Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

This Mr. Cha did not live far away. The two walked for less than ten minutes before turning into an alley and stopping in front of a mottled black lacquered wooden door.

"Mr. Cha, are you home?"

Yan Bugui bent his knuckles and stepped forward to tap three times, neither too hard nor too softly.

A few seconds later, the door creaked open a crack.

A man wearing a faded blue old jacket with the collar buttoned up perfectly peeked out, revealing half of his face.

He was probably in his fifties, and his spirits were somewhat low, but his voice was quite clear.

"It's Old Yan, please come in!"

Master Cha's gaze swept over Zhou Feng, but he didn't linger. He simply stepped aside and opened the door a little.

As he walked into the courtyard and crossed the threshold, his right hand unconsciously reached down and made a gesturing motion.

He froze halfway through the action, then sighed silently.

Noticing the curious looks from Zhou Feng and the other man, Master Cha chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"It's been a habit for decades, please excuse my rudeness. Please come inside, please come inside."

The courtyard does look somewhat dilapidated, but the furnishings in the main room are quite exquisite.

A rosewood table inlaid with mother-of-pearl sat steadily against the wall, its lacquer dark, yet the mother-of-pearl still gleamed with a faint light.

On the table sat a Western clock that had long since stopped, its jar polished to a shine, and next to it were a pair of colorful porcelain hat stands.

Several rosewood armchairs were arranged symmetrically, their paint somewhat mottled, but they still caught Zhou Feng's eye.

Several plates of snacks were also prepared on the table, such as Sachima, candied fruit, and walnut shortbread.

However, Zhou Feng could tell at a glance that these things were obviously just for show and had been on display for who knows how long.

Not only were the walnut shortbreads dry and crumbly, but the candied fruit was also dull and dark in color, and the Sachima was shriveled and had many frayed edges.

Master Cha naturally noticed Zhou Feng's gaze sweeping over the snacks. His cheek twitched involuntarily, his expression stiffened, and even his hands, hanging at his sides, quietly clenched into fists.

After silently watching Zhou Feng and Yan Bugui take their seats in the armchairs, Master Cha picked up the covered teapot on the table, poured two cups of tea to about seven-tenths full, and presented them to them with both hands.

"Mr. Cha, you're too kind. This is Comrade Zhou Feng, whom I mentioned to you. He's also interested in old things. Didn't you say... you had something you wanted to part with? I specifically asked him to come and take a look."

Yan Bugui introduced the two parties, but Master Cha did not respond immediately. Instead, he unconsciously stroked a jade thumb ring on his right index finger.

The thumb ring is emerald green, with a rich and even color. Even in the dim light of the room, it gleams with a warm and understated luster.

"Sigh—these days, nobody carries one of these anymore!"

Uncle Cha sighed and muttered to himself.

His empty gaze seemed to be looking at Zhou Feng and the other person, but it wasn't focused, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

"This thing was bestowed upon my grandfather by the Emperor himself during the autumn hunt at Mulan in the 21st year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign... It's the last one left in my generation..."

Zhou Feng listened to Master Cha's lament with a blank expression. He had heard this kind of talk countless times since he started in this line of work!

Every seller who comes to sell something mentions wanting to raise the price; he's long since become numb to it.

What kept him patiently listening was the wealth of information in the room!

The eight-immortal table, the grand master's chair, the clock, the hat stand, and the few yellowed landscape paintings on the wall with illegible signatures.

Rice and grain will eventually run out. If we do good deeds now, when this Mr. Cha wants to sell again, won't he be able to get the first pick?

The furnishings in this room, if taken to modern times, would probably be enough to make him financially independent!

"Mr. Cha, can I try out this thumb ring?"

After he had finished his exclamations, Zhou Feng finally spoke.

The Qing Dynasty has been gone for so many years. If it weren't for the fact that he wanted to get his hands on the treasures in the main room, Zhou Feng would have definitely shown him who was in charge.

Look at how pale and thin you are; the pastries on the table are just for show.

These old-fashioned people may act all high and mighty now, but in this era, they are the least popular group.

Given their background, it would be extremely difficult for them to do anything.

After a moment's hesitation, Mr. Cha slowly removed the ring from his index finger and gently placed it on the table between the two of them.

Zhou Feng pinched the ring and carefully examined it against the faint light filtering through the hole in the window paper.

Its emerald green color is lustrous, clear, and free of impurities; it is a top-quality glass-type jadeite!

His heart skipped a beat, but he suppressed his surging excitement and kept his face expressionless as he gently placed the thumb ring back on the smooth surface of the octagonal table.

"How about 15 catties of rice, 15 catties of flour, 20 eggs, and a piece of pork fat about two fingers wide? If that's okay, you can come with us to my place to pick it up."

Regardless of whether Zhou Feng offered a price sixty years earlier or later, exchanging it for this ring would seem like a joke.

Only in an era where survival is difficult, when the value of daily necessities like rice, oil, and salt has reached its peak and the value of antiques and calligraphy has plummeted, would such a price appear.

Such a price left Mr. Cha speechless.

"Comrade Zhou... how about we add a little more?"

Uncle Cha's voice was a little hoarse, and he kept rubbing the thumb ring he had just picked up from the table.

"This was passed down from our ancestors... Back in the day in Liulichang... it could have been worth half a street's worth of shops..."

His voice grew softer and softer, for he knew in his heart that he was referring to the past.

Looking at the treasure in her hands, and then thinking about the price Zhou Feng had revealed, she felt extremely upset.

Zhou Feng didn't respond, but slowly picked up the covered bowl on the table and blew on the foam.

The moment the tea touched his lips, his brow furrowed.

This tea has been sitting for who knows how long; it smells musty!

If he hadn't really wanted that ring, he would have spat out the tea.

"Uncle Cha, you know you're talking about back then. You also know what everyone's situation is like now. Food is very precious. The little I have is enough for you to eat sparingly for two or three months, right? If you were to eat coarse grain flour instead, it would be enough for half a year!"

Uncle Cha's facial muscles twitched a few times.

He knew perfectly well that Zhou Feng was telling the truth, but how could such a royal treasure be equated with rice and flour?

"How about... you add another twenty catties of rice and noodles?"

Zhou Feng didn't reply, but simply stood up and straightened his clothes.

He doesn't lack the rice and flour, but he won't let the other party set the price, otherwise future transactions will be impossible.

Yan Bugui, who had been watching from the side, immediately noticed Zhou Feng's movement and quickly stood up.

He first gave Zhou Feng a wink, and then looked at Master Cha.

"Uncle Cha, look at the mess this has made."

Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses with his usual calculating smile.

"To be honest, Comrade Zhou Feng reported quite a lot of these things. These days, how many families can produce so much refined grain and meat all at once?"

"It's just that Comrade Zhou Feng is sentimental and likes these old things, don't you think?"

Seeing that Master Cha's expression remained unchanged, he turned his eyes and stared directly at the pair of colorful porcelain hat stands on the Eight Immortals table.

"How about this, if you can't bear to part with that ring, then keep it."

"I think those hat stands are quite nice, they look good too. Comrade Zhou Feng, could you take a look and give me your opinion?"