Chapter 14

"Relax, I, your Big Brother Gang, never do anything illegal." Zheng Dagang glanced at his stall, "Brother, is there nothing in here that catches your eye?"

Zheng Dagang wasn't stupid; he could tell that Su Xiaofan wasn't interested in the items he had brought out. But this was already the best batch of goods Zheng Dagang had.

"Big Brother Gang, I want to see real magical artifacts," Su Xiaofan didn't forget the purpose of his visit today.

Actually, after figuring out how to use the bug in the repair system, whether or not to partner with Zheng Dagang in the magical artifact business was no longer a concern for Su Xiaofan.

With the ability to authenticate, Su Xiaofan would often wander through antique markets in various cities, and he could always find some genuine items.

Moreover, with so many cities in the country, as long as he wasn't too greedy, he could find one or two items in each city, and by intentionally buying some fake items to mix in, there was no risk of anyone discovering his secret.

"Alright, I'll put my face on the line today and take you to see some good stuff. Su Xiaofan, wait a moment, I'll pack up my stall first."

Zheng Dagang quickly packed up all the items on his stall, then flipped the table and folded the sides, turning it into a box on the ground.

Most of the vendors in the market used this type of setup; it could be a stall when laid out and a box when packed up, allowing them to leave quickly. Su Xiaofan had one too.

Zheng Dagang didn't take the box away but left it at a familiar shop in the antique market, then took Su Xiaofan to the second floor of the market.

"Big Brother Gang, where are we going?"

Su Xiaofan knew that the second floor of the antique market was where the real antique trading took place, and it was mostly for regular customers. Typically, a shop wouldn't open for a year, but once it did, it could sustain for several years. He used to enjoy wandering around the second floor, but he wasn't very familiar with the shop owners there, as there was a significant gap between a street vendor and them.

"To Jingxin Hall." Zheng Dagang slowed his pace and turned back to say, "Su Xiaofan, speak less when we get there. I'll see if I can get them to show us their best items."

"Big Brother Gang, that's impressive, you know Jingxin Hall?" Su Xiaofan couldn't help but give a thumbs up. In the antique market, no one hadn't heard of Jingxin Hall.

It was said that the owner of Jingxin Hall had been in the antique business since before the liberation. After the liberation, he went abroad and took his best items with him.

About thirty years ago, the current heir of Jingxin Hall returned to the country and resumed the antique business, opening Jingxin Hall stores across the nation.

Jingxin Hall, which had once lost its reputation, had rebuilt it over the past few decades. They were known for their honesty and fairness.

Buying antiques from Jingxin Hall, apart from the higher prices, had no other issues. If anyone bought a fake from Jingxin Hall, they would be considered very lucky, as Jingxin Hall promised a tenfold refund for any fake item.

However, in over thirty years of operation, no one had ever claimed this compensation, demonstrating their excellent reputation. Many major collectors in the country preferred to buy antiques from Jingxin Hall.

Since the original owner of Jingxin Hall was from Luochuan, after returning to the country, he made Luochuan the headquarters of Jingxin Hall. Su Xiaofan had seen the old man, who was in his thirties when he returned to reopen Jingxin Hall and was now in his sixties, in the market.

Compared to the first floor and the outdoor stalls, the second floor was much quieter.

Unlike the first floor, which had counters, the second floor was mostly shops, such as Foyuan Hall, Chenxiang Pavilion, and Yixin Study. The shops were decorated in an ancient style, and some even played Buddhist music, creating a stark contrast to the noise of the first floor, making it feel like a different area.

Jingxin Hall was located at the far end of the second floor. After passing through about ten shops, Su Xiaofan and Zheng Dagang arrived at the entrance of Jingxin Hall.

"Uncle Yuan, you're here today, what a coincidence, I usually don't see you." The door to Jingxin Hall was open, and Zheng Dagang greeted an elderly man sitting in the outer hall drinking tea. Su Xiaofan didn't speak and followed Zheng Dagang inside.

Unlike other antique shops, which were filled with items, Jingxin Hall had very few items on display. There were only two ancient wooden racks on the side walls, each holding a dozen or so items. To Su Xiaofan, it seemed more like a tea room, as the attention was drawn to the tea table, which appeared to be made of purple sandalwood.

On the tea table was an incense burner with a reverse flow design. Su Xiaofan didn't know what kind of incense was burning, but he saw a white, gossamer-like smoke slowly descending, like a gentle stream, looking very elegant.

"Isn't that obvious? I'm here every day," the old man sitting there didn't give Zheng Dagang a good face.

"Hehe, I just said that." Zheng Dagang walked over with a thick face, "I just missed Uncle Jing, it's been a long time, I came to see if I could run into you."

"Gangzi, if you missed me, why didn't you call me or visit my home?" Suddenly, a voice came from the inner hall, and a middle-aged man, who looked to be in his forties, walked out.

"Oh, Uncle Jing, you look so young." Zheng Dagang saw the man and quickly ran over, reaching out to help, but was pushed away with a laugh.

"Jing Shizhen!" A name popped into Su Xiaofan's mind, as he recognized the man, who was the owner of Jingxin Hall.

The surname "Jing" was rare in the country. When Su Xiaofan first learned that the owner of Jingxin Hall was surnamed Jing, he thought the name Jingxin Hall might be a pun, perhaps it was originally called "Jingxin Hall."

Su Xiaofan remembered this clearly because the first time he saw Jing Shizhen in the antique market, he thought the man was Jing Shizhen's son, as a man in his sixties looked only in his forties. But Zheng Dagang had told him that the man was indeed Jing Shizhen, and he just looked young due to good care.

Zheng Dagang now understood why Uncle Yuan wasn't giving him a good face. Mentioning that the shopkeeper was often not in the shop in front of the boss was like putting Uncle Yuan in a difficult position. It was already good that Uncle Yuan didn't hit him with a shoe.

"Gangzi, why are you here today?" Jing Shizhen was not tall, about 1.7 meters, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a traditional Chinese jacket, looking very refined.

"Uncle Jing, I just missed you." Zheng Dagang laughed, "My father said he hasn't played chess with you in a long time and asked when you would be free to play."

"Sure, but I'll be out for a few days. When I return, have your father come to the shop; I've recently acquired some good tea."

Jing Shizhen walked to the inner hall, glanced at Su Xiaofan, and smiled, pointing at him, "I've seen this young man before; he sells at the same stall as you. The bronze items on his stall are quite good, from our Luochuan Bronze Village."

"Yes, Uncle Jing, my name is Su."

Su Xiaofan remembered Zheng Dagang's advice to speak less and gave a simple response. However, he was somewhat surprised that Jing Shizhen not only remembered him but also recognized the origin of his bronze items from just a brief encounter last year.

"Hmm? Surnamed Su? No wonder. The true skills of the bronze village are in your family." Jing Shizhen nodded with a smile, "Come, sit down, have some tea. Gangzi, how is your father? I remember he had some old leg problems. I brought some ointments from Hong Kong; I'll give them to your father later."

Jing Shizhen gestured for Zheng Dagang and Su Xiaofan to sit down. Uncle Yuan, who had been sitting at the head of the table, moved aside, and Jing Shizhen personally boiled water and made tea for the two.

"Thank you, Uncle Jing." Zheng Dagang quickly responded, "Your health is excellent, and if we walk together, others would surely say you're my brother."

"Brat, taking advantage of me. I'm more like your father's brother." Jing Shizhen laughed heartily.

Listening to the conversation between Jing Shizhen and Zheng Dagang, Su Xiaofan realized that the two families were old friends.

From their conversation, Su Xiaofan learned that Jing Shizhen's father, the founder of Jingxin Hall, and Zheng Dagang's grandfather were close friends. When Jing Shizhen returned to the country, he first visited Zheng Dagang's family, but unfortunately, Zheng Dagang's grandfather had already passed away.

It seemed that fate brought them together. After a few visits, Jing Shizhen and Zheng Dagang's father, who was a professor, became very close, and Zheng Dagang was recognized as a nephew. Zheng Dagang's business in the antique market was actually guided by Jing Shizhen.

"Big Brother Gang's mouth is really tight." After understanding their relationship, Su Xiaofan couldn't help but look at Zheng Dagang. They had known each other for several years, and he had never heard Zheng Dagang mention this connection.