Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Testing the Market, Narrowly Escaping Exposure

After that day, I became more cautious than ever. Mr. Li's warning lingered in my ears—"keep a low profile and not attract trouble"—and I took it to heart. I no longer wandered the old streets aimlessly; instead, I made a detailed plan, marking down the old shops that might have rare stamps and visiting them one by one at different times, avoiding any pattern that might attract attention. I also hid my wooden box more carefully, tucking it under the floorboard of my wardrobe, where no one would ever think to look.​The decision to sell one set of horse zodiac stamps weighed on me for two days. I knew it was the right move to test the market, but I was also worried that it would attract Mr. Li's attention or even reveal my hidden collection. Finally, I decided to go to the stamp market again, but this time, I would not go to any familiar stalls—instead, I would find a new vendor, someone who didn't know Mr. Li, to complete the transaction.​On Sunday morning, I put the set of horse zodiac stamps in a plain envelope, wore an old jacket, and even put on a hat to cover my face a little. I arrived at the market early, when it was just starting to get busy, and walked straight to the edge of the market, where the stalls were run by new vendors who had just set up shop. These vendors were not as experienced as those in the center, which meant they were less likely to recognize Mr. Li or pay attention to a teenager like me.​I stopped at a stall run by a young man in his twenties. He was arranging stamps on the counter, looking a little flustered, as if he was not used to the busy market. I pretended to browse his stamps casually, then took out the envelope and placed it on the counter. "Do you buy stamps?" I asked, keeping my voice low.​The young man looked up, his eyes lighting up when he saw the stamps. He picked them up carefully, examined them for a moment, and then looked at me hesitantly. "These are horse zodiac stamps, right? They're pretty rare recently. I've heard the price is rising, but I'm not sure how much to offer," he said honestly. "Can you tell me your price?"​I had already thought about the price. Based on what I heard at the market last week, 650 yuan was a reasonable price—not too high to arouse suspicion, but not too low to lose profit. "650 yuan," I said firmly. The young man frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, deal. I just started doing this, and I want to get some rare stamps to attract customers. 650 yuan is fair."​He took out 650 yuan from his cash box and handed it to me. I counted the money carefully, then put it in my pocket and turned to leave, my heart beating fast with excitement. This was the second time I had earned money from selling stamps, and this time, it was more than double the first amount. But just as I was about to walk out of the market, I heard a familiar voice behind me.​"Young man, wait a minute." It was Mr. Li. My body stiffened, and I slowly turned around. He was standing a few meters away, holding his leather folder, his sharp eyes fixed on me. I tried to stay calm, putting my hands in my pockets to hide the cash, and forced a smile. "Mr. Li, what a coincidence."​Mr. Li walked over, his eyes glancing at the empty envelope in my hand, then at my pocket. "Did you just sell some stamps?" he asked, his voice calm, but I could feel the pressure in his words. I nodded, not daring to lie. "Yes, just a set of ordinary horse stamps. I don't need them anymore, so I sold them."​He raised an eyebrow, looking at me thoughtfully. "Ordinary horse stamps? I just passed that stall, and the young man was showing the stamps to his friend—they looked quite rare to me. Are you sure they're ordinary?" His question made my heart skip a beat. I knew he was testing me, but I didn't dare to admit the truth. "Maybe I was wrong. I just bought them casually, not knowing they're rare," I said, pretending to be naive.​Mr. Li stared at me for a few seconds, as if he was trying to see if I was lying. I held my breath, my hands sweating. I was afraid that he would see through my disguise, that he would realize I was also collecting rare stamps, and that he would start to target me. But after a while, he smiled faintly. "Maybe so. Young people are always careless when collecting stamps. But remember, if you have any rare stamps, don't sell them to these new vendors—they won't give you a fair price. You can come to me, I'll treat you well."​I nodded quickly, pretending to be grateful. "Thank you, Mr. Li. I'll remember that." He patted my shoulder and turned to leave, but before he left, he glanced at my pocket again, a faint smile on his face. I didn't know if he had seen through my lie, but I didn't dare to stay any longer. I turned around and walked out of the market as fast as I could, my heart still pounding.​When I got to a quiet alley, I stopped and took out the 650 yuan, counting it again. The money was real, but the sense of danger was even more real. Mr. Li was definitely suspicious of me—he had noticed the stamps, he had noticed the cash, and he had probably guessed that I was not just a casual collector. I realized that I had been too careless; I should have chosen a more hidden place to sell the stamps, not in the market where Mr. Li often appeared.​That afternoon, I didn't go out again. I stayed in my room, taking out all my stamps and sorting them again. I separated the rarest ones from the ordinary ones, putting the rarest ones in a separate small envelope and hiding them in the floorboard, while the ordinary ones were kept in the wooden box. I decided that I would not sell any more stamps for the time being—until the market boom reached its peak, and until I could find a way to avoid Mr. Li's attention.​Just as I was sorting the stamps, there was a knock on my door. It was my mother. "Hao, your classmate Zhang Wei is here to find you. He said he has something to ask you." My heart sank. Zhang Wei? What could he want? After the incident in the alley a few days ago, I thought he would avoid me, but I didn't expect he would come to my house.​I quickly put the stamps away, locked the floorboard, and opened the door. Zhang Wei was standing outside, his face looking a little awkward. He didn't look at me directly, but stared at his shoes. "I… I came to apologize," he mumbled. "I'm sorry for what I did the other day. I shouldn't have bullied you, and I shouldn't have called your stamps junk."​I was surprised. I didn't expect him to apologize. "It's okay," I said, not wanting to hold a grudge. After all, he was just a ignorant teenager, and his mockery was not worth my anger. Zhang Wei looked up, his eyes filled with curiosity. "By the way, Lin Hao, are your stamps really valuable? I heard from my cousin that some stamps can be sold for thousands of yuan. Is that true?"​My heart tightened. I knew I couldn't tell him the truth. "It's just a rumor," I said, shaking my head. "My stamps are all ordinary ones, not worth much. I just collect them for fun." Zhang Wei looked a little disappointed, but he didn't ask any more questions. "Okay, I see. Then I'll go first. Sorry again." He turned and left, and I closed the door, feeling a little relieved.​That night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep. I thought about Mr. Li's suspicious gaze, about Zhang Wei's sudden apology, and about the booming stamp market. Everything was moving faster than I expected, and the danger was also getting closer. I knew that Mr. Li would not give up easily—he had noticed me, and he would definitely keep an eye on me. I had to be more careful, more patient, and more clever.​I made a new plan: I would go to the old streets again, but this time, I would focus on small towns near the city—those places had fewer collectors, fewer people who knew Mr. Li, and more hidden treasures. I would also start learning more about stamp collecting, so that I could better judge the value of stamps and avoid making mistakes. Most importantly, I would keep my secret well, never revealing any clues to anyone, not even my parents.​As I closed my eyes, I thought about the 650 yuan in my pocket and the stamps hidden under the floorboard. These were my weapons, my hope. The market was full of opportunities, but also full of dangers. I had narrowly escaped exposure today, but next time, I might not be so lucky. But I was not afraid. I had the memories of the past, I had the determination to change my fate, and I would use all my wisdom to navigate through the dangers, seize the opportunities, and win this battle.​The night was quiet, but my heart was not. I knew that tomorrow would be a new day, a day full of challenges and opportunities. I would continue to move forward, step by step, testing the market, avoiding dangers, and laying the foundation for my future. This was my path, my counterattack, and I would never look back.