Han Xiao Liu, after undergoing body modification, had at least tripled his appetite. He was currently devouring food with gusto.
Old Beijingers have many rituals when it comes to hotpot, like the "seven-up, eight-down" method paired with mahjong, but Han Xiao Liu didn't care about any of them.
He simply poured the freshly sliced lamb into the boiling copper pot and started picking pieces with his chopsticks.
The trio at the table next to him were startled by Han Xiao Liu's eating habits.
"Are you a starving ghost reincarnated?"
"Mind your own business. Hmm?"
Han Xiao Liu retorted casually, but he felt something was off when he realized the voice belonged to a woman.
"Oh my god, how did you two get here?"
Da Jin Ya rubbed his eyes, unsure if he was seeing things.
As a veteran in the antique industry, Da Jin Ya knew about the New Moon Restaurant, and he had even caught a glimpse of Yin Nan Feng from afar.
Today, Yin Nan Feng was wearing an emerald green, gold-trimmed cheongsam, paired with a white fur shawl and nude stockings. She was elegant and graceful, exuding an air of nobility, a true lady of the manor.
Sheng Sheng Man, on the other hand, was dressed in something similar to a Tang-style robe. She had an added touch of spirit, and she looked stunning in anything.
As soon as the two women entered the restaurant, the patrons around them held their breaths and stared at them with their heads down.
"Why would two beautiful fairies grace such a mundane place? Could it be that you're here for a chance encounter with me?"
Han Xiao Liu started flirting. Clearly, they were here for him.
"That's right, we are here for you. I'm hungry too, would you mind joining us?"
"You, rich lady, you pay."
A glint flashed in Yin Nan Feng's eyes.
"You know who I am?"
"Haha, I, Han Xiao Liu, am an antique industry professional. If I didn't know about New Moon Restaurant, wouldn't that be considered amateur?"
Yin Nan Feng rarely ate out, but any girl just reaching adulthood would love to go out and about.
Seeing the bubbling hotpot, her stomach began to grumble.
Ba Yi and Fatty were stunned, especially Fatty, who was a bit of a womanizer and often got tongue-tied in the presence of beautiful women.
"Jin Ye, do you know them?"
"Oh my dear Fatty, say less, you might get into trouble."
Da Jin Ya nervously pointed upwards with his finger.
Sheng Sheng Man didn't like beating around the bush and asked directly:
"I'm asking you, what have you been doing in the north these past few days?"
This question made the three at the table next door perk up their ears again, and Ba Yi was more convinced of his previous guess.
"None of your business."
Han Xiao Liu's response was filled with disdain.
"You!!! You know who we are and still dare to talk like that? Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?"
"Threatening me? I eat to live, I don't care if my family starves. You think I won't blow up your New Moon Restaurant with explosives? Don't try to act tough, you're a porcelain vase trying to fight a clay pot. You can't handle it."
"Pfft~"
Yin Nan Feng laughed again. She really found Han Xiao Liu amusing, and she became increasingly curious.
When a woman is curious about a man, it's not far from developing feelings for him.
"Alright, slow down, you need to control your temper."
"Yeah, such a beautiful woman, yet you make yourself into a tomboy. It's not good."
"Tomboy? Haha, you're quite the funny one. But jokes aside, Mr. Han, a Liao Jin general's tomb was recently discovered in the north, and you were just there a few days ago. Did you open it?"
Han Xiao Liu tried to wriggle out of it. There were so many people around, it was better to be low-key without absolute power.
"Why don't you ask the folks at the table next door? Maybe they opened it."
Well, Hu Ba Yi was now completely convinced that it was Han Xiao Liu, and he even turned the tables on him.
"That masked person, was it you?"
"!!!!!!!!!"
Damn it, I was careless, exposed!
"I messed up big time."
Han Xiao Liu wished he could slap himself. His eyes darted around frantically, but it was useless.
"We're not some kind of wild beasts, we just want to get to know a talented person like you."
"Sigh~ I'm so low-key, yet you won't leave me alone. What bad luck. Look, the two at the next table are tomb raiders, they're the professionals. I just got lucky."
"I don't believe you!"
Both Ba Yi and Fatty were silently cursing in their hearts. They vividly remembered what happened back then, especially Fatty who got kicked, and his stomach still ached when he strained too hard.
Da Jin Ya was truly a capable person, both in his work and his dealings with others. From these simple exchanges, he had decided to get to know Han Xiao Liu again, and with the New Moon Restaurant's heiress right next to him, this was his best chance to connect with high-level people in the industry.
Da Jin Ya stood up and said seriously:
"The three of you, if you don't mind, how about we sit together and have a long chat? This meal is on me, Da Jin Ya. How about it?"
Han Xiao Liu glanced at him. He didn't want to cause any more trouble.
"Forget it, just eat. After we're done, come to my place. Honestly, I don't have a good impression of you two. And you, Da Jin Ya, we're both in the same field, which makes us rivals. We're competitors."
"Liu Zi, no, Liu Ye, it was my fault before. I'll treat you to a meal sometime."
...
"Eating a meal is never peaceful."
Han Xiao Liu brought the five of them back to his store. As soon as they opened the door, Da Jin Ya, Yin Nan Feng, and Sheng Sheng Man saw the three porcelain jars in the corner of the floor.
"Song Dynasty Ge Kiln!" X3.
The case was closed. Da Jin Ya thought to himself, this guy is the one who opened the general's tomb. These three pieces were from the same era as the pottery Ba Yi brought back.
"You all saw it. I only brought these three back. These two know I didn't have any equipment at the time, no place to put anything."
Ba Yi and Fatty were also puzzled. They were sure Han Xiao Liu didn't carry anything in his hands, only a backpack on his back.
Han Xiao Liu wanted to get rid of these people quickly. It was a good chance to sell these things and get some money.
"Whoever wants them, hurry up."
"Song Dynasty Ge Kiln, good condition, but average quality. I can offer 370,000."
Da Jin Ya spoke first.
Yin Nan Feng and Sheng Sheng Man estimated the price to be about the same, which made them look at Da Jin Ya with new respect. They thought to themselves, the common folk really do hide many talented people.
Their professional skills were good, but their social experience was lacking.
Therefore, Yin Nan Feng was not the calculating woman she became in Shahai, she still had a little girl's naiveté.
"We won't compete. Jin Boss, you have a good eye."
"I'm just a humble amateur, you're the real experts. Thank you."
Han Xiao Liu handed over the card reader.
"Swipe, no receipt, take the stuff and go."
Da Jin Ya didn't hesitate, he readily swiped his card for 370,000 and said:
"Liu Ye, I was blind before. Now, I have a piece of information to share. There's an archaeological team organizing to go to the Western Regions to find the City of the Moon. I was thinking of introducing Hu Ye and Fatty, are you interested, Liu Ye?"
"Not interested. If I go, I'll go on my own. Besides, I'm an officially certified archaeological expert."
With that, Han Xiao Liu pulled out his trump card: his archaeological certificate!
Five heads huddled together to examine it.
This thing was precious, not easy to get. It required a massive amount of cultural knowledge, so most people who had it were over 40.
"No need to look, it's real. I was the youngest graduate in history from Peking University."
Han Xiao Liu realized that feeling of showing off in front of people was actually quite good.
"No wonder Hu Ba Yi likes to show off in front of people. It turns out this feeling of showing off is quite enjoyable."
However, since the City of the Moon was now on the map, he had to speed things up. If he let Professor Chen's archaeological team get there first, his mission would be impossible.