Chapter 4

Han Kongque, with a seemingly honest and sincere expression, said, "I really can't afford it. I only have three thousand yuan left this month, so I plan to buy a cheap ancient book. Besides, my friend told me that buying this book by Zhang Zhi is not as good as buying a book by Zhang Boying!"

"Ha ha, your friend is also a fool. What's the difference between Zhang Zhi and Zhang Boying? Aren't they the same person?" Chen Qian laughed loudly, but his heart sank, feeling that something was wrong.

Sure enough, Han Kongque soon continued, "My boss happens to be from Heilongjiang. He said that in ancient times, there was a person named Zhang Zhi, also known as Zhang Boying. His books are all priceless. In the Qing Dynasty, there was also a high-ranking official named Zhang Boying. When people in Heilongjiang mention him, everyone knows."

Seeing Han Kongque's serious expression, Chen Qian's face turned green.

At this moment, his originally honest and simple face now seemed to carry a hint of sarcasm.

Chen Qian had done his homework quite thoroughly. When he saw the words "Boying's gift," he had been dreaming for seven consecutive days, each time waking up in shock because he was buried alive by countless soft girls.

In the end, even he felt that frequently having such dreams was detrimental to his mental and physical health, so he couldn't help but spend two yuan to search on Baidu.

He never expected that one search would yield results, and there were two: one Zhang Zhi and one Zhang Boying. The difference between these two names was significant, one from the Eastern Han Dynasty and the other from the late Qing Dynasty.

So, when he heard Han Kongque's words, his eyes were filled with bitter tears. However, it must be said that this was due to his shallow knowledge. If he had known about the Wuwei Medical Bamboo Slips that were once unearthed in China, he wouldn't have shed those bitter tears. It must be said that sometimes, lack of knowledge can be truly terrifying.

Since that search on Baidu, he had been afraid to hear the words "Heilongjiang" and "Zhang Boying," because he feared that this "Medical Outline" was not written by Zhang Zhi of the Eastern Han Dynasty but by Zhang Boying of the late Qing Dynasty.

Zhang Boying of the late Qing Dynasty was somewhat famous, especially in Heilongjiang, because he was the one who compiled the "Draft History of Heilongjiang," which recorded the history of Heilongjiang before the Qing Dynasty.

However, a handwritten manuscript by such an official was not worth much money because he was neither a calligrapher nor a historical celebrity. A handwritten manuscript by such an ordinary official, even from the late Qing Dynasty, was not worth much.

Now, the more he feared something, the more it came to pass. Chen Qian felt a mix of emotions, muttering to himself about how unlucky he was. He had encountered a fool who, after asking his friend, found out the origin of the ancient book in his hands. How unlucky could he be?

After being repeatedly hit by Han Kongque, Chen Qian lost confidence in the two books in his hands.

He gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, saying, "Since I said we should be friends, I won't say this is the handwriting of the Grass Saint Zhang Zhi. Even if this book is not from the Eastern Han Dynasty but from the late Qing Dynasty, it's still a good thing. Today, I'll take a loss to make a sale. I'll sell this book to you for three thousand yuan."

As he spoke, Chen Qian, with a pained expression, handed the "Medical Outline" to Han Kongque. He had lost confidence and couldn't even believe that a book from 1,800 years ago could be so well-preserved, not even yellowed. Of course, he had never heard of the Cai Lun paper from Fulongping.

Seeing his performance, Han Kongque sighed inwardly. Lack of knowledge is truly terrifying, so he performed even more enthusiastically.

"This..." Han Kongque seemed a bit at a loss, but his hand firmly held the book.

Han Kongque's face remained expressionless, but his mouth didn't stop. "My friend told me not to buy this book. Look, this is the text message he sent me."

Han Kongque, pretending to be embarrassed, handed the old flip phone in his hand to Chen Qian. Chen Qian's face turned even greener when he saw it. "What do you mean?"

Han Kongque said, "I really want to buy it, but my friend said that if I want to buy, I should buy the Han family genealogy. After all, I am surnamed Han, and buying my family's genealogy would be useful. My friend said you should give me this 'Medical Outline' as a bonus."

"Is your friend so confident?" Chen Qian was almost furious. The treasure that had given him a month of dreams was now reduced to a bonus.

However, the situation was stronger than the person. Although there were few words on Han Kongque's phone, they included the beginnings of several medical cases from the "Medical Outline."

"My friend said this 'Medical Outline' is widely circulated, especially the Dahuang Pill recorded in it. You can find it online with a search. If it weren't for the many years since the late Qing Dynasty, my friend said it might not even light a fire!"

Chen Qian was so angry he almost fell over, but he couldn't curse Han Kongque's friend in front of him. So he gritted his teeth and said, "How much do you want to pay?"

"I'll pay one thousand yuan for the Han family genealogy, and you give me this 'Medical Outline' as a bonus. Otherwise, I won't buy it," Han Kongque said with a seemingly honest but black-hearted expression.

"No, I'll sell the 'Medical Outline,' and the Han family genealogy will be the bonus. The price can't be one thousand; it's at least three thousand." Thinking of his earlier confident offer of 300,000 yuan, Chen Qian felt very bitter that he couldn't even get three thousand now.

Hearing "no," Han Kongque was startled, but when he heard the rest, he almost laughed out loud, trying hard to maintain his composure to avoid ruining his plan.

Finally, he had lured this guy in. No matter which book was the bonus, it was a win for him. Since Chen Qian said this, he must be feeling guilty. Feeling guilty was good; only then would he not treat this thing as a treasure. As long as it wasn't treated as a treasure, he could find a bargain.

Han Kongque was really struggling to hold back, so he quickly said, "No, my friend said the most he can pay is one thousand yuan, no matter which book you sell and which you give as a bonus. Our security team leader is only worth one thousand yuan."

"How can a big guy like you listen so much to your friend? You're a man, yet you're so indecisive. Two thousand eight, that's it. I'll give you two hundred to buy a bottle of wine." Chen Qian said decisively.

Han Kongque was speechless, but his hand involuntarily reached into his wallet and pulled out a stack of money.

This was his salary for today, only three thousand yuan, which he hadn't even had time to warm up to!

"Come, let me count it." Chen Qian, cutting to the chase, quickly took the money from Han Kongque's hand.

Han Kongque stared blankly at his empty hand. This was the last time he would receive money from the company, and although he never got to keep his salary, it was still his money.

Seeing that Han Kongque didn't object, Chen Qian felt relieved. This was a bit like a forced sale, and he hadn't expected himself to be so bold, daring to take money from this big guy, who was a security guard and probably not an ordinary one.

"Two thousand eight is two thousand eight. Here are two hundred, and the Han family genealogy is also a bonus. We're even." Chen Qian counted the money, which was exactly three thousand, and gave the two hundred back to Han Kongque.

This big guy was really honest. Chen Qian had seen clearly that Han Kongque's wallet only had that much money, and he had taken it all out.

Han Kongque took the two hundred yuan and the Han family genealogy, carefully dusted them off, and placed them with the "Medical Outline."

"We're even. Boss, did you count the money? If you're done, I'll go." Han Kongque, seeing the stack of money reduced to just two bills, felt very unhappy.

Although he had exchanged the money for two priceless treasures, his mood was still very low. Ten years of waiting and ten years of anticipation, was it all over?

Seeing Han Kongque walk towards him with a dazed expression, Chen Qian was startled. Was he going to regret the deal right after it was made?

"Little brother, what are you doing? In broad daylight, we can't cause trouble. Besides, I didn't force you to buy it. You made the deal voluntarily. We don't accept returns here." Chen Qian said, looking at Han Kongque, whose steps made the ground shake.

"Return? I'm not returning it. I'm going home. You're blocking the entrance to my house." Han Kongque pointed to the alley behind Chen Qian, which led to the residential area behind the shops on the street. His rental apartment was there.

"You live on this street?" Chen Qian was stunned. His mind was a bit confused; this didn't seem to make sense.

"I live behind here! Also, next time you set up your stall, remember to talk to the old vendors on both sides and have them give you some space. Don't block the entrance to our house completely."

Han Kongque no longer had the desire to perform. This was his true self now.

"Really live here? This is the largest antique street in the city?" Chen Qian walked to the street and looked at the shops on both sides, puzzled.

The best storefronts were auction houses, the elegant and dignified ones were antique shops, and the messy ones were small stalls. This was the antique street. How could there be a fool here?

"This is the antique street. I've lived here for ten years. It's definitely correct." As he spoke, Han Kongque had already walked around Chen Qian's stall and headed towards the small alley behind.

"Xiao Han."

"Brother Han!"

"Wait!"

Just as Han Kongque was about to go home, he heard someone call him, and it was two people calling him at the same time.

Han Kongque stopped and looked at Fat Liu and Old Ji. These two were familiar to him, and he often sat at their stalls and chatted with them.

"What? Is there something, Old Ji and Brother Liu?" Han Kongque asked, knowing the answer.

Seeing that he had bought something, they were naturally curious.

However, he had no desire to explain on the spot, especially to Chen Qian. If he did, it would be a direct slap in the face.

"Brother Han, what good things did you get? Why don't you show us?" Old Ji said directly.

Hearing this, Chen Qian's face turned extremely ugly, and Han Kongque glanced at the others without saying a word.