Chapter 30

"I'd help anyone, but I couldn't possibly refuse you. It's just that money's a bit tight right now, and going abroad takes American dollars."

Liang Renyi smiled with unprecedented warmth. "I heard my brother-in-law has connections for exchanging Foreign Exchange Certificates. I was hoping to borrow some money from you and ask him to see if he could get us some dollars."

Even Gu Jinshui, who had seen just about everything, was speechless.

So they wanted to borrow money and get another favor on top of it.

They wanted a loan from his family and expected him to find them dollars. Why not ask him to send their whole family to the United States while he was at it?

Seeing his wife's face flush with anger and hearing her teeth grind, he reached out and held her hand. "Renyi, you've come to the wrong person about exchanging dollars. I don't deal in Foreign Exchange Certificates anymore. As for a loan, the most we could lend you is twenty yuan. We don't have any more."

"Twenty? What good is twenty?"

Xu Fenglai sprang from her chair. "Gu Jinshui, our families are relatives. You've made plenty of money over the years, haven't you? Offering us twenty yuan like we're fools—do you even consider us family?"

"Fenglai!"

Liang Renyi put on an angry face and caught Xu Fenglai by the arm. "Is that any way to speak to my brother-in-law? He's not like that!"

Xu Fenglai shook him off. "He's not? Didn't you hear him? Twenty yuan, for heaven's sake. Even your coworkers lent you two or three hundred each."

As she spoke, Xu Fenglai cast a sidelong glance at Gu Jinshui and his wife, her face full of disdain.

Gu Yousi made a spitting sound and clung to Gu Jinshui's arm. "No, no, no..."

They absolutely mustn't lend them the money!

Liang Renyi's family would borrow a huge sum, fail to get abroad, and then lose the money on the Black Market. Their neighbor Song Jianshe would find it and come into a fortune!

What?

Song Jianshe's family again?

Gu Jinshui was baffled. Was Song Jianshe's family unbelievably lucky, or had they somehow become tied to Liang Renyi? Why did they keep getting rich at his expense?

Still.

An idea occurred to Gu Jinshui.

He said bluntly, "Renyi, we really don't have the money. To tell you the truth, I spent everything we had on antiques. You came too late. Now, Song Jianshe next door—his family has more money than ours. They even have gold bars. Too bad they wouldn't lend you any, either."

Gu Jinshui made it sound like an offhand remark.

But Liang Renyi looked as though someone had hit him in the back of the head with a brick.

Gold bars?!

Liang Renyi snapped to attention. "Real gold bars? Where would his family get something like that?"

Gu Jinshui chuckled. "Who knows? Maybe their ancestors left them something valuable. Hard to say."

Bullshit!

Liang Renyi cursed inwardly.

Those had to be the gold bars dug out of the Liang Family Old Residence that night!

His uncle's business had once been enormous. How could the inheritance he left his daughter not include gold bars?

Liang Renyi no longer had any interest in arguing with Gu Jinshui. Seeing that neither Gu Jinshui nor his wife had the slightest intention of lending them money, he took Xu Fenglai and left.

Xu Fenglai was still reluctant to go. Once they were out of the Compound Courtyard, she stamped her foot. "What are you doing? We haven't borrowed the money yet! Once we're abroad, we won't have any way to earn a living. We need to save enough here to cover every expense over there!"

Xu Fenglai and Liang Renyi had a fairly realistic view of their abilities.

Neither of them had any skills. Liang Renyi knew how to sweep streets, but hadn't they heard that the streets in the United States had no litter? There would be no work for him doing that there. Besides, he didn't want to do it.

Lately, the couple had tried every way they could to borrow money. Between relatives, friends, and coworkers, they had scraped together nearly two thousand yuan. Naturally, they hadn't told anyone they had no intention of coming back after going abroad. They said they were visiting relatives and would return once they received an inheritance.

When people heard the family was about to come into money, they were willing to lend. Some also asked the couple to buy things for them overseas—clothes, makeup, appliances, anything at all, as long as it came from abroad.

Then Liang Renyi had set his sights on the Gu family's money.

The Gu family already knew about his family's money and had mocked him for it, but Liang Renyi figured he might as well get whatever he could. Besides, he was Liang Ying's cousin. Surely she couldn't refuse a relative who came asking. So he had paid them a visit to borrow money.

Who would have thought Liang Ying would be so stubborn? She said she wouldn't lend it, and she meant it.

"You saw their faces. They said twenty at most. They plainly didn't want to lend us anything, so forget it." Liang Renyi snorted. "I refuse to believe we can't get abroad without their money!"

"Then where are you going to get more?"

Xu Fenglai frowned.

Even her poor family had scraped together a hundred yuan. Getting any more out of them would be next to impossible.

Liang Renyi beckoned Xu Fenglai closer and whispered a few words in her ear, pointing toward Song Jianshe's home.

Xu Fenglai's eyes widened. She glanced back at Song Jianshe's home, her eyes blazing.

After they had coaxed their daughter to sleep, Liang Ying turned to Gu Jinshui. "Why did you bring up Song Jianshe's family?"

"To direct trouble their way." Gu Jinshui soaked his feet, thoroughly comfortable. "There's another reason, too. If Renyi's family is going abroad, they'll surely sell off their belongings. I want to use the chance to get back what your father left you."

Liang Ying whipped her head around to look at him.

She had been so angry earlier that the thought hadn't occurred to her.

Of course. Knowing Liang Renyi and his wife, they would never leave behind the inheritance her father had left if they were going abroad. They would sell it and take the money with them.

Liang Ying's expression shifted. "It won't be easy, will it? If it doesn't work out, let it go. Nothing he left me is worth more than you."

Gu Jinshui felt so happy he could burst.

He pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her cheek. "My wife really cares about me. Just relax and watch. I can handle this."

Liang Ying blushed and gave him a light smack. She checked on their daughter, saw her sleeping soundly, and couldn't help smiling.

Gu Jinshui left early the next morning.

He took his meat ration coupons, bought several pounds of rich, fatty pork belly, and carried it to Chen Dengxing's home.

Chen Dengxing still lived in the same little one-story house. His children had grown up and moved out. When Auntie Chen saw the pork belly in Gu Jinshui's hand, her face lit up. Afraid someone might see it, she hurried him inside. "Come in and sit down. You didn't need to bring anything just because you came by so early!"

"It's nothing much, just a little token of respect," Gu Jinshui said, acting like a dutiful junior. "Please don't go to any trouble, Auntie. I ate before I came. Is Uncle Chen up yet?"

"Not yet. Wait here and I'll wake him."

Auntie Chen went into the inner room.

Gu Jinshui sat with the water she had poured him, keeping his eyes from wandering. There wasn't much to see in the little house anyway. The space was barely a dozen square meters, with a small room partitioned off inside and only a simple table and chairs in the outer room.

With Uncle Chen's seniority, he could have been allocated a decent apartment. His family was large, too, so getting a three-bedroom place with a living and dining room would have been no problem.

But when housing had been allocated, Uncle Chen had voluntarily stepped aside. His children all had jobs and homes of their own, he said, while only he and his wife lived together now. They didn't need so much space, so they stayed in their little house.

His children had all moved out, secured permanent jobs, and been allocated homes. Ironically, Uncle Chen's decision to step aside had made his coworkers feel embarrassed. When a promotion came up, everyone spoke up for him: he was a decent man willing to put others first.

That was how Uncle Chen had risen to deputy director.

It was a fairly senior rank.

Most people could work their whole lives and, at best, receive benefits at that rank after retirement.

Uncle Chen was fifty-eight this year, with two years until retirement. He might yet rise another step.

"Oh, you're here early."

Chen Dengxing came out of the inner room with a coat draped over his shoulders.

Gu Jinshui quickly stood. "Director Chen."

"Don't call me Director Chen. Uncle Chen will do." Chen Dengxing waved a hand, then said to his wife, "Go heat some water outside. I need to talk to him."

Auntie Chen agreed and went out to tend the stove.

In truth, she was keeping watch so no one could come close enough to listen.

"Uncle Chen it is, then. We're not strangers. Sorry to bother you so early, but I have something I'd like you to take a look at."

Gu Jinshui took the Jade Cicada from his pocket.

One look at it stopped Chen Dengxing in his tracks. He hurriedly picked up his reading glasses from the table.

He took the piece and studied it for quite some time. Gu Jinshui didn't rush him, merely watching from the side.

At last, Chen Dengxing took off his glasses. "The blood-red staining is deep, the luster like fine fat, and the carving ancient in style. This is from the Han dynasty. You've got a good eye."

Chen Dengxing's opinion of Gu Jinshui's abilities rose.

Getting hold of that thumb ring had been impressive enough. Finding this Jade Cicada made of Blood-Infiltrated Jade showed both a discerning eye and plenty of nerve.

Fake antique jade was hardly rare. The forgery might not even be recent; fakes from the Tang, Song, Ming, or Qing dynasties could have survived to the present. Even the old antique-shop proprietors at Liuli Factory would have examined a piece like this again and again for fear of being fooled.

After all, very few genuine pieces had survived. They were truly rare.

"I owe it to my master and to you. Who would've thought I'd happen across it?"

Gu Jinshui was all modesty, without the slightest hint of showing off.

He showed off in front of Old Master Xi because his master was one of his own. No matter how capable Gu Jinshui became, his master would only be happy for him. Outsiders were different.

There was no need to say how he had acquired the piece.

Chen Dengxing knew his words weren't entirely sincere, but he smiled anyway. "You still had the skill to recognize it. You want to sell it, don't you?"

"Yes. We have a child now, and our place is too small. I have no choice but to raise some money." Gu Jinshui gave a rueful smile.

Chen Dengxing pointed a finger at him. "Nonsense. As if you're short of money."

"I'm not short of a little money. I'm short of a lot."

Gu Jinshui was thick-skinned enough not to be embarrassed. "You have the connections, Uncle Chen. Sorry for the trouble, but could you help me find a good buyer? If the sale goes through, I'll certainly thank you properly."

Chen Dengxing rolled his eyes. "Fine, I appreciate the thought. Or why not sell it to me? I'll give you five thousand."

"You must be joking, Uncle Chen. If you want it, I'd give it to you. Why talk about money?" Gu Jinshui said with a grin.

Chen Dengxing laughed. "Don't be absurd. What kind of man would I be if I took it for nothing? All right, I'll find you a buyer. If you trust me, leave it here. I'll call you when it's done."

He had agreed to help.

Gu Jinshui immediately wrote down the number of the public phone booth near his home.

The Thirty-Fifth Day of Being Overheard

After that visit, Gu Jinshui stopped by the Housing Reform Bureau to ask about houses.

They told him there were no detached houses available, but there were plenty of single rooms in compound courtyards, both to rent and to buy.

Gu Jinshui shook his head. Then he remembered what his daughter had said and asked, "Do you have any whole Courtyard Houses for sale?"

The woman at the Housing Reform Bureau was middle-aged and knitting a sweater.

She looked up and grinned. "You've asked at the right time. Two whole Courtyard Houses have just come up for sale. But they're big, and they're expensive—nearly ten thousand yuan each. Can you afford that?"

"Whether I can or not, I'd still like to see them."

Gu Jinshui took a pastry ration coupon from his pocket and discreetly handed it to her.

She took one look and quickly tucked it into her sleeve without batting an eye. "Fair enough. It's quiet right now anyway. Xiao Lin, mind things here. I'll take this gentleman to see the houses."

The others agreed, eyeing Gu Jinshui with some curiosity.

Few people wanted to buy a Courtyard House these days. Everyone was waiting for their work unit to allocate them an apartment. What was so good about a Courtyard House, anyway? Apartments were bright and spacious, with electric lights and telephones upstairs and down. They all figured Gu Jinshui was only going to look out of curiosity, and the woman was only