Chapter 67

"Mr. Lin, and who is this?"

Wei Yuan stood up, his Zhongshan suit crisp and clean, with a Hero Brand fountain pen clipped to his pocket. He was slightly overweight, but his demeanor suggested he was someone of considerable importance.

Tom glanced around furtively, secretly becoming more vigilant.

Lin Wenxiang quickly introduced them to each other, Wei Yuan suddenly realized, "Oh, so it was you who bought the Lin Family's antiques. No wonder Mr. Lin said they were all sold out when I came over to buy some."

"Mr. Wei, isn't this just bad luck?" Tom chuckled. "I also wanted to buy some jade, but I heard..." He paused, then looked at Lin Wenxiang. "Brother Lin has left all his goods for you. I wonder if you would be willing to part with some? After all, it's not easy for me to come back to China."

Tom said this as he sat down in the seat of honor that Lin Wenxiang had given up.

The Lin Bohu brothers went downstairs and brought up tea. Tom picked up the cup, sniffed it carefully, and exclaimed, "Good tea! This must be Dianhong Tea!"

"That's right. Didn't you say you liked this tea when you came last time?" Lin Bohu glanced at Lin Wenxiang and said, "My father had someone buy some to keep at home. We'll send you some when you leave."

"Well done, Brother Lin, you've really put your heart into this."

Tom seemed very touched.

Lin Wenxiang laughed and said, "What's wrong with that? Our two families should visit each other often in the future. If you're being so formal, I'll get angry."

Tom smiled, but his eyes revealed a look of satisfaction.

Lin Wenxiang cursed under his breath, thinking to himself, "Once I get my things back, I'll kill you!"

"This..." Wei Yuan held the enamel mug in his hands, turning the lid. The steam blurred his features, and his thick eyebrows furrowed. "I still don't think this is enough. I was planning to buy some antiques to take back, but all the antiques are gone. If I can't even buy all the goods, how am I supposed to do business when I get back?"

Listen carefully to the underlying meaning.

Tom understood, put down his teacup, and said, "From what Mr. Wei is saying, what if I were to exchange antiques with you?"

"Mr. Tang..."

Lin Wenxiang exclaimed "Hey!" and tried to stop him.

Tom gestured for him not to interrupt and stared intently at Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan frowned and thought for a moment, stroking the cup before finally saying:

"That's not impossible, but I need to check the goods first."

"That's easy to arrange. What about the goods over there?" Tom's heart stirred. Although the antiques the Lin Family gave him included many good pieces, many others were just filler and wouldn't fetch a good price either domestically or internationally. Rather than going through all the trouble of getting them out and having to be careful not to break them, it would be better to exchange them for jade.

"My goods are still with Mr. Lin."

Wei Yuan said, "If you're willing, then bring the goods over, and we can see if there's anything we like."

Upon hearing this, Tom, who was already impatient, quickly told George to take some men back to the hotel to move the goods they had bought back.

There were seven boxes full of those goods.

Each box contained at least ten or twenty antiques. Tom gestured for George to open the boxes, saying, "Take a look for yourself."

Wei Yuan looked at Lin Wenxiang, Lin Wenxiang coughed and said, "Bohu, go and get our family's jade."

Lin Bohu went to retrieve the jade.

Wei Yuan got up to look at the antiques, and Gu Jinshui, He Fei, and the others also took the opportunity to broaden their horizons.

You never know until you see it, and once you do, you're shocked. Gu Jinshui thought he had seen enough good stuff, but after seeing the Lin Family's possessions, he realized what it meant to "show off your skills in front of Lu Ban's door."

Three-Color Ox Cart, Double-Fish Ewer, Five-Color Fighting-Cock Bowl, Shanglin Bronze Square Censer, Ge Kiln Six-Lobed Sunflower-Mouth Dish...

It's no exaggeration to say that the contents of these boxes could easily fill a museum.

Gu Jinshui glanced at Tom, who was intently examining the jade. This old man was truly insatiable. Any one of these antiques could easily fetch a hundredfold profit if sold, yet this old man wouldn't even part with his initial investment.

No wonder the Lin Family hates him to the core.

"Excellent, excellent! The clarity and luster are top-notch."

Tom was full of praise, holding an Imperial Green Necklace in his hand, admiring it with great affection.

Although one should be picky when buying things, the jade in front of him was so good that he even doubted whether it was real.

But thinking about it carefully, how could that be? If I hadn't come today, these goods would have been bought by someone else.

Wei Yuan frowned slightly and said, "Mr. Tang, I'm not willing to give you this one. Please choose something else."

Tom's heart tightened. Seeing Wei Yuan's displeased look, he was secretly pleased. He laughed and said, "Brother Wei, you're being too stingy. There are so many good items here. Why don't you give me this one?"

He pointed to the seven crates, "I'm willing to give you one crate."

It wasn't that Tom was generous; he knew that Imperial Green was extremely rare and valuable, and that just this one piece alone could be worth hundreds of thousands of US dollars outside.

Wei Yuan remained unmoved. "Forget about it. What would I need a box of goods for? I could buy several boxes of antiques with just this one piece."

He glanced at the box and said, "Besides, antiques aren't easy to sell these days; they're nowhere near as popular as jade."

You're mistaken.

Tom went to great lengths to persuade Wei Yuan to part with the goods, saying, "Look at these antiques, they're all rare treasures. Although they're not as valuable as jade, if you find someone who appreciates them, you can still make a lot of money."

Wei Yuan's expression softened slightly.

He looked at the antiques, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

Tom, seizing the opportunity, said to Lin Wenxiang, "Brother Lin, I'll take this. What's your price?"

Lin Wenxiang laughed and said, "You've asked the wrong person. We've all taken Mr. Wei's money, so Mr. Wei is the one who can make these decisions."

Wei Yuan gave a half-smile, "Mr. Tang, that's not very kind of you. I haven't even nodded yet."

Tom, thick-skinned and not embarrassed at all, said self-deprecatingly, "There's nothing we can do. For business people like us, who wouldn't be envious when they see something good? Since it belongs to Mr. Wei, why don't you name a price? What would it take for you to part with it?"

Lin Wenxiang chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Wei, you are a friend of our family, and Mr. Tang is also a friend of ours. Besides, Mr. Tom is abroad, and who knows, you might need each other's help in the future."

Wei Yuan was persuaded. He moved his lips and said, "Alright, if you insist, then leave all seven boxes behind, and I'll trade with you."

He said this intentionally to make things difficult.

To everyone's surprise, Tom immediately nodded and said, "Okay, deal!"

Wei Yuan was stunned. Tom, seeing his expression, couldn't help but laugh smugly, "Mr. Wei, you're a man of your word. We won't change our minds about this deal."

He put the Imperial Green Necklace in his pocket, overjoyed.

Although he felt sorry for the seven boxes, he didn't think the deal was a loss. After all, he had gotten the items for free, and reselling the necklace would be much easier than selling antiques.

No, it's not.

Looking at his expression, Wei Yuan felt deeply remorseful and quickly said, "I was just joking, why did you take it seriously?"

"Hey." Tom smiled, but pushed Wei Yuan's hand away. "We don't joke around when we're doing business. A deal is a deal. Whoever goes back on their word is a coward."

Lin Wenxiang also said, "Mr. Wei, you should just accept your fate."

Wei Yuan's expression changed, looking as if he had swallowed a fly whole.

Lin Wenxiang personally saw Tom out. Tom patted Lin Wenxiang on the shoulder affectionately, "Brother Lin, you're truly my brother. I'll never forget you when I get back."

"I won't forget you either," Lin Wenxiang said with a smile. "Judging from your tone, you're leaving?"

"Yes, I plan to leave the day after tomorrow."

Tom looked around and said, "I've been back in the country for quite a while now, and I'm starting to miss home. Brother, you must come visit me when you have the chance to go abroad sometime, so I can give you a proper welcome."

"Definitely, definitely." Lin Wenxiang nodded.

He watched Tom and his group leave before returning home. Back in the house, the Lin Bohu brothers looked at him.

Lin Wenxiang nodded. "The person has already left."

"Father, that's great! We got our things back!" Lin Bohu was overjoyed, his face flushed, his eyes burning as he stared at the box on the ground.

Lin Wenxiang clasped his hands in a fist salute to Wei Yuan, saying, "Thank you very much Brother Wei, for your timely assistance today."

"Where."

Wei Yuan said, "I also can't stand these kinds of swindlers who tarnish the reputation of us swindlers. Besides, Brother Lin, you helped me before, so this is my way of repaying your kindness."

Lin Wenxiang smiled and said, "Brother Wei, you're too kind."

Lin Jiyuan presented a red envelope, which Lin Wenxiang personally took and handed to Wei Yuan, saying, "This is a small token of our family's appreciation; thank you for your hard work."

He Fei glanced at it; the red envelope had a raised crease, and it looked like a small yellow croaker.

He couldn't help but gasp; the Lin Family really did have some wealth.

No wonder they were able to find such a person.

Wei Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the gift directly. After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Lin Wenxiang, he left.

Lin Wenxiang and his son looked at He Fei and his group.

Lin Wenxiang looked at He Fei, then at Gu Jinshui, "Xiao Gu, you've done our family a huge favor this time. I heard from He Fei that you came here specifically to clear the land."

"Yes," Gu Jinshui nodded.

Lin Wenxiang said to the Lin Bohu brothers, "Go and bring the things over."

Carry it over?

He Fei's ears twitched; could it be some valuable item?

Chapter 77 The Seventy-Seventh Day of Being Eavesdropped On

"So why did you bring this box to my house?"

An Yi stared blankly at the box on the ground in front of her.

This box contains everything imaginable: ceramic plates and dishes, antique ornaments, and even a considerable amount of ancient coins at the bottom. Although the dust hasn't been removed yet, it's clear that everything is still in good condition.

Gu Jinshui laughed and said, "Brother An, you're being too polite. You put in Great Strength to help the Lin Family this time. Without the things you gave us, could we have fooled Tom?"

He pointed to the box and said, "How about we split the contents of this box in two, fifty-fifty? You get fifty percent, and I get fifty percent."

How about it?

An Yi looked at Gu Jinshui as if she were seeing him for the first time.

He squatted down, picked up a Kui-Dragon-Patterned Jue inside, and said, "You know this thing has a special value, right? You could easily make three figures selling it like this, and you're just giving it to me like this? My other things aren't worth much."

Who can argue with that?

He Fei felt sorry for her, but He Fei knew he hadn't helped much this time. Gu Jinshui was the one who came up with the idea, and An Yi was the An Yi made the things. He was just helping out at most. Gu Jinshui was even willing to share 10% with him, which was already quite generous.

"I know, but I think you're more valuable than these things, don't you think?"

Gu Jinshui followed suit, squatting down and taking out a golden monster in his hand, laughing, "This thing is great, I'll give it to my daughter to play with later, but this one has to be mine."

"Alright, since you're willing to give it, I'll accept it."

An Yi nodded after a moment of silence, a smile appearing on his face. Neither he nor Gu Jinshui were the type to hold grudges, so they simply split up and each took a pile of things.

An Yi said, "The things my grandfather gave you were probably all from the original mines. These are all first-hand goods, but they're not as good as what he sold to that Tom."

He was a generous man; he grabbed a box, gathered up his own pile, and took a kettle to boil water to make tea for them.

Gu Jinshui, "The unearthed items are even better. They're guaranteed authentic, and there are many things I've never seen before. I can take my time to examine them when I get back."

An Yi was delighted and was about to ask them if they wanted a late-night snack when there was a loud banging on the door. An Yi quickly gave Gu Jinshui and the others a look, signaling them to close the suitcase, and then put on his clothes and went out.

A short while later, An Yi led An Xin in.

An Xin, sweating profusely from running, entered the house and saw Gu Jinshui and the others there. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Damn it, you should have said you were here sooner!"

He Fei asked with a smile, "Brother, you're all sweaty from running, and there's smoke coming out. What happened?"

"What's up? It's about that group of people you asked me to keep an eye on,"

An Xin wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, plopped down in a chair, picked up a water glass from the table, and without caring whose glass it was, took a sip, saying, "I've been watching them for ages, originally planning to..."