Chapter 35

"Uncle Zhao, where are we going?"

Following behind Zhao Zhengshan, Su Xiaofan originally thought they would find a restaurant near the antique market to eat something, but to his surprise, Zhao Zhengshan directly hailed a taxi.

"We need a referee for our competition."

Zhao Zhengshan smiled and said, "I'll take you to eat first. After we finish, we'll find an expert to see whose find is better. By the way, don't say anything during the meal, or there won't be any surprises."

"Uncle Zhao, is it really necessary? I only spent a little over a thousand yuan, and you're making it so formal."

Su Xiaofan looked at the excited Zhao Zhengshan with a speechless expression. He had repaired the Song Dynasty pen washer and the Ming Dynasty pen holder, but neither seemed to excite him as much as Zhao Zhengshan.

"We're here at Liuli Factory." When the taxi stopped, Su Xiaofan immediately saw the sign for Liuli Factory outside the window.

"The official experts are at the New Palace Museum, and the civilian experts are all here at Liuli Factory."

Zhao Zhengshan laughed and said, "Our Luochuan's Jingxin Hall has a branch here. I heard that Uncle Jing has been in Yanjing these past few days. We can ask him to be our referee."

"Ask Uncle Jing to be the referee? I think we should forget it."

Zhao Zhengshan called Jing Shizhen Uncle Jing, and Su Xiaofan also called him Uncle Jing, but he didn't care about the generation gap because he had been avoiding Jing Shizhen due to the yin stone incident.

"It's not certain if we'll run into him. Come on, let's go eat first."

Zhao Zhengshan took Su Xiaofan to a small restaurant. The restaurant had a small front and no sign, but it was quite busy inside, with most of the space filled with customers.

"Boss, two liver stir-fries, one fried tripe, a bowl of braised stew, and four daer huoshao..."

Zhao Zhengshan seemed to be a regular here. After waiting for a while and finding an empty table, he didn't even need to look at the menu to order several dishes.

The food came quickly. After asking if Su Xiaofan drank alcohol and getting a negative response, the two of them started eating.

Su Xiaofan hadn't eaten breakfast and was already very hungry. He ate all four daer huoshao by himself. Seeing this, Zhao Zhengshan ordered six more, ate two himself, and the remaining four were also finished by Su Xiaofan.

Su Xiaofan ate quite a lot and felt almost too full to stand up. He patted his stomach and said, "Uncle Zhao, this is what life is all about."

To Su Xiaofan, Zhao Zhengshan was very different from what he imagined a rich person to be. He was humble and not extravagant. If Su Xiaofan didn't know he was Zhao Hengjian's son, he would have thought he was just an ordinary doctor.

"Young people are great. When I was young, I could eat as much as you in one meal!"

Zhao Zhengshan looked at Su Xiaofan with some envy, "Now I can't eat that much. I have to control my diet in the evening, and seeing you makes me feel old."

"Come on, Uncle Zhao, let's go to Jingxin Hall."

Su Xiaofan stood up and paid the bill, having decided that he would eventually have to face Jing Shizhen, and there was no point in avoiding it.

Unlike the unassuming storefront of Luochuan, Jingxin Hall's Liuli Factory branch was grand and elegant, with dragon and phoenix carvings outside.

Inside, the scent of sandalwood and the sound of chanting filled the air. Young and beautiful female staff greeted them, and the spacious area of about eighty square meters was filled with antique shelves and various antiques.

Some antiques were displayed in glass cases, making the place feel like a museum, with a rich historical and cultural atmosphere.

"Is Uncle Jing here?" Zhao Zhengshan asked as soon as they entered. "If Uncle Jing isn't here, we can find Mr. Liu to help us."

The receptionist recognized them as regular customers and quickly led them to the inner hall, which was decorated in a modern style with luxurious sofas, different from the traditional exterior.

"Uncle Jing is good at business."

Su Xiaofan looked around, admiring the setup. He knew that while the wooden furniture looked stylish, it was far less comfortable than the sofas, which provided a more relaxed and comfortable experience.

"Su Xiaofan, I've been calling you for days, and you didn't answer, right?"

Su Xiaofan had just sat down and hadn't even had a sip of tea when he heard Jing Shizhen's strong voice.

"How could I, Uncle Jing? My phone was out of credit for a few days, and I didn't know. I only recharged it yesterday."

Su Xiaofan, who hadn't even settled into his seat, stood up quickly and stood respectfully, as he still respected Uncle Jing greatly.

Regardless of other things, Uncle Jing had given up Zhao Hengjian's 600,000 yuan to sell the zhanfeng bell to him, which was a huge favor to Su Xiaofan.

"Zhengshan, how did you two end up together? Sit down, let's talk."

Jing Shizhen greeted Zhao Zhengshan and then turned his gaze to Su Xiaofan, saying with a frown, "You threw away several million. Are you that timid? What's the harm in keeping it for a day?"

"Uncle Jing, it was mainly because Brother Gang kept telling me to throw it away, so I thought it wasn't auspicious to keep it at home."

Su Xiaofan felt that Zheng Dangang was more experienced, so he decided to blame him, as he couldn't bear Uncle Jing's scolding.

"Foolish, both of you are foolish!"

Jing Shizhen sighed and said, "When you're unsure about something, you should ask someone. Being too clever, you lost several million. Now you know the consequences, right?"

"I understand, Uncle Jing. Next time, if I'm unsure about something, I'll call you."

"Uncle Jing, what happened to Su? What did he throw away?"

Zhao Zhengshan was curious. He knew that Su Xiaoxiao had to apply for tuition reduction to attend university, and Su Xiaofan's family didn't seem well-off, so it was unlikely that he would throw away something worth several million.

"This kid threw away a yin stone. Zhengshan, do you know what a yin stone is?" Jing Shizhen looked at Zhao Zhengshan but didn't hide the information.

"A yin stone? I've seen one, but isn't it somewhat sinister?" Zhao Zhengshan was taken aback.

"You've seen one?" Jing Shizhen turned to him, "Where did you see it? Who has it now?"

"I saw it over ten years ago. It belonged to the abbot of Jingang Temple. I don't know who has it now..." Zhao Zhengshan explained.

It happened when Zhao Zhengshan was a doctor in the emergency room. One night, a 120 ambulance brought in a sick monk who didn't survive the night and passed away the next day.

While sorting through the monk's belongings, Zhao Zhengshan saw the yin stone. At the time, he didn't know what it was, but it gave him a chill, feeling somewhat sinister.

Later, the monk's disciple came to the hospital, and Zhao Zhengshan learned that the monk was the abbot of Jingang Temple. Out of curiosity, he asked about the stone when returning the monk's belongings.

The disciple told Zhao Zhengshan that it was a yin stone, formed from yin energy, which needed to be neutralized with Buddhist teachings. Ordinary people should not touch it, as it could cause serious illness or even death.

"The disciple you mentioned is probably Master Huizheng, an old friend."

Jing Shizhen nodded, understanding the origin of the yin stone Zhao Zhengshan had seen, and didn't ask further.

"What are you two here for today?" Jing Shizhen looked at Su Xiaofan and Zhao Zhengshan.

"Uncle Jing..."

"Uncle Jing, I and Uncle Zhao..."

Su Xiaofan and Zhao Zhengshan spoke at the same time and then stopped, both calling Jing Shizhen "Uncle," which made the situation awkward.

"Each of you can call me as you like. What's the big deal?"

Jing Shizhen pointed at Zhao Zhengshan and said, "Zhengshan, you speak. Why are you here at Jingxin Hall?"

"Uncle Jing, it's like this," Zhao Zhengshan smiled and said, "This morning, I and Xiaofan went to the antique street and each found an item. We want you to appraise them..."

"Your approach to collecting is different from others."

Jing Shizhen clearly knew Zhao Zhengshan well and said, "I've appraised things for you ten times, and you've only bought the right thing twice. I've told you to buy antiques from me, but you never do, as if I'm taking advantage of you."

"Uncle Jing, I enjoy the thrill of finding a good deal. Buying from you doesn't give me that feeling."

Zhao Zhengshan smiled and shook his head. After meeting Jing Shizhen, he introduced him to his father, and later, Zhao Hengjian and Jing Shizhen became very close. Zhao Zhengshan rarely visited Jingxin Hall except for appraisals.

"Alright, bring the items for me to see."

Jing Shizhen extended his hand to Zhao Zhengshan and said, "The usual rule: if the item is genuine, I don't charge you. If it's fake, you pay the appraisal fee at the counter."

"Uncle Zhao, how much is the appraisal fee?"

Su Xiaofan asked quietly, not understanding Jing Shizhen's rules. Logically, people would only willingly pay if the item was genuine, but paying for a fake seemed like adding insult to injury.

"The fee for a fake item is 10,000 yuan."

Zhao Zhengshan didn't mind the fee, handed the bag with the item to Uncle Jing, and smiled, "Uncle Jing is teaching me a lesson. It's called remembering the pain after a beating."

"I don't see you remembering the pain."

Uncle Jing took the bag from Zhao Zhengshan, didn't open it immediately, but put on gloves before taking out the item.

"A root carving?"

Looking at the item, Jing Shizhen didn't rush to make a judgment but took a magnifying glass and carefully examined the dark red root carving, which was about 27-28 centimeters tall.

It was a root carving of Bodhidharma, with one hand placed on his chest, eyes slightly closed, a high forehead, large ear pendants, and distinctive curly whiskers that circled his face, making it look very realistic.

"Zhengshan, tell me your thoughts."

After a few minutes, Jing Shizhen put down the magnifying glass and placed the Bodhidharma root carving back on the table.