Wishing Fulfillment

Uncle Wu slapped his forehead when he heard this. "It's my fault. I've really been busy lately, and I even went out of town a while back. Go back and tell your grandfather that I'll visit him as soon as I have time."

Li Beibei smiled. "Hehe, Uncle Wu, don't take it seriously. My grandfather's always been like that. Now that he's old, he just likes lively company. He never thinks about how, when I was little, he acted as if no strangers were allowed near him, making my uncles and aunts less close to him. As for how he is now, I think he brought it on himself back then."

Uncle Wu scolded her with a laugh. "You little brat, have you no respect? How can you talk about your grandfather like that? Be careful—I might tell him one day."

"Uncle Wu, don't!"

After hearing Uncle Wu say that, Li Beibei began acting spoiled. Chu Chen was rendered speechless by the sight. However, he didn't know that sharp-eyed Li Beibei had noticed his expression, which left her deeply dissatisfied. Why is this person so annoying? Her thoughts turned, and she spoke up:

"By the way, Uncle Wu, my grandfather didn't invite you to his eightieth birthday banquet, did he? I'm formally inviting you now, so you must come. And you too, Little Chu—you have to come along. But Little Chu, since you're so skilled in antiques, you can't show up empty-handed. Surely the gift has to match your knowledge, right?"

Chu Chen was dumbfounded when he heard this. There was nothing wrong with him going to wish the old man a happy birthday, and bringing a gift was no problem either. But a gift that matched his knowledge? Did she want him to give an expensive antique? They weren't even particularly close. Such a demand made no sense at all. This woman was truly unreasonable.

He wasn't that foolish. When the time came, he would just choose a decent gift and be done with it.

Uncle Wu ignored their little schemes and said with a laugh, "You really are lazy to the extreme. It's not a wedding banquet—you don't need to give notice months in advance. Would it kill you to go to Uncle Wu's house and formally invite me? Or are you still holding a grudge over what happened back then?"

He had actually hit the nail on the head. Li Beibei still couldn't let go of that prank from back then. To her, the embarrassment had been enormous. Even now, whenever she thought of that scene, she still gnashed her teeth at Wu Ke. So, after hearing Uncle Wu's words, she flushed and began stammering.

Fortunately, Liu Qinshu came out of the house at that moment. Li Beibei hurriedly changed the subject. "Aunt Shu, is Old Liu settled in? I heard that lower back pain in the elderly means they're lacking calcium. You should supplement him in that regard— it ought to help."

Liu Qinshu found this rather strange. Since when had Li Beibei become so considerate? Had she finally grown up? She smiled and said, "Beibei, I didn't expect you to know how to care about people now. Looks like you're growing up."

Li Beibei pouted coquettishly. "Not at all. I've always cared about Old Liu, okay? The way you put it makes me sound like I used to be a child."

"All right, all right. Aunt Shu was wrong."

After joking with her, Liu Qinshu said to Chu Chen, "Little Chu, let's sign the contract. When my father went inside, he kept talking about your item."

"Hey!"

Chu Chen slapped his forehead. "How did I forget to remind Old Liu to take it with him?"

Liu Qinshu said with a smile, "That's not your fault. Even if the deal had been settled, my father wouldn't take it before the transaction was completed. That's a matter of principle for him."

Old Liu's insistence left Chu Chen deeply moved. People of the older generation like him often held firm principles and beliefs, which they consistently upheld in their work and daily lives. That was what he admired and wanted to learn from most.

Some people nowadays had abandoned even their basic principles as human beings for money and so-called hobbies. It made one wonder whether this was truly the progress of civilization—or a regression.

"Here's the transfer agreement. I'll have to trouble Ziping and Beibei to act as intermediaries." As she spoke, Liu Qinshu handed the contract to Chu Chen.

Chu Chen was already very familiar with this kind of agreement. After giving it a quick look, he signed his name. Uncle Wu and the others then signed their names as witnesses.

However, the bank was closed that day, so the money couldn't be transferred. Liu Qinshu wrote Chu Chen a check instead, and a million-level transaction was completed quickly and simply. Chu Chen couldn't help sighing. Money really did come easily.

Afterward, Liu Qinshu smiled at Chu Chen. "Little Chu, my father told me just now that you can come visit him whenever you have time."

"Really?!"

Chu Chen had never expected his wish to come true so easily. Old Liu's acceptance of him would undoubtedly be a tremendous help to his development in the antiques trade. He was so excited that he didn't know what to say and could only repeatedly thank Liu Qinshu.

Seeing this, Uncle Wu was happy for him as well. Watching a younger generation grow stronger step by step was both comforting and something to be proud of.

Li Beibei, however, was extremely envious and jealous. Although she was familiar with Old Liu, she could only visit his home occasionally. This time, she had only been able to come ask him for an appraisal because of her grandfather's birthday. Seeing Chu Chen receive such treatment on his very first visit, how could she not be jealous?

Liu Qinshu smiled faintly. "Little Chu, don't thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank yourself for your extensive knowledge. Otherwise, my father wouldn't have taken a liking to you. Don't you agree?"

Seeing Chu Chen's foolish grin, Uncle Wu laughed. "Qinshu, since everything's settled, we'll take our leave."

"All right. Remember to come over and visit when you have time." ...

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

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

Li Beibei smiled. "No, there's still something to take care of at home today. I'll come bother you next time."

"All right. Be careful on the road." Hearing that, Uncle Wu didn't press her.

"Mm!"

After answering, Li Beibei turned to Chu Chen. "Little Chu, I heard you're very good at martial arts. When we have time, let's spar. I'll decide the time and place, then call you. It's settled, so don't try to weasel out of it!"

Before Chu Chen could even answer, she drove away.

Seeing this, Chu Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This woman was far too domineering. She didn't give anyone a chance to refuse. With a personality like that, it was no wonder Wu Ke disliked her. Forget Wu Ke—even he found her difficult to tolerate.

"That girl seems to have transferred all of her resentment toward Xiao Ke onto you. But you and Xiao Ke will become family in the future anyway, so you'll have to put up with it and let her vent a little. Just make sure you don't get hurt, or Xiao Ke won't let me off." Seeing this, Uncle Wu began joking again.

Chu Chen said helplessly, "Uncle Wu, there you go again! Sparring with her is fine, but I won't agree to just defend passively. I'm sure Xiao Ke wouldn't agree either."

"All right. Just remember not to beat her too badly. Otherwise, our Old Wu family will lose face." Uncle Wu laughed. He had considerable confidence in Chu Chen's skills. Not long after Chu Chen had first arrived in Beijing, he had once encountered two thugs and knocked them down in just a few moves. Now that he had broken through, dealing with her would be even easier.

Uncle Wu continued, "Xiao Chen, now that Old Liu has accepted you, you need to work even harder in your studies. Don't become complacent because of this. You should know that Old Liu has very high standards for people."

Seeing Chu Chen nod in agreement, he continued, "Do you have a lunch appointment today? If not, come to my place and have a simple meal. We can have a couple of drinks together."

"All right. I haven't tasted Auntie's cooking in a long time either. I'll satisfy my craving today. But Uncle Wu, are you craving the Maotai I gave you the other day? Is that why you suggested having a couple of drinks?" Chu Chen said with a grin.

"You rascal!"

Uncle Wu gave him a chestnut. "Am I really that bad? You make me sound like an alcoholic. If you've got the guts, don't drink any later..."

The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked inside.

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

That afternoon, Chu Chen had nothing in particular to do, so he decided to wander around Nancheng. On the one hand, he wanted to see whether he could find any calligraphy or paintings Zhao Qirui would like. On the other, he could pick up some goods from an acquaintance.

He made his way to Baoguo Temple in Nancheng, a place he knew well. It was now one of Beijing's emerging cultural markets. In fact, during the late Ming and early Qing, Baoguo Temple had been Beijing's most famous book market, becoming established many years before the book market on Liulichang, another famous cultural street in Beijing. It had once been a favored gathering place for scholars and literati, 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. Once it entered the public eye, though, it quickly became famous nationwide for its accessible trading activities.

From Baoguo Temple's reopening to its gradual prosperity today, Chu Chen had personally witnessed it all. When it first opened, he and Uncle Wu had even come to see a coin exposition held there. At that time, however, he had still been extremely inexperienced in the antiques trade.

It was Sunday. Although the hot weather meant there weren't many customers browsing or shopping, the place was undeniably far more prosperous than it had been when it first opened. Thinking back, Chu Chen felt that the market's development was much like his own growth. It gave him a strong sense of familiarity.

He went straight to his acquaintance's shop, only to discover unexpectedly that the doors were tightly shut. It hadn't opened at all that day.

Chu Chen was puzzled. What was going on? Could Old Zhou have gone out to acquire goods? If so, he had come for nothing. He immediately blamed himself for not thinking to call before coming. Running all the way out in such hot weather for nothing was truly infuriating.