My Ares Son-in-Law

At this moment, a younger sales assistant with a childlike face couldn't help but lean close to her colleague's ear and whisper something, her voice just loud enough for Xiao Chen to hear clearly:
"Hmph, look at how poor he is dressed. Even if you ask, he can't afford it at all. It's a complete waste of time."

Xiao Chen stopped in her tracks, slowly turned her head, and her gaze fell on the young sales assistant who was muttering to herself. Her gaze wasn't sharp, but it was like a cold star, carrying an unfathomable depth as it stared directly at her.

The young sales assistant felt a sudden tightness in her heart as he glanced at her, as if something was gripping her. She instinctively shrank back, and a thin layer of sweat instantly broke out on her back.

But then I thought about it again and realized that I wasn’t wrong. How could this man, dressed so plainly, afford an antique worth millions?
She mustered her courage again, raised her head, met Xiao Chen's gaze, and spoke with a hint of provocation and disdain:
"What are you looking at? Did I say something wrong? Do you know how much that plum vase costs? One million two hundred thousand! With your outfit, can you even afford that much money? Can you even afford it?"

Several sales assistants around him echoed his sentiments, their faces showing disdain and their eyes filled with contempt, as if they were looking at a presumptuous clown.

But Xiao Chen wasn't angry at all. There was no displeasure on his face. Instead, he slowly smiled faintly. There was no mockery or anger in that smile.

There was only a detached indifference, as if looking at a few unreasonable children.

"If you can't afford it, can't you even ask?" His tone was calm, his voice not loud, but it carried an undeniable power that instantly silenced the sales assistants' chatter.

"What are you asking!" The lead saleswoman finally couldn't hold back any longer, her tone becoming increasingly impatient as she waved Xiao Chen away.

"Go away, get out of the way! In this sweltering heat, there are plenty of people who come in to freeload off the air conditioning and pretend to be rich. We don't have time to serve a poor wretch like you. Get out of here!"

Xiao Chen gave her a deep look, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. He didn't argue or linger. He turned and walked towards the shop door with unhurried steps, without the slightest bit of embarrassment.

As soon as he stepped out of the store, several unrestrained sneers and whispers drifted clearly into his ears from behind.

"Hmph, another penniless wretch trying to put on a show. He can't afford it at all, yet he dares to come and ask the price."

"I've seen plenty of people like this. They just look and don't buy anything. They like to pretend they know a lot, but in reality they don't know anything. They're just here to enjoy the air conditioning and feast their eyes."

"That's right! Judging from his outfit, the total cost from head to toe probably doesn't even exceed five hundred yuan. He wants to see antiques worth over a million? He's dreaming! He should take a piss and look at himself in the mirror!"

Xiao Chen stopped at the entrance of Jubaozhai, slowly turned around, and looked at the plaque that read "Jubaozhai," his eyes showing no emotion.

Jubaozhai.

The name is grand and implies attracting wealth and treasures, but unfortunately, the people in the shop are short-sighted and snobbish, wasting such a good name.

He withdrew his gaze, ignoring the mockery behind him, and turned to walk across the street, his expression still calm, as if nothing had happened.

There's another antique shop across the street. It's smaller than Jubaozhai and not as grand, but it's very clean and tidy.

The antiques in the shop window are arranged in a pleasing and orderly manner, exuding elegance and care. The signboard has three characters written in a vigorous and powerful style: Yajixuan.

Xiao Chen pushed open the door and entered the Elegant Gathering Pavilion.

There were no extra sales assistants in the store, only a middle-aged man around fifty years old, dressed in a simple cotton and linen shirt, sitting in front of the counter. He was carefully wiping a piece of blue and white porcelain, his movements gentle and his expression focused, as if he were handling a rare treasure.

Upon hearing the door open, he immediately put down the rag in his hand, stood up, and greeted the doorman with a gentle and sincere smile.

"Hello, sir, welcome to Yajixuan. Please feel free to browse. If there's anything you like or want to know, just let me know, and I'll answer it to the best of my ability."

The middle-aged man spoke in a friendly tone, with a sincere attitude, without the slightest hint of snobbery, which made people feel exceptionally comfortable.

Xiao Chen nodded slightly, said nothing, and began to wander slowly around the store on his own.

Although this shop doesn't have many antiques, each piece is displayed very neatly, and they all look carefully selected and exquisite, with no shoddy items among them.

As he walked, he focused his mind on sensing the fluctuations of spiritual energy, and soon he was drawn to a blue-and-white porcelain brush holder with a figure design in the corner...

The pen holder faintly emitted a fluctuation of spiritual energy, which was even more obvious and mellow than the plum vase from Jubaozhai earlier.

Xiao Chen walked slowly to the corner, stopped, picked up the pen holder, and examined it carefully.

This brush pot is slightly smaller than the plum vase from Jubaozhai, about 20 centimeters tall. It has a simple and elegant shape, fine body, smooth and lustrous glaze, and the cobalt blue color is well-balanced with a rich sense of depth.

The outer wall of the pen holder is painted with several scholars, each with a different expression, vivid and lifelike. The lines are smooth and natural, and the brushwork is exquisite, clearly the work of a famous artist.

Judging from its shape, glaze, and decorative style, this brush pot should be a blue and white porcelain piece from the transitional period between the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty and the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty.

Although it is not a major piece from the official kiln, it is a rare fine piece from the folk kiln, and its spiritual charm is warm and enduring, making it more suitable for his cultivation than a plum vase.

"Boss, how much is this pen holder?" Xiao Chen put down the pen holder and asked in a calm tone.

The middle-aged man strode over, glanced at the pen holder, a relieved smile appearing on his face, and said sincerely:

"Sir, you have a good eye. This is one of the treasures of my shop. It is a blue and white porcelain from the transition period between the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The painting is first-class and it is very well preserved. It is very difficult to see such exquisite objects on the market now. One price, three million."

Xiao Chen didn't hesitate at all, simply nodding slightly, his tone still calm: "Can I pay by card?"

The middle-aged man was taken aback, clearly not expecting him to be so agreeable, without haggling or even asking another question. His surprise quickly turned to delight, and he nodded hastily, saying:
"Yes, yes, of course! Please wait a moment, I'll find you a card reader right away and then carefully wrap it up to make sure it won't get damaged."

The middle-aged man deftly brought over the card reader. Xiao Chen took out a black card, gently placed it on the card reader, entered the password, and with a "beep," the transaction was successful.

Three million was nothing to him; compared to the spiritual energy contained in the pen holder, this amount of money was insignificant.

The middle-aged man, holding the credit card receipt, smiled even more sincerely. He carefully wrapped the pen holder in a soft cloth, placed it in an exquisite wooden box, and presented it to Xiao Chen with both hands. (End of Chapter)