Chapter 15

"Don't look at me, it's Uncle Jing who doesn't let me say anything."

Seeing Su Xiaofan's gaze, Zheng Dagang knew what he was thinking. Jing Shizhen was a god-like figure in the antique market, and he had never revealed their relationship to outsiders, which had been a source of frustration for him.

"You little brat, I asked you to do business with me, but you refused. Then don't use my name."

Jing Shizhen laughed and scolded Zheng Dagang, then poured tea for the two of them, saying, "This is Pu'er tea I obtained from the deep mountains of Yunnan Province. It's a place rarely visited by people, and this tea is imbued with the essence of heaven and earth, making it extremely rare. You two should taste it."

"Brother Jing, you really give this kid face." Uncle Yuan didn't let Jing Shizhen pour tea for him but picked up the teacup and poured himself a cup.

"Good tea."

After Su Xiaofan drank a cup of tea, he felt a honey-like, floral taste in his mouth. The fragrance of the tea permeated his heart, and he felt much clearer. Although Su Xiaofan wasn't a tea connoisseur, he knew this tea was extraordinary.

"This is made from the tenderest tea leaves, and when brewed, it has a fragrance of orchids." Jing Shizhen smiled and said, "The ancient saying 'as fragrant as the orchid in the nine fields, as round as the full moon in autumn' refers to this kind of orchid Pu'er tea."

"It's really good. This tea can cool you down; I don't feel hot after drinking it." Zheng Dagang chuckled.

"You're such a brute. I don't know how your father, who is such a refined person, could have a son like you."

Jing Shizhen looked at Zheng Dagang with a frown. His old friend was well-versed in classical Chinese studies and excelled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, with a noble and elegant character. But his son was uneducated, dropped out of school early, and was unwilling to do legitimate business with him, preferring to set up a stall in the market. Jing Shizhen didn't know what to say about him.

"Uncle Jing, you and I are in the same line of business, you can't say that about me."

Zheng Dagang complained, "You know, I liked martial arts when I was young, but my father insisted I study literature. I wasn't interested, and in the end, I didn't excel in either. Is that my fault?"

Zheng Dagang's interest in martial arts was known to Su Xiaofan. Although only ten years older than Su Xiaofan, Zheng Dagang's generation grew up watching gangster movies and loved fighting in school. Moreover, Zheng Dagang had indeed practiced martial arts, and three to five ordinary people were no match for him.

"You started practicing martial arts too late. You can't achieve much at your age. And what kind of martial arts are you practicing?"

Jing Shizhen shook his head, "Those cheap tricks from the underworld won't get you anywhere. What's the point of practicing martial arts in today's society? To be brave and fierce?"

"You're right, Uncle Jing. Now, practicing martial arts is just for fitness."

Zheng Dagang rarely argued, as Jing Shizhen's words made sense. In today's society, a loud voice could scare people, and if you dared to fight, you could end up in serious trouble, even if you were rich.

"Tell me, what brings you here this time?" Jing Shizhen smiled at Zheng Dagang, "You usually avoid me. Do you miss me? Or do you want me to scold you?"

"Hehe, Uncle Jing, I brought Xiaofan here to broaden his horizons."

Zheng Dagang smiled flatteringly, "Who doesn't know that Uncle Jing is a top figure in the antique market in the country? The things in your warehouse are as good as those in the museum. Let my brother see them today."

"Showing off?"

Jing Shizhen put down his teacup. Although he only said two words, the temperature in the hall seemed to drop several degrees. At this moment, Su Xiaofan finally saw the aura of a great man like Jing Shizhen.

"Not at all."

Zheng Dagang was startled and quickly said, "I plan to do a ritual object business with Xiaofan. But except for your place, there are few real ritual objects in the market. I just brought Xiaofan here to broaden his knowledge."

"Is that what you call a ritual object business?" Jing Shizhen snorted, but his expression softened.

"How many times have I told you? Ritual objects are different from ordinary antiques. If you don't understand, don't mess around.

If you sell a fake ritual object to someone who really needs it, it could be fatal. Do you understand?"

Jing Shizhen shook his head, looking helpless, "The ritual object business is most afraid of sellers like you who don't understand. If you meet a buyer who also doesn't understand, it will surely lead to trouble."

"Uncle Jing, as the saying goes, 'if you believe, it exists; if you don't, it doesn't.'"

Zheng Dagang cautiously looked at Jing Shizhen's face and said in a low voice, "Isn't this stuff just to fool people? Even if you have a real ritual object, there are no ghosts to catch. So, what's the difference between real and fake?"

"You don't know anything."

Jing Shizhen was truly angry this time, "You're uneducated. What do you know? Are ritual objects only for catching ghosts?"

"If ritual objects don't catch ghosts, what else can they do?"

Zheng Dagang wasn't afraid. He had grown up under Jing Shizhen's watch and was used to being scolded. This was just a small scene.

"Feng Shui, geomancy, warding off evil, protecting the home—these are all uses for ritual objects."

Jing Shizhen pointed at Zheng Dagang and said, "Can the trinkets you sell do any of these? If someone who really needs them buys them, aren't you deceiving them?"

"I didn't stop you before because there wasn't much negative energy in the city, and the people who bought your items just wanted peace of mind. But in the future..."

Jing Shizhen paused, thought for a moment, and continued, "You can continue your business, but don't boast about how powerful your ritual objects are. Sell them as crafts. If someone really wants a ritual object and can afford it, bring them to my shop, and I'll give you a commission."

"Ah? Uncle Jing, I... I still want to do the ritual object business with Xiaofan."

Zheng Dagang was stunned. He and Su Xiaofan hadn't even started their partnership, and now his ritual object business was about to be ruined by Uncle Jing.

"Is that what you call a ritual object business?" Jing Shizhen said with disappointment, "You just haven't met someone who knows. If you meet someone who knows and is particular, they could destroy your stall. This is non-negotiable; you must listen to me."

"Then... what about Xiaofan?"

Zheng Dagang was at a loss. He knew that if Jing Shizhen said this, his ritual object business was really over. Even if he didn't consider anything else, if Jing Shizhen said he sold fake ritual objects, he wouldn't be able to survive in the antique market.

"Do what you did before. Do you think people from the Bronze Village will starve?"

Jing Shizhen glared at Zheng Dagang, then said after a moment, "If you meet a big customer, bring them to me. I'll give you a 20% commission. Uncle Yuan, remember this."

"Yes, Brother Jing, 20% for the customers they bring."

"That's a deal!" Hearing Jing Shizhen's words, Zheng Dagang immediately agreed. Everyone knew that Jingxin Hall had a good reputation and no fakes. If he and Su Xiaofan could bring in customers, the success rate would be high.

More importantly, the items in Jingxin Hall were generally very expensive. A few thousand to a few hundred thousand yuan was common.

Just this branch of Jingxin Hall in Luochuan probably had an annual turnover of over 100 million yuan. If they could get a 20% commission, it would be a significant amount, of course, provided they could bring in customers.

"Well, Xiaofan, it looks like our ritual object business is over."

Zheng Dagang looked at Su Xiaofan, a bit embarrassed. He had proposed the idea, but it was ending before it even started.

"It's okay, Brother Gang. You know, I'm not short of money now."

Su Xiaofan smiled and turned to Jing Shizhen, saying seriously, "Uncle Jing, I'm very interested in ritual objects. Can you show me some today?"

"Want to see ritual objects? Your Bronze Village has them."

"Our Su Family Village has ritual objects?"

Su Xiaofan was surprised but didn't pay much attention. Before the numbers that could repair his body appeared in his mind, he hadn't paid much attention to ritual objects. Even now, he still thought they were just valuable antiques.

"Why am I telling you this?"

Jing Shizhen pushed his glasses up, stood up, and said, "I don't have many ritual objects in my shop, only two. Since you want to see them, I'll show you."

"Only two?"

Su Xiaofan stood up, surprised. Jingxin Hall was such a big shop, but it only had two ritual objects.

"What do you think ritual objects are?"

Seeing Su Xiaofan's expression, Jing Shizhen found it amusing, "Across all branches of Jingxin Hall in the country, there are no more than ten ritual objects. Do you think two is few?"