An Old Acquaintance of Cheng Hai's

"Zhang Yang, don't brag, okay?" Cheng Dongxue trusted her own eyes more. She had only seen him appraise antiques once, and only two pieces at that: a bronze mirror that turned out to be a reproduction, which Zhang Yang had correctly identified, and the White Jade Hairpin from the Han dynasty that he had bought.

With the Han-dynasty White Jade Hairpin, Zhang Yang had shown what he could really do. He had spotted a bargain and made a net profit of four hundred thousand overnight.

Cheng Dongxue used the White Jade Hairpin as her example. If it had been worth five million, Zhang Yang would have made four million in the blink of an eye. By that reckoning, he might earn five million quickly enough to help the Cheng Family through its financial crisis.

As they talked, Cheng Hai learned that Yang Gang and Zhang Yang were going to Antique Street. Having been fooled several times himself, he fancied himself an experienced buyer who knew what to watch for, so he came downstairs to join them.

"I'm coming too!" Cheng Hai climbed into the car and sat beside Cheng Dongxue in the back.

"Dad—"

Cheng Dongxue was stunned. Cheng Hai was not coming because he trusted Zhang Yang or wanted to learn from him. He considered himself a seasoned hand in the antiques trade and meant to keep an eye on Zhang Yang, afraid he would get cheated.

"Then let's be off. Here's to good luck." Yang Gang started the car and drove away from Cheng Family Villa.

Gong City's Antique Street was smaller than Liulichang in the Capital, but its range of antiques was no less varied. Rare pieces turned up now and then, and people had found bargains there and made their fortunes.

Before long, the BMW 3 Series stopped at the entrance to Antique Street. All four got out, each with a purpose in mind.

"I know a few people on Antique Street. We can start with them and look for antiques we can turn a profit on." Cheng Hai had spent years around the antiques trade and handled quite a few pieces, but nothing truly valuable had ever come his way.

"Dad..." Cheng Dongxue knew how treacherous the antiques trade was because of him. He had bought antiques several times and been fooled almost every time, buying high and selling low. On the few occasions he had not been fooled, the pieces were worth so little that even selling them for the highest possible price would bring in no real profit.

Cheng Dongxue felt sorry for Cheng Hai. Whenever he brought home another piece that was either not as old as claimed or an outright fake, Yang Su flew into a rage and berated him endlessly.

Yang Su was not very old. She dressed well, had kept her looks and still had a good figure. At first glance, she was attractive and pleasant to look at. Her temper, character and way of treating people were another matter entirely.

For years, Cheng Hai had lived on the brink of being ruled by his wife.

"Dad, antiques aren't something you can buy carelessly. Be careful," Cheng Dongxue warned him.

She said this because Cheng Hai had bought several of those antiques from so-called acquaintances. The trade had its rules: once a deal was done, the seller took no responsibility for whether the piece was genuine, what it was worth or whether the buyer had been cheated.

"Xiao Xue, your dad's been in the antiques trade a long time. I can spot an obvious fake," Cheng Hai protested. The fakes he had bought at first had indeed been crude, but after paying so much to learn his lessons, he could no longer be fooled by just anything.

Zhang Yang stayed silent. He knew Cheng Hai would not trust him.

"Dad, let's take our time," Yang Gang said. He loved antiques and had spent plenty of time researching them online and in books, but he had never bought one. He knew the trade was deep water, and anyone who could not swim would drown.

Yang Gang was enthusiastic about antiques, but he would not rush in blindly. It was the same approach he took to business: unless he was seventy percent sure, he would not pay for a costly lesson.

He had long hoped to find someone reliable to guide him into the trade. Today, it seemed he might have found that person, though he was not ready to put his full trust in Zhang Yang. He had come mainly to learn, not to buy antiques. But if a bargain appeared, he would not hesitate.

"Let's not stand around. No one's going to hand us the good stuff. We have to find it among all the clutter." Zhang Yang pursed his lips. He had not meant the remark for anyone in particular, but everyone heard it.

The four entered Gong City's Antique Street.

It was nine in the morning.

Every shop on Gong City's Antique Street was open. The weather was clear, and the antique dealers had set up their stalls to wait for customers.

Finding something worthwhile took time. Zhang Yang had plenty of patience and would not pass up even the humblest street stall.

Few merchants on Antique Street called out to customers. Most waited until someone took an interest in a piece before introducing it and striking up a conversation.

"Boss Cheng, I've got a few good pieces here. Come take a look." A heavyset man in a shirt spotted Cheng Dongxue and called out to them.

Cheng Hai smiled. "What have you got? Let's see."

Cheng Hai went straight into the man's shop. Old items lay in disorder, with piles of copper coins heaped on the floor.

The shop was small, but it held a wide variety of goods, and plenty of them.

"Nothing here looks like much." Cheng Dongxue knew nothing about appraising antiques, but the mess made her instinctively doubt there was anything good in the shop.

Cheng Hai followed the heavyset man farther in, while Zhang Yang looked around.

Curious, Yang Gang went with his father-in-law to see what the man brought out: two pieces of Antique Jade.

"Boss Cheng, these are genuine, I promise. You won't find many like them on this street. I saved them especially for you. If you like them, buy them now, or I'll have to find another buyer."

The heavyset shopkeeper spoke as though he and Cheng Hai were close friends.

Zhang Yang sneered. In the antiques trade, a claim like that deserved to be taken with a grain of salt. He would not believe a single word of it.

He watched Cheng Hai, who seemed to believe every word.

"Let me see," Yang Gang said.

"And this gentleman is...?" the shopkeeper asked with a puzzled look. He did not welcome someone else butting into a deal already under discussion.

"My son-in-law. He's here to buy antiques too," Cheng Hai said proudly. Not many people had an interest in antiques, especially a young man like Yang Gang.

"Oh." The shopkeeper smiled, convinced that Yang Gang would not know what he was looking at and would be easy to fleece.

Yang Gang picked up one of the pieces from the counter. It was certainly jade, smooth and pleasant to the touch, with good quality and some discoloration that looked like age. To the naked eye, it seemed to be Antique Jade.

"Well? A fine piece, isn't it?" the shopkeeper asked. Yang Gang looked uncertain; in truth, he could not tell whether it was genuine.

"Zhang Yang, come have a look." Yang Gang could not make a judgment, though he leaned toward believing the jade was genuine.

Only then did Zhang Yang walk toward the shopkeeper. The man stared at him. Zhang Yang was well known: his wedding as the Cheng Family's live-in son-in-law had caused a stir across half of Gong City, and many people recognized him.

"Hmph... Aren't you just a live-in son-in-law? A good-for-nothing like you knows antiques?" The shopkeeper had not heard about Zhang Yang identifying the bronze mirror on Antique Street, much less his purchase of the White Jade Hairpin at Antique Pavilion.

"No need to look. I'll buy them!" Cheng Hai agreed before Zhang Yang could reach the counter.