Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 223 Return
2003, Hangzhou, Xiling Seal Engraving Society.

A young man put down his vintage-looking notebook and looked up helplessly at the middle-aged man with gold teeth in front of him.

This gold-toothed man bothered him for a good ten minutes, making it impossible for him to calm down and read the diary left by his grandfather.

Do you accept rubbings here?

The man with the gold teeth chuckled inwardly as he saw the deep impatience hidden in the young man's eyes.

He's quite old now; at his age, he's become shrewd and cunning, and his ability to judge people has long since reached a level of perfection.

Besides, this is what Big Gold Tooth does for a living. If he didn't know how to judge people, he would have lost everything long ago.

"I do buy them, but the price is usually not high."

The young man said helplessly, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

The gist is, if you're not good, get out of here!
As for respecting the elderly and caring for the young?
Ha ha!
This young man's shop deals in antiques. As the saying goes, "If you don't make any business for three years, you can live off it for three years when you do."

I'm used to a leisurely life and I hate serving troublesome guests.

Especially troublesome customers who obviously cannot bring him much benefit.

However, the peak season for this business is almost over, and nothing good has come in yet. The young man is getting impatient, so he has to suppress his impatience and deal with the gold-toothed uncle.

Who knows, maybe this guy has something good in his hands?
In this line of work, the most taboo thing is judging people by their appearance.

"Fifty years ago, your grandfather unearthed a scroll of silk from the Warring States period, which was then swindled away by an American."

"This Warring States period silk manuscript ultimately led to a series of major troubles, which have not been resolved even today, and many people have been implicated."

"If my information is correct, the rubbing in this big gold-toothed guy's hand is very likely related to that Warring States period silk scroll. Young man, don't you really want to take a look?"

Just then, a young voice suddenly rang out.

Suddenly, a young man of about seventeen or eighteen years old pushed open the door and entered, smiling as he looked at the old man and the young man in front of the stage.

After closing the door, the young man slowly walked up to Big Gold Tooth's face, marveling at it with a look of ageless nostalgia on his face.

“Like, really like!”

"Your face, your figure, and especially that big gold tooth in your mouth, really look like an old friend of mine, and your age seems to match up too!"

"It's just that it's been a long time since we've seen each other!"

"Oh, I almost forgot, let me introduce myself. I'm Hu Ming, Hu as in Gu Yue, Ming as in tomorrow!"

The young man chuckled as he watched the two men's expressions change, and then calmly introduced himself.

This young man was none other than Hu Ming!
Upon hearing this, the man with the big gold tooth in front of him finally recognized Hu Ming. Hu Ming was younger than he had been decades ago, and he no longer carried the heavy pressure he used to. Instead, he had completely concealed his aura.

If Hu Ming hadn't spoken, Big Gold Tooth wouldn't have noticed that there was someone standing at the door. You see, he had gained Hu Bayi's trust over the years, and his cultivation of the Marrow Cleansing Technique had reached the beginner level.

Just as Big Gold Tooth was about to say something, the young man beside him interrupted, "The Warring States period silk scroll that my grandfather dug up fifty years ago?"

"Young man, what nonsense are you spouting? My family is a reputable merchant family, and my grandfather even maintains good relations with the national military. How could we possibly go back to do something as illegal and unethical as tomb raiding?"

Upon hearing this, the young man, Wu Xie, the grandson of Dog Fifth Master, changed his expression and waved his hands repeatedly.

"A family of upright merchants?"

Hu Ming looked at Wu Xie with a strange expression.

It is indeed a good thing to be wary of uninvited and unfamiliar guests.

But a family with a clean reputation as merchants?
Big Gold Tooth, standing to the side, shook his head upon hearing this. He knew a thing or two about the Wu family's affairs, so he didn't say much. Besides, with Wu Xie around, there were some things he could discuss with Hu Ming about the past years after Wu Xie left.

“Your grandfather is my elder, and I’ve met your third uncle once. If you’re worried, you can call your third uncle and ask him.”

Cell phones are a great thing. More than 20 years ago, Hu Ming and his colleagues mostly communicated by letter.

Although technology is far less advanced than it will be twenty years from now, and cell phones are still a rarity, Wu Xie is, after all, the grandson of the Wu family. Getting his hands on a cell phone to play with shouldn't be too easy for him…

"Third Uncle, it's me. I want to ask you something. I have a guest here. He said that Grandpa is his elder, and you know him too. I want to verify this with you. Oh, by the way, he said his name is Hu Ming, and he looks like a young man of seventeen or eighteen."

After a moment's hesitation, Wu Xie picked up his phone and dialed Wu Sansheng's number.

It's not troublesome either way; it's something that can be figured out with just a phone call, so Wu Xie doesn't mind doing it.

Moreover, this young man's origins were unknown, and Wu Xie couldn't figure out Hu Ming's intentions for the time being.

What's even stranger is that, despite being just a young man, Wu Xie saw the shadow of his Third Uncle in Jiang Nan.

That is the wisdom that can only be gained after experiencing many great events and after the sedimentation of a long period of time.

"Young man? Tsk!" Hu Ming's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but complain.

This face is really troublesome.

"A young man with no beard is unreliable" is a traditional Chinese belief.

Especially at the age of seventeen or eighteen, the first impression they give is that they are young, impetuous, and reckless.

"Hu Ming!? A young man of seventeen or eighteen?"

On the other end of the line, Wu Sansheng was suddenly startled. He remembered that twenty-three years ago, his friend, who looked to be around eighteen years old, had come to Hangzhou to visit him. After that meeting, this friend, named Hu Ming, vanished without a trace for twenty-three years.

And twenty-three years later, he still looks exactly the same?
Wu Sansheng's emotions were churning; he thought of another person.

“Bring that kid to see me, nephew. If it really is him, things are getting interesting…”

With that, Wu Sansheng hung up the phone on his own.

"Uncle, you still didn't say anything in the end..."

Wu Xie couldn't help but complain as he listened to the busy signal in his ear.

However, judging from Wu Sansheng's tone, Hu Ming was indeed someone he knew, and they might even be from the underworld.

But at such a young age, he must just be an unknown nobody, right?
"Hu Ming, my third uncle said he wants me to take you to see him later. Is that alright with you?"

Composing himself, Wu Xie looked at Hu Ming.

"Of course, it's been a while since I've seen your third uncle, so it would be good for us to meet. But we'll have to wait a bit. I need to talk to Lao Jin about something, and then I'll leave with you!"

After saying that, Hu Ming ignored Wu Xie and pulled Big Gold Tooth outside to give him a few instructions and ask him to help!
Then, when she came back in, she handed the rubbing of the silk scroll to Hu Ming and said to him, "Master Ming, I'm going back to Beijing soon. Why don't you take over this shop? My son and Fatty's son both run their own shops in Beijing now. We can show them to you in Beijing when we have time!"

Hu Ming replied, "Great! Introduce me to him then! Isn't Old Hu's son in Beijing?"

Big Gold Tooth shook his head and said, "Because of business, his family usually lives abroad! But I estimate they'll all be back in a while, since you've already come back, haven't you?"

Hu Ming smiled upon hearing this, and said that Big Gold Tooth was right!
Now, 23 years have passed since 1981, but Hu Ming's appearance and demeanor have not changed at all; in fact, he looks even younger than he did 23 years ago.

Hu Bayi and Fatty have completely given up tomb raiding and are now busy with business matters. They knew that Hu Ming's sudden departure was due to his weak power and influence, leading them to believe he had no choice but to leave.

So over the years, Hu Bayi and his group have been working hard to expand their power. Now they are not afraid of any other power. Even the Wang family, which crippled the Nine Gates, does not dare to confront Hu Bayi and his group head-on!
After all, Hu Bayi and Fatty's businesses have cooperated with government agencies quite a bit over the years. They all know that if they want to expand and strengthen their businesses in China, they can't do without the help of government agencies.

Therefore, Hu Bayi and his team actively participate in business and when the country needs their help!

As for Yang Xueli, twenty years ago, after Hu Ming left, she married Hu Bayi and left China for abroad. Most of the business abroad was handled by her and Hu Ming's parents.

Big Gold Tooth has been managing the antique business. Since Hu Ming disappeared in Hangzhou, the center of the antique business has shifted to Hangzhou in recent years.

Because if Hu Ming appears here, we can find him very quickly.

Over the years, Hu Bayi and his group have looked for him many times!

As for Big Gold Tooth's family business in Beijing, he had already handed it over to his son!
(End of this chapter)