Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 428 Self-Examination
Looking at Master Liu's troubled expression, He Yuanchao had some guesses in his mind, and said with a smile:
"You say."

Master Liu glanced at He Yuanchao, then at the Chengni inkstone on the counter, hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and said:
"Comrade He, I really like this inkstone of yours. How about this? I also have some in my collection. Come with me and see if there's anything you like. We can exchange them."

Mr. Li, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then shook his head and smiled. Looking at Mr. Liu's expectant expression, he didn't say anything and stood quietly behind the counter smoking.

He Yuanchao knew nothing about antiques and had no idea what value these things would have in the future, but he really liked this Chengni inkstone. Without asking Master Liu what his collection was, he directly refused:

"I'm sorry, Master Liu, I've already made up my mind about this inkstone. I hope you'll understand."

Seeing He Yuanchao's decisive refusal, Master Liu looked disappointed, but having spent most of his life in the antique business, he quickly recovered.

"Since Comrade He is unwilling, then forget it. But you must take good care of this inkstone. If you want to sell it in the future, remember to come to me first!"

“Master Liu, if I want to make a move, I’ll definitely come to you.”

After giving Master Liu a perfunctory reply, He Yuanchao expressed his gratitude a few more times. He then took out two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes from his satchel, placed them on the counter, put away his Chengni inkstone, and bid farewell to the two craftsmen before leaving the trust company.

Watching He Yuanchao ride away on his bicycle, Master Li exhaled a puff of smoke and said:
"Old Liu, what's wrong with you today? You're doing a bit sloppy work!"

Upon hearing this, Master Liu blushed and smiled helplessly, saying, "I'm getting old, and I get a little greedy when I see good things."

Is it really that good?

With a cigarette between his fingers, Master Li pressed on with an inquisitive look.

Master Liu lit a cigarette, took a puff, and looked at the empty entrance of the trust bank with a disappointed expression, saying, "What do you think of these royal items from the mid-Song Dynasty?"

Master Li said with envy, "It's actually a royal item. That kid really hit the jackpot."

"Yeah! We really hit the jackpot. Looks like I'll have to take some time to wander around here..."

……

He Yuanchao rode his bicycle home slowly, humming a popular tune from later generations. He had bought a Song Dynasty item for 150 yuan, and no matter how you looked at it, it was a good deal.

I already have a Northern Song Dynasty Ru ware celadon teacup at home, and now I've acquired a Song Dynasty Chengni inkstone. It seems I have quite a connection with Song Dynasty artifacts.

With these two things, once the market for antiques improves after the reform and opening up, even if you do nothing and just lie around at home all day, you can still live a very wealthy life for the rest of your days.

Thinking this, a look of contentment appeared on his face, and he quickened his pace, eager to get home and properly put the two items away.

At the same time, they were determined not to show off their things until the reform and opening up.

He Yuanchao clearly remembered that during that special period, quite a few families had gotten into trouble and been labeled because of these things. If they weren't careful, and if the news got out and others took notice, they probably wouldn't be able to keep these two items.

Back home, he took out a Northern Song Dynasty Ru kiln celadon tea cup and a Chengni inkstone, placed the two items on the table and examined them carefully for a while. After admiring them enough, he began to search the whole house for a hiding place.

After searching for a long time without finding a suitable place, just when he was at a loss, He Yuanchao's gaze suddenly fell on the blue brick ground beneath his feet.

Although the method is a bit old-fashioned, it is practical. Besides, not many people know about these two things, at most no more than five people, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

He Yuanchao found a thin iron skewer and a small shovel in the kitchen, looked around the room for a moment, and finally came to the chest of drawers.

"This is a good location; usually, no one walks around on it, and it won't attract too much attention."

Muttering to himself, he moved the chest of drawers aside, squatted down and gestured a couple of times, then began to carefully pry along the brick seams with an iron skewer. The blue brick floor was very solid after years of footsteps, and He Yuanchao spent a lot of effort to finally pry up a piece without damaging it.

Looking at the rammed lime ground beneath the blue bricks, He Yuanchao suddenly thought of something, frowned, and stopped prying the bricks.

He was so focused on hiding things underground that he forgot about moisture protection. Although he doesn't know much about antiques, he probably thinks that items like celadon teacups and Chengni inkstones are susceptible to moisture, and even if they aren't, it would still affect their quality to some extent.

If it gets covered in the smell of dirt, and people suspect it was just dug out of the ground after it's been opened, he'll suffer a huge loss. Forget about selling it for a high price; he'll be lucky if he doesn't end up working on a sewing machine.

He Yuanchao squatted on the ground and pondered for a while, thinking of various ways to prevent moisture, but in the end, they were all rejected one by one.

"Forget it, there's still plenty of time. No need to rush. Let's find a suitable place slowly!"

He consoled himself with a word, then without further hesitation, picked up the blue brick he had just pried up and put it back in its original place.

He restored the blue brick floor to its original state, moved the chest of drawers back, took two steps back, and carefully examined it. Seeing that there were no flaws, he sat back down at the table, somewhat annoyed.

As the old saying goes, when a poor man gets a piece of gold, he doesn't know what to do with it.

He Yuanchao felt something like that at this moment, like a beggar who suddenly possessed a large fortune, feeling unsafe no matter where he put it, as if someone was always eyeing him.

He sat at the table, scanning every corner of the room, unable to decide where to put the things.

It wasn't until his stomach started rumbling around noon that He Yuanchao snapped out of his daze. Looking at the celadon teacup and Chengni inkstone on the table, he raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face.

"It's true what they say, how can the poor get rich, and how greed blinds one's judgment?"

Thinking about what happened to him that morning, He Yuanchao wished he could hit himself again.

"The human heart is a bottomless pit, and desires are insatiable. Two small things have made me lose my composure. If I encounter greater temptations in the future, will I be able to resist them?"

He Yuanchao felt the burning pain on his face and asked himself this question over and over again.

Every time I try to say yes, another voice in my head says, "Don't lie to yourself, you definitely can't do it. If you can, it's because the benefits aren't big enough."

This problem troubled He Yuanchao all day, and he still couldn't give himself a satisfactory answer when he went to pick up Zhang Min in the evening.

When He Yuanchao arrived at the branch office by bicycle, Zhang Min was already standing at the main gate.

Looking at Zhang Min waiting for him, He Yuanchao's long face, which had been sullen all day, finally showed a bit of a smile.

"Are you anxious?"

He Yuanchao stopped beside Zhang Min, his voice carrying a relief he himself didn't realize.

"No, I just came out too."

As Zhang Min spoke, her hand was already on the metal frame of the bicycle's back seat. Just as she was about to get on the bike, she suddenly noticed a red and swollen patch on He Yuanchao's right cheek.

She stopped getting into the car and looked at He Yuanchao nervously, asking, "What happened to your face? Did you get into a fight?"

(End of this chapter)