The investigators arrived quickly. They first took Old Hua's statement, left him a receipt, then took all those items back with them, saying they would give Old Hua an answer as soon as possible. With Chu Chen's guarantee, Old Hua felt completely at ease.
Afterward, seeing that there was nothing else to deal with, Chu Chen said goodbye and left with the investigators.
The next few days passed peacefully for Chu Chen. As for Old Hua's antiques, the results came that very night. As expected, every one of them was part of the museum's collection.
There was an explanation for why the pair of famille-rose bowls had not been discovered missing. As for why the knife, sword, and snuff bottle had gone unnoticed, it was because all three items had been stored in a warehouse for years. None of them was particularly valuable, so aside from the inventory conducted once every six months, basically no one paid them any attention. That was how the insider had taken advantage of the situation.
If Chu Chen had not discovered them by chance, they probably would not have been missed until the year-end inventory. By then, however, the insider would have long since fled.
The theft of the collection also sounded an alarm for Chu Chen. Museum management could never be handled carelessly. If they became numb and negligent, the next museum to suffer might be his own.
With things at the museum settling down, and with it being the off-season for tourism, Chu Chen went to take a look around the antique shop early that morning.
"Hey, Teacher Chu, you're here! Perfect—help me make a decision!"
Just as Chu Chen saw that there was nothing much going on in the antique shop and was preparing to take a look around the market,