Antique Street in Gong City

In the fitting-room mirror, Zhang Yang looked much sharper in his new suit.

Cheng Dongxue stood beside him, straightening his clothes and tie. Once everything was in place, she glanced at him in the mirror and nodded with satisfaction.

"We'll take this one!" she told the saleswoman.

The saleswoman was naturally pleased to make a sale and hurried off to write up the order. She looked down on Zhang Yang, though she kept it to herself.

"Miss, your suit is packed!" The saleswoman handed the wrapped suit to Cheng Dongxue.

Zhang Yang was quick to take the bag and reached for his money.

"I'll pay." Cheng Dongxue knew he had hardly any money in his pocket, perhaps only some change left over from grocery shopping. What use would that be? She paid whenever they bought anything.

The saleswoman was stunned. A grown man needed a woman to pay for his suit? What a pushover.

When she returned with the card, the saleswoman gave Zhang Yang another sidelong glance, her eyes full of disdain.

Zhang Yang had seen that look often enough to be used to it. There was no point getting angry with a saleswoman. Carrying his new suit, he left the mall with his wife.

"It's my mom's birthday. What are you planning to give her?" His outfit was ready, but he had no gift. Cheng Dongxue did not want him mocked again, so they had to prepare.

"She's family. A gift would be too formal. I'll just wish her a happy birthday." Zhang Yang honestly had not thought about buying his mother-in-law a present.

Besides, Yang Su took every chance to find fault with him, belittle him, mock him, and curse him. He had had enough of a mother-in-law like that and had no desire to show her respect.

"Zhang Yang, whatever else, she's your mother-in-law and my mom. The birthday dinner is at Wangda Hotel, and lots of relatives and friends will be there. You went empty-handed last year. You can't do that again today."

Cheng Dongxue only wanted to spare Zhang Yang the jabs and sneers he would face—and the ridicule she would face along with him.

Zhang Yang had had a reason for going empty-handed last year. No matter how carefully he had chosen a gift before, he had always received the same treatment. So he had stopped buying anything and simply shown up for the food.

"Then what kind of gift do you want me to buy?" Zhang Yang now had both the money and the eye to choose one, but he was still reluctant.

Asked what to buy, Cheng Dongxue fell into thought. For a moment, she truly had no idea.

She could not afford anything expensive, and her mother would turn up her nose at anything cheap.

"Uh..." Cheng Dongxue pondered for a long while before saying, "How about a bracelet?"

"There are silver bracelets, gold ones, jade ones, jadeite ones, and platinum ones. Which do you want?" Zhang Yang did not want to buy one, so he gave her plenty of choices.

"What gift do you want to buy my mom?" Backed into a corner by Zhang Yang's question, Cheng Dongxue could not decide either. Even with bracelets alone, there were too many options at too many prices.

"We'll see what catches our eye. If we find something, I'll buy it." Zhang Yang had run out of ways to dodge the matter and tossed out an answer.

Outside the mall lay Pedestrian Street. Zhang Yang had walked its long stretch before, but only as a bag carrier, and he did not enjoy shopping.

"How about we visit Antique Street?" Cheng Dongxue suggested.

Zhang Yang agreed without hesitation. He would gladly browse Antique Street. "Let's go."

They left Pedestrian Street and drove straight to Antique Street.

Many valuable antiques had surfaced on Antique Street in Gong City, letting some people find bargains and even get rich overnight. Zhang Yang had never cared for antiques before, but during the thousand years he had spent trapped in the same day, he had studied them. He now counted as a skilled amateur.

He did not actually intend to buy an antique for his mother-in-law. He simply liked browsing Antique Street and examining its wares.

Antique shops lined the broad street, with stalls set up one after another. Display shelves and counters inside the shops, along with the stalls outside, were packed with all kinds of old-fashioned wares.

This was Zhang Yang's first visit to Antique Street since escaping the loop, and excitement carried him from stall to stall. Items at the stalls were generally cheaper than those in the shops. Perhaps he could even stumble on a bargain and make a little money.

"Wouldn't something this old make a strange birthday gift?" Cheng Dongxue asked, looking displeased as she accompanied him down the street.

Cheng Dongxue knew famous luxury brands and cosmetics inside out, but she knew nothing about antiques and had no interest in them.

"That's the point here. The older, the better," Zhang Yang explained with the air of an expert.

Cheng Dongxue held Zhang Yang's arm. It was getting late, and the crowds on Antique Street were thinning. Soon the stalls would all be packed away. There was no night market here; even the antique shops would close.

So Zhang Yang made the most of the time he had left to look around.

"But wouldn't a gift like this look a little shabby?" To Cheng Dongxue, a birthday gift ought to look impressive. Otherwise, she would be embarrassed to give it.

"Not at all. These old things have their admirers. Put one in a brocade box, and it'll look impressive in an instant," Zhang Yang explained.

"But our relatives and friends might not appreciate it," Cheng Dongxue said.

"Doesn't your dad, Cheng Hai, like antiques?" Zhang Yang asked with a smile.

"He does, but he doesn't understand them. I doubt he could tell what's valuable," Cheng Dongxue answered honestly.

Cheng Hai had indeed dabbled in antiques, but he had misjudged them several times and wasted a good deal of money. Yang Su had given him a fierce scolding for it.

"Young man, you've got a good eye. I'll give you a bargain." Zhang Yang had crouched at a stall, where a bronze mirror caught his eye. He picked it up to examine it.

The stallholder was a heavyset, greasy-looking middle-aged man. Seeing Zhang Yang pick up the mirror, he greeted him warmly. If I sell that mirror, I'll have made a killing today. Then I can pack up and go home.

"How much?" Zhang Yang gave it a quick look. The bronze mirror was a modern reproduction.

"Five thousand, and it's yours," the man said eagerly.

"Five hundred." Zhang Yang put the mirror down. He did not particularly want it, but at that price, he would take it as a decorative piece.

"Young man, don't joke with me. How could an antique bronze mirror be worth only five hundred? If you can't afford it, stop wasting my time!" the man shouted angrily.

His sudden outburst drew people over to watch.

"An antique bronze mirror? Then tell me what dynasty it's from." Zhang Yang smiled, unruffled, and put the question to him.

"Uh..." The man frowned as he studied Zhang Yang. The young man was dressed plainly and did not look wealthy. He had thought he had found a sucker and could close early, but perhaps this would not be so easy. "The Qing dynasty."

"Not even close. If you said it was made this morning, I'd believe you!" Zhang Yang laughed and turned to leave, unwilling to waste time debating the mirror's age.