Chapter 13

Hua nodded obediently. She looked at Song Chaohua, lips pressed together, displeasure faintly showing on her face. "Everything yesterday happened because you talked nonsense. Otherwise, your dad wouldn't have caught a cold."

Song Chaohua's small body trembled.

"Mom, I was wrong, but I didn't know Dad would fall into the lake."

"You didn't dream about that?" Lin Lianhua was always gentle with outsiders, but she never had a kind word for her daughter.

Song Chaohua was her first child. Everyone had said she was carrying a boy, but the baby turned out to be a girl. Huang Xirong's face had darkened, and she had walked straight out. During Lin Lianhua's confinement, even asking for something good to eat had earned her snide remarks.

But Lin Lianhua hadn't blamed her mother-in-law. She had resented herself for failing to produce a boy, and she had disliked her daughter Song Chaohua from an early age.

Song Chaohua had no answer. She opened her mouth, then finally mumbled, "I can't dream about everything."

"That's enough."

Song Jianshe stopped Lin Lianhua. "Hua didn't do it on purpose. Why scold her? Hua, Dad doesn't blame you."

Song Chaohua was so moved her eyes reddened. Wiping them, she said, "Dad, I'm sorry. But I've had another dream recently."

"What did you dream about?"

Song Jianshe pressed her eagerly.

Song Chaohua sniffled. "I dreamed Uncle Gu Jinshui next door was buying antiques. I think he made a lot of money!"

That part was true.

Song Chaohua clearly remembered watching television at home in her previous life and seeing Gu Yousi's father, Gu Jinshui, on the screen. He had been introduced as an antique collector.

The interview said Gu Jinshui had made his money collecting all kinds of antiques in his early years. Later, he had grown richer and more famous.

In her previous life, whenever her dad heard someone praise Gu Jinshui's abilities, his face would darken and he would bang things around at home. She hoped her dad could outdo Gu Jinshui this time.

She had previously given her aunt an idea: get Gu Jinshui locked up, then follow the path he had taken in her previous life. But after all their scheming, their own family had ended up suffering instead.

"Antiques? How can you make money from those?"

Lin Lianhua scoffed. "Jianshe, don't listen to a child's nonsense. Besides, Gu Jinshui is a street loafer who barely finished middle school. What would he know about antiques? She's just making things up."

"No, it's true!"

Song Chaohua grew frantic, but she couldn't think of any way to prove it.

Song Jianshe thought for a moment. "Maybe there's something to it. Gu Jinshui comes and goes at all hours. He might actually know a thing or two about antiques."

As he spoke, his lip curled. He clearly thought little of Gu Jinshui.

"I've finished reading the books Master gave me. I'm planning to wander around Panjiayuan in the next few days and see how much I've learned."

Gu Jinshui wrapped a scarf around his neck and rubbed his hands together.

Liang Ying had the night shift today and was already up, mixing formula. On the kang, Gu Yousi crawled toward Gu Jinshui and grabbed his sleeve with her chubby little hand. "Ah, ah."

Buy lots of antiques!

Antiques from this era are good stuff. Buy them now, and they'll be worth a fortune later.

Gu Jinshui had been a little worried, but hearing his daughter's thoughts cheered him right up. He picked her up, tossed her into the air, and caught her.

Aaah! Help!

Gu Yousi's little face went pale with fright.

"You're about to leave. Why are you teasing her? If you scare her, you can soothe her later."

Liang Ying smacked the unserious Gu Jinshui, took the baby, and fed her. "All right, it's getting late. Get going."

"Right."

Gu Jinshui flicked Gu Yousi on the forehead. "Daughter, Dad's going to test the waters and see what the market's like. If I find anything good, I'll sell it and put the money toward your dowry."

Gu Yousi lowered her head and drank her milk, refusing to acknowledge him.

Gu Jinshui chuckled, grabbed his dog-head hat, and went out.

Shanhu and Douzi were already waiting at the mouth of the alley.

That day, Gu Jinshui took the two of them along their usual route. After selling all the scrap, he said to Douzi, "Starting tomorrow, bring along a brother you trust to help. From now on, we'll split it twenty-eighty. The three of you can divide the eighty percent however you like."

Douzi froze.

"Brother, are you quitting?"

Gu Jinshui patted his shoulder. "My daughter's getting bigger every day. I've got to make more money, right? I'm going to look into other ways to earn. If it works out, I'll bring you along."

"You'll do it, Brother!"

Shanhu nodded firmly, his face full of conviction.

Gu Jinshui felt a little embarrassed and patted his shoulder. "Huzi, don't squander the money you make. You're not getting any younger. How about I ask my mom to introduce you to someone?"

Shanhu's honest face flushed at once.

"Brother, I... I'm already seeing someone."

That startled not only Gu Jinshui but Douzi too.

The cigarette pack in Douzi's hand even fell to the ground with a sharp smack.

"You're seeing someone? How come I didn't know?"

Shanhu rented a small room in a Compound Courtyard near Douzi's home. The two lived close and spent plenty of time together.

Douzi even knew where Shanhu hid his money.

That was how close they were.

No wonder Douzi was so shocked that Shanhu had quietly found himself a girlfriend.

"There's plenty you don't know."

Shanhu chuckled and slipped his hands into his pockets. "When there's a chance, I'll bring her over to meet you two."

"Look at you, Huzi. You've got game."

After his initial surprise, Gu Jinshui was happy for Shanhu too. He patted him on the shoulder. "Treat her well. When you get married, I'll give you a big red envelope."

"Sure!"

Shanhu rubbed the back of his head and agreed with a bashful grin.

After seeing Shanhu and Douzi off, Gu Jinshui went to find his master.

Old Master Xi didn't even raise his eyes when Gu Jinshui came in. He kept listening to his storyteller's recording of The Tale of Yue Fei.

"Master, I'm thinking of going to Panjiayuan today to have a look. What do you think?"

Gu Jinshui picked up the thermos beside the table and poured Old Master Xi a cup of water.

Old Master Xi took the cup and asked mildly, "Finished the books?"

"I read through them once. I figured there's only so much you can learn from the page. I need to see the real thing." Gu Jinshui grinned.

Old Master Xi glanced at him.

There was something complicated in his gaze, a hint of pleased surprise mixed with something harder to read.

He had long known Gu Jinshui was sharp. In the antique trade, reading a book a hundred or a thousand times couldn't match handling genuine pieces in person.

That was why the children of the wealthy and powerful took to the trade so easily. They saw and used fine things every day. Even without studying, they picked up a thing or two through sheer exposure.

"All right. Go on."

Old Master Xi waved a hand, leaned back in his wicker chair, and closed his eyes.

Gu Jinshui understood and quietly withdrew. He arranged for the nearby state-run restaurant to deliver a bowl of dumplings to Old Master Xi at noon.

The restaurant staff hadn't wanted to do it, but Gu Jinshui offered a full yuan for the delivery—more than the dumplings cost.

Panjiayuan was in Chaoyang District, on the east side of Beijing.

Gu Jinshui took the bus there and strolled over after getting off. It was already past one in the afternoon, yet Panjiayuan was still bustling. Vendors lined both sides of the road, selling everything from plates, bowls, and dishes to vases, flower holders, tables, chairs, and benches.

It was quite a sight.

As a beginner, Gu Jinshui had no plans to buy any antiques today. But he looked carefully, comparing everything he saw with what he had learned.

And there really were plenty of good pieces in the market.

He spotted seven or eight fine pieces from the Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties alone.

But Gu Jinshui didn't give those pieces a second thought. Crowds had gathered around them, so there were clearly plenty of people who knew their antiques. The vendors weren't fools either; anyone displaying good pieces probably knew a thing or two. The best chance of finding an overlooked treasure lay with resellers who went around buying up old goods.

As Gu Jinshui walked on, he stopped in front of a stall.

He picked up a white porcelain Guanyin statue and examined it from both sides. "How much for this?"

The vendor had been squatting on the ground. At the question, he looked up and sized Gu Jinshui up. His clothes were plain, but he looked well fed. "Brother, you've got a good eye. That's a fine piece, passed down through my family."

Gu Jinshui grinned at that.

"Oh? What were your ancestors, princes?"

"Princes? Nothing so grand." With his hands tucked into his sleeves, the vendor jerked his chin toward the Forbidden City. "At the end of the Great Qing, when they were driving out the eunuchs, those eunuchs stole things from the palace. My ancestors bought this one. I heard this Guanyin statue came from Consort Zhen's residence."

Consort Zhen, of all people.

Gu Jinshui could barely keep from laughing.

The Guanyin statue was crudely made, especially the eyes and brows.

They might seem like small details, but on a sacred statue, details like those mattered most. This one's eyes and brows didn't line up, and there was even a crack in its left eyebrow. It was so fine that only an expert like Gu Jinshui would spot it without looking closely, but the palace would never have accepted such a piece.

At most, it dated back to the Republic of China.

"Oh, that's quite a history. Impressive."

Gu Jinshui clicked his tongue in wonder. "So how much?"

The vendor's hopes flared. He had been at Panjiayuan for three days, and if he didn't make a sale soon, he wouldn't have money to eat. "Fifty!"

Fifty?

Gu Jinshui looked at the vendor, set the statue down, and turned to leave.

Fifty for that thing? Did the man take him for a fool?

Chapter 16: The Sixteenth Day of Being Overheard

"Hey, don't go! Name your price!"

The vendor called Gu Jinshui back at once.

Gu Jinshui turned around, looking thoroughly indifferent. "Ten at most."

"Ten won't do! I'd lose a fortune at ten!"

The vendor shook his head like a rattle.

Gu Jinshui almost laughed. Who knows if he even paid one yuan for it? And now he's putting on an act.

"No?"

Gu Jinshui asked.

The vendor shook his head, then hesitated.

His gaze swept over his stall. "How about I throw in something else? Would thirty work?"

Gu Jinshui glanced over the goods and curled his lip. "Brother, your stall's a jumble. This Guanyin was the only decent thing I saw. If an elder in my family weren't celebrating a milestone birthday, I wouldn't even buy it. Thirty is a month's wages for me. Forget it."

He turned to leave, muttering, "For thirty, I could take the whole family to Dong Lai Shun for a meal and still have money left over. Well, I've saved myself some cash."

"Hey, don't go!"

Now truly anxious, the vendor rushed over in a few steps and grabbed Gu Jinshui's sleeve. He forced a smile, his face wrinkling like an old orange. "We can talk this out, can't we? Twenty. Twenty is the absolute lowest."

"Fifteen!"

Gu Jinshui shook his head.

He glanced at a small teapot on the stall. "Throw that in too. It'll come in handy for my father-in-law's birthday."

You rotten little scoundrel.

Fifteen for an elder in his own family, but his father-in-law only got a free extra? If this were his son-in-law, the vendor would chase him off with a broom.

Still smiling broadly, he said, "Of course, of course. How thoughtful of you, remembering your father-in-law too."

"Obviously."

Gu Jinshui let himself be pulled partway back toward the stall. "If I don't get my father-in-law something, my wife won't be happy with me, will she? Anyway, fifteen's my limit. I can add two grain coupons, but not another cent. That's all I've got on me today."

Hearing that and seeing the wad of small-denomination bills Gu Jinshui pulled from his pocket, the vendor knew he couldn't squeeze any more out of him. He was getting the better end of the deal anyway, so he nodded and gritted his teeth. "Since you're such a dutiful young man, we have a deal."

Gu Jinshui took an old newspaper from the stall and wrapped up the Guanyin statue and teapot together. Then he pulled out his money and counted out ten