Achieving One's Wish

Uncle Wu smacked his forehead upon hearing that. "This is my fault. I've been really busy lately, and I even went out of town a while ago. Tell your grandpa I'll visit him as soon as I have time."

Li Beibei chuckled, "Hehe, Uncle Wu, don't take it too seriously. My grandpa is just like that. As he gets older, he likes more liveliness. He doesn't realize that when I was little, he always had this 'don't come near me' vibe, which made my uncles and aunts not very close to him. This is all his own doing from back then."

Uncle Wu laughed and scolded, "You little brat, how can you talk about your grandpa like that? Be careful, I'll tell him one day."

"Uncle Wu, don't!"

Hearing Uncle Wu say that, Li Beibei started acting coy. Chu Chen found her behavior speechless. However, he didn't realize that his expression was noticed by the sharp-eyed Li Beibei, which made her extremely displeased. How can this person be so annoying! she thought. Her mind raced, and she said, "Oh, right, Uncle Wu, did my grandpa's 80th birthday banquet invite you? I'm officially inviting you now, please be sure to attend. And this little brother Chu, you'll be coming too. By the way, little brother Chu, since you're so good with antiques, you can't show up empty-handed, can you? Your gift should match your knowledge."

Chu Chen was taken aback. Going to the birthday banquet was fine, and bringing a gift was also fine. But a gift that matched his knowledge? Did she expect him to give an expensive antique? They weren't particularly close, so such a demand was unreasonable. This woman was truly incomprehensible.

He wasn't that foolish. He'd just pick a passable gift when the time came.

Uncle Wu ignored their little exchanges and laughed, "You're so lazy, girl. It's not a wedding banquet that needs months of notice. Can't you just formally notify Uncle Wu when you get there? It won't cost you anything. Or are you still holding a grudge about what happened back then?"

In fact, Uncle Wu had hit the nail on the head. Li Beibei was still bothered by that joke from back then. For her, the embarrassment was too great. Even now, whenever she recalled that scene, she still hated Wu Ke to the bone. Hearing Uncle Wu's words, she blushed and stammered.

Fortunately, Liu Qinshu came out of the house at that moment. Li Beibei quickly changed the subject, "Auntie Shu, is Grandpa Liu settled in? I heard that elderly people get sore backs from calcium deficiency. You should give him some supplements for that; it should help."

Seeing this, Liu Qinshu found it strange. When had Li Beibei become so thoughtful? Had she finally grown up? She smiled and said, "Beibei, I didn't expect you to be so caring. It seems you're growing up."

Li Beibei pouted playfully, "No way! I've always cared about Old Liu, Auntie Shu. You make it sound like I was a child before."

"Okay, okay, Auntie Shu misspoke."

After a bit of teasing, Liu Qinshu turned to Chu Chen and said, "Little Chu, let's sign the contract. My father was still talking about your items when he went inside."

"Heh!"

Chu Chen slapped his forehead. "Why didn't I think to remind Old Liu to take them earlier?"

Liu Qinshu smiled broadly, "It's not your fault. Even if we had agreed, my father wouldn't have taken them before the transaction was complete. It's a matter of principle for him."

Old Liu's adherence to principle made Chu Chen sigh with admiration. People of his generation often had principles and beliefs that they consistently upheld in their work and lives. This was something Chu Chen deeply respected and wanted to learn from.

Some people nowadays, for money or so-called hobbies, had lost their moral compass. It made one wonder if civilization was progressing or regressing.

"Here, the transfer agreement is here. I'll need to trouble Ziping and Beibei to act as witnesses," Liu Qinshu said, handing the contract to Chu Chen.

Chu Chen was already familiar with this type of agreement. After a brief look, he signed his name. Afterward, Uncle Wu and the others also signed as witnesses.

Since the bank was closed today, they couldn't complete the bank transfer. Liu Qinshu issued a check to Chu Chen, and this million-level transaction was completed quickly and easily, making Chu Chen marvel at how easily money could be made.

Afterward, Liu Qinshu smiled at Chu Chen and said, "Little Chu, my father told me that if you have time, you can visit him often."

"Really?!"

Chu Chen hadn't expected his wish to be granted so easily. Old Liu's acceptance of him would undoubtedly be a great help to his development in the antique world. He was so excited he didn't know what to say, only repeatedly expressing his gratitude to Liu Qinshu.

Uncle Wu, standing nearby, was also happy for him. Watching a junior grow stronger step by step was a source of both comfort and pride.

Li Beibei, on the other hand, was filled with envy and jealousy. Although she was somewhat familiar with Old Liu, she could only visit him occasionally. She had only come to have Old Liu appraise something this time by using her grandfather's birthday as an excuse. Seeing Chu Chen receive such preferential treatment on his first visit, how could she not be envious?

Liu Qinshu smiled faintly, "Little Chu, don't thank me. Thank your own extensive knowledge. Otherwise, my father wouldn't have taken a liking to you, would he?"

Seeing Chu Chen's dazed smile, Uncle Wu said, "Qinshu, since everything is settled, we should be going."

"Okay, remember to visit us sometimes."

After leaving Old Liu's residence, Li Beibei, who had a car, drove them straight home.

"Beibei, it's almost noon. Why don't you come over for a simple meal before you go?" Uncle Wu suggested after getting out of the car.

Li Beibei smiled, "No need, I have things to do at home today. I'll trouble you another time."

"Alright, be careful on the road," Uncle Wu said, not insisting further.

"Mhm!"

After Li Beibei replied, she turned to Chu Chen and said, "Little brother Chu, I heard you're good at martial arts. Let's spar sometime when we have the chance. I'll call you when I've decided on the time and place. We've agreed on this, so don't go back on your word!"

Before Chu Chen could even reply, she drove off in her car.

Seeing this, Chu Chen was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. This woman was too overbearing. She didn't give anyone a chance to refuse. With her personality, it was no wonder Wu Ke disliked her. Forget Wu Ke, even he himself found her a bit unbearable.

"This girl, it seems she's transferred all her dissatisfaction with Xiao Ke onto you. But Xiao Ke will be family with you in the future, so bear with her a bit and let her vent. Just be careful not to get hurt, or Xiao Ke won't let me off," Uncle Wu joked again.

Chu Chen said with a wry smile, "Uncle Wu, you're at it again! It's fine to spar with her, but I won't be happy just defending passively. I believe Xiao Ke wouldn't agree to that either."

"Alright, just remember not to beat her too badly. It wouldn't look good for our Wu family's reputation," Uncle Wu said with a smile. He had confidence in Chu Chen's skills. He remembered that not long after Chu Chen arrived in Beijing, he encountered two thugs and subdued them in a few moves. And now, he had even broken through.

Uncle Wu continued, "Xiao Chen, since Old Liu has accepted you, you need to work even harder in your studies. Don't get complacent. You know Old Liu has very high standards for people."

Seeing Chu Chen nod in agreement, he continued, "Do you have any lunch plans today? If not, come to my place for a simple meal, and the two of us can have a drink."

"Sure, I haven't tasted Auntie's cooking in a while. I'll have a feast today. But Uncle Wu, are you just craving that Maotai I gave you the other day, which is why you want to have a drink?" Chu Chen said with a laugh.

"You rascal!"

Uncle Wu playfully flicked him with a candied chestnut. "Am I that pathetic? You make me sound like a drunkard. If you've got the guts, don't drink later..."

The two walked inside, chatting and laughing.

**********************************************

In the afternoon, Chu Chen had nothing else to do, so he decided to go to the southern part of the city. On one hand, he wanted to see if there were any calligraphy and painting works that Zhao Qirui would be satisfied with. On the other hand, he needed to pick up some goods from an acquaintance.

Familiar with the route, he arrived at Baoguo Temple in the southern part of the city, which had now become Beijing's burgeoning cultural market. In fact, as early as the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Baoguo Temple had been Beijing's most famous book market, many years earlier than another renowned cultural street in Beijing, the Liulichang book market. It had once been a place of elegant leisure for literati and scholars of the time, leaving behind many legendary tales.

However, with the rise of the Liulichang book market, the Baoguo Temple book market gradually declined. It wasn't until the 1990s that the Baoguo Temple antiques market officially reopened. Upon its reopening, it quickly gained national fame for its accessible exchange and trading activities.

In fact, Chu Chen had personally experienced everything from the opening of Baoguo Temple to its gradual prosperity. He and Uncle Wu had even visited the first coin exhibition held when it first opened. At that time, however, he was still very inexperienced in the antiques trade.

Today was Sunday. Although there weren't many customers browsing and shopping due to the sweltering heat, it was undoubtedly much more prosperous compared to the desolate scene when it first opened. Chu Chen recalled that the development of the book market felt very much like his own growth, which made him feel a sense of closeness.

He walked straight to the shop of his acquaintance, only to unexpectedly find the door shut tight, not open at all for the day.

Seeing this, Chu Chen was quite puzzled. What was going on? Had Old Zhou gone out to get more stock? Alas, if that was the case, his trip would be in vain. He immediately blamed himself for not calling before coming. Making a trip in this sweltering heat was truly infuriating.