Chapter 96

"Please don't be so polite. I was just helping out casually. Let's skip the meal; we've already invited you to stay at home."

"How about this," Professor Bai said, feeling a little embarrassed that Gu Jinshui was determined not to accept his invitation to dinner. "A friend of mine at a newspaper is looking for someone to write some articles on how to appraise antiques. He asked me to help him out, but I've been busy teaching students lately and really don't have the time. How about you help me out and write an article?"

"I?"

Gu Jinshui was somewhat tempted, yet also hesitant, "Would they not mind my educational background?"

Although Gu Jinshui didn't think he was inferior to others in any way, and was considered one of the best in Beijing in terms of antique appraisal, some people just couldn't resist bringing up his academic qualifications.

"Why not?" Professor Bai said, "If you agree, then my friend is the one who benefits. With an expert like you involved, it's bound to be top-notch. Besides, you can also advertise your shop."

Professor Bai laughed heartily and teased, "Even the best wine needs advertising. Getting this reputation out there will be good for you and your shop. As for education, many people in this industry are self-taught. Don't let my current position as an archaeology professor fool you; I actually studied literature back then. What does that have to do with anything else?"

Gu Jinshui was convinced and nodded, "Okay, I'll give it a try later."

Professor Bai gave Gu Jinshui his friend's phone number and name, and said that his friend would contact him soon.

They reacted quickly, calling the next day to finalize the deal for Gu Jinshui to write a short piece for a thousand or eight hundred yuan.

He Chunlian and the others were all taken aback.

He Chunlian held her rice bowl, watching her son write an article with a worried expression. She clicked her tongue in amazement, shook her head, and sighed, "This is truly unbelievable! I never dreamed that my son would one day be able to write an article and have it published in the newspaper."

"Grandma, you are his mother."

Gu Yousi kindly reminded him.

He Chunlian flicked her forehead, "Even if you don't say it, Grandma knows. Grandma is lamenting the unpredictability of fate. Who knows, maybe our family will produce a great writer."

Gu Yousi could only say that her grandmother was really daring.

He's already a famous writer after writing just a short piece, which hasn't even been published yet.

But she clearly didn't realize that this was a remarkable thing in the eyes of those around her.

Gu Yinxing even dragged Yan Ren back with her, saying, "My brother is so amazing, when the newspaper comes out, you must save two copies for us. I'll take them to show Yan Ren 'Grandpa grandparents."

"It's still far from over, let's keep a low profile."

Gu Jinshui coughed and waved his hand, but his expression was clearly quite proud.

The day the article was published in the newspaper, He Chunlian bought a hundred copies. She not only gave them to her friends in the entertainment industry, but also dragged Gu Yousi along to deliver the newspapers door-to-door, praising her son's achievements along the way. "Oh my, this child made it into the newspaper without a word! Yes, it's about how to appraise antiques. If you're interested, take a look."

The Gu Family wasn't particularly close to their neighbors, but after delivering the newspaper, their relationship improved considerably.

When everyone heard that he was the antique shop owner who had been in the newspaper, they all looked at him with new respect.

Some even brought their own belongings for Gu Jinshui to appraise, their attitude being extremely polite.

Gu Yousi observed this, lost in thought.

She took a newspaper and casually took it out before the morning reading class.

The surrounding classmates couldn't help but look over, "Yousi, why are you bringing a newspaper to school?"

"Oh, it's nothing, it's just that my dad's article was published in the newspaper, and I want to take a good look at it."

Gu Yousi remained calm and composed, appearing completely unperturbed.

The surrounding children exclaimed in surprise and gathered around, "Your dad's in the newspaper? That's amazing!"

"It's alright, I only made about a hundred yuan." Gu Yousi waved her hand, "Just enough to make ends meet."

The children were stunned by this number.

A hundred or so yuan, that's a huge amount!!

So, in less than half a day, the whole school knew that Gu Yousi had a father who was a famous writer, and that she could make money just by writing.

Gu Yousi was smug for a long time, thinking to herself that no wonder her grandmother was willing to deliver newspapers door to door; it felt really good to be praised.

However, in the afternoon, she ran into trouble.

Her Chinese teacher came to her with a smile, "Yousi, look how amazing your father is, he's even in the newspaper. You, his daughter, can't fall behind. Why don't you participate in our essay competition this time?"

Gu Yousi's face almost turned green.

She's an adult; asking her to participate in a writing competition and write about "my favorite person" or "something I like"—could she even bring herself to write that?!

Chapter 94 The Ninety-Fourth Day of Being Eavesdropped On

"Grandma, this is the article my brother wrote. Please give me your feedback."

Gu Yinxing, munching on Youtiao, handed the newspaper to Grandma Yan.

Grandma Yan smiled and said, "It's the article about appreciating antiques that we talked about before. You should definitely take a good look at it; antiques are really popular right now."

"Yes, if you're interested, you can visit my brother's Golden Stone Studio later," Gu Yinxing said, taking a sip of soy milk. "My brother is really skilled in this area, though. The antiques in other shops may not be genuine, but there are absolutely no fakes in my brother's shop."

Grandpa and Grandma Yan were genuinely interested.

Grandma Yan smiled and said, "I do have some things here that I'd like someone to take a look at, but I don't know if it would be convenient for your brother?"

Grandma Yan spoke very politely; although they were relatives, she didn't act like an elder.

Gu Yinxing said, "It depends on the person. It's hard to say for others, but my brother really admires you. He says you tutored me for over a year and managed to make me the top student in the grade. He always says you're amazing. If you're willing to give my brother this opportunity, he'll definitely be willing!"

"Hey, what are you saying? It's so lively."

As the group was chatting casually, Liu Yulan's voice came from outside.

Liu Yulan was dressed in a green silk cheongsam, looking very glamorous. She didn't come alone; she brought her daughter-in-law Li Yun and son Yan Chengzhi with her.

What brings you here?

Grandpa and Grandma Yan were somewhat surprised and put down their newspapers.

Liu Yulan smiled and said, "Dad, Mom, you're being a bit biased. We've come to see you, aren't you two happy to welcome us? Are only Yan Ren and his wife considered your juniors?"

"Yes, Grandma, my mom went to Daoxiang Village early this morning to buy you a lot of pastries. The donkey rolls are still warm from the oven."

Li Yun laughed and handed the box of snacks to the nanny, Aunt Liu.

Aunt Liu didn't take it immediately. She glanced at the Old Master, and only took it after Grandma Yan nodded.

Grandpa said calmly, "Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious. Just say what you want, don't beat around the bush. We don't have time for that, we have to go out right now."

Gu Yinxing reacted quickly, smiling as she put down her chopsticks and stood up to greet them, saying, "What bad timing! We were just about to leave when you arrived. Why didn't you tell us beforehand? We could have been prepared. Aunt Liu, you're something else, leaving the doors and windows open all the time. Today it's family coming in, but what if outsiders come in tomorrow?"

Aunt Liu knew she was being sarcastic, but she wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled apologetically and said, "It was my oversight. I was just back from making soy milk and my hands were busy, so I forgot for a moment. I'll definitely remember next time."

Yan Chengzhi and his family did not look too good.

Li Yun, in particular, looked at Gu Yinxing with eyes that were like knives.

Li Yun deliberately said, "Sister-in-law, you've been married to my brother for several years now, how come you still don't have a child? Our Fengxian is already in kindergarten."

Yan Ren, protecting his wife, sipped his soy milk and said slowly, "There's nothing we can do. Your sister-in-law is busy with work; her hospital is always full of things to do. Unlike you, who doesn't have a job and can enjoy a life of leisure."

Li Yun paused, blushed, and angrily tugged at her husband's sleeve.

Yan Chengzhi ignored her and instead looked at Grandma Yan, "Grandma, since you're going out, why don't you give me those two plates I mentioned earlier? My friend is in a hurry to see them."

Liu Yulan smiled demurely and said, "Yes, Mom, Chengzhi went to great lengths to find you a buyer. They didn't mind that our things were damaged and were even willing to pay a few hundred yuan to buy them. I think you shouldn't be ungrateful."

Grandma Yan's face didn't look too good. (This work is provided online by SiTu. com)

Gu Yinxing and Yan Ren exchanged a glance, only then realizing that there was actually a reason behind Grandma Yan's words.

No wonder Grandma Yan never mentioned appraising things before, but suddenly brought it up today. I thought she saw Gu Jinshui's article in the newspaper, but it turns out there was a reason.

Yan Ren asked, "Grandma, what is it?"

Before Grandma Yan could answer, Liu Yulan interrupted, "Yan Ren, it's nothing special. It's just a few plates your grandma traded a bag of rice for. The person lied and said they were family heirlooms, and she actually believed it. Recently, Chengzhi had a friend who wanted to buy some old things to decorate his house, and he wasn't stingy. Chengzhi thought it best to keep the good stuff in the family, so he wanted your grandma to sell them to him."

"That person couldn't possibly be lying to me!"

Grandma Yan's lips curled down, her expression displeased. "That's an old friend of our family, someone with a respectable background back in the day!"

"Mom, you said it yourself, back then, what kind of time was that? During the Cultural Revolution, people were so busy destroying these things that they wouldn't even have time to put them up for sale. How could they possibly dare to offer them up for you to trade for millet? If you ask me, that person was just trying to fool you because they were afraid you wouldn't agree to trade."

Liu Yulan's expression was one of disdain.

Grandma Yan was quite angry, biting her lip, "No need, I just don't want to spend these things. Even if they're fake, I'll keep them as a souvenir."

"Grandma, aren't you just throwing a tantrum like a child?"

Yan Chengzhi was getting anxious and kept pestering Grandma Yan: "Such a good opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I've already asked someone for help, you can't leave me stranded here."

"This..."

Grandma Yan was gentle by nature. Although she was annoyed by these words, she hesitated.

Gu Yinxing knew that Grandma Yan was a good person and never said no to the younger generation. This was fine when she was dealing with sensible children, but when she encountered those scoundrels, she was easily taken advantage of.

Gu Yinxing immediately laughed and said, "Grandma, that's easy. How about we call my brother and ask him to come over? He can take a look at your plate and see if it's genuine. If it is, we can keep it for our descendants. If it's fake, we can ask Chengzhi to sell it, or we can keep it as a decoration."

Upon hearing Gu Yinxing's words, Yan Chengzhi's lips curled into a smile. He stared at Gu Yinxing, a forced smile on his face, and asked, "Your brother, can you guarantee what your brother says?"

"My brother-in-law just published an article in the newspaper about how to appreciate painted pottery."

Yan Ren pushed the newspaper in front of Yan Chengzhi and tapped the article with his finger. "Even professors from Peking University praised him highly. You can't even hire someone with such talent from outside. If he can't make a good judgment, do you think you can?"

He paused, then asked, "Or do you have some other ulterior motive?"

That's too direct.

Yan Chengzhi and the others were speechless.

Grandpa Yan made the decision, "Let's invite my granddaughter-in-law's brother over, and we'll give him a red envelope later!"

Yan Ren immediately made a call. Gu Jinshui had been busy at the shop today and had gone over to lend a hand. He had just had some free time and when he heard that the two elders wanted him to help look at the antiques, he agreed without hesitation and took a taxi over.

When Gu Jinshui arrived and understood the situation, he nodded slightly and asked, "What is it?"

"There are two plates. When the person gave them to us, he said they were from the Qing Dynasty." Grandma Yan brought out a large mahogany box from the room. When she opened it, she saw that it was lined with silk cloth and had two plates on it. On the left was a large blue and white porcelain plate with a fishing and playing pattern, and on the right was a large plate with the Eight Immortals celebrating longevity.

Both plates appear exquisite at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one has a chip, and the other has a piece broken off, like a beautiful woman with a missing arm, making one feel regretful.

When Gu Jinshui picked up the plate to look at it, his eyes shone with golden light.

He didn't need to say it.