After getting out of the car, Hu Ming and the others found a restaurant in the northern part of the city. They went upstairs to a private room and told the waiter to knock before bringing in the dishes and not to disturb them. Hu Bayi let the others know they were negotiating a deal with a big boss.
Fatty was starting to get curious, and he couldn't make heads or tails of it. He asked, "Mingzi, are we not going to Panjiayuan?"
Hu Ming glanced at him. "We're not."
"Huh? We're not?" Fatty was taken aback.
Before they'd returned, Hu Ming had told them that as soon as they got back to the capital, they'd sell the goods and turn them into a whole lot of US Dollars.
But now that they were back, why wasn't Hu Ming going to Panjiayuan? Fatty couldn't figure it out.
Seeing how impatient Fatty was, Hu Bayi laughed. "You big idiot. Panjiayuan's crowded and chaotic. It's no place to inspect goods. Besides, Mingzi brought us here for a reason. Why are you asking so many questions?"
With Old Hu putting it that way, Fatty had nothing to say. He sat down and picked up the menu on the table to look it over.
But before he could even get comfortable, Hu Bayi said, "Fatty, don't sit down yet. You need to go to Panjiayuan and find Big Gold Tooth."
"What? Why me?" Fatty wasn't happy about being sent on an errand. He'd been carrying everything for the past few days and was nearly exhausted.
Hu Ming smiled. "Because you're the fattest one here. Old Hu and I are in great shape, so you need to lose some weight. Hurry up and go."
Fatty glared at him. "When I've slimmed down, just see who you'll get to run errands for you."
Hu Bayi chuckled. That fatso ate more in one meal than Hu Ming and he did in a whole day. How could he possibly lose weight?
After ordering the food, Fatty hurried off to Panjiayuan.
Inside Big Gold Tooth's shop, he looked just like he had a while ago: dressed in unbearably gaudy clothes and radiating the air of a vulgar, money-grubbing businessman. In a word—tacky.
But when he saw Fatty, Big Gold Tooth immediately put aside his business and hurried over to greet him, asking all sorts of questions.
"Hey, Master Fatty, what took you so long to get back? Big Gold Tooth here has missed you terribly!"
Seeing Big Gold Tooth's gold teeth, Fatty wished he could have him appraise his own things right away.
Unfortunately, Hu Ming and the others had taken all the things off him as soon as they arrived at the restaurant.
Fatty got straight to the point. "Big Gold Tooth, the rest of us are back. Master Ming and Master Hu sent me to let you know we're waiting for you at Beiji Restaurant in the north of the city."
"A restaurant?" Having spent nearly half his life hustling around Panjiayuan, Big Gold Tooth immediately understood.
"Sure. Wait here a moment. I'll wrap up this business and head over right away."
With that, Big Gold Tooth returned to his counter and spoke with the foreigner and his interpreter.
Soon, Big Gold Tooth sold the little teapot that looked like it was from the Qing dynasty.
Money changed hands, and the goods were exchanged. Once he had the item, the foreigner left at once, apparently heading to another shop.
After the foreigner left, Big Gold Tooth counted the bills. When he was done, he put them away and set off for the restaurant with Fatty.
Before long, Fatty brought Big Gold Tooth to the restaurant and led him upstairs to the private room.
As soon as Big Gold Tooth entered, he spotted a large black bag. It was obvious that it was stuffed with things. He sucked in a sharp breath.
Good heavens, these guys were something else! They must have turned over a lot of good stuff.
Looking at them, Big Gold Tooth was both astonished and more than a little excited.
Then Big Gold Tooth promptly sat down beside Hu Ming and said, "Gentlemen, Big Gold Tooth has missed you terribly. How about this? I'll treat you today and welcome you back." As he spoke, he started to call for the waiters downstairs.
"Heh, Big Gold Tooth, no need to rush. We've got a few things for you to look at. Give us your expert opinion and estimate their value." Hu Bayi got straight to the point and prepared to have Fatty take out the first item.
They locked the door to the private room. Antique artifacts couldn't be shown to outsiders, after all, so it was best to be careful.
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