Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The stall owner spent about half an hour picking out the more unusual coins.

Li Jiuzhou held the 56-plus special coins, his heart trembling slightly. After examining their color and listening to their sound, he was certain that the door would open.

There are plum blossom versions, Soviet versions, three-quarter face versions, signed versions, Gansu versions, and so on.

As Li Jiuzhou examined the coins, he caught a glimpse of the stall owner staring intently at him out of the corner of his eye.

Li Jiuzhou knew perfectly well what was going on, but he remained outwardly calm because he was afraid that if he got too excited, the stall owner would refuse to sell to him.

He knew in his heart the value of these coins in later generations.

Even 30 years later in the 80s, you could become a millionaire just by selling a rare coin.

"Brother, how much is it? What's the price?" Li Jiuzhou asked directly.

The stall owner smiled and said, "Brother, I bought them for 8000 each. You can take them for 10,000 each. Let me earn a little money from my hard work."

Li Jiuzhou's face immediately darkened: "Brother, I don't care how you collected the goods, and don't try to fool me. Even the landscaping workers in the countryside collect goods by weight."

"You're really something, selling them to me for ten thousand each? You're not going to fleece me like this."

The stall owner didn't mind at all, waving his hand and saying, "Don't be in such a hurry, we can discuss the price if it's not right. I'll give you a discount, 8000 each."

Li Jiuzhou shook his head and stretched out his hand: "5000 each, I don't want any more."

"56 coins is 28 yuan, that's a month's salary for an average person. You're guaranteed to make a profit, bro!"

"Brother, you've bargained too hard. I won't even break even." The stall owner wanted to continue haggling.

Li Jiuzhou was adamant, even using his wife as an excuse:

"This is my price. If it's not right, then we'll consider this deal off."

"I don't know how I'm going to explain spending 28 yuan at once to my wife."

Seeing Li Jiuzhou say this, the stall owner knew that if he added more, he might really not want it anymore.

The price of 5000 coins was exactly what he expected. You have to understand that he dug up these coins from the fields in the countryside, weighed by the kilogram. The several hundred silver dollars on the stall only cost him 3 yuan.

After reselling it, you can make a profit of 25 after deducting costs. It's a sure win.

Besides, he still had several hundred coins on hand, so he grinned:

"Okay, 28 it is. Let's be friends. Brother, come and visit my stall more often. I'll pack it up for you."

Li Jiuzhou smiled and nodded, and the two exchanged money for goods.

Li Jiuzhou walked away happily with 56 coins in his hands.

Although they're worthless now, it doesn't matter, since Li Jiuzhou isn't expecting to make money from them right now.

The stall owner also had a huge pile of Yuan Shikai silver dollars, at least 300, all of which were genuine.

If you can keep it, you can exchange it for a lot of steamed buns. Although it's not a special version, it's plentiful and filling.

The vendor has enough of the remaining standard models to buy an Audi A6 in the future, but it's uncertain whether he'll be able to capitalize on that opportunity.

Li Jiuzhou originally wanted to take him out with one shot, which would mean taking over his entire operation, but then he thought better of it and decided to leave him some scraps.

Stall owner: "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Shortly after Li Jiuzhou left, the stall owner took in another middle-aged man.

The man was seen rummaging through a pile of large heads when the stall owner saw this and asked:

"What kind do you need? I'll help you find one."

The middle-aged man replied:

"Your headshots are too ordinary. Do you have any that are more special, like those with words or signatures?"

The stall owner's mind started to wander: "How much are you willing to pay?"

The middle-aged man was clearly not short of money, and said, "1 each."

The stall owner gasped, filled with regret, but the transaction was already complete, and it would be against the rules to go back to Li Jiuzhou to get it back.

With a dejected look on his face, he said, "Just ten minutes ago, a guy bought those special coins."

The middle-aged man sighed softly, "That's a real pity."

The stall owner felt the business could continue, and said, "How about this, next time I receive special coins, I'll save them for you? I often set up my stall here."

"No problem." The middle-aged man nodded, got up, and continued to wander around the nearby stalls.

He was Fan's father, Li Jiuzhou's father-in-law.

Because his daughter had taken all the silver coins from his home, he wanted to collect some more, so he came to Liulichang.

I don't care about whether it will appreciate in value or not; I just really like this thing.

Plus, with money, they naturally don't care; they just like what they like.

As Li Jiuzhou was strolling around, he spotted a familiar face, smiled, and went up to greet him.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

Mr. Fan was taken aback and exclaimed in surprise, "It's you, kid! What, don't you have to go to work?"

"Hehe, just came out for a stroll," Li Jiuzhou replied.

Father Fan nodded, then, noticing the cloth bag in Li Jiuzhou's hand, smiled and asked, "Did you find a bargain?"

"Hehe, take a look." Li Jiuzhou said, then stepped forward and opened the cloth bag.

Mr. Fan scooped out a handful of coins, examined them carefully, and then burst out laughing:

"So you've taken over that coin stall around the corner, huh?"

"Luck, luck, something nobody wants," Li Jiuzhou laughed.

Mr. Fan wasn't envious or jealous. Silver dollars weren't hard to get; it just required a little more effort to find and display them.

The father-in-law and son-in-law then continued browsing the stalls together, and it must be said that at this time, many stalls had a lot of items available.

Father Fan slowly said to Li Jiuzhou:

"It's one thing to have a lot of things available, but many people simply can't afford them."

"Because truly good items sell for over a million, these days people who can spend that much money on antiques either really love them or are very wealthy."

"In an ordinary family, if a man dares to spend a million or so on an antique, he'll be beaten to death by the old woman in his family."

"In the eyes of old women, a million or so is a bicycle, a radio, a sewing machine, or a watch."

"Buying a three-wheeled motorcycle and a radio is the right way to go; that's how you get your money's worth!"

"Forget about the street stalls in Liulichang, the trust shops sell all the best stuff, and the prices are all over a million."

"Look, there are a few ordinary people buying them."

"Most families like to find bargains at the stalls in Liulichang."

"Trust shops? Even a dog wouldn't go there!"

Li Jiuzhou really wanted to say at the end, "If the dog won't go, I will!"

He was worried about where to spend his cash, and at least the trust store offered some protection, with a very low chance of being scammed.

"Dad, you must have been to the trust store, right?" Li Jiuzhou asked.

"Um... I did go shopping for a couple of items, but your mom beat me up when I got back, damn it..." Mr. Fan said with a frustrated look.

"Hahahaha..." Li Jiuzhou burst out laughing. His father-in-law was quite a character.

Li Jiuzhou then said, "Dad, I have money. Could you go to the trust store and find some for me when you have time?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Fan said seriously, "Jiuzhou, antiques are just for fun. Don't squander your entire fortune on them, or you'll get into trouble."

"Don't let it cause unrest in the family."

Li Jiuzhou knew his father-in-law meant well, and humbly accepted his advice.

"Don't worry, Dad, I know what I'm doing. Most of the money in the house is with my wife."

"I can spend this much money as I please, it won't affect the household expenses."

After hearing this, Mr. Fan's mind began to wander:

"Then lend me 500 million first. I saw two good things last time and want to take them back, but I'm a little short on cash."

"Okay... then let's meet at the trust store entrance at the same time tomorrow."

Mr. Fan smiled and said, "You're a good lad, no wonder you're my son-in-law."

Li Jiuzhou thought to himself, "Old Deng, you're not doing so well either, can't even come up with 500 million."