Chapter 12

"Sure thing, brother, I'm envious of this house of yours. Come, put this thing up; it's a gift from your big brother to congratulate you on your new home."

Upon arriving at Su Xiaofan's new home, Zheng Dagang took a tour inside and out, then sat in the spacious living room, admiring the expansive view of the artificial lake and island park outside the balcony. He was envious as well.

Although he came to help Su Xiaofan move, he still brought a gift—a red coral ornament symbolizing a prosperous life, with a very auspicious meaning.

"Brother Gang, I won't be polite, but you are a genuine second-generation property owner. When it comes to houses, I can't compare to you."

Su Xiaofan took the red coral and placed it on top of the TV cabinet. He and Zheng Dagang had been friends for several years, and he knew that Zheng Dagang's family, aside from their own residence, had several rental properties that brought in tens of thousands of yuan in rent each month. Zheng Dagang's stall at the antique market was purely a hobby.

"That's different; the house I live in isn't as good as yours."

Zheng Dagang shook his head. Although his family received twelve apartments from the demolition, the largest was only 120 square meters, and the others were around 80 to 90 square meters, which were easy to rent and sell but not as comfortable to live in as Su Xiaofan's spacious apartment.

"Brother Dagang, have some water." Su Xiaoxiao, who was tidying up in the house, handed over a bottle of drink. After moving in, they realized they lacked a water dispenser, so Su Xiaofan ordered one and had several boxes of drinks delivered.

"Xiaofan, how about it, are you still going to do business at the antique market?" Zheng Dagang opened the drink and took a sip. Now that Su Xiaofan was a young rich second-generation, he wondered if he would still be willing to run a stall at the antique market.

Actually, running a stall at the antique market wasn't as easy as it seemed. It was very hard work. One had to arrive early in the morning, sometimes as early as 5 or 6 AM, and on good nights, the stall wouldn't close until 8 or 9 PM.

Moreover, the stalls were outside the antique market, with no sunshade, and the vendors were often exposed to the elements. Most of those who could persist were middle-aged people with heavy family burdens, and there weren't many young people like Su Xiaofan.

"Of course, why not?" Su Xiaofan smiled and said, "Brother Gang, I'm planning to do the ritual object business with you. You have to help me out."

After learning that the jade pendant his father gave him was a damaged ritual object, Su Xiaofan became interested in ritual objects. If it weren't for his recent busy schedule, he would have already gone to the antique market to identify Zheng Dagang's ritual objects and see if they were different from his own.

"Hey, you finally got it right, kid."

Hearing Su Xiaofan's words, Zheng Dagang was delighted and slapped his thigh. "Let me tell you, ritual objects are also divided into different grades. Those prayer beads are everywhere and don't sell for much.

"Bronze ritual objects are the best to sell. I'll give you some pictures, and you can make them. I'll find the buyers. After deducting the cost of making the ritual objects, we'll split the profit fifty-fifty."

"Alright, Brother Gang, you decide."

Su Xiaofan nodded. He would provide the goods, and Zheng Dagang would handle the sales channels. The profit-sharing ratio was fair, and most importantly, he trusted Zheng Dagang's character, which was the most important thing to him.

"Hehe, just watch your big brother. Soon, the ritual object market in Luochuan will be ours."

Zheng Dagang, excited, slapped his thigh again. Although he was in Luochuan, near the largest bronze artifact wholesale village in the country, the village mainly produced large bronze artifacts like bells and tripods, many of which were for export and didn't meet Zheng Dagang's requirements for ritual objects. Custom-made items required a separate mold, which was very expensive, and they had never reached an agreement.

Zheng Dagang usually bought from the craft market, where the prices were low, but the quality was poor, and the items didn't sell for much.

Zheng Dagang knew Su Xiaofan's skills, which he had learned from the old man in the bronze artifact village. The bronze artifacts he made were very exquisite and sold well in the antique market.

Zheng Dagang had advised Su Xiaofan several times to join him in the ritual object business, but Su Xiaofan thought it was superstitious and feared that it might get him into trouble, so he never agreed. Now that Su Xiaofan had changed his mind, Zheng Dagang was very happy.

"Brother Gang, can your ritual objects really ward off evil and bring good luck?" Su Xiaofan asked, "I haven't seen you get them blessed by monks or Taoists. Do they really work?"

"Hey, you've been in the market for two years, and you're still so naive?" Zheng Dagang looked at Su Xiaofan with a mix of frustration and affection. "There are no ghosts or gods in this world. Those things are just to fool people. I don't have the time to get them blessed."

Although Zheng Dagang was in the ritual object business, he was a materialist. His family was full of intellectuals, and he was the only one who took an unconventional path.

Zheng Dagang thought for a moment and said, "However, some objects blessed by high-ranking monks and Taoists are indeed valuable. Some regular customers specifically look for such items, which can sell for a high price, but they are very rare. It's good if you can find one or two in a year or two."

"Brother Gang, take me to see some of these objects. The more I see, the better I'll understand when I make them," Su Xiaofan said.

"Of course, I know who has real ritual objects. I'll take you to see them, and you can take some photos," Zheng Dagang nodded. He didn't want Su Xiaofan to make something that looked like a hybrid.

"I'll go to the market tomorrow to check out the items, but I need to build a model, so it will take until next month to actually make them."

Su Xiaofan glanced at his sister, who was sitting on the sofa, eating sunflower seeds, and watching TV. "Xiaoxiao got accepted into a university. It's a big deal. In a few days, we'll go back to the village and then send her to Yanjing. Our business will have to wait until I return from Yanjing."

The bronze artifact village was well-known in Luochuan and the surrounding areas. With the villagers' wealth, they began to value education. Many had been accepted into universities, but Su Xiaoxiao was the first to be accepted into a top university like Yanjing. The village chief had called the day his father passed away, asking Su Xiaofan to take Su Xiaoxiao back to the village.

Receiving the villagers' blessings was one thing, but more importantly, Su Xiaofan and his sister were raised by their grandfather. Su Xiaoxiao needed to visit her grandfather's grave before leaving for university.

"Alright, we'll wait until you return from Yanjing." Zheng Dagang was in a good mood and laughed, "Come, today is a double celebration. Brother Gang will treat you to a good meal."

"No, Brother Gang, you helped me so much when I was in the hospital, and you helped me move today. I should treat you."

With the bank card his father gave him, Su Xiaofan wasn't worried about money. He pulled his sister, who was watching TV, and they went to a famous restaurant in Luochuan for a good meal.

...

Moving into a new home was great, but it was a bit far from the antique market. Su Xiaofan's lease had another six months left, and he planned to move back to the area after his sister started university, which would be more convenient for his business.

The next day, Su Xiaofan originally wanted to take his sister with him, but Su Xiaoxiao had plans with her classmates, celebrating their post-exam freedom. Her schedule was full until the day before she left for Yanjing.

...

Returning to the antique market, Su Xiaofan's mindset was different from before.

Previously, he endured the elements to make a living, but now he was there for his hobby. After two years in the antique market, Su Xiaofan had developed a strong interest in antiques.

As for whether he would encounter people like Wu Chuanbao, Su Xiaofan wasn't too worried. He knew they were shady characters and would stay hidden for a while after the incident that almost cost him his life.

And if he did encounter them, it would be Su Xiaofan who would cause them trouble. He wanted to settle the score for the 8,000 yuan that almost cost him his life.

"Hey, Xiaofan, I heard you were in the hospital. Are you okay?"

"Xiaofan, are you feeling better? We were planning to visit you in a few days."

"Brother Zhu, I'm fine, all better."

"Brother Er, I'm already out of the hospital. You should have come earlier."

Walking through the market, Su Xiaofan was greeted by familiar voices. The sense of familiarity returned, and he greeted everyone as he walked in.

"Xiaofan, I didn't set up your stall. We'll wait until you return from Yanjing."

Su Xiaofan arrived at his usual spot, where Zheng Dagang's stall was already set up. "I didn't plan to set up today, but since you wanted to see the items, I brought some of the best ritual objects from home. Take a good look."

Zheng Dagang's stall was small, more like a table, with only about 20 to 30 items, fewer than usual. According to Zheng Dagang, today's items were all high-quality.

On the table were four or five prayer beads, each in a moisture-proof bag. They included sandalwood and small-leaf rosewood, which looked like old items.

However, Su Xiaofan knew that the patina was actually created by a machine Zheng Dagang bought to brush the beads. His stall was known for the best quality prayer beads, selling hundreds each month.

"Hey, Xiaofan, these beads weren't brushed by the machine," Zheng Dagang blushed and whispered, knowing Su Xiaofan wouldn't be fooled.

"I'll take a look first." Su Xiaofan waved his hand and focused on the prayer beads, silently thinking "repair."

The repair value had appeared in his mind for some time, and Su Xiaofan had tried many things.

He found that as long as he focused on an item and thought about repairing it, his mind would provide feedback. However, only damaged items could be repaired, and some items required more repair value than he had.

【Rudraksha, craft, cannot be repaired!】

【Small-leaf rosewood, craft, cannot be repaired!】

【Sandalwood, craft, cannot be repaired!】

After examining the prayer beads, Su Xiaofan saw several lines of text in his mind, listing the materials of the beads, all marked as "cannot be repaired."