some antique dealers in Beijing, Nie Tianbao began to invest in the jade business.

In the 1980s, many people started businesses, but only a few survived. Nie Tianbao, with his unique vision, started from the basics of the jade business and invested in a jade mine.

After seven or eight years of development, Nie Tianbao's Jade Shop had gained a good reputation in Shishi City and became a supplier of raw materials for many small jade shops.

However, in recent years, the competition in jade jewelry had become fierce. Nie Tianbao turned his attention to Myanmar, like the old man Ge, gradually trying to open up the jade market. So far, the prospects looked promising.

His business was thriving, but what troubled Nie Tianbao was his troublesome son. He didn't care much about his son's lack of interest in studies, but he was always getting into fights and had already been through labor re-education for a year before he turned eighteen.

Just as Nie Tianbao returned from Myanmar after inspecting the jade market, he heard that his son had taken 20,000 yuan from the shop. Unable to find his son, he came to the shop to confront the issue.

"Boss Nie, Xiao Long came to ask for money, and... I couldn't refuse him."

Shopkeeper Zhao glanced at Nie Tianbao's face and said cautiously, "Yuanlong is still young, but he's very smart. When he grows up and becomes more mature, he might be able to help the shop."

Running an antique shop, the most important thing is to have a competent shopkeeper. Generally, the owner of an antique shop treats the shopkeeper like a lord, as the success of the business depends on the shopkeeper's expertise.

However, Shopkeeper Zhao clearly feared Nie Tianbao, speaking with great caution, afraid of offending him.

There was a reason for Zhao's behavior. Two years ago, a young clerk at the Jade Shop had stolen a piece of jade, which was not very expensive, worth only about 700 to 800 yuan.

Shopkeeper Zhao had intended to report it to the police, but Nie Tianbao brought a few people to the shop, closed the door, and beat the clerk severely, even cutting off one of his fingers. Shopkeeper Zhao still vividly remembered the scene.

After that, Shopkeeper Zhao had planned to resign, but Nie Tianbao threatened him in a subtle way, forcing him to continue working. Since then, he no longer dared to act like a shopkeeper in front of Nie Tianbao.

"You don't understand anything, just causing trouble all day!"

Hearing Shopkeeper Zhao's words, Nie Tianbao's expression softened. After his son's year in labor re-education, he had become less involved in fights, but recently he had been spending a lot of time with women, and his expenses had skyrocketed.

Nie Tianbao had planned to cut off his son's allowance to make him settle down, but his son was not easy to control and had started treating the Jade Shop like an ATM.

"Boss, I had no choice. You know Xiao Long's temper."

Shopkeeper Zhao sighed. If he hadn't known how ruthless Nie Tianbao was, he would have quit long ago.

"Alright, Old Zhao, it's not your fault. From now on, I'll have the finance department collect the money every day and not keep any in the shop. Let's see if that brat can still cause trouble."

Nie Tianbao waved his hand and said, "Recently, Hongqi Street has become quite lively. How is our jade business? I've brought in some new raw stones."

"Boss, I think we should increase our marketing efforts for jade jewelry..."

Shopkeeper Zhao pointed to the jewelry in the glass cabinet and said, "Although the general public's understanding of jade is not high, it is very attractive and sells well. Even high-end jade, which is more expensive, has buyers."

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