Siheyuan: Pretend to be a Pig and Eat the Tiger

Su Meng's uncle looked at his niece with a fawning expression. He Yuzhu was important, but Han Chunming was even more important. He Yuzhu was about connections, and Han Chunming was about making money. Neither of them could be missing!

"Uncle, Han Chunming doesn't really talk to me anymore. I don't know any other people in the business world, and even if I do, they're all connected to Han Chunming. How can I find them?"

"Don't you like Han Chunming? Why don't you just win him over? My niece is naturally beautiful. It's a blessing that Han Chunming has won your favor!"

"No, I advise you not to make any moves on me. Han Chunming is getting married soon, and his bride is Guan Xiaoguan..."

Su Meng said resentfully, "We just had a fight and went to Hong Kong, how did we end up getting married? Why didn't Han Chunming put up with me? Where did things go wrong?"
"Let's forget about that then, and consider this further!"

Upon hearing that Han Chunming was marrying Guan Xiaoguan, Su Meng's uncle immediately changed his mind. This was no joke; Grandpa Guan was a leading figure in the world of collecting, and offending him would make future business difficult.

Li Huaide wasn't idle either. Since he wanted to take revenge on Su Meng's uncle to avenge Chen Jianjun, he had to speed things up. He originally wanted to target the Hong Kong Island customers first, but the aging process had to be meticulous, so he didn't need to worry about Su Meng's uncle's situation.

"Oh? Did you find the person I'm looking for?"

"found it!"

"Alright, I'll be waiting for you. The reward you'll receive after this is done will be more than you'd earn working hard for half a year. It all depends on your performance!"

"Don't worry, Director Li, I guarantee I'll complete the mission. Just you wait and see!"

Li Huaide sought out people from the workers' picket team back then. These people might not be good at doing serious work, but they still had some talent in other areas, and Li Huaide was well aware of this!

These people are capable of everything from cheating and swindling to stealing. They have plenty of ways to deal with an arrogant person, and they have more than enough ways to get this fat, big-eared guy into their trap!

Su Meng's uncle swayed leisurely, stopping at one stall after another, and then looking at them with great seriousness.
Even with his keen eye, he could tell it wasn't genuine, which frustrated Su Meng's uncle. What happened to finding a bargain? How come he couldn't see it at all?
Li Huaide was waiting in a secluded courtyard house. The courtyard house was somewhat dilapidated, and Li Huaide was drinking.
He had to be half-drunk before Su Meng's uncle arrived, only then would it be more convincing. He didn't think about faking being drunk, that's not so easy to fake. Su Meng's uncle is a shrewd person, he can't fool anyone by pretending to be drunk!
"Sir, I see you're walking around stopping and starting, are you looking for something interesting?"

"Oh, you could tell?"

"Of course, I have something good here. If you're interested, we can talk over there!"

"Oh?"

Su Meng's uncle looked at the person in front of him with suspicion. The person seemed honest and unassuming. He hesitated. What if he was being deceived? Or was he the person's real target?

"Don't worry, I'm a true Beijing native. We Beijingers are people of our word. My family has fallen on hard times and I just want to get rid of something. Of course, if you don't believe me, then just pretend I didn't say anything!"
"If I had the money to rent a stall, I wouldn't be in this situation. I'll wait for you over there; you can decide for yourself!"

The man left as soon as he finished speaking, without any intention of lingering. He knew that if he hesitated for even a moment, it would immediately arouse suspicion. They were quite influential people back in the day, and if they hadn't been so lazy, they certainly wouldn't have ended up like this!
After much deliberation, Su Meng's uncle decided to go and take a look. Good things are hard to come by, and he didn't have much money on him today. He could just give him the money he had on him. He couldn't possibly kill someone, could he?
What if I end up getting a couple more good items? Wouldn't I be rich then? After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to go check it out!

"Let me see it!" Su Meng's uncle was putting on quite a show. The man seemed a bit hesitant; he looked like an expert, not a complete novice.

Why does it look different now? Since things have come to this, we can't worry about everything else for the sake of Director Li's compensation. At least give him some compensation for his hard work, right?
Su Meng's uncle carefully examined the object in his hand. It looked like an old item, and his limited knowledge of antiques told him that it might really be a valuable piece!

"how much is it?"

"Boss, three thousand will do. You should have already figured it out; this is a Song Dynasty bottle, a rare treasure!"

Three thousand isn't expensive, but he still can't tell if it's real or fake. Looking at Song's bottle, all the characteristics are contained within it.

However, it always felt too easy. Is finding a bargain really that simple?
The thought of it coming to her on its own feels like a dream. Should she give it up? What if it's real? Su Meng was undecided about what to do.

"I only have three hundred!"

This was Su Meng's uncle testing her; if he sold it for 300, there must be something wrong.
He bargained in the usual way he does in the market. If the other party agrees, it is most likely a fake. Otherwise, a Song Dynasty bottle would not be sold so cheaply, unless the person does not know the value of the bottle!

"So you're making fun of me? I'm sorry, it seems we're not meant to be. Goodbye!"

The man snatched the bottle and disappeared before their eyes. Su Meng's uncle was dumbfounded. He only wanted to test the waters, but he didn't expect the other party to be so decisive. It seemed that it was indeed true!
Normal people would think this way, but the world of antiques is very complex, so how can you think about it using common sense?

Director Li looked at the returning man and thought the plan had failed, but as the man recounted his story, he realized that they were not far from being caught in the trap.
I originally thought this person would come along, but I didn't expect to gain so much. If he had come along, he probably wouldn't have gained much, but by doing this, he might have given away everything he had.

Even if Chen Jianjun and others split the profits from the five-book deal, they would still make a lot of money. This is truly a highly profitable business, and the problem is that the risk is very low!
In the antique business, if you get fooled, you can only blame yourself for not having a good eye; it's not a scam. That's the rule in the industry!

"Don't show your face for the next few days. Wait for my notification for the next operation. Remember, don't say anything you shouldn't say, not even about your wife and children, otherwise..."

"Director Li, don't worry, I won't tell. Besides, I wouldn't dare!"

The man's expression changed drastically. He knew Li Huaide was unfathomable in the capital; how could he possibly speak recklessly? Wasn't that courting death?
"Good to know. Take this twenty yuan back and buy some meat for your family!"

"Thank you, Director Li!"

Li Huaide can still find people to serve him faithfully even now, which shows that his way of using people is truly commendable!
After Su Meng's uncle returned home, he regretted it more and more. Why didn't he take it down? It was such a fine Song Dynasty vase, what a pity!
"Uncle, what's wrong with you?"

"Tonight..." (End of Chapter)