"White Lion, come back!"
Zhuang Rui was startled and quickly put down what he was holding on the table next to him. He rushed forward, hugged the white lion's big head, and whispered words to comfort the little guy. The cashier was already stunned and lay on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
"Brother Zhuang, is that a Tibetan Mastiff? Wow, it's really powerful. If it had been here that day, even three robbers wouldn't have stood a chance."
Only after the white lion calmed down did the people around come to their senses and begin to praise it. At this moment, the white lion was lying obediently at Zhuang Rui's feet, as docile as a pet dog, showing no trace of the violent killing intent it had just displayed.
Zhuang Rui looked at the little white lion with some helplessness. The little guy's usual docile appearance sometimes made Zhuang Rui almost forget that it was a snow mountain mastiff king. It would only show a hint of ferocity when it felt offended. It was alright now that Zhuang Rui was there to watch over it, but if Zhuang Rui wasn't around, the little guy would definitely bite without hesitation.
"Manager Zhuang, please have some tea."
After the cashiers finished their handover, they all said goodbye and left. The huge pawnshop was empty except for the two security guards. At this moment, Xu Ling brought over a cup of tea and looked at Zhuang Rui timidly, looking pitiful. Her once frizzy hair, which was comparable to a white lion's, was now straightened, making her look much more comfortable than before.
"Okay, thank you. You can go ahead with your work. Has Uncle De arrived yet?"
Zhuang Rui accepted the tea politely. He was puzzled. Logically, the handover of money was the cashier's job, and Xu Ling had left early on the day of the incident. It could be considered dereliction of duty. He was surprised that she hadn't been fired and was still allowed to continue in the cashier's position. Zhuang Rui couldn't understand it.
"Manager Zhuang, Uncle De hasn't arrived yet, but judging from the time, he should be here soon."
Xu Ling answered Zhuang Rui's question cautiously. For some reason, Zhuang Rui seemed much more dignified than before when she saw him this time, and he had a lot of the air of a leader. This kind of temperament was obviously not formed by Zhuang Rui wearing a suit.
"Xiao Zhuang, you've become a manager now, and you still arrive at work earlier than this old man. Not bad, hehe..."
Uncle De's hearty laughter came from the doorway, and Zhuang Rui hurriedly went to greet him. Uncle De was wearing an old-fashioned blue robe and a mandarin jacket, with cloth shoes on his feet. He was in good spirits and had a somewhat otherworldly air about him.
"Hey, this little guy's pretty good. Where did you get him, Xiao Zhuang?"
Uncle De looked at White Lion with a serious expression on his face. His insight was far superior to that of the other guards, and he immediately recognized White Lion's extraordinary nature.
"Uncle De, that's a long story. I've also brought you some nice items; please take a look."
Zhuang Rui replied with a smile that Uncle De always treated him like a junior member of the family. Zhuang Rui also held Uncle De in high esteem.
"Oh, it seems you've really figured it out. In our antique business, it's not just about fighting against the heavens, but even more so against people. There's endless fun in it. Come on, let's go to your office and have a good chat, you and I."
Uncle De waved his hand, signaling Zhuang Rui to take the things, and went upstairs first.
The pawnshop has two floors. The first floor is the lobby and cash collection area, and there is also a forfeited pawn section in one corner. However, since the robbery, the forfeited pawn section has been moved to the second floor. There are security guards at the entrance of the staircase leading from the first floor to the second road.
Besides a section set aside for the sale of forfeited pawned items, the second floor also housed the offices of several appraisers and the manager. Uncle De used to be the manager of the pawnshop, so the room with the sign "Manager's Office" had never been used. Knowing that Zhuang Rui was about to start work, Uncle De had that office cleaned up.
Pushing open the office door, Zhuang Rui was greeted by a large, impressive executive desk with a brand-new computer on it. To the right of the desk was a row of circular sofas surrounding a transparent teapot. After walking around, Zhuang Rui noticed that the office also had a restroom and a small lounge where one could take a nap at lunchtime.
"So, Xiao Zhuang, this office is much better than my old man's. Doesn't it feel good to be the manager?"
Uncle De, seeing Zhuang Rui's delighted expression, jokingly remarked.
"Uncle De, that's too kind of you. How about we switch places?"
Zhuang Rui quickly spoke up.
"No, this is fine. I'm not comfortable sitting in this chair. Come on, let me see what you brought."
Uncle De shook his head. His office was decorated in a classical style and filled with all kinds of genuine and fake antiques. He liked to stay in that kind of atmosphere.
"Uncle De, let's chat and see. I'm completely clueless about this manager position. You must give me some pointers. Otherwise, you should take over the manager's position."
Zhuang Rui chuckled and closed the door first, then put the things he was carrying on the coffee table. His experience was far too limited; without Uncle De's support, he probably wouldn't be able to hold down the manager's position.
"Huh? Xiao Zhuang, didn't you say you only had one couplet with the word 'generous'? Where did this purple clay teapot come from? I feel like I've seen it at someone's place before. Wait a minute, let me think..."
Uncle De didn't stand on ceremony and opened the wooden box that Zhuang Rui had brought. He was stunned when he saw the eleven-piece set of purple clay teapots. After regaining his senses, he immediately picked up the teapot and examined it carefully. Zhuang Rui didn't say anything. Seeing an electric kettle in the room, he got up and filled it with water from the water dispenser and started boiling it.
"Hey, I just remembered! Isn't this that old 'money-grubbing' guy's stuff? How did it end up in your hands?"
Uncle De slammed his large, veiny hands down on the coffee table, startling Zhuang Rui, who was boiling water. Even the white lion that had been lying at the door since they entered the house suddenly stood up, letting out a low growl.
Zhuang Rui quickly went over and checked the coffee table. Luckily, the glass was quite thick; otherwise, he would have smashed it.
"Uncle De, you have to be careful. It's not a big deal if the coffee table breaks, but it would be a real shame if you hurt your hand."
“I already said I don’t like this damn office. Why not use a perfectly good wooden table instead of these broken glass things? By the way, Xiao Zhuang, was I right? This set of teapots should have been brought by Zhu Kexin to the National Arts and Crafts Conference in 1953. I saw it in the hands of that old geezer Qian Yaosi.”
Uncle De complained a few times, his eyes fixed on Zhuang Rui, waiting for him to give an answer. Zisha (purple clay) objects also belong to miscellaneous items. Uncle De had immersed himself in this field for decades and was confident that he would not be wrong.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui was filled with admiration for Uncle De. In less than three minutes, Uncle De had not only explained the origins of the teapot perfectly, but also its source. Such skill was something that Zhuang Rui, who could only distinguish between genuine and fake teapots, could not fake.
"You're absolutely right. This item is the prize I won in my bet with Manager Qian. I bet the old man is still feeling the pinch right now."
Zhuang Rui gave Uncle De a thumbs up, and then recounted his experience of visiting the Confucius Temple Antique Market. Of course, he couldn't mention the supernatural ability in his eyes. Zhuang Rui only said that when he picked up the purple clay teapot, Manager Qian's eyes looked a little flustered, which was how he won the bet.
"Good! Good! Well won! That old bastard is like a greedy pig, once something gets into his hands, it only goes in and never comes out, unless you pay for it. If you want to trade it, there's no way. I never thought he would fall into your hands. Good, next time I see that old bastard, I'll definitely give him a piece of my mind."
Uncle De seemed to have some grudge against Qian Yaosi, but at this moment he was laughing heartily, and the wrinkles on his face were smoothed out. Judging from his appearance, he was probably happier than if he had drunk honey.
After laughing at Qian Yaosi, Uncle De said to Zhuang Rui, "Come on, bring out your old dzi bead and let Uncle De take a look."
If you were to ask Zhuang Rui who he trusted most, Uncle De would definitely be one of them. After spending more than a year with him, Zhuang Rui knew that the old man was kind to him purely out of love and care, without any ulterior motives involved. So, upon hearing this, he took off the dzi bead bracelet without hesitation and handed it to Uncle De.
Uncle De waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Put it on the coffee table. I don't handle this item."
It seems that Uncle De was also aware of the taboo surrounding dzi beads.
Just then, the water in the electric kettle boiled and started beeping. Zhuang Rui quickly went over and unplugged it. Suddenly, his cell phone rang in his pocket. Zhuang Rui took it out and saw that it was an unfamiliar local number from Zhonghai. Without thinking much about it, he pressed the answer button.
"Hello, are you Zhuang Rui? This is Miao Feifei..."
The female voice coming from the phone left Zhuang Rui completely confused. Who was Miao Feifei?
Chapter 147 Teachings
Zhuang Rui has always had an excellent memory. He can remember any name or short number he has ever heard perfectly. However, the name "Miao Feifei" was completely unfamiliar to him. Zhuang Rui was certain that he had never heard of this name before. However, the voice on the phone sounded somewhat familiar.
"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? It's me, Miao Feifei."
The clear voice continued to come from the phone, as if Zhuang Rui should know who Miao Feifei was, "Sorry, you've dialed the wrong number, I don't know Miao... Wait, are you Officer Miao?"
Zhuang Rui was about to hang up when a pretty policewoman suddenly appeared in his mind. Combined with the familiar voice, he immediately guessed the other person's identity, and the word "you" instantly became "you" (formal).
Zhuang Rui's behavior greatly displeased Miao Feifei on the other end of the phone. She had to say his name twice before he remembered, which meant he hadn't paid any attention to her yesterday. However, Miao Feifei didn't consider that they were complete strangers, and yesterday's situation was like one being a soldier and the other a thief—they were trying to avoid each other, so who would bother to remember him?
"Hello, Officer Miao, how can I help you? By the way, how did you get my phone number?"
Zhuang Rui asked himself, from the moment he woke up this morning until now, he had absolutely not violated any traffic management regulations of the People's Republic of China. He wondered what this female police officer, who looked more like a security guard than a traffic police officer, wanted to see him about. Moreover, he was certain that this female police officer had not left her phone number yesterday.
"Well... it's nothing really. I just wanted to wander around Zhonghai, but I didn't know where to go. I was just calling to ask if you had time to come out with me. I hope I'm not bothering you?"
After saying these words, Miao Feifei felt awkward. She didn't mean anything by it, so why was it so hard to say? It felt like she was begging him.
Miao Feifei took five days off from her team under the pretext of a foot injury, intending to fly back to Beijing to meet up with her senior colleagues in the criminal investigation team. However, during a phone call with her father last night, he told her to rest properly and not to travel around. This angered Miao Feifei, and she had a big argument with her father on the phone. But she couldn't win against her father's authority, and ultimately, under his combination of threats and coaxing, she chose to stay in Zhonghai.
Miao Feifei is a lively person who can't stay at home. Now that she has taken five days off, she doesn't know what to do. She thought about it for half the night yesterday but couldn't come up with anything. This morning, when she saw Yang Wei's driver's license, she suddenly had an idea. That guy named Zhuang Rui doesn't seem so bad. She could ask him to be her tour guide and have a good time in Zhonghai for a few days.
You see, Miao Feifei has been working at Zhonghai for almost three months, holding a minor management position, and her daily life revolves around the office and home. Firstly, she has no time to travel, and secondly, she doesn't have anyone suitable to accompany her. Therefore, she hasn't even been to bustling places like Nanjing Road.
The reason Miao Feifei asked Zhuang Rui to accompany her was that she felt Zhuang Rui was honest and kind, and he spoke Northern Mandarin, which made communication very comfortable. At least she didn't have to guess what the other person meant. When she was at the traffic police station, Miao Feifei had to guess nine out of ten sentences when a group of local traffic police officers from Zhonghai were talking, and she couldn't understand them at all.
Although she didn't have Zhuang Rui and Yang Wei's contact information, this little thing was no problem for her. She made a call to the team, retrieved Yang Wei's information from the internal computer system, and got his phone number. Then Miao Feifei called Yang Wei and got Zhuang Rui's phone number from him. Yang Wei had drunk a bit too much the day before, and even after giving Zhuang Rui's phone number, he didn't know who was calling. He was lying on the bed, still fast asleep.
"Hey, are you listening? Don't get me wrong, I took a few days off, but my foot is fine now. I just wanted to go out with a friend. If you don't have time, that's fine."
Zhuang Rui was also puzzled on the other end of the phone. Going shopping with a buddy? This seemed unbelievable to him, so he was stunned for a moment. He didn't say anything until Miao Feifei's voice came through the phone again, which brought him back to his senses. He quickly said, "Officer Miao, it's definitely not possible during the day. I've been on leave for two months, and today is my first day back at work. I can't skip work. How about this, I'll treat you to dinner tonight. It'll be my way of apologizing to you on behalf of my classmate."
In the past two months, Zhuang Rui has certainly learned a lot and his emotional intelligence has improved significantly. If it were before, he would definitely have wondered if the pretty policewoman was interested in him. But now Zhuang Rui knows that things are just as Miao Feifei said. She was just bored and looking for someone to keep her company. Even if he didn't have any feelings for her, Zhuang Rui would feel embarrassed to refuse a beautiful woman's invitation. Besides, he also wanted to help his boss get his driver's license back.
"It wasn't you who hit me. Why should I apologize? Tell your classmate that he won't get his notebook back until he's practiced his skills. He's irresponsible with his own life, but I'm responsible for the safety of the general public. This is a matter of principle, no room for sentimentality. However, if you want to treat me to dinner, I can do you the honor. Well, we can go out for a walk after dinner. That's all. Give me your office address, and I'll come to see you tonight."
Miao Feifei's clear voice rattled off a string of words over the phone like a machine gun, giving Zhuang Rui no chance to interrupt. This made Zhuang Rui break out in a cold sweat. He had actually run into the legendary Beijing accent. This woman talked so much without pausing. It was such a pity that she became a traffic cop instead of a TV host.
Seeing that Uncle De had finished appraising the dzi beads and was brewing tea for him, Zhuang Rui didn't want to say anything more. He quickly gave the pawnshop's address and hung up the phone.
"So, it's a girl, right?"
Uncle De, though old, was still sharp-witted. He could tell from Zhuang Rui's expression at a glance that he had introduced Zhuang Rui to a girl before. However, the girl thought Zhuang Rui's position was too low and that he didn't own a house or a car in Zhonghai. After meeting Zhuang Rui twice, she disappeared without a trace, which made Uncle De very embarrassed.
"It's nothing, Uncle De. Don't look at me like that. It's not illegal to know a girl, is it? Oh, good tea, Uncle De. Where did you get this tea?"
Zhuang Rui sat down, picked up the lid of the purple clay teapot with two fingers, brought it close to his nose, and immediately a refreshing fragrance filled the air. He couldn't help but praise it.
"You're lucky, kid. An old friend came to see me yesterday and brought me some good tea. He brought some over today, and before I even got back to my office, you dragged me here."
Uncle De pointed to a package of opened cotton paper on the coffee table. Zhuang Rui looked closely and saw a small, dark thing about the size of a baby's palm in the middle of the paper. It didn't look like tea at all.
Zhuang Rui was somewhat incredulous that the enticing aroma he had just smelled could have come from this dark, unappetizing substance. After filling Uncle De's teacup with tea, he poured himself a cup as well. As soon as he took a sip, he was struck by an indescribable flavor that filled his taste buds.
The taste of this tea was unlike any other tea Zhuang Rui had ever tasted. When he first took a sip, it felt like he was drinking Chinese medicine. However, upon closer tasting, the rich and mellow aroma filled his mouth and tongue. The tea was smooth and had a sweet aftertaste, which immediately made Zhuang Rui feel his tongue moisten.
Bitterness is the original nature of tea. In ancient times, tea was called "bitter tea". The earliest wild tea was so bitter that it was hard to drink. It was bitter at first, but then it would be sweet. Zhuang Rui understood this principle. However, the taste of this tea was too strange at first, which made the sweetness he felt later also penetrate his heart.
"How about it, Xiao Zhuang? This tea has a very special flavor, doesn't it? Let me tell you, this is Pu'er tea. We don't drink it much around here, but this tea can be considered a collectible. Just this small piece of mine is worth tens of thousands of yuan. If it were a Pu'er tea brick left over from the Qing Dynasty, it would be priceless."
Uncle De's words startled Zhuang Rui. This tiny bit, probably weighing less than two ounces, could be worth tens of thousands of yuan. Did that mean he had drunk several hundred yuan in just one sip?
"Uncle De, is this tea really that expensive? Isn't everyone saying that new tea tastes the best?"
Zhuang Rui asked, somewhat puzzled.
"What you're talking about is just a simple beverage. Tea leaves like that would turn to ash after a hundred or two hundred years. But Pu'er tea is different. The longer it's stored, the richer and more mellow its aroma becomes. So it can also be collected as a collectible."
In 1963, when the Palace Museum was organizing its tea warehouse, it discovered that while other teas had turned to ash, only Pu'er teas, such as the "Longevity Dragon Ball" brick, remained intact. These are considered "breathing antiques" and "drinkable cultural relics." That Pu'er tea brick weighed only 2.5 kilograms, but when it was recently exhibited in Pu'er, its insurance premium alone reached 19.99 million yuan. You can imagine the intrinsic value of this tea.
Zhuang Rui was speechless upon hearing this. He had never imagined that even tea could be collected; his knowledge was truly too shallow.
"Xiao Zhuang, the answer to your question can be found in this tea. You're young, inexperienced, and lack a solid foundation—these are your weaknesses. However, I have faith in you because you have an exceptional ability to learn new things and a high level of comprehension. This is especially important. In the antique business, without luck and comprehension, you'll never truly understand it. Doing things is like drinking tea—bitter at first, then sweet. Those two 'sea turtles' (overseas returnees) definitely don't approve of you being in the manager's position. You need to learn to be patient, learn more, observe more, and speak less. When you have the ability, you can rise from the ashes and make a name for yourself. Do you understand what I mean?"
Zhuang Rui nodded heavily. Although he had no intention of staying here for long, the manager position would indeed help him mature. Whatever Zhuang Rui chose in the future, it would be beneficial.
"Uncle De, please tell me about the work I need to do now."
Zhuang Rui used to be in charge of finance, but he saw Uncle De drinking tea and chatting all day, so it seemed that the manager didn't need to do anything.
"Hehe, you're already eager to get into the role? Actually, our pawnshop only has five or six people, so it's quite simple to manage. The manager's main responsibility is to make external contacts and establish long-term, good cooperative relationships with auction houses. Since we are a subsidiary of an investment company, you also need to prepare an investment report, outlining a general investment strategy for the pawnshop's cash flow. Of course, with your finance background, this shouldn't be too difficult for you, Xiao Zhuang. If your investment suggestions are adopted and yield substantial returns, there's a considerable commission to be made. Those two guys have been eyeing this manager's position, mainly for that money."
Uncle De's words gave Zhuang Rui a general idea of his future work. He really didn't know that as the manager of a pawnshop, he could actually make investment advice on the pawnshop's own funds. Presumably, since the investment company had this rule, it would definitely take this advice seriously.
The two young men Uncle De mentioned were the other two pawnbrokers at the pawnshop. One of them was named Lai Jingdong. He rarely came down to the lobby and would go straight to his office on the second floor as soon as he started work. Although Zhuang Rui's finance office was also on the second floor, he had hardly ever seen him. The cashier, Xiaoling, and another girl privately told him that he was too lazy to move. Lai Jingdong specialized in appraising foreign art. There weren't many such items in the pawnshop, so he was relatively free and spent his days hiding in his office doing who-knows-what.
Another pawnbroker named Wang Yiding specializes in appraising domestic and international luxury goods. He often goes down to the lobby on the first floor, but he usually just jokes around with the sales staff in the unclaimed pawn section and rarely gives Zhuang Rui a second glance.
Both men were in their early thirties and had been in the industry for a while. They were both formally trained, but they were arrogant and had never been favored by Uncle De. However, there were quite a few people who came to pawn luxury goods, and they could occasionally see foreign artworks. Otherwise, Uncle De would have fired these two guys long ago.
"Uncle De, in which areas have you focused your investments previously?"
Zhuang Rui is quite optimistic about the real estate market. However, real estate investment involves a relatively large amount of money. Although he is very familiar with the amount of funds available in pawnshops, he cannot guarantee that his suggestions will be approved by higher authorities. Therefore, he wants to be on the safe side and ask Uncle De for advice first.