Chapter 17

【Repair Value: 8 points】

【Wind Chime, Low-grade Defective Magical Artifact, Repairable, Requires 5 Repair Points, Repair?】

“No repair!” Su Xiaofan first rejected the repair option, and the text disappeared.

“It’s also a defective magical artifact, but it should be better than the bronze mirror. But why are they all defective magical artifacts?”

Su Xiaofan carefully examined the wind chime in his hand. The brass bell only had a few shallow scratches on its surface, and it looked intact overall, hardly fitting the description of being defective.

“Could this so-called magical artifact really bring good luck and ward off evil?”

Looking at the red string tied to the bell, Su Xiaofan lifted it with his right hand and gently shook it, producing a pleasant and clear sound.

“Hmm, this sound is so soothing.”

Whether it was his imagination or not, the sound of the wind chime was different from the usual bell sounds he had heard. It seemed to have a purifying effect, making Su Xiaofan feel his mind clear and his breathing smoother.

“Good stuff!” Su Xiaofan praised it.

“Alright, Xiaofan, you just haven’t seen it. Such wind chimes are common in wholesale markets.”

Zheng Dagang, still upset about Jing Shizhen’s ban on selling magical artifacts, kept making sarcastic remarks.

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Jing Shizhen glared at Zheng Dagang, took the wind chime from Su Xiaofan, and carefully placed it back on the tray. He waved at Zheng Dagang and said, “Alright, you’ve seen the items, you can leave now.”

“We’ll head back then, Uncle Jing. If my mom makes dumplings, I’ll bring some over.”

Although he only saw two magical artifacts, Zheng Dagang felt he hadn’t let Su Xiaofan down.

“No, if your sister-in-law makes dumplings, just call me. The taste won’t be the same if you bring them over.”

Jing Shizhen had eaten many delicacies from all over, but he had a special fondness for the dumplings from the Zheng family. Whenever he returned to Luochuan, he would always go for a meal.

“Brother Gang, Uncle Jing, wait a moment.”

Just as Jing Shizhen was about to put the tray back, Su Xiaofan suddenly spoke up.

“Hmm? Xiaofan, what’s wrong?” Jing Shizhen stopped and looked at Su Xiaofan.

“Uncle Jing, I… I want to ask, how much do you sell this wind chime for?”

Su Xiaofan glanced at the bell and said, “I really like this thing. I just bought a new house, and I want to place it in the new house as a protective item.”

“Xiaofan, magical artifacts are just for show. Why are you taking it seriously? If you want to buy, don’t buy here. Uncle Jing’s prices are very high.”

Hearing that Su Xiaofan wanted to buy the wind chime, Zheng Dagang was stunned. He had been in the magical artifact business for years and never believed they had any real power. At best, they provided psychological comfort to buyers.

Moreover, the items at Jingxin Hall were known for their high prices. Ordinary antiques were already 30% more expensive than the market, and this wind chime, being a magical artifact, would likely have an even higher price tag.

In a hurry, Zheng Dagang forgot about his relationship with Uncle Jing and blurted out the truth, causing Jing Shizhen’s face to darken.

“What do you know, saying my prices are high?”

Concerned about the reputation of Jingxin Hall, Jing Shizhen couldn’t let Zheng Dagang speak ill of him. “Which antique shop dares to offer a tenfold refund for fakes? Buying from me ensures peace of mind. It’s better to pay a bit more than to buy a fake.”

Jing Shizhen wasn’t exaggerating. Jingxin Hall had been in business for decades without selling a single fake. Some other antique shops tried to emulate Jingxin Hall but ended up bankrupt due to their inability to honor the tenfold refund policy.

“Brother Gang, Uncle Jing is right. You’ve seen how people suffer when they buy fakes.”

In the antique market, buying a fake is called “taking medicine,” which is bitter and describes the feeling of buying a fake.

Su Xiaofan agreed with Jing Shizhen. Over the years, he had seen all kinds of people in the antique market. Not everyone who bought a fake would accept their loss; many would cause trouble.

Some would report fraud to the police, and others would use force, but they usually wouldn’t get any compensation or refunds because the receipts would list the items as “artifacts,” and the market transactions were considered normal. The police couldn’t do much about it.

This was one of the main reasons why Jingxin Hall had always been prosperous. The items were expensive but genuine, making it the first choice for those with the means to buy antiques.

“You’re a sensible kid, Xiaofan. Gangzi, you’re a rascal. I don’t know how you do business in the market.”

Jing Shizhen was pleased with Su Xiaofan. At his age, he naturally enjoyed hearing compliments.

“Uncle Jing, how much do you sell this wind chime for?” Su Xiaofan asked again.

“Do you really want it? For your new house?”

Hearing Su Xiaofan’s words, Jing Shizhen became serious. “What kind of house did you buy? Is it a villa?”

“It’s not a villa. Xiaofan’s family bought a large apartment, over 270 square meters, not much worse than a villa,” Zheng Dagang added.

“Oh? Xiaofan’s family is well-off.”

Jing Shizhen looked at Su Xiaofan with surprise. He had heard from Zheng Dagang that Su Xiaofan’s father was not around, and he lived with his sister, with a modest family background.

“My dad made some money over the years. He bought the house when he came back.”

Su Xiaofan explained. He still found it hard to believe that he suddenly had a house in his name.

“Usually, urban apartments don’t need feng shui. As long as they’re not built on inauspicious land, there’s no problem.”

Jing Shizhen pondered for a moment and said, “270 square meters is a large house. It could have good feng shui, but it could also have poor feng shui. Placing a protective item in your house is not a bad idea.”

“Uncle Jing, do you know feng shui?” Su Xiaofan wasn’t sure what Jing Shizhen meant, but it seemed related to feng shui.

“Those in our line of work need to know a bit.”

Jing Shizhen smiled and pointed to the Eight Trigram Mirror and the wind chime on the tray. “Xiaofan, let me explain. Your house should be fine, and these items are optional. Sometimes, placing a feng shui artifact in your house might not be a good thing.”

“Uncle Jing, I feel a connection with this item. Give me a price. If I can’t afford it, there’s nothing I can do.”

Su Xiaofan looked at the wind chime on the tray. He wanted to buy this low-grade defective magical artifact to repair it and see the difference between the repaired and defective versions.

Actually, Su Xiaofan had a better item, the dragon-shaped jade pendant around his neck, but repairing it would cost 50 repair points, which he couldn’t afford. So, he decided to start with a cheaper item to practice.

“Actually, for a protective item, it’s best to choose a defensive one. The wind chime is not as good as the Eight Trigram Mirror for hanging in your house.”

Jing Shizhen shook his head and said, “But my old customer specifically asked for a defensive magical artifact. I brought these two items to trade with him. I don’t know which one he will choose, so I can’t sell it to you, Xiaofan. Why don’t you come back tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll see the result.”

Hearing Jing Shizhen’s words, Su Xiaofan and Zheng Dagang realized that these two items were not stored in the Luochuan bank’s safe but were brought by Jing Shizhen from elsewhere. This made Su Xiaofan a bit nervous, wondering if he could afford the wind chime with his current savings.

Before the incident, Su Xiaofan had about 70,000 yuan. After the incident, he received 500,000 yuan in compensation, which was already in his account. When he was discharged from the hospital, he had 60,000 yuan left, which he kept.

His father also gave him a card with 1,000,000 yuan, and another 200,000 yuan for furniture, of which he spent less than half. In total, Su Xiaofan had about 1,700,000 yuan.

Of course, Su Xiaofan couldn’t use all 1,700,000 yuan. He needed to set aside 200,000 yuan for his sister’s first-year tuition and living expenses at university, leaving him with 1,500,000 yuan to buy the wind chime.

“Uncle Jing, I have to take my sister back to the village tomorrow. I probably won’t be able to come over the next two days. Can I come the day after tomorrow?”

Su Xiaofan was taken aback. He had already planned to return to the village the next day and had informed the village chief. The village would be hosting a banquet to celebrate his sister’s admission to Yanjing University, so Su Xiaofan and his sister had to be there.

“I’ll be back in Yanjing the day after tomorrow.”

Jing Shizhen frowned, checked his phone, and said, “Let me call the customer and see if he’s available. If he is, we can settle this today.”

“Uncle Jing, please give me a price first. If I can’t afford it, I’ll be wasting your time.”

Su Xiaofan felt a bit guilty. He wasn’t familiar with the market prices for magical artifacts and thought his money should be enough, but if it wasn’t, it would be embarrassing.

“You have a point.”

Jing Shizhen laughed and said, “The Eight Trigram Mirror is 2,000,000 yuan, and the wind chime is 1,200,000 yuan. How about that? Do you have enough money?”

“1,200,000 yuan?” A brass bell of this size could be sold for 1,200,000 yuan? Even though Su Xiaofan had prepared mentally, he was still shocked.

“Uncle Jing, Xiaofan is my friend. Don’t apply your 30% markup to him.”

Zheng Dagang interjected, “Xiaofan is a customer I brought. I’ll waive my 20% commission. Uncle Jing, you can deduct it from the price.”

“I see you’re turning against me.”

Jing Shizhen was amused by Zheng Dagang’s words and said, “I quoted the customer 1,800,000 yuan for the wind chime. If he doesn’t want it, I’ll sell it to Xiaofan for 1,200,000 yuan. What more do you want?”

“Wait, Uncle Jing.”

Hearing Jing Shizhen’s words, Zheng Dagang quickly checked his phone. Seeing that 1,200,000 yuan was 70% of 1,800,000 yuan and 60,000 yuan less, he gave a thumbs up.

“You’re a man of your word, Uncle. How about rounding it to 1,000,000 yuan?”