Chapter 212: How About Fifty?

“I’d like to hear more details.”

“Actually, the most fundamental elements of Feng Shui are the Hetu and Luoshu charts, complemented by the eight trigrams and the five elements. Hetu is used to observe stillness, while Luoshu is for movement. Here, ‘stillness’ and ‘movement’ don’t refer to physical objects, but rather to ‘qi’ (energy). Therefore, now we should analyze this using the Luoshu chart combined with the Nine Stars of Purple Wisdom.” Time to show off some professional knowledge and get the customer to open his wallet!

“I’d love to hear the details.”

“Actually, the most fundamental aspects of geomancy are the River Map and the Luo Book, combined with the Eight Trigrams and the Five Elements. The River Map is about observing stillness, while the Luo Book is about observing movement. Here, stillness and movement don’t refer to physical objects but to the flow of energy. So now, we need to look at the Luo Book in conjunction with the Purple Star Nine Palaces.” It was time to show off some expertise to get the client to pay up!

“Chen is located in the Xun trigram, and Xu is in the Qian trigram. The number for the Xun trigram is four, which, while not auspicious, isn’t extremely inauspicious either. This means that even if there’s harm, it won’t be life-threatening. But over time, it won’t be too good either. I happen to have a Bagua mirror that my master just consecrated, perfect for warding off negative energy and easing your worries.” As he spoke, he pulled out a Bagua mirror from his pocket, though it certainly wasn’t consecrated by any master—Zhang Entu had been dead for nearly a decade, so where would he find another master? This was just a ploy to charge more: “Take a look, does this Bagua mirror seem different from others?”

“I can’t tell…” the old man said, confused.

“Haha, Uncle Wang, you might not know this. Look closely, this mirror is concave.” He carefully manipulated the mirror to show the old man, and seeing the old man nod, he continued: “There are three types of Bagua mirrors: flat, concave, and convex. The difference lies in whether the negative energy you deflect might harm others. If it harms others, it’s considered inauspicious, and in the long run, that’s not good for you. Some people only care about immediate effects, but I wouldn’t do that. Hang this mirror on the wall outside your window, and in fifteen days, you’ll see the results. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll be the one ruining my own reputation.”

With these words, he confidently laid out his professional stance and moral integrity, believing that this client was surely convinced.

“Great, great!” The old man indeed showed his appreciation: “The younger generation is truly impressive. Thank you, Mr. Liu.”

After some more small talk, Uncle Wang saw Mr. Liu off.

Sitting in his car, speeding down the city’s high-end roads, Mr. Liu felt the warmth of a hefty red envelope in his pocket, and his heart was filled with joy. He didn’t immediately open it to count the money, fearing the old man might see. But judging by the thickness and weight, it must be at least twenty bills. Worth it! Wonderful! Tonight, he’d feast on crab! Crab really brings me luck!

Back at the shop, he had Bai Bing prepare some noodles, and they ate them with braised eggplant from the neighboring restaurant, slurping away. In the heat of summer, if the shop had the means, cold noodles would have been better. But hot noodles… it was like taking a sweat bath. Still, with his good mood today, sweating a bit was no big deal. Bai Bing, as usual, ate in silence, occasionally responding to Mr. Liu’s recounting of the morning’s events. Mr. Liu sighed inwardly: “Bai, let’s close early today. I’ll buy you some new clothes. You’ve been wearing the same set every day, and with all the sweat, you’ll get sick.” Bai Bing had no other clothes to change into. In summer, with all the sweating, her clothes would stink by the end of the day. She’d wash them at night and wear them again in the morning, but with the recent rain, the air was too humid, and the clothes never dried properly.

Bai Bing didn’t respond, and Mr. Liu was used to her silence. He continued: “After buying the clothes, come home with me. The old man’s not there. Tonight, we’ll eat at my place, and you can sleep in my bed. I’ll take the couch. Tomorrow, we’ll come to the shop together. We’ll buy some good food tonight to give you some extra nutrition. Ah! Always having you watch the shop, you haven’t had much good food.” That’s just how he was—usually stingy to the extreme, but when he suddenly had a few thousand yuan, he couldn’t stand not spending it. Spending it only on himself made him even more uncomfortable—a born scoundrel!

Days passed, and his relationship with Bai Bing truly became like that of siblings. This little life was quite beautiful. Before he knew it, it was Mid-Autumn Festival.

Mr. Liu sat idly at the shop entrance, staring at a pile of miscellaneous “antiques.”

He had flipped through a Republic-era edition of “The Compendium of Antique Curiosities” over a dozen times. Fortunately, Mr. Liu had an exceptional memory, and though he lacked experience, he had memorized most of the shapes and patterns of the treasures listed in the book. He was straining to look at a blurry photo of the Shang Yi Wu Shi Fang Plate through a magnifying glass when suddenly, the light dimmed, and a man stood awkwardly in front of the stall, “thud” placing a black faux leather bag on the counter.

Mr. Liu looked up at the coarse middle-aged man standing across from him and spoke with professional courtesy: “Sir, what are you looking to sell in our humble shop?”

The sleazy man with a thin mustache grabbed the bottom of the bag and “clatter” dumped its contents onto the counter. Mr. Liu’s eyes widened—wow, there was quite a variety. There was an emerald—fake; a jade monkey—counterfeit; a Han Dynasty white jade thumb ring—broken… Mr. Liu struggled to suppress his laughter. This guy must have been a scavenger.

As Mr. Liu absentmindedly sifted through the pile of junk, he teased the sleazy man: “How much are you looking to get for these treasures?”

Seeing Mr. Liu’s disinterest, the sleazy man was already sweating profusely. He rubbed his rough hands together and stammered: “This… this… young man, you seem honest. You name the price.”

Honest? Honest? Ha! Who dares to do business honestly these days? In this era, no merchant is without deceit, and no deceit is without a merchant. Complimenting a businessman on being honest is like insulting them for not knowing how to do business. Hearing this, Mr. Liu understood almost entirely. This guy must have seen that his shop was empty and thought he could be easily taken advantage of, hence bringing his junk here.

“Sir, as the saying goes, the seller names the price, and the buyer haggles. That’s the rule since ancient times. You need to name your price, and then I’ll see if I can meet it.” Mr. Liu thought to himself, since there’s no business anyway, even though the sleazy man’s goods are “chaff,” they’re still worth a few pennies. With some repairs, maybe he’ll get lucky and find a sucker to sell them for a high price. Even if the deal falls through, there’s nothing to regret about these scraps. Thinking this, Mr. Liu sipped his tea while idly touching the various items. “Huh!?” Mr. Liu exclaimed silently as a simple yet ancient ring caught his attention.

The ring’s setting was neither gold nor silver, and it didn’t even seem to be made of metal. The inlay on the ring wasn’t a diamond or jade but somewhat resembled ivory. However, it lacked the smooth, silky texture of ivory, and when his fingertip touched it, a chill seeped into his bones. Despite the bone-chilling cold, Mr. Liu felt an inexplicable and intense interest in this ring. Somehow, this strange ring exuded a vaguely familiar aura.

“So, how much do you want for these?” Mr. Liu took several sips of tea, desperately trying to suppress his excitement.

The sleazy man’s face turned deep red, seemingly more nervous than Mr. Liu. He tremblingly extended five fingers of his right hand and struggled to say: “Fi… fi… fifty, how about it?”

“Pfft!” Mr. Liu spat out his tea, not wasting a drop, all over the sleazy man’s fierce face. “Sorry, sorry…” Mr. Liu apologized repeatedly, pulling out a few tissues to wipe the tea off the sleazy man’s face. He thought to himself: Damn, that scared me. This isn’t about selling antiques; it’s just about disposing of junk.

The sleazy man didn’t seem to mind, just nervously staring at Mr. Liu’s face, almost pleading: “If fifty is too much, then thirty, how about thirty?”

For no reason, a surge of generosity rose from Mr. Liu’s heart. He generously pulled out a fifty-yuan bill from the small bag tied around his waist and handed it to the sleazy man.

The sleazy man casually stuffed the money into his pocket, his voice trembling with gratitude as he grabbed Mr. Liu’s hands, his lips quivering: “Thank you, thank you, brother, thank you, thank you…”

Mr. Liu felt something was off, but even if he was at a loss, it was only fifty yuan—no big deal. If nothing else, just for that strange ring, Mr. Liu wouldn’t hesitate to pay five hundred.

The sleazy man disappeared as quickly as he had come, as if afraid Mr. Liu would regret it. Mr. Liu was eager for him to leave, thinking: You’re afraid I’ll regret it, but I’m afraid you’ll renege. Well, today’s luck is good. I’m done for the day, closing early, going home to study this old ring. This is what they mean by wealth finding people, not people finding wealth. They say a Lin sister fell from the sky, but what’s so great about that? This time, a big ingot fell from the sky for me, no—more like a whole gold mountain!

“I can’t really tell the difference…” the old man replied, puzzled.

“Hehe, Uncle Wang, you just don’t know this. Please look carefully—this mirror is a concave mirror.” He continued demonstrating it carefully for the old man. Seeing the old man nod, he continued, “There are three types of Bagua mirrors: flat mirrors, concave mirrors, and convex mirrors. The difference lies in whether the reflected negative energy might harm others while you are protecting yourself. Causing harm to others is considered inauspicious, and from a long-term perspective, it would be very bad for you. Some people only care about immediate results, but I would never do that. Just hang this mirror on the outside wall of your window, and in fifteen days, you will see the results yourself. If it doesn’t work, I’ll personally destroy my own reputation.”

He spoke decisively, powerfully projecting his professionalism and moral integrity, hoping to convince the customer to trust him completely!

“Great! Great!” Sure enough, the old man was very gracious: “You young people are impressive indeed! Thank you, Mr. Liu.”

After some small talk, Old Man Wang saw Liu Dashao out the door.

Sitting in the small minivan, speeding along the city’s upscale roads, Liu Dashao felt a warm sense of satisfaction as he held the thick red envelope he had just received. He didn’t immediately check the money inside, afraid the old man might see. But judging from its thickness and weight, there were at least twenty bills. Worth it! Feeling great! Tonight, he’d treat himself to some crabs—damn, crabs really bring him luck!

Back at the shop, he had Bai Bing cook some noodles. Together with the braised eggplant ordered from the neighboring restaurant, they slurped their meals heartily. It was sweltering hot in the summer, and if the shop had better conditions, cold noodles would have been great. But with the hot noodles… it felt like they were bathing in sweat. Fortunately, he was in a good mood today, so a little sweat didn’t bother him. Bai Bing, as usual, remained silent while eating. Liu Dashao chattered on about what had happened that morning, while Bai Bing responded with occasional, indifferent murmurs. Liu Dashao sighed inwardly and said, “Bai Jie, close the shop a bit earlier today. I’ll buy you some new clothes—you’ve been wearing the same set all the time. Wearing wet clothes constantly can make you sick.” Bai Bing didn’t have any other clothes to change into. In summer, she would sweat a lot, and her clothes would stink within a day. She washed them at night and wore them again the next morning, but it had been raining recently, making the air humid and the clothes slow to dry.

Bai Bing didn’t respond, and Liu Dashao was already used to her ways. He continued, “After buying clothes, come home with me. My old man isn’t there. Tonight, we’ll eat at my place. After dinner, you can sleep in my bed, and I’ll take the couch. Tomorrow, we’ll come to the shop together. Tonight, we’ll buy something delicious to improve your nutrition. Sigh, I keep making you watch the shop, and you never get to eat anything good.” He was like that—usually stingy to the extreme, but once he had a few thousand yuan in his pocket, he couldn’t help but spend it. Not spending it would make him uncomfortable, and spending it only on himself made him even more restless. Born with a rogue’s fate, indeed!

Day by day passed, and their relationship with Bai Bing grew like real siblings. This simple life was actually quite pleasant. Before they knew it, the Mid-Autumn Festival had arrived.

Liu Dashao sat idly at the shop’s entrance, staring blankly at a pile of miscellaneous “antiques.”

He had flipped through the Republican-era edition of “Chronicles of Curious Antiques” more than a dozen times. Fortunately, Liu Dashao had an excellent memory. Although he lacked experience, he had memorized most of the descriptions and illustrations of valuable treasures listed in the book. He was now painstakingly examining a blurry photo of the Shang Dynasty’s Yi Wu Shi Fang Pan with a magnifying glass when suddenly the light dimmed in front of him. A man had abruptly appeared right in front of his stall, making a loud “thud” as he threw a black imitation leather bag onto the counter.

Liu Dashao glanced up lazily, looking at the coarse middle-aged man standing opposite him, and mechanically offered a polite greeting: “Sir, are you here to sell something at my humble shop?”

“I’d love to hear the details.”

“Actually, the most fundamental aspects of geomancy are the River Map and the Luo Book, complemented by the Eight Trigrams and the Five Elements. The River Map is for observing stillness, while the Luo Book is for observing movement. Here, stillness and movement don’t refer to physical objects but to the flow of energy. So now, we need to look at the Luo Book in conjunction with the Purple Star Nine Stars.” It was time to show off some expertise to get the client to pay up!

“Chen is located in the Xun trigram, and Xu is in the Qian trigram. The number for the Xun trigram is four, which, while not auspicious, isn’t extremely inauspicious either. This means that even if there’s harm, it won’t be life-threatening. But over time, it still isn’t great. I happen to have a Bagua mirror that my master just blessed, perfect for warding off negative energy and easing your worries.” As he spoke, he pulled out a Bagua mirror from his pocket, though of course, it wasn’t blessed by any master—Zhang Entu had passed away nearly a decade ago, so where would he find another master? This was all just to squeeze more money out of the client: “Take a look, does this Bagua mirror seem different from others?”

“I can’t tell…” the old man said, confused.

“Haha, Uncle Wang, you might not know this. Look closely, this mirror is concave.” He fiddled with it carefully to show the old man, and seeing the old man nod, he continued: “There are three types of Bagua mirrors: flat, concave, and convex. The difference lies in whether the negative energy you deflect might harm others. If it harms others, it’s considered inauspicious, and in the long run, that’s not good for you. Some people only care about immediate effects, but I’m not like that. Hang this mirror outside your window on the wall, and in fifteen days, you’ll see the results. If it doesn’t work, I’ll be the one ruining my own reputation.”

With these words, he confidently laid out his professional stance and moral character, believing he could keep this client.

“Good, good!” The old man was indeed impressed: “The younger generation is formidable. Thank you, Mr. Liu.”

After some more small talk, Old Man Wang saw Mr. Liu off.

Sitting in his car, speeding down the city’s high-end roads, Mr. Liu felt the warmth of a hefty red envelope in his pocket. He was thrilled. He didn’t open it to count the money right away, fearing the old man might see. But judging by the thickness and weight, it had to be at least twenty bills. Worth it! Awesome! Tonight, he’d feast on crab. Crab really brings me luck!

Back at the shop, he had Bai Bing prepare some noodles, and they ate them with braised eggplant from the neighboring restaurant. In the heat of summer, cold noodles would have been better, but hot noodles were like taking a sweat bath. Still, he was in a good mood, so sweating a bit was fine. Bai Bing, as usual, ate in silence, while Mr. Liu recounted the morning’s events, to which Bai Bing responded with occasional grunts. Mr. Liu sighed inwardly: “Bai, let’s close early today. I’ll buy you some new clothes. You can’t keep wearing the same wet clothes all the time; you’ll get sick.” Bai Bing had no spare clothes, and in the summer, her clothes would stink after a day. She washed them at night and wore them in the morning, but with the recent rain, the air was too humid, and her clothes never dried.

Bai Bing didn’t respond, but Mr. Liu was used to her silence and continued: “After buying clothes, come home with me. The old man’s not there. We’ll eat at my place tonight, and you can sleep in my bed. I’ll take the couch. Tomorrow, we’ll come to the shop together. I’ll buy some good food tonight to boost your nutrition. Sigh! You’ve been watching the shop for so long and haven’t had anything good to eat.” That’s just how he was—usually stingy, but when he suddenly had a few thousand yuan, he couldn’t help but spend it. Not spending it on himself would make him even more uncomfortable. Born a scoundrel!

Days passed, and his relationship with Bai Bing grew as close as real siblings. Life was pretty good. Before he knew it, it was Mid-Autumn Festival.

Mr. Liu sat idly at the shop entrance, staring at a pile of miscellaneous “antiques.”

He had flipped through a Republic-era edition of “Antiques and Curiosities” over a dozen times. Luckily, Mr. Liu had an excellent memory, and even without much experience, he remembered most of the shapes and patterns of the treasures listed in the book. He was straining to look at a blurry photo of a Shang Dynasty Yi Wu Shi Fang plate through a magnifying glass when suddenly, the light dimmed, and a man stood awkwardly in front of the stall, slamming a black faux leather bag onto the counter.

Mr. Liu looked up at the coarse middle-aged man standing opposite him and spoke with professional courtesy: “Sir, what are you looking to sell?”

The sleazy man with a thin mustache grabbed the bottom of the bag and dumped its contents onto the counter with a clatter. Mr. Liu’s eyes widened—there was quite a variety. Emeralds—fake; jade monkeys—fake; Han Dynasty white jade rings—broken… Mr. Liu struggled to keep a straight face, not daring to laugh. This guy must have been a scavenger.

As Mr. Liu absentmindedly sifted through the pile of junk, he teased the sleazy man: “How much are you looking to get for these treasures?”

The sleazy man, seeing Mr. Liu’s disinterest, was already sweating nervously. He rubbed his rough hands together and stammered: “Well… uh… little brother, you seem like an honest man. You tell me, what’s a fair price?”

Honest? Fair? Ha! Honest people don’t do business. In this day and age, no merchant is honest, and no honest person is a merchant. Praising a businessman for being honest is like insulting them for not knowing how to do business. Hearing this, Mr. Liu understood—this guy must have seen that his shop was empty and thought he could be taken advantage of to sell his junk.

“Sir, as the saying goes, ‘Ask for the sky, settle for the ground.’ That’s the rule. You need to name your price, and I’ll see if I can meet it.” Mr. Liu thought to himself, since there’s no business anyway, even if the sleazy man’s goods were “chaff,” they were still worth a few coins. With some repairs, he might get lucky and sell them for a good price. Even if the deal fell through, there was no loss with this junk. As he thought this, he sipped his tea while fiddling with the trinkets. “Huh!?” Mr. Liu noticed a peculiar ring that caught his attention.

The ring’s setting wasn’t gold or silver, nor did it seem to be made of metal. The gemstone wasn’t a diamond or jade but resembled ivory. However, it lacked the smooth, silky texture of ivory, and when his fingertip touched it, a chilling coldness seeped into his bones. Despite the cold, Mr. Liu felt an inexplicable fascination with the ring. It exuded a strange, vaguely familiar aura.

“So, how much do you want for these?” Mr. Liu took a few sips of tea, trying to suppress his excitement.

The sleazy man’s face turned crimson, looking even more nervous than Mr. Liu. He tremblingly extended five fingers and struggled to say: “Fifty… fifty yuan, how about it?”

“Pfft!” Mr. Liu spat out his tea, spraying it all over the sleazy man’s face. “Sorry, sorry…” Mr. Liu apologized repeatedly, pulling out some tissues to wipe the tea off the man’s face. He thought to himself: Damn, that scared me. This isn’t about selling antiques; it’s just a junk sale.

The sleazy man didn’t seem to mind, just kept staring nervously at Mr. Liu, almost pleading: “If fifty is too much, then thirty, thirty yuan, okay?”

For no reason, Mr. Liu felt a surge of generosity. He pulled out a fifty-yuan bill from the small bag at his waist and handed it to the sleazy man with a flourish.

The sleazy man stuffed the money into his pocket, his voice trembling with gratitude as he grabbed Mr. Liu’s hands: “Thank you, thank you, brother, thank you, thank you…”

Mr. Liu felt something was off, but even if he was at a loss, it was only fifty yuan—no big deal. Besides, that strange ring alone was worth five hundred yuan to him, and he wouldn’t even blink at that price.

The sleazy man disappeared as quickly as he had come, as if afraid Mr. Liu might regret the deal. Mr. Liu was eager for him to leave, thinking: You’re afraid I’ll regret it? I’m afraid you’ll back out. Well, today’s luck is good. I’m done for the day, closing early to go home and study this old ring. This is what they call wealth finding you, not the other way around. They say it’s like Lin Daiyu falling from the sky, but what’s so great about that? This time, it’s like a big ingot falling from the sky—no, more like a whole mountain of gold!

Liu Dashao idly rummaged through the pile of junk with his hand while teasing the unsightly man: “How much are you planning to sell these treasures for?”

Seeing Liu Dashao’s indifferent attitude, the unsightly man was already anxious, sweat breaking out on his forehead. He nervously rubbed his rough hands together, stammering, “This… this… little buddy, I see you’re an honest person. You name the price.”

Honest? Hmph! Who dares to do business honestly these days? In this era, there’s no merchant without some deceit, and no business without some trickery. Calling a merchant honest is practically accusing him of incompetence. Upon hearing this, Liu Dashao immediately understood the situation. Obviously, this guy must have noticed that there were no customers at his shop and thought he could be easily taken advantage of, so he came here to sell scrap.

“Sir, you know how it goes—ask high, settle low. That’s the way it’s always been. You have to name your price first, and then I’ll see if I can meet it.” Liu Dashao thought to himself: Well, business has been slow anyway. Although the stuff this guy has is pretty much junk, it’s worth a few bucks after some repairs. Maybe, if I’m lucky, I can strike a good deal with someone like Yang Hu. Even if the deal doesn’t go through, it’s not like I’d lose anything valuable. Thinking this, Liu Dashao casually continued flipping through the items while sipping his tea. “Hmm!?” he suddenly gasped inwardly. An ancient-looking ring caught his attention.

The ring’s setting was neither gold nor silver, and it didn’t even seem to be made of any metal. The gemstone embedded in the ring wasn’t a diamond or jade, but somewhat resembled ivory. However, unlike ivory’s smooth, silk-like texture, this gem felt slightly cold to the touch, as if a chill seeped into his bones. Although the coldness was piercing, Liu Dashao inexplicably felt a strong sense of fascination toward this strange ring. How to describe it? This peculiar ring exuded a faintly familiar aura that he couldn’t quite place.

“What do you think? How much are you willing to sell all this for?” Liu Dashao took a few more sips of tea, desperately trying to suppress his rising excitement.

The unsightly man’s face turned purple-red, looking even more nervous than Liu Dashao. He trembled as he extended five fingers on his right hand and struggled to say, “F-f-fifty… How’s fifty?”

“Spit!” Liu Dashao couldn’t help but spray the tea he had just taken a sip of, and not a drop was wasted—it all landed on the unsightly man’s ugly face. “Sorry, sorry…” Liu Dashao apologized repeatedly, hastily pulling out some tissues to wipe the tea off the man’s face. In his mind, he thought: Damn, you scared the hell out of me! This isn’t about selling antiques—it’s just junk disposal!

The unsightly man didn’t mind much but kept nervously staring at Liu Dashao’s face, almost begging as he said, “If fifty is too much, then thirty… How about thirty?”

Without any clear reason, a surge of generosity welled up from Liu Dashao’s heart. He generously pulled out a 50 yuan note from the small crossbody bag tied around his waist and handed it over to the unsightly man in a cheerful manner.

The unsightly man casually stuffed the banknote into his pants pocket, his voice trembling with emotion as he tightly gripped Liu Dashao’s hands, his lips quivering: “Thank you, thank you, brother, thank you, thank you…”

Liu Dashao couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. But even if he had taken a loss, it was only fifty yuan—what was the big deal? Besides, just for that strange-looking ring, Liu Dashao wouldn’t have hesitated to pay five hundred.

The unsightly man disappeared as quickly as he had come, as if afraid Liu Dashao would regret the deal. Liu Dashao, on the other hand, couldn’t wait for him to leave, thinking to himself: You’re afraid I’ll regret it? I’m more afraid you’ll try to get your money back! Well, today’s been lucky. I’m closing shop early and going home to study this old ring. They say fortune doesn’t come looking for people—it’s people who go looking for fortune. They say Lin Daiyu fell from the sky, but what’s the point of that? Today, I’ve literally had a gold ingot fall from the sky. No, wait—actually, it should be a whole mountain of gold!