“How’s the renovation going on your end?” Kang Bo asked.
“The design plans just came out, we’re starting construction now. It should be done in about a month,” Kang Er Zheng replied.
“I see,” Kang Bo nodded.
“Big brother, did you call me over for something?” Kang Er Zheng asked again.
“It’s a minor matter. Since we’re renovating, we’re planning to move out for a while,” Kang Bo said.
“Hmm, that’s normal,” Kang Er Zheng found it perfectly reasonable. “How long?”
“We inquired, it’ll take a little over a month,” Kang Bo said.
“A month, that’s shorter than mine,” Kang Er Zheng said.
His renovation had a lot more things to take care of, it would take about two months to get everything done.
“How long will yours take?” Kang Bo asked.
“About two months, but I’ll have them expedite it. It should be done in a little over a month,” Kang Er Zheng said. “We might even move into our new homes around the same time.”
“Here’s the thing, I went back to my hometown a couple of days ago. I asked our uncles and elders, they all agreed to have you and your sister enter the Kang family lineage. We’re planning to take you back to the village with us, so when would you two be available?” Kang Bo said.
“This matter, huh,” Kang Er Zheng nodded. “Just choose a good day.”
He didn’t mind.
It just felt a bit odd to be entering someone else’s family lineage.
“Then how about Wednesday?” Kang Bo asked.
“Wednesday’s no good, Coco needs to go to school. How about Saturday?” Kang Er Zheng shook his head. “We’ll need to get their travel documents sorted as well.”
“That’s true,” Kang Bo nodded. “Then it’s Saturday.”
Kang Er Zheng nodded.
“By the way, Big brother, where are you guys planning to live during the renovation?” Kang Er Zheng asked.
“My wife and I will go back to the village for a month, it’s been a long time since we last visited. As for Ah Guang, he’s been staying in the factory dormitory, and there’s a factory canteen, so that’s not a problem.”
“We don’t need to worry about Ah Zu, he has a bunch of friends. He’ll go stay with them, it’s just that eating might be an issue. But he’s grown up now, he should be able to find food on his own.”
“Ah Yao’s going to rent a single room outside, he usually eats in the company cafeteria.”
“The biggest problem is Ah Zong, Ah Chan, and Tianxiu.”
“The house next door might be available to rent,” Kang Er Zheng thought of something and pointed at the house next door.
“Right, Wan Ling lives there alone now, we could rent their place,” Kang Bo also startled.
He remembered that Wan Ling lived alone next door and they could rent a room there.
Mrs. Zhu was still in Malaysia and hadn’t returned yet.
The entire Western-style house was just Wan Ling living there alone.
If Ah Yao or Ah Zu went to rent, it would cause a lot of gossip among the neighbors, after all, they were both single.
Ah Zong, Ah Chan, and Tianxiu renting would avoid any idle chatter.
When Kang Er Zheng came in just now, he happened to see Wan Ling leaving for work.
She was a nurse.
Their work hours were very irregular.
Kang Er Zheng felt a sense of familiarity when he first saw her. He only remembered who she was after she left.
Wan Ling didn’t recognize Kang Er Zheng.
She had no idea that Kang Er Zheng had joined the family.
After all, his identity was quite awkward, and the Kang family didn’t actively publicize it.
Kang Bo’s stepmother’s son, quite a story to tell.
“Ah Zheng, you’re so smart,” Kang Bo praised.
“Nothing, you guys were just blind to it,” Kang Er Zheng waved his hand dismissively.
The next day.
Kang Er Shou went to talk to Wan Ling about this.
Wan Ling agreed and said they didn’t need to pay her. She would let them stay.
But their father insisted on paying.
How could they stay in someone’s house for a month without paying?
Afterwards, Ah Zong, Ah Chan, and Tianxiu moved into the house next door.
Since they lived nearby, they would be responsible for supervising the renovation of the Western-style house.
One day.
Kang Er Zheng went to Guangzhou for some shopping.
He specifically went to Guangzhou’s antique city.
Inside the antique city, there were many antique shops.
Most of the antiques here were genuine.
Of course, there were also a few fake ones.
Kang Er Zheng came here with the intention of buying some collectibles to appreciate at home.
To help him buy collectibles, he specifically invited three antique masters from different places.
The three masters were a local from Guangzhou, a person from Beijing, and a person from Chang’an.
Because the world of antiques was a circle, most people in the local Guangzhou antique circle knew each other.
He was worried that if he only found local masters, they might treat him like a fool and try to cheat him.
This time, the main focus was on buying porcelain.
Therefore, these three masters were all experts in porcelain.
Of course, they also had some knowledge of other antiques.
Kang Er Zheng didn’t know how much they actually knew.
But regarding porcelain, they were probably the best.
“What is this?” Kang Er Zheng asked as he entered a shop.
There were many antiques displayed inside.
Porcelain, calligraphy and painting, Buddhist statues, inkstones, bronzeware, etc.
Kang Er Zheng stopped in front of a porcelain dish.
He loved the pattern on the dish.
The owner, seeing Kang Er Zheng’s interest, took it out from the glass cabinet and placed it on the counter.
The rule of not touching antiques was known to everyone in the circle.
Before Kang Er Zheng arrived, the masters had also given him a crash course on these basic principles.
Kang Er Zheng put on gloves and carefully examined the dish.
He couldn’t tell the difference between these porcelain pieces and ordinary ones.
He looked for a few moments and then put it down.
Other than the mark at the bottom saying “Qing Yongzheng Period,”
He didn’t know anything else.
“Boss, what kind of porcelain is this?” Kang Er Zheng asked.
“Boss, this is a 粉彩梅花纹盘 [Fěn cǎi méihuā wén pán] from the Qing Yongzheng Period,” the owner introduced.
This dish had a white base, and inside the dish, a plum blossom bloomed in the snow, full of vitality.
He looked at the masters beside him.
“Liu Master, take a look,” Kang Er Zheng said to the master from Chang’an.
Liu Master nodded and put on gloves, carefully examining the piece.
He looked for a few minutes.
He nodded at Kang Er Zheng.
Kang Er Zheng then looked at the other two masters.
“Two Masters, you also take a look.” Kang Er Zheng nodded and then looked at the other two masters.
Liu Master didn’t show any displeasure.
After all, Kang Er Zheng was the customer.
But he was still a little annoyed.
In the end, the other two also took a look and agreed it was genuine.
Kang Er Zheng decided to buy it.
He spent 180,000 yuan to buy this dish.
“It’s a bit expensive,” Kang Er Zheng thought to himself.
He didn’t know much about antiques, he wasn’t sure about the specific value.
This porcelain cost 180,000 yuan, it was really expensive.
180,000 yuan could buy half a house.
Money was valuable these days.
He then bought a blue flower vase from the Ming Dynasty.
A single-colored enamel bottle from the Yongzheng Period.
And a bowl from the late Qing Dynasty.
A string of huanghuali [yellow sandalwood] bracelets, a string of agarwood bracelets.
Huanghuali wasn’t as ridiculously expensive as it would be in the future.
Kang Er Zheng still spent a lot.
The four porcelain pieces plus the two strings of bracelets cost nearly a million yuan.
Even though he was rich, he still felt a little heartbroken.
He carefully packed the most important pieces and locked them in a safe.
He would put them in his collection and display them once his new house was built.
Huanghuali was expensive, he could buy some huanghuali furniture now.
Kang Er Zheng thought.
But where could you find huanghuali furniture with a history? It wouldn’t be that easy.