From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

After Su Qing and I left the milk tea shop, we didn't go directly to the alley where Guo Ji Antiques was located. Instead, we turned a corner and went around to the stairwell of an abandoned residential building across the street.

There was a half-open iron gate there, and the crack in the gate allowed a clear view of the main and side gates of Guo's Antique Shop, making it difficult to notice.

"You stay here and keep watch, I'll go check over there." I pointed to the narrow alley behind the antique market.

Su Qing squatted behind the iron gate and nodded to me: "Okay, be careful."

I grunted in agreement and walked around the wall to the back of the antique market.

I used to walk this road when I was delivering food. It's lined with old residential buildings on both sides. It's very lively during the day, but at night, only a few dim streetlights remain, and there's not a soul in sight.

I stood behind the utility pole across the street for about ten minutes, but didn't see anyone come or go, so I went back the way I came to Su Qing's side.

She was still crouching behind the iron gate. When she saw me return, she immediately lowered her voice and asked, "How was it? Did you hear anything behind you?"

"No." I shook my head and squatted down next to her.

"Then let's wait a little longer."

I glanced at the time; it was 11:40 PM.

All the lights in the antique market were off, and the whole street was so quiet that only the occasional sound of a taxi tire rolling over the ground could be heard.

About ten minutes later, Su Qing suddenly reached out and patted my arm:

"Look over there."

I looked in the direction she pointed.

On the main street at the entrance of the antique market, a black minivan was slowly driving by.

The headlights weren't on, only the parking lights were on, and the vehicle was moving very slowly.

The black van stopped briefly at the entrance of the antique market, then instead of entering through the main gate, it turned into the back alley I had just explored.

My heart tightened: "You wait here, I'll go around to the back."

"Be careful, don't force it."

I didn't reply, and crouched down, following the wall as I crept into the back alley.

I kept my footsteps very quiet, and when I reached the alley entrance, I saw the black minivan parked in front of Fatty Guo's back door.

The car was still running, the engine humming softly.

Then I saw someone come out of the back door.

It was Fatty Guo, wearing that dark red linen shirt and cloth shoes, holding something the size of a cigarette box, which he handed to the car door.

The car window was only rolled down a crack, and a man's hand reached out from inside to take it.

My first instinct was to reach for my phone.

Turn off the flash, switch to video recording mode, and aim in that direction.

But the distance was too far, and the lighting in the alley was insufficient, resulting in blurry, noisy photos.

I took two steps forward, wanting to get a little closer, when I stepped on something and it made a slight cracking sound.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was quite clear in the quiet alley.

The black van immediately turned off its lights, and with a "whoosh" of its engine, reversed out of the alley.

Guo Pangzi realized what was happening, turned around and went through the back door, which slammed shut with a "bang".

I stayed close to the wall, holding my breath for almost two minutes, and only slowly backed out after confirming there were no footsteps.

When they returned to the abandoned residential building, Su Qing had already emerged from behind the iron gate.

She stood in the shadows where the streetlights didn't reach, and asked me softly:

"What did you see?"

"Fatty Guo handed something to a black minivan, but the people inside didn't get out."

I frowned and said again, "That car didn't have license plates, so we can't see who's inside."

Su Qing shook her head and said softly, "It's okay, it's only the first day. If he can come once, he can come again."

I glanced at her.

Her eyes were a little red, but she didn't mention going back at all.

I finally said to her, "Let's go back to the courtyard first. We'll stop here for tonight."

She nodded and followed me toward the street corner.

As we walked out of the antique market street, the wind suddenly picked up, making the leaves of several roadside trees rustle.

It was almost one o'clock when we got back to the courtyard.

Before going up to the second floor, Su Qing leaned against the stairwell and yawned, then said to me, "Call me tomorrow night, and I'll go with you."

"Where are you going?"

"Didn't you say you didn't get a clear shot today? Tomorrow during the day, you pretend to be a client again, and I'll go to the building across the street to find an angle and see if I can get a shot of that iron gate."

I didn't refuse, because I knew it would be useless, so I just nodded at her.

After she went upstairs, I stood alone in the middle of the courtyard and lit a cigarette.

Watching the night boats on the river, their lights twinkling, moving slowly.

The scenes from tonight are still replaying in my mind.

The next morning at 10 a.m., Su Qing and I split up.

I went straight to Fatty Guo's shop again, and he was a little more enthusiastic than yesterday.

Seeing me enter, he greeted me warmly, "Brother, you're here again? Still thinking about that bracelet?"

"Well, after thinking about it, I still think the approach you suggested is more reliable."

As I spoke, I took out my phone, pulled out the photo again, and said to him, "If you really have a way to ask around, I'll take it if the price is right."

Fatty Guo smiled, his eyes narrowing, and several wrinkles appeared on his chubby face.

"I like hearing that, but if you really want it, asking won't do; you'll have to show some sincerity."

I know that the "sincerity" he was referring to was the deposit.

But my purpose in coming here today is not to pay, but to stall for time.

I deliberately chatted with him for a while, talking about the quality of the bracelet and the recent market trends for antiques, but never mentioning money.

Fatty Guo wasn't in a hurry. He chatted with me casually, rubbing the amber beads in his hands until they made a crunching sound.

He squinted at me, his gaze sweeping back and forth across my face.

It was as if he was weighing whether I was genuinely in a hurry to redeem the bracelet or deliberately stalling for time.

"Young man, let me tell you the truth."

Fatty Guo leaned back in his chair, speaking in a half-hearted, half-perfunctory manner:

"Good things are hard to find these days. Your icy jade bracelet is in excellent condition and is an antique. There are plenty of people who want to resell it. I'm already being very generous by holding onto it for you."

I pretended not to understand and went along with what he was saying:

"I know you're a loyal friend, Brother Guo, otherwise I wouldn't have kept coming here. The main thing is that this bracelet means something special to my family. The money is secondary; I just want to get it back intact."

Upon hearing this, the wariness in Fatty Guo's eyes eased somewhat.

People like him who deal in antiques on the black market are most afraid of those who know their stuff, and they actually prefer customers like me who seem honest.

"It would be best if you could figure it out."

Fatty Guo smiled, reached for the purple clay teacup on the table, and took a sip.

"That's how it is in the antique business. Once the goods have passed through your hands, you have to spend money to bribe people at every level. I can't help you out for free. You don't need to pay much more as a deposit. Just put down 20,000 yuan to reserve the goods for three days. You have three days to pay the balance and take the goods. If you miss the deadline, I won't dare to hold them for you anymore."

Twenty thousand.

Not too much, not too little, just right at a number that makes you hesitate.

Too little would make it seem like he wasn't making a profit from this resale.

Too many, and I'm afraid they'll force me to back out, cutting off any possibility of further price increases.

But I know perfectly well that this is his trick.