The Sixty-Sixth Day of Being Eavesdropped On

Even a rough man like Shanhu had tears welling up in his eyes from the reluctance to part with it.

There was nowhere to sit in the train station, not to mention on the floor, where people had already spread out newspapers to sit or lie down. The sounds of children crying, couples arguing, and the occasional blaring of loudspeakers made the place truly noisy.

Thankfully, their car arrived quickly. The two of them had booked soft sleeper tickets, which Yan Ren helped them book; otherwise, no matter how much money you offered, you wouldn't be able to get soft sleeper tickets.

"Brother, this is the carriage."

Shanhu, a tall and strong man, led the way and quickly found the carriage. He carried his bags inside and finally breathed a sigh of relief, "I've never been to a train station before, I had no idea there were so many people in Beijing."

Gu Jinshui didn't speak; his eyes were fixed outside, as if he were looking at someone.

Shanhu, puzzled, walked over and asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"

Gu Jinshui gave a weak reply and quickly went downstairs to close the door.

A familiar voice came from outside. "Uncle Guo, is this the carriage?"

"Is that even a question? Hurry up and take your things inside, I'm exhausted." The person who answered him was out of breath, seemingly having some kind of conflict with the person who had just spoken.

Gu Jinshui lifted the curtain of the upper window and glanced out. Who else could it be but Liang Renyi and Song Jianshe walking into the opposite carriage?

He flung open the door and chuckled, "What a coincidence, everyone's out today."

Song Jianshe and Liang Renyi were startled.

They exchanged a glance.

Liang Renyi chuckled awkwardly and said, "Yes, what a coincidence! Where are you going?"

"Going to Xi'an? You guys aren't going to Xi'an too, are you?" Gu Jinshui leaned against the door frame, his hands in his pockets. He was tall and had long legs, and even in this nonchalant pose, he looked quite handsome.

Who is this person?

An elderly man dressed in Zhongshan Suit, looking very presentable, asked Liang Renyi and his companion a question.

Liang Renyi whispered, "My brother-in-law is traveling with me!"

"Oh."

Guo Pu understood. He looked Gu Jinshui up and down. "So young, how long have you been in this line of work?"

"Is it even necessary for you to ask?" Gu Jinshui said with a smile, but her tone was rather impolite. "Alright, I just came to say hello. We'll run into each other all the time, so you don't think I'm avoiding you."

After saying that, he closed the door behind him.

An angry look flashed across Guo Pu's face. He tapped his cane and said, "I've never seen anyone so arrogant."

Song Jianshe said sarcastically, "Uncle Guo, you don't know, he's a very arrogant person. He looks down on people just because he's a little knowledgeable."

"Young people are arrogant and ignorant; they'll run into trouble sooner or later." Guo Pu had been flattered by Song Jianshe and Liang Renyi these past few days and had become somewhat arrogant. He never expected that Gu Jinshui would not give him any face at all, so he held a grudge.

Chapter 66 The Sixty-Sixth Day of Being Eavesdropped On

"Brother, why are they going to Xi'an too?"

Shanhu was a little puzzled. He threw a few bags of clothes onto the bed and put the food below. There were four beds in their carriage, and currently only the two of them were there, so they didn't need to be wary of others when they talked.

The train had already started moving, and the clanging sound was incessant.

Those seeing him off on the platform were still waving goodbye with lingering reluctance.

Gu Jinshui lowered the window to prevent the dust from blowing into the carriage. He said, "Who knows? Maybe they also know that there are many foreigners in Xi'an now, making it a good place to make money."

He was puzzled as to how Song Jianshe and Liang Renyi had gotten together, and also about who that old man was.

Gu Jinshui had no idea.

The collaboration between Song Jianshe and Liang Renyi was out of necessity.

Both men wanted to make money in the antique business, but neither of them knew anything about it. However, Guo Pu did. Guo Pu used to be the second-in-command of an antique shop. Although he wasn't criticized or denounced during those ten years, all his family property was confiscated. Although he was exonerated, all his property was gone, and all those bottles and jars were smashed.

Guo Pu had insight but no money, Song Jianshe had money but no insight, and Liang Renyi had nothing. But Liang Renyi was shameless and directly threatened Song Jianshe, saying that he would share the profits with his labor. To put it bluntly, he wanted to swindle money from Song Jianshe.

If Song Jianshe didn't agree, he would pester Song Jianshe relentlessly and refuse to leave.

Song Jianshe had no choice but to agree, mainly because he felt guilty, as he still believed he had robbed Liang Renyi of his money.

The three of them got together because they wanted to make a fortune in Xi'an.

Liang Renyi and Guo Pu were aiming to find bargains, but Song Jianshe's ideas were not so simple.

Looking out the window at the scenery, and thinking about the place his daughter had mentioned where several boxes of gold and jewels were hidden, he felt a surge of excitement.

The train journey from Beijing to Xi'an took more than three days.

When they got off the train in Xi'an, it was a little after 3 p. m., and both Gu Jinshui and Shanhu, two grown men, looked exhausted.

The two went to Guesthouse and booked a room. They went straight to bed without even taking a shower and didn't feel better until the next morning.

The two went out for breakfast: meatball soup and crispy beef patties.

Gu Jinshui didn't like the spicy soup, but he ate the beef patty with relish. After finishing his meal, he sent a telegram home to let his family know he was safe.

Gu Jinshui then went with Shanhu to find the person.

That man was somehow connected to Old Master Xi. According to the Old Master, he was the grandson of an old friend of his, and his family had been doing this for generations.

Upon arriving at the Guesthouse, Gu Jinshui had just inquired when someone behind him asked, "What do you want with me?"

Gu Jinshui turned around and saw a chubby young man, probably in his early twenties, dressed decently in a Military Overcoat and jeans, looking at people with a wary expression.

"You're He Fei?"

Gu Jinshui asked.

He Fei said, "Yes, it is. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Gu Jinshui glanced behind him and noticed the receptionist staring at him. He then pulled He Fei and said, "I am Gu Jinshui, Old Master Xi's apprentice. Has my master mentioned me to you?"

"Oh, it's you." He Fei clapped his hands. "I remember now, you're here to shovel the land too."

Gu Jinshui laughed and said, "I don't deserve such praise. I'm just here to broaden my horizons and collect some items."

"No way, my Grandpa told me your master said you're a genius." He Fei patted Gu Jinshui on the shoulder. "You'll have to show me your skills later. But, you've come to the wrong person lately. I've been busy helping people collect things."

Gu Jinshui wasn't too disappointed when he heard this.

After all, you're not related to this person, and you've come all this way from out of town, so it's understandable that they wouldn't help you.

Gu Jinshui asked with a smile, "Then we're late. May I ask you if the place is convenient for us?"

"What's the big deal?"

He Fei was quite generous with these things, telling them about several Black Market selling antiques around the area, and adding, "There's a Ghost Market near East Small Gate around three or four in the morning, with lots of good stuff. But since you're new here, be careful, or you might get ripped off."

"Thank you for reminding me."

Gu Jinshui nodded and thanked him.

He glanced at the Chicken-Heart Pendant around He Fei's neck, his eyes lighting up. "What a treasure! Chicken-Heart Pendant, from the Han Dynasty, right?"

He Fei was taken aback for a moment, then gave a thumbs up. "Great job, buddy, you have a good eye. I'll have to treat you guys to a drink sometime."

Gu Jinshui smiled and left with Shanhu.

Shanhu was still puzzled, "Brother, why isn't this guy paying attention to us?"

Gu Jinshui and Shanhu found a restaurant to eat at. He ordered two bowls of wide noodles and said, "I reckon he has a big job on his plate right now, and he doesn't want us to share the profits, plus he's too busy."

"What kind of big job is it?"

I can't believe it Shanhu asked curiously.

Before he could finish speaking, people at the table behind him crowded around, "Hey bro, you guys are from out of town too, right?"

Gu Jinshui and Shanhu exchanged a glance but remained silent.

The man was very outgoing and brought over his own chair. "Don't worry about me, I can tell from your accents that you're not locals, you're from Beijing, right?"

"Good hearing." Gu Jinshui nodded to the man. "Your accent sounds like a local."

"Your hearing is quite good."

The man said, "Don't overthink it. I just saw you talking to He Fei so casually, so I came over to say hello. We're all traveling together. He Fei and I are old acquaintances."

"What a coincidence?" Gu Jinshui said with a smile. "Why don't you come and eat together? It's on me."

"Thank you so much!"

The man who spoke was named An Yi. He was just like his name suggested; it was all because of An Yi. Gu Jinshui invited him to dinner, and he accepted. After dinner, he told him about He Fei: "He Fei is currently helping the Lin Family collect things. The Lin Family Overseas Chinese doing business with an Overseas Chinese who owns an antique shop abroad. This time, they're collecting a lot of things to take overseas. I heard they brought this much over."

An Yi stretched out a slap. ③Si③Tu③Wang③

Gu Jinshui narrowed his eyes. "Fifty thousand?"

"Five hundred thousand!" An Yi shook his head and said, "In US dollars. They said exchanging Foreign Exchange Certificate is troublesome, and they want to settle in US dollars. Just think how much money one US dollar can get us. That's why people in Xi'an have gone crazy lately, with many of our competitors bringing goods from other places."

Five hundred thousand US dollars.

That's quite a lot.

Both Gu Jinshui and Shanhu's hearts were pounding.

No wonder He Fei didn't bother to greet them. Such a big deal would have to be postponed even if his own father died and he was getting married and moving into his cave.

Gu Jinshui, "Is this how you tell us this?"

An Yi laughed, "You outsiders don't know, but everyone in our area who does this business knows about it. If you have anything good, you can go to the Lin Family; they won't shortchange you. As for those Overseas Chinese, they don't like to talk to people."

Gu Jinshui understood.

He nodded and smiled, "What treasures could we possibly have? We've come all this way hoping to broaden our horizons."

An Yi smiled but didn't continue the conversation on that topic. Instead, she gave the Lin Family's address.

Shanhu thought this person was strange, scratched the back of his head, but seeing that Gu Jinshui had put the address away, he didn't say anything.

"Finally, we have news!"

He Chunlian breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the telegram and quickly asked Yin Xing to call Lin Lu to let her know, so that the young woman wouldn't worry about it every day.

When your own son takes someone else's husband out, you not only have to worry about your son, but also about that other woman's husband.

"Auntie, is Auntie home?"

He Chunlian had just put away the telegram when Chen Liying arrived. He Chunlian quickly came out, and upon seeing who it was, she was immediately stunned. She slapped her thigh and said, "Brother, what brings you here? Did you come to see our sister-in-law?"

He Daniu blushed and scolded, "What are you saying? I have important business to discuss with you."

"Brother, come in and sit down quickly," He Chunlian hurriedly greeted him, and then asked Yin Xing, who had just returned, to boil water and make tea.

He Daniu sat in the main room, feeling somewhat awkward. Seeing that He Chunlian was about to bring out some snacks, he quickly said, "No need to bother, we're all family, why bring out so many things?"

"Brother, what are you saying? We're family, what's wrong with you having some snacks? You finally made it to the city, you absolutely have to eat lunch at our house. And sister-in-law, don't leave at lunchtime either."

He Chunlian's face was full of smiles.

Chen Liying smiled and said, "Auntie, you don't need to bother. Your older brother has come to town and needs your help with something."

As she spoke, she nudged He Daniu.

He Daniu nervously clutched his pants. "Well, girl, aren't you an opera singer? The village chiefs from our village and the neighboring village have been discussing whether we could invite you to perform in our village for a few days."

The more he talked, the faster the sweat poured down his face.

"What's the big deal?" He Chunlian was a little surprised, but agreed without thinking. She could just add some money herself to give to her colleagues later.

Chen Liying exclaimed, slapping her thigh, "Your brother can't explain it clearly. This isn't asking you to do your work for free. We're paying you thirty yuan a day, a hundred yuan for three days. Would you be willing to do that?"

"Yes, yes, give me the money."

He Daniu said with a hint of sourness, "You have no idea, the village next door is really rich now. They've got a rural collective system... making cabinets and beds and stuff like that, making a ton of money all year round."

"So, the neighboring village is paying for it?"

He Chunlian understood. She was still wondering where the money came from, since her village was extremely poor. It turned out it came from the neighboring village.

"They're the ones who are paying for it. They're setting up a stage in the open space between our two villages, hoping to invite you to perform," Chen Liying said.

"Okay, then."