Chapter 76

"He broke my things, and I was going to sell them for money. But now that they're broken, he not only refuses to take responsibility, but he's also going to leave." Gu Jinshui said, looking aggrieved. "My family is broke right now. My mother and wife work hard to support us. The whole family is counting on me to sell this bracelet to buy rice to take home. How can I not be anxious?"

Gu Jinshui wore a patched-up outfit today, and because he was good-looking and eloquent, his tearful plea immediately aroused righteous indignation among those around him.

"How could this comrade be so wicked? He broke someone's things and won't even pay for them?!"

"This is supposed to be a government official? Government officials bully ordinary people like this. Look how thin this young man is, you can tell his family isn't well-off. They've even brought out their family heirlooms to sell, and you've damaged them. Even if you don't pay for them, you still have to give me an explanation!"

The crowd pointed and whispered among themselves at Chen Shiwen.

Director Kong looked at Chen Shiwen, his expression turning grim. "Comrade Chen, did you really hit that person?"

Chen Shiwen stammered, "I... I..."

"That's him. I was selling popsicles here just now, I saw it clearly. This young man walked by, and this guy came over without even letting him pass, and then his popsicles fell to the ground with a thud."

A young man standing next to the Foam Box shouted.

With both witnesses and physical evidence present, Chen Shiwen was immediately unable to deny the allegations.

He couldn't say that he knew Gu Jinshui or had a grudge against his family.

Gu Jinshui, "Director, I see you're a reasonable person. How about this, we go to Antique Store and have them determine the value of this bracelet. I don't ask for anything else; whatever the shop says it's worth, that's what we'll settle. How about that?"

Chapter 82 The Eighty-Second Day of Being Eavesdropped On

The bureau chief naturally had nothing to say, since the man was quite reasonable and willing to ask about prices at the Antique Store.

Gu Jinshui then pulled them over together.

When the manager of the Antique Store heard about this, he came out to take a look at the item. He took the bracelet that Gu Jinshui handed over and examined it carefully. The jade was of the icy type, clear as water, warm to the touch, and shimmering in the sunlight. One could imagine how beautiful the bracelet would be if it were in perfect condition.

Chen Shiwen's heart was pounding, and sweat was beading on his nose.

Gu Jinshui said confidently, "Manager, please tell me, is this a good product? Don't let anyone say I wronged him."

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Chen Shiwen.

The manager put down the bracelet and sighed, "It's a fine piece. It's rare to find one with such good clarity and luster. If it were sold here, it could fetch over a thousand."

"More than a thousand?!"

Chen Shiwen was speechless. He grabbed the manager's hand anxiously, "Don't say anything reckless. You didn't conspire with him beforehand, did you?"

"Hey, what nonsense are you talking about? I've only just met you guys, who could I be colluding with? A little over a thousand is too little. If you were selling it to a foreigner, they'd be willing to pay over a thousand US dollars." The manager slapped Chen Shiwen's hand away, a hint of anger on his face. He had only come out to help check the price because of Director Kong's influence, and he had tried to offer as low a price as possible. Who knew that Chen Shiwen really had no sense of social etiquette.

"Chen Shiwen, stop fooling around!"

Director Kong stood with his hands behind his back, a hint of anger in his eyes. "You damaged someone's property, so you should compensate them for the price. That's the truth of the matter. Don't embarrass our Land Bureau."

Director Kong was somewhat dissatisfied with Chen Shiwen.

This man was originally somewhat arrogant and looked down on everyone in the bureau. Director Kong initially thought that since he was a college graduate, a little arrogance was understandable, as long as he could get things done. But unexpectedly, he even broke someone's property and refused to admit it.

"No, Chief, there's definitely something fishy going on here!"

Seeing Gu Jinshui leaning against the counter with a smile on his lips, Chen Shiwen sensed that Gu Jinshui was gloating. Enraged, he pointed at Gu Jinshui and shouted, "He's retaliating against me!"

"What are you saying? If you don't want to pay compensation, just say so. Who's retaliating against you by spending so much money? Such a nice bracelet, over a thousand yuan! I can't explain this to my mom and wife when I get home."

When the bureau chief looked over, Gu Jinshui stared at the bracelet, clutching his chest with a pained expression. He sniffed and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

Director Kong felt increasingly guilty.

"Don't be sad, comrade. I'm here today, and I'll definitely help you get justice. If he doesn't pay you back, I'll take charge and deduct it from his monthly salary. It's over a thousand yuan, so I'll deduct fifty yuan from each month and pay it back to you. It'll be enough to pay it off in two years."

"Really? You're so wise!"

Gu Jinshui was deeply moved. He shook Director Kong's hand and said, "No wonder you're a leader. You're practically a paragon of justice! I'll send your bureau a banner tomorrow!"

With the thousand-plus yuan about to be secured, Chen Shiwen was extremely anxious. Seeing Gu Jinshui's smug smile, he became even more furious and shoved Gu Jinshui violently, saying, "Stop putting on airs! You're clearly just getting revenge on me!"

Gu Jinshui swayed, then stood up, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "You're shameless! How can you turn the tables on me? Why would I want revenge? What have you done to wrong me?"

"Because I had someone plot against your sister, you're deliberately trying to extort money from me!"

In his anger Chen Shiwen lost his temper and blurted out his true feelings.

As soon as he said those words, he realized something was wrong, his face paled, and beads of sweat rolled down his nose.

The surroundings immediately fell silent.

Many people looked towards Gu Jinshui and his group.

"What happened?"

Director Kong realized the situation wasn't so simple. He looked at the manager and said, "Could we use your office to resolve this matter?"

This would be unacceptable for anyone else; it's against the rules.

But since Director Kong is a leader, it's only natural for people within the system to do each other a favor and gain personal connections.

The manager didn't say much and led them into the inner office.

This Antique Store truly lives up to its reputation for earning Foreign Exchange Certificate; even the office desks and chairs are made of huanghuali wood, and Li Keran's "Spring Rain over Jiangnan" hangs on the wall.

Director Kong looked at Gu Jinshui and Chen Shiwen, straightened his Orthodox God, and asked Chen Shiwen first, "What did you mean by that just now? What's really going on behind this?"

Gu Jinshui looked at Chen Shiwen with a half-smile.

Director Kong is still protective of his own; otherwise, he wouldn't have questioned Chen Shiwen first.

By speaking up first, one gains the upper hand.

"Director, um, I didn't say anything, I was just talking nonsense."

Chen Shiwen's eyes flickered, avoiding Director Kong's questioning gaze. His palms were covered in cold sweat, and his shirt was already soaked through.

"You didn't say anything, but I heard it clearly. Fine, if you won't tell me, I'll ask someone else."

Director Kong looked at Gu Jinshui.

Gu Jinshui was an honest man. He said, "Chief, my sister went on a blind date with this guy before, but after the date, she found out that he had gotten married and had children in the countryside where he was sent to work, so they broke up. That was the end of it. But recently, my sister was accused of getting the wrong medicine and was forced to eat herself at home. And that guy just happens to be his wife from Yunnan. Don't you think this is fate?"

"Don't talk nonsense, my wife didn't wrong you!"

Chen Shiwen's mind was in a complete mess. Seeing that Director Kong's expression had turned serious, he quickly interrupted Gu Jinshui and said...

"So, you admit that she's your wife?" Director Kong asked Chen Shiwen with a stern face.

Chen Shiwen opened his mouth, but his tongue seemed to be tied in knots, and he couldn't utter a single word.

"Did you instigate this?!"

Director Kong slammed his hand on the table and demanded, "If it's true, confess now and there's still a chance to salvage the situation. If you don't confess, our bureau will investigate this matter later, and you can report it to your superiors yourself!"

Chen Shiwen panicked immediately.

He paused for a moment, then finally nodded. "Yes, but I really didn't know about this at first. My wife got jealous and went to joke with Gu Yinxing. I'll have her withdraw the complaint later."

"Just kidding?"

Gu Jinshui patted Chen Shiwen on the shoulder, "Who would joke about someone's job like that? Chen Shiwen, I'll joke about it with you later, how about it?"

"Comrade, you can't just say things like that," Director Kong scolded.

Seeing that things were going well, Gu Jinshui raised his hand and said, "Fine, I apologize. However, this matter cannot be left like this. My sister lost her exam opportunity because of this couple, and her reputation in the hospital is ruined. If it ends so simply, is there any justice in the world?"

Director Kong looked at Chen Shiwen Chen Shiwen, who lowered his head in embarrassment and annoyance, not daring to utter a sound.

"So what do you want?" Director Kong asked.

A moment later, Gu Jinshui and the others came out of the office. The three of them had different expressions. Director Kong was expressionless, Chen Shiwen had a dark face, as if someone owed him a thousand or eight hundred, while Gu Jinshui had a smile on his face.

"Thank you for your help, Manager Hou."

Director Kong greeted them and said.

"What's the big deal? Are you leaving?" Manager Hou said casually, glancing at Gu Jinshui and the others with a curious look on his face.

Gu Jinshui nodded to Manager Hou.

Once outside, Director Kong said to Gu Jinshui, "Comrade, this matter can be settled tomorrow. As for your matter..."

Gu Jinshui understood and laughed, "It's just a bracelet. If it breaks, it breaks. Consider it a talisman."

Chen Shiwen breathed a sigh of relief.

If I have to pay for that bracelet, my family won't have a good life for the next few years.

He deeply regretted it. If he had known Gu Jinshui would be so difficult, he shouldn't have accepted her money in the first place and caused this mess.

With the matter settled, Gu Jinshui felt a weight lifted from his heart. Director Kong and the others parted ways with him, and after walking for a while, Gu Jinshui remembered that he had left his bracelet at the Antique Store. Although the bracelet was a fake made by An Yi, it was still not a big deal to leave it outside, so he turned back to retrieve it.

The counter staff held it for him too. Gu Jinshui had just thanked them when he heard an old man next to him ask, "Aren't you going to take a look? This thing is real, a really good item. My father took it from the palace that year!"

The young man standing opposite the old man looked impatient, twirling the Yuchun Vase in his hand. The Yuchun Vase was pea-green, and its surface shimmered as it spun. Gu Jinshui only glanced at it once, but couldn't take his eyes off it.

"Sir, this is your third time here. We've already told you we don't accept this kind of thing. Please go somewhere else," the young man said irritably, then muttered, "Everyone who comes to our Antique Store claims their items came from the palace. Nobody can believe that!"

The old man was thin-skinned, and upon hearing this, his face turned bright red. He took the vase and gritted his teeth, saying, "Fine, I won't buy it then. Let me tell you, you've all misjudged it. My father told me personally that this is Ru Kiln. There aren't many pieces here. The best ones are all on Taiwan. If my family weren't short of money, I wouldn't be willing to sell it."

After he said that, everyone around him looked over.

But seeing the Old Master dressed in patched clothes and looking so confident, one couldn't help but chuckle.

"Ru Kiln! If this were Ru Kiln, you'd be rich!" the young man sneered. "Alright, we're not worthy of something this good. Go outside and see if anyone's willing to snag this bargain."

This young man is really sarcastic; by saying that, he clearly believes this isn't a genuine product.

If anyone would still buy this, they must be a fool.

Gu Jinshui decided to play the fool.

"Sir, I quite like this thing. Could you let me take a look?"

Gu Jinshui suppressed his inner joy and pretended to be calm as he stepped forward to inquire about the situation.

The old man paused for a moment, "You want to buy it?"

"I need to see this first before I say anything, right?" Gu Jinshui asked with a smile.

The old man nodded, his complexion improving. He put the bottle down, and Gu Jinshui then examined it. The style of this Yuchun Vase originated in the Eastern Han and was fully finalized in the Song Dynasty. Its basic shape is a flared mouth, a slender neck, a drooping belly, and a ring foot, with an S-shape on each side. The beauty of its form goes without saying.

What's even more remarkable is that it's from the Ru Kiln. Gu Jinshui examined it carefully twice.