In the early 1980s, the gears of fate began to turn.
Xu Lang looked at the blue sky and white clouds in the distance and murmured, "Perhaps, it's time to leave."
After nearly ten years of living together, Chu Yi and the others had already come to regard Xu Lang as family. If Xu Lang were willing, Chu Yi could even marry Gema to him, and Gema would probably be willing to marry him.
However, after all these years, Xu Lang only regarded Gema as his elder sister, and they were too familiar with each other.
Like siblings who grew up together, no matter how beautiful and charming the sister is, in the eyes of the brother, she's just ordinary...
Besides, Gema wasn't that beautiful!
Ten years, long and short, it can change so much. Looking back on the past, it feels like what happened ten years ago was just yesterday. Time always slips away unnoticed.
Going home to change into clean clothes, Xu Lang's lips curled up slightly. Standing close to six feet tall, his handsome face, which surpassed Yang Yang's, his deep and clear eyes, his perfectly proportioned eight-pack abs, and his ethereal, fairy-like demeanor, made him extremely satisfied with his appearance!
With these conditions, which woman could resist?
In the same way, leaving behind a letter, Xu Lang packed his belongings and set out on his journey once again.
He didn't like goodbyes, and he didn't want to see Gema's family with red eyes, their reluctance to let him go, and little La Mu telling him not to leave.
Humans are not trees, who can be without feelings.
Beijing, Panjiayuan.
Although Xu Lang had saved some money over the years, with the rise in prices and the higher cost of living in big cities, he would need to use money for many things in the future, so he decided to sell the porcelain he had treasured for years.
This porcelain was a small bowl with a bluish-white glaze, without an inscription. Perhaps due to the passage of time, its appearance seemed ordinary. As for its age and value, Xu Lang was not sure. He could only be considered a novice in the world of antiques.
In his two lives, Xu Lang had neither the opportunity nor the energy to study antiques. He only felt that the fish-scale pattern on the small bowl was very beautiful, and the damage was probably caused by the process of flowing from a tomb into the river.
He strolled around Panjiayuan. Da Jin Ya was very famous in this area. By asking around, Xu Lang easily found Da Jin Ya's shop.
Half an hour later, Xu Lang arrived at the entrance of a shop with its door open.
Xu Lang strode in, and the first thing he saw were three figures, two of them familiar—the old man Hu and the Fat Man he hadn't seen in years.
This made Xu Lang couldn't help but marvel, "What a coincidence?"
Seeing the newcomer, the eyes of the three men immediately focused on Xu Lang.
"Welcome, sir, please come in, feel free to look around."
Da Jin Ya, dressed in a suit with his hair neatly combed, was about thirty years old. As soon as he spoke, his shining, gold tooth revealed his identity.
"Fatso, long time no see, you've lost so much weight, old man!"
Xu Lang nodded to Da Jin Ya, then teased the Fat Man.
The Fat Man was slightly taken aback and then asked, "Who the hell are you?"
Ten years had passed, not only did the Fat Man not recognize Xu Lang, even Old Hu was taken aback.
Xu Lang laughed, "What a small world, Fatso. Ten years ago, you weren't shy about mooching off food at my house. What's wrong? Has your Xu Ye changed so much?"
"Xu Xiaozi? It's you! You stinky little brat! Old Hu told me you've been in Gazebuqing all this time. Why are you suddenly in Beijing?"
Recognizing Xu Lang, the Fat Man was overjoyed, and he walked over to give him a big hug.
The Fat Man continued, "You've changed so much over all these years, little brother. Fat Ye is so happy to see you. I just met up with Old Hu a few days ago, and I didn't expect you to be here so soon."
"Back then, you stinky kid ran away from home. Fat Ye searched all over the village for you, even chasing you all the way to the town, but I couldn't find you."
"Because of you, little brother, Fat Ye has lost at least a few dozen pounds. A few days ago, I heard from Old Hu that you ran off to Gazebuqing. How come you're suddenly in the capital?"
Xu Lang patted the Fat Man on the back and laughed, "Your Xu Ye can predict the future. I came to the capital specifically to find you. Do you believe me? Old Hu, you look like you've been discharged from the army?"
Old Hu stepped forward and hugged them both. The joy of reuniting with old friends was indescribable.
Old Hu said, "Long story, we'll talk about it later. What are you doing here, little brother?"
Xu Lang laughed, "I'm here to sell something. I heard that Jin Ye in Panjiayuan has a good reputation. I came here to take a look. I didn't expect to meet you guys. Looks like we're all old friends!"
Da Jin Ya finally spoke, smiling, "It's an honor for you to come to my humble shop, Xu Ye. You're giving me, Da Jin Ya, a lot of face. Since we're all old friends, let's sit down and have a chat. I'll treat you guys tonight. Consider it a celebration for our reunion. You three must give me, Da Jin Ya, this face."
He's a businessman after all. He knew how to talk in a way that made people like him.
Xu Lang took out the wrapped bowl, unwrapped layer by layer, and placed it on the table, laughing, "Jin Ye, take a look."
Seeing the bowl, Da Jin Ya's expression remained unchanged. He put on his special gloves and picked up the bowl, examining it very carefully. He then took out a magnifying glass and looked at it for a long time. During this time, the three men chatted without interrupting Da Jin Ya.
After a while, Da Jin Ya placed the bowl back on the table and spoke, "Two esteemed gentlemen, we've gotten to know each other, and I know what kind of people you are. Since Xu Ye is honoring me, Old Jin, with his presence, I'll just speak plainly."
"This thing is called a Celadon with fish-scale pattern, or it can also be called a Celadon bowl. The pattern is delicate, the glaze is smooth and pure, and although it doesn't have an inscription, it's undoubtedly a Song Dynasty official kiln piece."
"To be honest, there aren't many Song Dynasty official kiln pieces left. So naturally, they're very valuable. It's just that Xu Ye's piece is damaged, which greatly affects its actual value."
"Without an inscription, in the eyes of professionals, it's not a big deal, but the damage is quite severe. If it were complete, its value would increase exponentially."
"Even so, this thing still has great collection value, and it will become more and more valuable in the future."
Xu Lang listened to Da Jin Ya's explanation. Although he didn't know much about these things, what he said was not too far off from what Xu Lang had guessed, but he didn't know exactly how much it was worth, because he didn't know the current market.
The Fat Man couldn't hold back his curiosity and eagerly said, "Jin Ye, just tell us how much this thing is worth."
Da Jin Ya smiled, looked at Xu Lang, and continued, "A complete Ru kiln porcelain, even if it falls to the ground and breaks, as long as it can be repaired, it's still worth a lot of money, because it's a complete piece."
"Xu Ye's piece, at best, can only be considered relatively complete. I'm not trying to belittle the value of this piece."
"But it's just how things are. If Xu Ye wants to sell it, I can only offer this much."
Then Da Jin Ya held up three fingers.
"Three hundred?" the Fat Man asked.
Da Jin Ya turned his head. He didn't expect the Fat Man to guess three hundred yuan.
"Is it three thousand?"
Da Jin Ya shook his head again and said, "Thirty thousand yuan. I can only offer this price. This is the current market. Maybe in a few years, it will be worth several times more. If you're willing to sell it to me, I'll pay you right now."
"If you want me to help you sell it, that's fine too, but you have to wait for the right time and the right buyer. Then you can negotiate the price yourselves. Once it's sold, just give me a little commission. That's how it works in the antique business. A piece is worth money if someone recognizes its value."
"In other words, even if you want to sell it for a million yuan, as long as someone is willing to buy it and thinks it's worth that much, the piece can be sold for that price."
Xu Lang nodded, acknowledging Da Jin Ya's statement, and said, "Then let's do it your way, Jin Ye. I don't care how much this piece will be worth in the future. This piece belongs to you."
"Alright, I'll give you the money, Xu Ye."
After receiving the money from Da Jin Ya, the Fat Man laughed, "Xu Xiaozi, you've struck it rich!"
Da Jin Ya laughed, "I'll say it again, you must let me treat you guys tonight. We'll go to Quanjude to eat roast duck."
"Think about my suggestion, esteemed gentlemen. I mean no disrespect. I just want to make friends with you two and Xu Ye."
"I, Da Jin Ya, don't have many skills. I only have a bit of insight. I know that you three are no ordinary people. If you have any good things in the future, I'll be responsible for contacting buyers for you. Just give me a little commission when you sell it."
Old Hu got up and said, "Let's forget about it today. We three brothers haven't seen each other in a long time. We'll set another time to get together."