"These are all good things!" The old man suddenly raised his pitch to the max, then continued, "These are all collected from a university staff residence, all items used by intellectuals."
The old man particularly emphasized the word "intellectuals."
"Was this also used by intellectuals?" Chen Yiyang raised a soft, exceptionally pleasant-to-touch item wrapped in a plastic bag from the stall and inquired.
"This is Lingzhi, kid, haven't seen one, have you? It's quite rare now." The old man replied firmly upon seeing what Chen Yiyang was holding.
The old man's response quickly attracted the attention of some of the idle bystanders.
They also saw the item Chen Yiyang was holding.
Then the men present immediately burst out laughing.
"Old man, this isn't Lingzhi; it's a gun holster." Someone laughed and told the old man.
"I was a militia member when I was young, don't fool me. What gun holster looks like this?" The old man stubbornly retorted.
"It's the gun holster you used for that rifle to march to Granny Huanglong's back in the days." Someone teased loudly.
At this point, the belatedly aware old man finally realized what he had collected was actually for.
"Get lost, all of you. This is a real Lingzhi; you guys just came here thinking you'd trick me."
The old man quickly snatched the item from Chen Yiyang's hand and stuffed it into his bag for holding stuff.
After some laughter and commotion, the crowd dispersed.
Only the old man was left, his originally dark face now a flushed shade of red.
"You rascal, making me look foolish." The old man scolded Chen Yiyang, who hadn't left, trying to pin the blame on him.
"My bad, my bad." Chen Yiyang apologized several times.
"Just apologizing? I haven't had a sale today, open one for me." The old man pointed to his stall.
"Alright, let me take a look." The old man's words were exactly what Chen Yiyang was hoping for. He immediately started sifting through the items at the stall.
Then his hand naturally fell onto a retractable sketch tube.
"What's this for?" Chen Yiyang asked, knowing full well the answer.
"For holding art, there's a piece inside." The old man replied.
Chen Yiyang twisted off the cap of the tube, then pulled out a sketch.
The painting depicted a somewhat dilapidated rural area. Even in Chen Yiyang's eyes, the level of this painting wasn't much to speak of.
However, the details revealed the artist's strong wit, and the overall ambiance of the painting was quite appealing.
If the artist were willing to hone their skills, they might become a master one day.
Chen Yiyang looked at the stamp section of the painting.
There, clearly marked, were the words Zhang Jiuqian.
Could this really be a painting by Zhang Jiuqian?
Chen Yiyang thought that this might be a painting Zhang Jiuqian did when he was first learning.
It shouldn't be worth much money.
For contemporary artists, it's not uncommon to have a few subpar pieces when first learning.
The collector's world normally doesn't value such works.
Unless Zhang Jiuqian, after his death, becomes a legendary master, a world-class artist.
Then even his casual doodles could sell for quite a sum.
Buying this painting for over a thousand feels like a loss.
Making up his mind, Chen Yiyang said to the old man, "Old man, how about I give you fifty bucks for this?"
"Are you kidding? I bought it for two hundred!" The old man gestured a number.
"Can it be that expensive?" Chen Yiyang took out his phone and scanned the painting tube.
It showed an online price of 49.9, including shipping.
"But there's also a painting inside; having it at home could enhance your cultural atmosphere!" The old man continued to shout.
"Then I'll add twenty for you."
"Twenty bucks can buy you a painting, huh." The old man desperately tried to raise the price.
"I could buy a Mona Lisa for twenty and have my grandpa show it on an antiques program, why can't I buy this for twenty?"
"Thirty!" The old man shouted with his last bit of strength.
"Alright, deal."
Chen Yiyang scanned 69.9 yuan for the old man.
"Kid, you're definitely built to run a stall in the future. You wouldn't even give me an extra penny." The old man gave Chen Yiyang a thumbs up.
Having bought the painting, Chen Yiyang was not in the mood to ride a shared bike anymore. So he flagged down a taxi, treating himself a little.
He got home while it was still early. Chen Yiyang took photos of the painting he'd bought, then searched online for Zhang Jiuqian's studio email.
'Hello, I acquired a painting stamped by the artist Zhang Jiuqian. Can you provide any authentication service? Related photos are attached.'
Having handled everything, Chen Yiyang just put down his phone.
Then he heard his phone ping.
He thought it was a response from Zhang Jiuqian's studio. But when he checked, it was actually a transfer from Zhongxia Gold—a payment from his previous gold sale.
It was over 120,000 in total, and now had fully been credited to his account.
With this, Chen Yiyang's personal savings had officially surpassed 280,000.
This cash flow now certainly counted as a small fortune.
And it had been exactly seven days since Chen Yiyang's first lucky find.
Hope that in the future my weekly income won't be lower than this figure.
Chen Yiyang looked at the number in his bank account, feeling itchy inside.
So he messaged Zhang Guichen.
"Hey Zhang, you around? Wanna go for a massage today?"
"Brother, bad timing." Zhang Guichen replied with a voice message, "I went to Celestial Silver City with a friend for business, won't be back for a few days."
Chen Yiyang put down his phone feeling disappointed.
Without this seasoned guide, he really didn't have the courage to go alone.
What if he got stuck with an ugly one and had to grin and bear it?
Out of the blue, Zhang Guichen sent an address of a massage parlor and a voice message the next second.
"Dude, you should go to this place. An old friend of mine recently opened it. When you get there, go straight to the third floor, numbers 77, 19, and 26 are all quite the lookers. Highly recommended!"
"Zhang, you're truly like a brother to me," Chen Yiyang quickly replied.
But before Chen Yiyang could click on the address, another message popped up on his phone.
Xu Qing: Got time today? Wanna hang out?
Chen Yiyang: Hang out and do what?
Xu Qing: Not sure yet, but let's just meet up first. I'm free today.
Faced with a choice between the massage parlor and a date with Xu Qing, Chen Yiyang decisively chose Xu Qing.
Going on a date with a real girl beats solving physical desires with a cold, emotionless machine, doesn't it?
The next morning.
Chen Yiyang reached out to the side of the bed. A slight warmth touched his hand.
What a pity.
Chen Yiyang sighed.
It wasn't the warmth from a lovely girl's body, but from Hans the dog lying by the bed wanting breakfast.
He and Xu Qing strolled around the park until evening, then had hotpot at a street stall, and finally went to a board game café, teamed up with others, and played board games until eleven at night.
In the end, they went back to their own homes.
But they hugged goodbye!
Chen Yiyang got up and hugged Hans.
Yes, that's the feeling of a warm body against you.
"Stop licking, Hans, no licking, damn it, don't lick my mouth."
He grabbed Hans's muzzle, closed it, and quickly started preparing breakfast.
There were no leftover buns this morning, so he cut a slice of luncheon meat, fried it until the edges turned crispy, then sprinkled some barbecue seasoning.
He opened his phone.
Today's notification: One Cut Poor, One Cut Rich: The jadeite raw stone consigned at booth 10 at the Jade Trading Market in Guan City District, Jin City, can be snagged for under fifty thousand.
Photos of the jade have been attached on the second page.
Jadeite?!
After reading today's intel, Chen Yiyang stroked his chin.
Back in middle school, there were books where the protagonist could see through things and became legendary at the jadeite market.
They could buy jadeite raw stones worth millions or billions for the price of trash, making Chen Yiyang fantasize about striking it rich with such gambles.
If he hadn't been confined to a hundred a month allowance in high school, maybe he'd have tried it too.
But as he grew up and learned about the industry, Chen Yiyang quickly understood that outsiders couldn't easily crack this world.
Or rather, the industry had two kinds of people who made money. Those who painstakingly bought stones and crafted them into jewelry, earning hard-earned money.
And those who trick outsiders, succeeding enough times to achieve financial freedom, treating clueless outsiders like jadeite novices.
But since the system provided stone photos, he thought he might as well give it a shot.
Fifty thousand, whether buying one stone or more, he'd spend no more than fifty thousand.
Chen Yiyang made a vow, pointing at Hans.
Because he planned to buy stones, Chen Yiyang called Zhou Jianjun, booking him and his car for the day.
Once the stones were bought, he'd go straight to have them cut and see what's inside.
Having finished breakfast and completed his exercise quota with Hans, Chen Yiyang changed clothes and went out.
When Zhou Jianjun arrived to pick him up, Chen Yiyang had just sat in the car, opened his phone to watch some videos, when he saw a new email, sent by Zhang Jiuqian Studio.
Dear Mr. Chen, we have received your photos. Could you please let us know if the painting in the photo is currently with you?
If possible, please call this number to discuss further.
Seeing this, Chen Yiyang copied the phone number from the email and dialed it.
"Hello, this is Zhang Jiuqian Studio."
"I'm Mr. Chen, the one who emailed you for a painting appraisal."
"It's you." On the other end was an enthusiastic young lady's voice, she warmly asked,
"The painting in the photo you sent, is it currently with you? If it is, which city are you in? If you're near the Imperial Capital, could you come to our office in the Imperial Capital?"
"The painting is with me, but I'm quite far from the Imperial Capital, so it's inconvenient to go." Chen Yiyang replied, wondering if there was some big secret hidden in the painting he bought.
Why were they so eager, almost afraid he'd run away?