If Hu Ming hadn't stepped in this time and helped Wang Kaixuan get the jade pendant back, Big Gold Tooth would probably have made at least four thousand more off him.
It really was a case of doing no business for a year, then making enough to live on for three.
Hu Ming had been an outstanding history student, but his knowledge of archaeology was no less than that of a world-class expert. After all, his first reward had included an archaeologist's lifetime of knowledge.
So when Hu Ming came to the capital, he'd also thought about getting into antiques.
After the three of them had eaten hot pot, they returned to Fatty Wang's rented apartment.
That night...
Fatty lay in bed, still thinking about what had happened during the day. He felt restless, and a little tempted.
This makes even more money than selling cassettes. If Old Hu supports me, and we've got a top student like Mingzi, then wouldn't it be easy?
The more Fatty thought about it, the more excited he got!
Just then, Hu Ming saw Fatty get up and come over.
Wang Fatty said to the two of them, "Old Hu, Mingzi, you saw how much Big Gold Tooth could get for a single jade pendant. This business is insanely profitable. Why don't we give it a try too?" Fatty's suggestion made them pause.
Hu Bayi thought it over. Something about it just didn't seem right, so he said to Wang Fatty, "We could give it a try, but where are we going to find things to sell?"
Seeing that there was a chance, Wang Fatty said, "I remember you and Mingzi both know how to raid tombs..."
Before Wang Fatty could finish, Hu Bayi flatly refused. "Forget about tomb raiding."
Fatty called out, "Old Hu..."
Hu Bayi cut him off again. "You damn fatty, I'm telling you, I wouldn't do that cursed, immoral business even if you beat me to death."
Wang Fatty asked, perplexed, "Why?"
Hu Bayi replied irritably, "Why? My grandfather did tomb-raiding work for a while back in the day. Then he ran into a big Zombie. He barely made it out alive and almost lost his life. After that, my grandfather decided the business was bad for one's karma, so he quit."
"Besides, aren't you afraid of dying?" After saying that, Old Hu ignored Fatty, rolled over, and faced the wall.
"Old Hu, obviously tomb raiding is risky, but we can prepare beforehand. If we bring a few black donkey hooves, then we won't have to worry, right?" Fatty said, unwilling to give up.
When Hu Bayi didn't respond, Wang Fatty continued, "Besides, as they say, there's an honest way to take what's yours. Sure, tomb raiding has a bad reputation, but that's because some outsiders have been making a mess of things. They aren't really part of the trade, so they don't know the rules.
"Old Hu, those clueless bastards go around wrecking big tombs. Of course people hate them for it! Old Hu, tell me, can you stand by and let that happen?
"Besides, tomb raiding has existed since ancient times. I've heard that the Mountain Movers, Unloading Ridge, Mojin, and Faqiu are the four famous schools that specialize in it. Mojin Lieutenants were ancient military officials, first appointed by Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period. Put simply, they were a unit that raided tombs for the emperor, digging up graves and stealing valuables to pay for military provisions.
"To put it bluntly, we'd just be raiding tombs to make a little money. But if you look at it the right way, aren't we taking wealth that was taken from the people and returning it to them?
"Think about it. You still need to help all those people. How can you do that without money?"
No matter how much Fatty rambled, Old Hu wouldn't agree or even acknowledge him.
Watching Fatty chatter away, Hu Ming was dumbfounded. He knew Fatty could talk, but he hadn't realized he could talk this much.
When Fatty saw that pleading wasn't working, he turned to Hu Ming, who'd been watching the show, and said, "Mingzi, say something!"
Hu Ming smiled wryly and shook his head. Lying in bed, he said calmly, "Fatty, I agree with what you just said about raiding tombs."
Hu Bayi asked, "Aren't you afraid your parents will scold you?"
Hu Ming replied, "Have you thought about the brothers who died before us? What's happened to their families?"
Hu Bayi sat up and said to Hu Ming, "We can do other things. Why do we have to rob tombs?"
Hu Ming sat up too and looked at Hu Bayi calmly. "What else can we do? How much money do we have right now to help our brothers' families? I'm not saying we have to raid tombs. We could raid a bigger one and use the money we get to start a business later.
"If all we do is work for other people like we are now, how much can we make in a month? It'd barely be enough for ourselves."
Hu Bayi nodded, then lay back down.
Wang Fatty watched Hu Bayi lying there, thinking. He turned to Hu Ming and gave him a thumbs-up, then added, "Mingzi has a point. We could go see the old village secretary in the countryside. I remember there were lots of old bottles and jars there."
Hu Bayi opened his eyes. "We can give that a try."
Hu Ming nodded too and said to them, "Let's get some sleep first. Tomorrow we'll go buy a few things to take back to the villagers."
Hu Bayi and Wang Fatty exchanged a glance, nodded, and lay down to sleep.
The next morning...
The three of them had been sleeping soundly when they were suddenly woken by a shrill, braying shout.
"Fatty, get out here!!!"
"Get out here!!!
"Damn, why is Big Gold Tooth here?" Hearing the voice, Fatty immediately sat up in bed and listened closely. It sounded like Big Gold Tooth had brought a lot of people with him.
Old Hu asked, "You damn fatty, how did Big Gold Tooth find this place?"
Wang Fatty said sheepishly, "Let me think. I must've let it slip when I sold him the jade last time. I told him where I was staying!"
Hu Bayi stared at Wang Fatty, speechless. "Are you an idiot? Why would you tell an outsider where you live?"
Fatty asked, "So what do we do now?"
Before Hu Bayi could answer, Hu Ming got out of bed and walked to the door.
Hu Bayi said to Wang Fatty, "It's fine now. Mingzi used to be the best fighter in the military district. I doubt the people outside are any match for him."
Only then did Wang Fatty remember that Hu Ming had trained in martial arts.
While the two of them were talking, Hu Ming had already opened the door. He saw Big Gold Tooth in the courtyard, along with more than a dozen other men.
Hu Ming frowned and asked Big Gold Tooth, "Is that all you brought?"
Big Gold Tooth was so infuriated by Hu Ming's attitude that he laughed. "Get him, boys!"
Hu Ming didn't waste time replying. He charged straight at them alone.
Five minutes later...
Only Hu Ming and Big Gold Tooth, standing opposite him, remained on their feet in the courtyard. Everyone else had been beaten to the ground.
Hu Ming simply watched Big Gold Tooth in silence. Big Gold Tooth's legs were trembling, and sweat ran down his forehead.
Hu Bayi and Wang Fatty came out too. Looking at the men on the ground, Wang Fatty exclaimed to Hu Ming, "Mingzi, from now on, I'm calling you Master Ming. That was incredible!"
"Master Ming, Master Hu, Master Fatty... Please be the bigger men and spare me, Big Gold Tooth. I'll repay you handsomely when I get back. And I, Big Gold Tooth, was blind as a bat and didn't recognize your standing. Please accept this." As he spoke, Big Gold Tooth took a roll of banknotes from his shirt. He was filled with regret. Why had he gone and provoked this menace?
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