"3 million, will you sell?"
Chapter Seventy-Three: The Bet
Medical evidence shows that when a person is extremely angry, they often say surprising things. These can be divided into two main categories. The first category is the incomprehensible type. For example, back in my school days, a boy and a girl in my class were arguing. The girl, being the weaker party, suddenly pointed at the boy and said in a fit of anger, "You were born from your father and me..."
Everyone was stunned. What was even more surprising was that the boy hesitated for a moment, then immediately said, "Mom, I want to drink milk..." This was rather sinister.
Another type is the one where you lift a rock only to drop it on your own foot. For example, the other day I saw two people arguing on the street. Person A pointed at Person B and yelled, "I'll spit a face full of stinky dog shit on you..."
Old Master Gu probably belongs to the first type. The 3 million here can be seen as an interjection, which shows that the old man was quite angry with me.
My idea was to quickly say a few nice words and leave. But Old Master Gu wouldn't let me off the hook. The old guy must have practiced internal strength; I couldn't budge the box an inch with either hand. He looked at me and said in an unfriendly tone, "Young man, don't be too greedy. 3 million is not a small amount. I, Old Master Gu, always do business fairly and with a fixed price."
See, you've lost your mind in anger!
I smiled apologetically and said, "Please don't tease me. Someone is trying to frame me."
Grandpa Gu opened the box again, carefully took out the bottle, and gently stroked the cracks on it with his fingertips. I guessed that he would go berserk after touching all the cracks, so I quickly said, "This bottle used to be fine."
Grandpa Gu stared intently at the patterns on the bottle, then casually remarked, "Nonsense, of course I know it's good. Before it was broken, it was just an ordinary item, but after it broke, it's different—" Grandpa Gu looked up at me, who was still in a daze, and said, "Why don't you ask me why?"
"Oh...why?"
Grandpa Gu then continued to admire the bottle, saying, "This bottle isn't the work of any famous craftsman. Even if it were perfectly preserved, it would only be worth about 2 million. But the person who repaired it is different..." Grandpa Gu closed his eyes, carefully touching the bottom of the bottle with his fingers, and suddenly said, "This person is called Jin Dajian."
I was taken aback: "How did you know?"
Master Gu smiled slightly and said, "Famous craftsmen, out of pride, usually engrave their names on their works. I can't recall Jin Dajian right now, but he was definitely a person of superb skill. He engraved four characters on the bottom of the bottle: 'Jin Dajian Repaired'. The craft of repairing porcelain has basically been lost now. Jin Dajian should have been a contemporary of this bottle. His repair makes it exceptionally meaningful, which makes this item even more valuable."
Holy crap, so that's how it is. If it weren't for Master Gu showing off his expertise, I'd still be completely clueless. Old Jin really messed up this time. Luckily, Master Gu, that old-timer, knows his stuff, otherwise I'd be walking out of here today.
After Mr. Gu finished explaining the basics to me, he held the bottle and examined it endlessly. Finally, he exclaimed, "What's remarkable is that he repaired this crack so well that it looks like it was painted on—hey, are you going to sell it or not?"
"Sell! Absolutely sell!" I was just planning to sell the box for a couple thousand yuan and be lucky; I almost bought the box and returned the pearl.
“Xiaoqiang, this bottle might still fetch a good price if it ends up in the hands of someone who knows its value, but such people are hard to find these days. Selling it to me for 3 million is a fair return.”
I laughed and said, "That's right, that's right." I decided to smash all the pots and pans in the house and have Jin Dajian fix them. From now on, Grandpa Gu will be my long-term meal ticket.
Reluctantly, Grandpa Gu put the bottle back, capped it, and then instructed someone to prepare the money. I'd heard Tiger tell me that this old man was incredibly wealthy. His entire lineage consisted of prominent figures in old China; due to the turmoil, most had migrated abroad and settled. Strangely enough, Grandpa Gu was the only descendant of the Gu family, despite owning thousands of acres. At the age of 40, Grandpa Gu was still a carefree, rebellious type of hoodlum. Then one day, he received an obituary from a major capitalist country informing him that his second uncle had passed away, leaving him a $7 million inheritance. Before Grandpa Gu could even process the mix of sadness and joy, another obituary arrived from the second-largest capitalist country: his third uncle had died, leaving him an $18 million inheritance. Before Grandpa Gu could even calculate the equivalent in RMB, his fourth uncle, from a Southeast Asian country known for its transgender people, also passed away. This time it was far from enough, leaving only 30 million baht for Xiao Gu – his fourth uncle belonged to the poor class in the Gu family.
Xiao Gu has 7 uncles...
Every few years thereafter, with the arrival of an elite member of the Gu family, a large sum of money would appear in Master Gu's account. Master Gu's experiences filled him with profound emotions, leading him to a state of equanimity, unmoved by praise or blame. If his experiences were simply recorded truthfully, it would be a fantasy novel. Now, Master Gu is as calm as still water, finding pleasure in pretending to be blind to swindle small amounts of money, occasionally collecting antiques, and living a very carefree life.
I don't know why, but a lyric suddenly came to mind: "Suddenly one day, the slovenly guy changed; the king of slovenliness is no longer slovenly, and we all like him..."
But after a long time, the people I sent out still hadn't returned. I wondered if Old Gu was up to some trick. How could it take this long to transfer 3 million to someone worth two or three hundred million? Just then, two burly men returned carrying two large leather suitcases. At Old Gu's signal, they put the suitcases on the table and opened them: inside were piles of bright red banknotes!
I've handled millions of yuan, but those were just transfers of ownership—just a series of changing numbers. This was the first time I'd ever actually seen so much money. Bundles and bundles of RMB, stacked neatly like bricks in the boxes, bathed half the room in a red glow. No wonder things worth 10 million could be bought for 9 million in cash—the visual impact was immense!
I said, sweating profusely, "Mr. Gu, isn't this a bit much? Just transfer it to my account."
Old Master Gu said, "We men of the underworld do things honestly. If we put the money in your account, you won't even be able to buy an ice cream on the street."
I said, "Even if I carry these two boxes of money, I can't possibly buy popsicles."
Master Gu chuckled: "Let's order a little."
I immediately closed the box: "What are you ordering? Master Gu will only give more, not less."
Old Master Gu rolled his eyes and said, "Little brat, don't try to fool me. I won't acknowledge you once we're out this door."
I walked out carrying a suitcase in each hand, saying, "I'll accept it even if you don't acknowledge it. I won't ask you for it back even if it's a million or two less."
Old Master Gu sighed, "Your shamelessness reminds me of my younger days."
...
Once I stepped out the door, I was faced with a dilemma: where should I go first with this 3 million yuan? Go home? Tell Baozi I found it? I doubt she'd believe me…
Deposit it? That's even less worthwhile. Cash is so convenient. Besides, what if the bank targets me and sues me for having a huge amount of unexplained wealth when I go to withdraw the money?
After thinking it over, I decided to go back to the bar first, where I would at least feel safe. Now, I feel uneasy whenever I see someone with longer legs than me. If they steal just one of my suitcases, I will lose at least 1.5 million, because if I want to catch up with them, I would have to put down the suitcase I'm holding, and I, who am well aware of the "bear breaking corn" principle, will not do that.
Instead of taking a taxi, I hired a motorcycle taxi. That's where my cleverness lay. Not only does a motorcycle taxi offer a wide field of vision, but no one would suspect that the person riding it was carrying 3 million yuan in cash.
I arrived at the bar entrance with a pounding heart and saw a group of workers standing around the large vat I had just bought, each holding a paper cup. A migrant worker wearing a hard hat was climbing on the rim of the vat, scooping water and liquor from his own large enamel mug and pouring it for them to drink. Passersby on the street were glancing at us as if we were some kind of rarity.
I didn't have time to think about anything else. Once inside the bar, I found Zhu Gui and asked him for the key to the manager's office safe. I put the money in, and immediately felt a wave of relief. The entire bar was filled with the rich aroma of alcohol, intoxicatingly so. Yang Zhi and Zhang Qing, unable to stay still, had gone out for a stroll, taking Li Jingshui and Wei Tiezhu with them.
Sun Sixin, resting his chin on his hand, watched the workers drink our homemade liquor through the glass. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Oh no! General Manager Chen is here!"
"Which Chen..." I started to ask but then realized: Chen Kejiao had arrived.
Chen Kejiao stepped out of her little car, looking around in confusion, probably thinking she had parked in the wrong place. Only when she saw the words "Reverse Time" did she realize she hadn't gone to the wrong place. She immediately spotted the large vat by the entrance, her high heels clicking as she quickly walked over. Looking up at the workers at the vat's opening, she asked, "Hey, what are you doing?"
"Want a drink?" the worker said, bending down and patting the "Free Sample" sign on the vat. "It's free to drink, want a glass?"
At this moment, Sun Sixin and I came out. Chen Kejiao pointed at a group of workers, looked at me, and was so angry that she couldn't speak, repeating over and over, "You...you..."
"Come in, come in." I gave her a fawning smile and pushed her inside. Then I asked the migrant worker, "Hey buddy, how's the food?"
"It's delicious! It's sweet and spicy, and cool too. It's really refreshing."
Sun Sixin introduced them: "This is our person in charge."
The man on the rim of the vat said, "Thank you, brother. Will you drink for free again next time?"