Chapter 16

What?

"Hey, brother, take a look around. What are you after?"

The stall owner was a burly, broad-shouldered man. It was still the first lunar month, and the weather was cold, but he wore only a thin padded jacket. His ears were red from the cold. Seven or eight snuff bottles sat in front of him, along with plenty of small ornaments, including a porcelain Peaceful Elephant.

Gu Jinshui crouched down and scanned the wares. His gaze settled on a gold-colored snuff bottle that looked faintly translucent. He picked it up, examined it, and weighed it discreetly in his hand.

"What do you think, brother? This is good stuff. It's been in my family for generations," the man said, wrinkling his nose. "If you're serious about buying, we can talk price."

"We'll see."

Gu Jinshui waved a hand, put the bottle down, and got up to leave.

As soon as he was gone, Song Jianshe came over. He swiftly picked up the snuff bottle Gu Jinshui had just handled and examined it closely. It suddenly looked familiar.

Didn't it look like a snuff bottle the director had in his collection?

The director said his was an Amber Snuff Bottle. Could this one be amber too?!

Song Jianshe's mouth went dry.

Heaven really was helping him at every turn today.

He had stumbled onto a bargain this big! The director would be delighted when he found out. Maybe his family would even get an apartment allocation next year!

At the thought, Song Jianshe could hardly wait to speak. "This..."

"Well, if it isn't Song Jianshe. What are you doing here?" A teasing voice sounded behind him. Song Jianshe stiffened and cursed inwardly, but when he turned around, he put on a look of surprise. "Jinshui, you're here too?"

"Sure am. What a coincidence, running into you here."

Gu Jinshui walked over with a knowing smile and laid a hand on Song Jianshe's shoulder. He pressed down hard. Song Jianshe grimaced in pain, sweat beading on his forehead, and managed a smile. "Yes. What a coincidence."

"Thinking of buying that snuff bottle?"

Gu Jinshui tipped his chin toward it.

Song Jianshe's eyelid twitched. A bad feeling came over him. Was Gu Jinshui here to snatch it away from him?!

Overheard, Day Nineteen

"No. I'm just looking. What are you doing here?"

That was what Song Jianshe said, but he made no move to put the snuff bottle down. It was a small, delicate thing, easily enclosed in one hand.

Right now, Song Jianshe had it clenched tight. Anyone could see he was determined to have it.

"Just browsing. What about you? Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Gu Jinshui wore a wicked grin.

With both hands in his pockets and mischief written all over his face, he tipped his chin toward the bottle in Song Jianshe's hand. "That's a nice piece. If you don't want it, I'll buy it."

The burly stall owner watched from the side and caught on at once. "All right, brother. What's your offer?"

Ignoring Song Jianshe's resistance, Gu Jinshui crouched beside him and pried the snuff bottle from his hand. "It looks rather distinctive. Thirty yuan."

Thirty?

The man was delighted, but when he saw the urgency on Song Jianshe's face, his eyes shifted. "No, no, that's too cheap. My grandpa left me this. It's good stuff. I couldn't face my family if I sold it for only thirty."

"How about forty?"

Gu Jinshui pulled a wad of money from his pocket. "Say yes, and we can trade cash for goods right now!"

Song Jianshe panicked.

He couldn't let Gu Jinshui buy it. How would he answer to the director then?

He quickly pinned Gu Jinshui's hand down. "Hold on. I saw it first. We ought to go by who came first."

Gu Jinshui raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Didn't you say you didn't want it? Why are you fighting me for it now? Song Jianshe, this thing isn't right for you. Let me have it."

"No. I want it!"

The more determined Gu Jinshui seemed to buy it, the more certain Song Jianshe became that it was valuable. He gripped the snuff bottle and refused to let go. Turning to the stall owner, he said, "I'll pay forty-five!"

"Song Jianshe, are you picking a fight with me on purpose?"

Gu Jinshui's face flushed, the veins in his neck stood out, and anger filled his expression. "Ask him yourself. Wasn't I the first one interested in it?"

The man didn't care about any of that. Rubbing his hands together, he grinned. "Well, that's not how my stall works. Whoever offers the most gets it."

Song Jianshe was so furious he nearly cursed. He wanted to spit in the man's face.

People at the surrounding stalls saw the argument and gathered to watch.

That was when Liang Renyi squeezed into the crowd.

He recognized Song Jianshe at a glance, and his eyes nearly spat fire. He nudged the person beside him. "What are those two doing?"

The man folded his arms and answered with relish. "Fighting over a little snuff bottle. The bidding's up to seventy-five yuan."

"Who offered seventy-five?" Liang Renyi saw Song Jianshe arguing furiously with Gu Jinshui, and a suspicion formed in his mind.

The man jerked his chin toward Song Jianshe. "The one in glasses. See him? Good grief, he's willing to spend two months' wages on that little thing. Must have money to burn."

There was plenty of envy in his voice.

But he had a point. Most people who came to Panjiayuan had some money to spare, yet few would spend more than seventy yuan on a tiny snuff bottle. A painting or calligraphy by a famous master might be another matter, but that bottle was only made of somewhat nicer material. It was nowhere near worth seventy yuan!

A roar filled Liang Renyi's head, as though someone had struck a gong beside his ear.

Other people might not know where Song Jianshe had gotten so much money, but Liang Renyi did.

He was spending Liang Renyi's share!

Thinking of how Song Jianshe had run off with the goods that night and left him to be chased as a thief until morning, Liang Renyi ground his teeth. Now, watching Song Jianshe spend so freely, his eyes reddened with rage.

Song Jianshe looked smugly at Gu Jinshui. "Well? Got any money left? Can you offer more than me?"

Gu Jinshui gritted his teeth on the outside, but inwardly he was delighted.

He patted his pockets, then pulled out another ten-yuan note. "Who says I'm out of money? Here it is. Eighty-five. The bottle's mine!"

Song Jianshe scoffed. "What are you so proud of? I'll pay a hundred. It's mine!"

"Good, good..."

The stall owner grinned so widely his gums showed. He rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining. "Brother, if you can't offer any more, I'm selling it to him."

Gu Jinshui looked conflicted.

Seeing this, Song Jianshe was overjoyed. He had finally got the better of Gu Jinshui. "If you're out of money, get going. Stop getting in the way."

"He's out of money, but I'm not!"

Liang Renyi rushed out at once. With a mocking look, he said to Gu Jinshui, "Brother-in-law, how much are you short? I have a hundred yuan on me. You can borrow all of it."

Gu Jinshui looked surprised to see Liang Renyi. At his offer, his face lit up, and he stepped forward to take Liang Renyi's hand. "I knew you'd come through for me. With your help, I'll raise my bid another hundred!"

"Wow..."

"Holy shit, is that little thing worth so much?"

"Who are these two? Do they have money to burn?"

By now, Song Jianshe's eyes were red with fury.

He gritted his teeth. "Gu Jinshui, do you have to go against me?"

"Huh?" Gu Jinshui played dumb. "I don't know what you mean. Weren't you the one who said anyone without money should leave? Why aren't you leaving now? This bottle just isn't meant to be yours, Song Jianshe. Admit defeat and get lost."

Song Jianshe might have given up before, but with so many people watching and Gu Jinshui mocking him like that, there was no chance of it now.

His face tightened and his teeth ground together. He steeled himself. "Two hundred and fifty!"

"Two hundred and fifty?!"

The stall owner's eyes nearly popped out. "Done! It's yours!"

He turned to Gu Jinshui. "Brother, you can't go any higher, can you?"

Gu Jinshui's expression shifted. Then he darkened his face, set down the snuff bottle, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and turned away.

Song Jianshe felt a surge of satisfaction.

Deeply pleased, he picked up the snuff bottle and moved to slip it into his pocket.

The man hurriedly caught his hand. "Hold on. Pay me first."

Song Jianshe's expression changed. "I don't have that much money on me."

"Then I'll go home with you to get it!" The man made up his mind on the spot. He gathered his wares, stuffed them into the basket on his back, and went with Song Jianshe to collect the money.

Liang Renyi was still fuming. As they walked, he kept nagging Gu Jinshui. "Honestly, brother-in-law, why did you give up? Couldn't your family come up with another fifty yuan?"

Gu Jinshui couldn't be bothered with him. He shot him a sidelong glance and boarded the bus. "Easy for you to say. How many pounds of pork could fifty yuan buy? If you want that thing, go find the man yourself."

Of course Liang Renyi wasn't willing to spend that much on a little snuff bottle. He had only wanted to make trouble for Song Jianshe.

Besides, he hadn't been the one expected to pay, so he'd been happy to act generous.

At Gu Jinshui's words, Liang Renyi curled his lip. "I'm not stupid. You can't eat it or wear it. What fool would buy that thing?"

Only after saying it did he remember that Gu Jinshui had tried to buy it too. He looked awkward. "Uh, I wasn't talking about you."

"It's fine."

Gu Jinshui gave a derisive laugh. "You're right. Only a fool would buy it."

"Huh?" Liang Renyi stared at Gu Jinshui, baffled by what he meant.

Gu Jinshui had no intention of explaining. He was just waiting to see what happened next.

Song Jianshe took the man home and fetched a hundred and fifty yuan. Even that wasn't enough, so he made up the difference with the family's grain ration coupons.

Lin Lianhua was worried. "It cost so much. What if your director doesn't want it?"

"He'll want it. This is good stuff!" Song Jianshe cradled the snuff bottle carefully. He even found a small box and lined it with cotton. "You should have seen how hard Gu Jinshui tried to buy it. If he wanted it that badly, it must be a rare treasure! We might make four or five hundred yuan on it!"

"Four or five hundred?!"

Huang Xirong's eyes widened and her breathing quickened. Her eyes shone as she looked at the little bottle. "It's worth that much?"

"Of course. This is an Amber Snuff Bottle."

Song Jianshe clicked his tongue in wonder. "Before Liberation, this could have sold for several gold bars. It's only worth less these days."

At the mention of gold bars, Huang Xirong's face practically glowed.

Song Mei reached out to touch it, but Huang Xirong slapped her hand away. "What are you touching it for? What if you break it?"

Song Mei pouted, aggrieved. "I only wanted to touch it. It won't break that easily!"

"No one is to touch it. Son, put it away quickly and go see your director tomorrow. If you get a good price, we'll go to Dong Lai Shun for mutton hot pot tomorrow night!"

Huang Xirong couldn't help swallowing as she spoke.

Song Jianshe nodded. "Just wait. Tomorrow, we'll be rich!"

Song Chaohua, standing beside the table, also looked proud.

She could almost see piles of money pouring into her home.

With this windfall, the family would have far more money to spend on antiques. She remembered that the Cultural Relics Bureau would sell antiques, paintings, and calligraphy to the public over the next few years. They were all authenticated originals, yet the prices were very low.

In her previous life, Gu Jinshui had made a fortune at the Cultural Relics Bureau. Supposedly, he had spent a few thousand yuan on an entire warehouse of goods. Within a few years, any one item inside had been worth tens of thousands.

Ever since her rebirth, Song Chaohua had been fixated on that windfall.

But she knew she had little influence, and her family couldn't possibly come up with several thousand yuan. She had to find a way to gather the money before she could beat Gu Jinshui to the deal.

As long as she could snatch that deal away from Gu Jinshui...