Chapter 4

"Want to block me? Try in your next life."

Around four in the afternoon, Su Xiaofan pressed down on the brim of his sun hat and walked out of the back door of a shop in the antique market. He had long noticed the few people Wu Chuanbao had stationed at the entrances and exits of the antique market, but there were more than just two entrances and exits. Many shops had back doors, and without a hundred or so people, it would be impossible to block anyone here.

After passing through a few alleys, Su Xiaofan arrived at a market in a residential area, where he bought half a kilogram of meat, an old hen, and a few vegetables. After some thought, he also bought half a kilogram of chicken feet that his little sister loved, then carried everything back to his place.

The cost of living in Luochuan City was not high. Su Xiaofan's rented place was not far from the antique market or the high school his little sister attended. It was an old building from the 1980s, older than Su Xiaofan himself. The rent was naturally not expensive, with two bedrooms, one living room, and a monthly rent of only 900 yuan. The apartment was fully furnished with appliances and furniture. Although his sister only came back to stay for one day a week, Su Xiaofan still reserved the sunlit room for her.

Killing a chicken at the market cost five yuan, but Su Xiaofan didn't want to spend the money. He boiled a pot of water and skillfully cleaned the chicken, removing the feathers in just a few minutes. Then he put the chicken in a pot with seasonings to stew. Su Xiaofan usually made a meal like this for his sister once a week. He said that the chicken soup contained all the nutrients, and the chicken meat, when shredded and mixed with ginger, soy sauce, and vinegar, was a great way to satisfy hunger, perfect for rewarding his little sister.

He turned on another stove and stir-fried some shredded pork with garlic sprouts, then made a cold cucumber salad. After turning down the heat on the chicken soup, he returned to the living room, turned on the fan, and relaxed. Checking the time, he estimated that his little sister would be home in about half an hour, just in time for dinner.

"The number you dialed is out of service area. Please try again later."

Hearing the voice of the customer service representative, Su Xiaofan helplessly hung up the phone. He had been calling his father almost every day recently, but he didn't know where his father's ship was in the ocean, and the calls always went unanswered. However, it was common to have no signal at sea, so Su Xiaofan wasn't worried about his father's safety. He was more concerned about his sister's tuition.

Although he had earned 8,000 yuan from that Wu family by skirting the rules, Su Xiaofan now only had 85,000 yuan, still 15,000 yuan short of the 100,000 yuan needed. According to Su Xiaofan's plan, besides the tuition, he needed to prepare at least 10,000 to 20,000 yuan for emergencies. As the saying goes, "a poor home but a rich journey." It didn't matter if Su Xiaofan ate poorly, but he couldn't let his sister suffer while studying away from home.

"There's nothing valuable left in this house." Su Xiaofan looked around the living room, feeling a bit depressed. Apart from some molds for making bronze artifacts, there was nothing else of value.

"Right, I wonder if this thing is worth anything?"

Su Xiaofan suddenly unbuttoned his collar and pulled out a pendant hanging from a gold chain. The pendant was oval-shaped, completely black, with an irregular hole in the middle, just large enough for the chain to pass through. The pendant looked unremarkable and, if dropped on the ground, would likely be picked up only by a scavenger as scrap metal.

According to his father, this item was obtained by his father a few years ago during a long voyage.

At the time, Su Weixuan's cruise ship was passing through the Bermuda Triangle when it encountered a cruise ship that had accidentally hit a reef and was about to sink. In such a situation, it was impossible to stand by and watch. Under Su Weixuan's command, all 500 people on the sinking ship were rescued. One of the rescued passengers, a famous meteorite collector with considerable wealth, gave this pendant to Su Weixuan as a token of gratitude.

The collector had been on the cruise ship with nothing but this pendant. According to him, he had obtained the pendant thirty years ago while chasing a meteorite shower in a desert. Strangely, when he touched the meteorite, it turned to sand and scattered into fine particles. In the center of the meteorite, this object was left behind.

The meteorite collector took the small piece back and conducted various tests, but no matter how he analyzed it, he could not determine its properties or even confirm if it was a metal.

Although the pendant wasn't very attractive, the collector valued it highly and wore it around his neck for decades. If not for being rescued by Su Weixuan and having nothing else, the collector might not have given it away.

Su Weixuan didn't care much about the pendant and simply gave it to his son when he returned home. Su Xiaofan thought it looked fashionable and had worn it ever since. Now, short of money, he considered selling it.

"This thing is supposed to be a meteorite, but no one would believe it. Dad was probably fooled." Su Xiaofan chuckled, playing with the pendant. It wasn't metal or stone, and when he had shown it to people in the antique market, they had dismissed it as scrap metal.

"Well, if all else fails, I'll ask Brother Gang for help in a few days." Su Xiaofan put the pendant back on, knowing that his sister's tuition wasn't entirely hopeless. With his friendship with Zheng Dagang, borrowing a few ten thousand yuan for a year or two wouldn't be a problem. However, Su Xiaofan was independent and didn't like to ask for help unless absolutely necessary.

"Xiaofan, Su Xiaofan, I'm back!" A clear voice interrupted Su Xiaofan's thoughts. The door opened, and a girl about 1.7 meters tall bounced in, rushing towards Su Xiaofan.

"Call me Brother, don't be so informal." Su Xiaofan pushed his sister aside, scolding her, "How old are you? Still bouncing around like a kid. What if you can't get married in the future?"

"Hmph, there are plenty of people chasing me at school. Someone writes me love letters every day. How could I not get married?" Su Xiaoxiao laughed, sniffed the air, and ran to the kitchen, shouting, "The school cafeteria is terrible. Only Brother can make such good food. I look forward to this meal every week."

"Who would be so blind to chase you? You better focus on your studies and not have those silly ideas." Su Xiaofan's words were harsh, but he was worried. With his father away, he had to keep an eye on his sister and prevent her from falling in love too early.

"I know, I don't care about those little kids." Su Xiaoxiao huffed and lifted the pot lid.

Despite her wild nature, Su Xiaoxiao was very pretty. At 1.7 meters tall, she had a well-developed figure, an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, bright eyes, and a high nose, resembling Su Xiaofan to some extent. The Su family's genes were indeed good, and the siblings would surely turn heads if they walked together.

Su Xiaofan sighed. His sister was great in every way, but her wild nature, developed from growing up in the countryside, climbing trees, and catching loaches, made her hard to tame.

"The chicken soup is just right. Don't burn yourself. I haven't even seasoned the chicken yet. What's the rush?" Su Xiaofan followed her, slapped her head, and said, "You foodie, if you could put that energy into studying, it would be great."

Although Su Xiaoxiao's grades were decent, she was only in the upper-middle range of her class, far from being a top student. Compared to Su Xiaofan, she was much less outstanding. Su Weixuan had always felt sorry for his son, who could have easily entered a top university with a year of retaking. However, Su Xiaofan had always been determined, and even his father couldn't change his mind.

"Hehe, I'm lucky. I can get into a prestigious school without studying much." Su Xiaoxiao shrank back but then frowned, saying, "Brother, 100,000 yuan a year is too expensive. Maybe I should just take the college entrance exam. I can get into a good university with my current grades."

Su Xiaoxiao knew the family's situation. Her father was unreliable, often away at sea for years, and she had been able to finish high school thanks to her grandfather and brother. After her grandfather passed away a few years ago, she had been living with her brother, and she knew the family's financial situation.

"Don't worry about the tuition. I've already prepared 100,000 yuan for you."

Su Xiaofan pulled his sister away, took the chicken out of the pot, and placed it on a plate. He then served her a bowl of chicken soup, saying, "My business is going well, and I can save 70,000 to 80,000 yuan a year. Plus, we have Dad, who earns in dollars. I estimate he has at least a few hundred thousand, but he's just afraid we'll spend it recklessly."

Although his father never mentioned his income, with the internet, Su Xiaofan knew that a chief officer on a long-distance ship could earn 200,000 to 300,000 yuan a year. His father had been a captain for years, so Su Xiaofan estimated he had at least a few million.

"Well, I'll start, but if Dad has no money, I won't continue." Su Xiaoxiao was a bit reluctant but helped Su Xiaofan bring the dishes to the table, saying, "I'm the only one from our school who got in. The teacher said the school might give a bonus, but I don't know how much."

"You're the only one from your school? That's strange. What did you all take, and your grades aren't that outstanding in class." Su Xiaofan was surprised, as he hadn't asked for details last time.

"We took Chinese, math, English, physics, chemistry, and politics. I heard even the freshmen and sophomores took the test. I'm amazing, right? Only I was accepted." Su Xiaoxiao was always carefree and didn't dwell on things, so she lived happily every day.

"That's strange. What else did you take?" Su Xiaofan was different from his sister. Having spent two years in the antique market, he understood the low probability of such an event.

It was like those old men who frequented the antique market, hoping to find a treasure. Su Xiaofan had been in the antique business for two years and had never seen anyone truly find a great deal. Most of the "legends" were fabricated by the vendors to boost the old men's enthusiasm for "finding a deal."