Chapter 18

"Kōko, you little rascal, are you trying to make me suffer by not letting me swindle you?"

Jing Shizhen looked at Zheng Dagang with a mix of amusement and exasperation and said, "I bought this for a million, and I need to spend money on food, drink, and living expenses, right? I also need to cover the costs of airfare, hotels, and other expenses, and I can't do business without making a profit, can I?"

"Uncle Jing, I'll take the wind chime at the price you mentioned if the buyer doesn't want it!"

Su Xiaofan knew that Jing Shizhen was being reasonable. Giving him a discount of 600,000 was already a significant favor, and considering the rarity of the ritual object, it should be easy to sell.

"Xiaofan is more sensible than you."

Jing Shizhen thought for a moment and said, "If you two have nothing else to do, stay in the shop and watch how much the transaction is worth. This way, Dagang won't complain later that I tricked him."

"How could I, Uncle? Do you think I don't trust you?"

Zheng Dagang chuckled and said, "You know, I usually only make deals worth a few thousand, but today, thanks to you, Uncle, I get to see a deal worth over a million."

"I don't like talking to you."

Jing Shizhen glanced at Zheng Dagang, "Be more alert later, watch more and talk less, improve your judgment, and learn more. In the future, I can entrust the management of the Tranquility Hall in Luochuan to you with peace of mind."

Although he scolded Zheng Dagang, Jing Shizhen was very fond of his nephew. He had wanted to bring him into the business years ago, but the boy preferred to hang around in the market. Now that he was older, he might be more receptive.

Despite Jing Shizhen's large business, he was now facing the problem of succession.

Jing Shizhen did have a son, but he was not interested in antiques and was now a prominent lawyer in Hong Kong. His grandson was still too young to be of any help, so Jing Shizhen was looking for a successor.

"Alright, I'll listen to you, Uncle."

Zheng Dagang was not ungrateful. He knew that his previous level of involvement was too low, and today, seeing Uncle Yuan lighting incense and sipping tea, he realized that this life wasn't bad.

In front of Su Xiaofan and Zheng Dagang, Jing Shizhen made a phone call. The other party seemed to be available and agreed to come to the shop soon.

Uncle Jing had a lot of influence. After a couple of rounds of tea, which took about half an hour, the buyer for Jing Shizhen's transaction walked into the Tranquility Hall.

Two people entered. The elderly man in front was tall, with white hair and an age of over seventy, but he was well-preserved and exuded a strong presence, clearly someone who had held a high position for a long time.

Behind the elderly man was a young girl, about the same age as Su Xiaoxiao, but slightly shorter, around 1.68 meters tall. She was wearing sportswear, had short hair, and a baby face, making her look very cute.

"Chairman Zhao?" Seeing the visitor, Zheng Dagang, who had been sitting, immediately stood up.

"Who is Chairman Zhao?"

Su Xiaofan also stood up but did not recognize the elderly man. He asked Zheng Dagang in a low voice.

"The chairman of Luochuan Real Estate."

Zheng Dagang whispered, and at that moment, Jing Shizhen had already gone up to greet the elderly man and started chatting with him.

"The house we live in was developed by his company. Half of the real estate in Luochuan is his work..."

Zheng Dagang explained to Su Xiaofan in a low voice.

This elderly man was named Zhao Hengjian, a legendary figure who started from scratch in the 1980s by doing small business. In the early 1990s, when the Soviet Union collapsed, he became an international trader, accumulating his initial capital.

By the mid-to-late 1990s, Zhao Hengjian began developing real estate, expanding from Luochuan to the entire country. His real estate company is now among the top ten in the country, and he has been on the Forbes list of China's richest people for ten consecutive years, with a net worth of over a billion.

Zheng Dagang knew him purely because of the demolition. During that time, he helped his family with the procedures, running back and forth between the real estate company, the housing administration, and the demolition office, so he was very familiar with Luochuan Real Estate and had seen Zhao Hengjian a few times.

However, Zhao Hengjian did not recognize Zheng Dagang. As Zheng Dagang and Su Xiaofan were whispering, Jing Shizhen called Zheng Dagang over.

"Old Zhao, this is my nephew, Zheng Dagang. He might manage the Tranquility Hall in Luochuan in the future, so please take good care of him," Jing Shizhen introduced Zheng Dagang to Zhao Hengjian.

"Hmm, the young man is steady and reliable, that's good."

Zhao Hengjian glanced at Zheng Dagang, nodded, and said to the girl beside him, "Yaoyao, call him Uncle Zheng."

"Grandpa, he's not much older than me, I won't call him that."

The girl beside Zhao Hengjian looked unhappy. She disliked going out with her grandfather to meet elders. The last time, someone only three years older than her was also called an uncle, which made her very angry.

"Young people, each to their own."

Jing Shizhen couldn't help but laugh, gesturing for them to come in, and said, "Old Zhao, the ritual objects I found this time are quite good. Take a look at them first."

"Alright." Zhao Hengjian nodded and followed Jing Shizhen into the inner room.

However, when Zhao Hengjian saw Zheng Dagang and Su Xiaofan follow in, he looked surprised. He knew that Jing Shizhen usually did not like having a third party present during transactions, and he had never made an exception in their many dealings.

Zheng Dagang's presence was understandable, as he was the future successor of the Tranquility Hall, but Zhao Hengjian was unsure about Su Xiaofan's background.

"This is also one of my nephews, not an outsider, and he is very interested in the ritual objects this time."

Seeing Zhao Hengjian's sudden change in expression, Jing Shizhen laughed and said, "Old Zhao, no other meaning, you get to choose first. If you don't want both, he can be a backup. He only gets a chance if you don't want them."

"Hmm, that's fine, so he's a young friend."

Hearing Jing Shizhen's words, Zhao Hengjian's expression relaxed, "Young friend, where are you from?"

"Ah? I'm from Luochuan." Su Xiaofan, surprised that Zhao Hengjian was speaking to him, quickly responded.

"He's from Sujia Village, the village known for bronze artifacts." Jing Shizhen added an explanation.

"Oh, then he's not an outsider. How is Old Su Daya?" Hearing that Su Xiaofan was from Sujia Village, Zhao Hengjian laughed heartily.

"Grandpa Six is doing well, thank you for asking."

Su Xiaofan became more respectful, knowing that few people knew his grandfather's nickname, and Zhao Hengjian calling it out indicated a close relationship.

"You have a lot of wild game in your area. I'll visit your Grandpa Six to hunt wild boars."

Zhao Hengjian nodded, looking energetic despite his age.

"Gun control is strict now, hunting is not allowed."

Su Xiaofan relaxed and laughed, recalling how he used to go hunting with his grandfather when he was young, but the guns were confiscated a few years ago due to strict regulations.

"No problem, your Grandpa Six is skilled with a bow."

Zhao Hengjian laughed and chatted with Su Xiaofan for a bit. Meanwhile, Jing Shizhen came out of the inner room with a tray.

"Bagua Mirror, good for protecting the home and warding off evil. This is the Zhanfeng Wind Chime, which has some defensive properties but is more of an offensive ritual object."

Jing Shizhen placed the tray on the tea table and said straightforwardly, "Old Zhao, these are the best two ritual objects I could find recently, and they are relatively portable. Take a look."

"Alright." Zhao Hengjian didn't hesitate, picked up the Bagua Mirror first, examined it carefully, then took the Zhanfeng Wind Chime and gently shook it to listen to the sound, just like Su Xiaofan had done.

"Brother Jing, can't you find any pendant-type ritual objects?"

After a while, Zhao Hengjian put both objects back, looking a bit disappointed, "I was looking for something for Yaoyao to protect herself. The Bagua Mirror and the wind chime can't be worn close to the body, which is a bit inconvenient."

"Brother Zhao, you know, pendant-type ritual objects are usually passed down through generations. I... I can't just take them from others."

Jing Shizhen said with a wry smile, "I had to work hard to get these two. The Bagua Mirror can actually be carried in a bag, which is quite convenient."

At this point, Jing Shizhen paused, glanced at Zheng Dagang and Su Xiaofan, and said vaguely, "You know, some things can still be bought with money now, but it might not be the case in the future."

"Pendant-type ritual objects?"

Hearing their conversation, Su Xiaofan was startled and almost reached for the dragon-shaped jade pendant around his neck. The pendant he wore was a pendant-type ritual object, and it was even a mid-level one.

"Alright, I'll take both."

Zhao Hengjian didn't ask about the price and decided to buy both ritual objects.

"Uncle Jing." Su Xiaofan was a bit anxious. It didn't matter that Chairman Zhao was wealthy, but he wanted the Zhanfeng Wind Chime, and now it seemed he would lose it.

"Oh, I forgot, young friend, you also had your eye on one. You wanted the Zhanfeng Wind Chime, right?"

Hearing Su Xiaofan's voice, Zhao Hengjian remembered that the young man in front of him was also interested in the ritual objects.

"Never mind, I'll take the Bagua Mirror, and you can have the Zhanfeng Wind Chime. Consider it a good deed."

Zhao Hengjian said, "It's a way to form a good connection with you."

"Thank you, thank you so much."

Su Xiaofan, who had almost given up hope, was overjoyed to hear that Zhao Hengjian was letting him have the Zhanfeng Wind Chime.

"Don't thank me. If your Grandpa Six finds out I didn't leave anything for you, he would definitely scold me."

Zhao Hengjian waved his hand and looked at Jing Shizhen, "Brother, I have other matters to attend to. I'll take the items now."

"Alright, let's have tea another day."

Jing Shizhen nodded and, along with Zheng Dagang and Su Xiaofan, saw Zhao Hengjian and Yaoyao out of the shop. As for the payment, such a large transaction would be handled by their subordinates, and Zhao Hengjian wouldn't need to transfer the money immediately.

However, Su Xiaofan didn't have that privilege. After Zhao Hengjian left, he took out the bank card his father gave him and another card, swiping an additional 200,000 to pay for the Zhanfeng Wind Chime.

Even so, Su Xiaofan owed Jing Shizhen a significant favor.

If Jing Shizhen hadn't spoken to Zhao Hengjian earlier, Zhao Hengjian would have bought both ritual objects, and Jing Shizhen would have lost 600,000 in profit.