Gong City's Antique Street

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

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

"This one!" Cheng Dongxue said to the sales clerk.

The clerk was naturally happy to make a sale and hurried off to write up the order. Inwardly, though, she looked down on Zhang Yang, even if she never showed it.

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

Zhang Yang knew when to carry the bags. He took it from her and reached for his money.

"I'll pay." Cheng Dongxue knew Zhang Yang barely had any money in his pocket, perhaps just some change left over from buying groceries. What good would that do? She paid every time they went shopping.

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

When she returned with the card, the clerk made a point of giving Zhang Yang a sidelong glance full of contempt.

Zhang Yang had seen looks like that often enough to be used to them. There was no point getting angry with a sales clerk. Carrying his new suit, he left the mall with his wife.

"What are you planning to give my mom for her birthday?" His outfit was ready, but he still needed a gift. Cheng Dongxue did not want Zhang Yang to be mocked again, so they had to prepare.

"We're family. Gifts are so formal. I'll give her my best wishes." Zhang Yang truly had not thought about buying his mother-in-law a birthday present.

Besides, Yang Su seized every chance to find fault with him, belittle him, laugh at him, and berate him. Zhang Yang had had enough of a mother-in-law like that. He had no desire to honor her.

"Zhang Yang, whatever else, she's your mother-in-law and my mom. Her birthday dinner is at the 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 simply did not want people to corner Zhang Yang with snide remarks and drag her into their ridicule too.

Zhang Yang had had his reasons for going empty-handed last year. No matter how carefully he prepared or what gift he bought, he always received the same treatment. So he had decided to buy nothing and just show up for the meal.

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

Asked what they should buy, Cheng Dongxue fell into thought again. For a moment, she genuinely had no idea.

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

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

"There are silver ones, gold ones, jade ones, Jadeite ones, and platinum ones. Which kind do you want?" Zhang Yang did not really want to buy one, so he gave Cheng Dongxue 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 make up her mind. Even with bracelets alone, there were too many cheap and expensive options to choose from.

"Let's see what we find. We can look around, and I'll buy whatever catches my eye." With no room left to retreat, Zhang Yang gave the first answer that came to mind.

Outside the mall lay a long Pedestrian Street. They had walked it before, but Zhang Yang had only ever carried the bags, and he did not enjoy shopping.

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

Zhang Yang did not need to think twice. He would gladly browse Antiques Street. "Let's go."

They left the Pedestrian Street and drove straight to Antiques Street.

Many valuable antiques had surfaced on Gong City's Antiques Street, and plenty of people had found bargains there, some even becoming rich overnight. Zhang Yang had never cared for antiques before, but after spending a thousand years trapped in the same day, he had studied them. By now, he was something of an expert among amateurs.

In truth, Zhang Yang did not intend to buy an antique for his mother-in-law. He just enjoyed browsing Antiques Street and examining its wares.

Antique shops lined Antiques Street, while stalls stood one after another along the broad road. Display shelves and counters inside the shops, as well as the street stalls, were crowded with all kinds of objects steeped in the air of antiquity.

This was Zhang Yang's first visit to Antiques Street since escaping his confinement, and he was excited. He searched the stalls one by one. Their wares were generally cheaper than those in the shops, and he might even stumble on an incredible bargain and make a little money.

"Wouldn't something this old make a strange birthday present?" Cheng Dongxue said as she walked onto Antiques Street with Zhang Yang, distaste plain on her face.

Cheng Dongxue could name famous luxury brands and cosmetics one after another, but she knew nothing about antiques and did not like them.

"That's the point of these things. The older, the better," Zhang Yang explained with the air of someone who knew the trade.

Cheng Dongxue held Zhang Yang's arm. It was evening, and the crowds on Antiques Street were gradually thinning. Before long, all the stalls would be packed away. There was no night market here, and even the antique shops would close.

So Zhang Yang made the most of the time he had left to examine the antiques.

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

"Why would it? These old things have their admirers. Put one in a brocade box, and it'll look impressive in no time," 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'm afraid he wouldn't know a good one if he saw it," Cheng Dongxue answered honestly.

Cheng Hai had indeed dabbled in antiques, but he had been fooled several times and spent a fair amount of money. Yang Su had given him a terrible scolding for it.

"Young man, you've got a good eye. I'll let you have that cheap." Zhang Yang had crouched before a stall, where a bronze mirror had caught his eye. He picked it up to examine it.

The stall owner was a greasy middle-aged man. Seeing Zhang Yang pick up the bronze mirror, he greeted him warmly. If he sold that mirror, he would have had a fine day's takings and could pack up and go home.

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

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

"Five hundred." Zhang Yang put the bronze mirror down. He did not particularly want it, but at five hundred, he could buy 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, don't waste my time," the greasy man snapped, thoroughly annoyed.

His raised voice immediately drew people over to watch.

"An antique bronze mirror? Then tell me what period it's from." Zhang Yang smiled instead of getting angry, his question almost a challenge.

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

"Not even close. If you said it was from this morning, I might believe you!" Zhang Yang laughed and made to leave, unwilling to waste time dating a fake.