Reborn in 2006, I met Mr. Zhou from the past.

The female classmate patted her chest and exclaimed, "Su Fengxia, they're terrifying! Is idol worship really this crazy these days?"

"He's the dream lover of countless girls!" Su Fengxia smiled helplessly. "Sigh, let's just admire him from afar and not add to his burden."

At this moment, Su Fengnan, in both her past and present lives, was ultimately destined to miss witnessing this feast of speed and passion.

Inside the cake shop, Su Fengnan stood by the partition window, watching Su Fenghai and his colleagues busily making cakes, while Yanzi warmly greeted customers in the front. Seeing that the two were too busy, she didn't disturb them further, only agreeing to have dinner together after get off work.

"Yanzi, after you get off work, go straight to the fountain, we're going to eat Siwawa (a type of steamed bun).

"Okay, then don't go too far. If you get tired of shopping, go back to the store and rest."

"It's okay, I have plenty of time to kill, I'll go to the library. It's settled then, you and Hai-ge can come over after get off work."

Yanzi readily agreed, "Yes, we'll go after get off work."

After leaving the cake shop, Su Fengnan didn't go to the library. She had only said that to reassure Yanzi about her whereabouts.

Actually, she had other plans for coming to Zhucheng this time; visiting Hai Ge and Yan Zi was just a side trip.

The antique market was bustling with activity on a weekend morning. Su Fengnan remembered that at this time in her previous life, one could occasionally find a bargain on a painting by the old man Yilian at the market. In two years, however, the chance to find one would be gone.

When she arrived at the antique market by taxi, the crowds had already begun to disperse. She wandered around the stalls outside but didn't see anything she liked, so she went straight into the shops inside the market. She knew nothing about stones and jade, and didn't even stop to walk past the shops, heading straight for the stores selling writing implements, ink, paper, inkstones, and calligraphy and paintings.

After wandering around for a while, she found a calligraphy and painting shop in a corner that looked quite pleasing to the eye, so she stepped inside.

The shop was quiet. Su Fengnan glanced around and her gaze fell on the glass cabinet displaying the seal stones. A stack of paintings lay scattered there, and she picked them up and looked through them one by one.

Landscapes, flowers and birds, figures... she stopped when she pulled out four paintings of winter plum blossoms.

The more she looked at these four plum blossom paintings, the more familiar they seemed. The freehand brushstrokes were vigorous and powerful, and the curves of the branches and the expression of the artistic conception were perfectly integrated. She could only associate this unique technique with one person. She leaned closer to examine the signature and seal—"Old Man Yilian."

Undoubtedly an authentic work.

Su Fengnan suddenly remembered that in her previous life, she and Fang Shangyi had seen this set of paintings at the centennial exhibition of Yi Lian's paintings. At that time, these four screens of plum blossoms attracted countless eyes, and Fang Shangyi praised them highly without reservation: "The plum blossoms in Yi Lian's paintings capture the essence of the Song Dynasty, directly rivaling Bada Shanren and Wen Chang."

"Little sister, you also like traditional Chinese painting?" The shopkeeper asked with a smile when he saw her staring at the painting.

Su Fengnan didn't turn her head, only giving a faint "hmm".

"These paintings were just collected this morning. If you like any of them, you can buy them and enjoy them at home."

Su Fengnan then turned to look at the shop owner. The man was tall and thin, with a smiling face, and seemed very amiable. Having made a good first impression, she decided to say a few more words and held up the plum blossom painting in her hand, asking, "Boss, how much is this painting?"

"500 per piece, but this is a set, not sold individually."

Upon hearing the price, Su Fengnan had a better understanding of the situation. It would take several more years for Yi Lian Lao Ren's paintings to become widely popular; currently, only a small circle of people recognized their value, and the general public was unaware of them. This price was within her budget, but in business, one always needs to negotiate.

She said "Oh," put down the plum blossom painting, and continued flipping through the remaining paintings. When her gaze fell on the last ink wash landscape, her heart skipped a beat.

This is the pinnacle of Master Yilian's later years!

"Boss, how much is this?"

When the shopkeeper saw that she was asking about the ink-splatter painting that looked like a ghost's scribbles, he quoted a price that shocked Su Fengnan: "If you want this one, take it for 300 yuan. Many people don't understand this kind of painting, nor do they like it."

Su Fengnan cursed inwardly: What a waste, brother! This is the most valuable piece! A full four-foot ink wash landscape painting would cost at least hundreds of thousands or even millions to sell in a few years.

Suppressing her overwhelming joy, she calmly asked, "Boss, those four plum blossom paintings at 500 each are a bit expensive. Can you give me a discount?"

The shop owner was somewhat surprised. He had only mentioned it casually, not expecting a young girl to actually buy anything. His younger brother wasn't home today, and there wasn't a single customer in the shop. He was just about to chat with this pretty girl to pass the time.

"Little sister, are you really going to buy it?"

"Is it not allowed?" Su Fengnan looked at him with feigned confusion.

"Hehe, of course. If you really like it, I'll give you a 10% discount."

Su Fengnan's fingers gently caressed the backpack straps, neither bargaining nor expressing her opinion, but simply staring at the painting in deep thought.

Seeing her silence, the shop owner tentatively asked, "Little sister, is it because you don't have enough money?"

Su Fengnan nodded, a perfectly timed look of grievance appearing on her face: "Boss, can you make it any cheaper?"

Boss: "..." We haven't even opened for business yet. This young lady really likes it. Should we let her have it again?

"Alright, fine, I'll give you a 20% discount, that's the lowest I can go. Consider it my first sale."

"Thank you, boss." Su Fengnan smiled, her sweet smile brightening the boss's mood.

"I'm giving you such a great price, so remember to patronize my business next time!"

"I'll definitely come once I've saved enough money," Su Fengnan readily agreed.

"Should we wrap up this ink splash painting as well?"

Su Fengnan feigned hesitation, glanced at the splashed-ink landscape painting again, and then nodded: "Never mind, let's wrap them up together."

After packing and paying, Su Fengnan took the painting and left the antique market with light steps.

She had barely left when the real owner of the calligraphy and painting shop—his younger brother—returned.

"You're finally back. I just opened a shop for you." The man placed the money from the sale of the paintings on the table.

The shop owner took the money, counting it as he casually asked, "What did you sell?"

"Five paintings, four of them plum blossoms, and one ink splash." The man sat at the tea table, leisurely taking a sip of tea.

"What?!" The man's hand, which was counting money, suddenly stopped.

He hurriedly put down the money and rushed to the cabinet to search. After looking through it all, he still couldn't find the paintings.

"What's wrong with you? I just helped you sell a few paintings, is it really that big of a deal?" the man asked, puzzled.

"Hey bro, those paintings are pretty good! If you don't know anything about them, don't sell them!" The shop owner was so anxious he was practically spitting out words.

The man was a little angry, but knowing he was in the wrong, he lowered his voice and asked, "Then count, did you lose money?"

"I didn't lose money, but I didn't make any either. I wasted my time as a porter." The shop owner sighed, looking dejected.

"I saw that the paintings you usually sell cost several hundred yuan each, so I thought..." The man couldn't finish his sentence.

"The ones I usually sell are just practice pieces by college students. They only sell for a few hundred because the buyers don't know anything about art. Sigh..." The shop owner glanced at him. "I think the plum blossoms are alright, but that ink splash painting looks like scribbles. I don't see what's so good about it."