The jujube and osmanthus trees in the yard have also started to sprout. I believe that in a few more days, the garden will be full of spring colors. With these two gardens, there is no need to go out for a spring outing. You can see everything from home.
Zhuang Rui also instructed Peng Fei to buy some pigeons to raise in the front yard. He really liked the "cooing" sound made by the pigeons, especially the "whooshing" sound made by the whistles under their feet after they flew into the sky, which gave off a strong sense of old Beijing mansions. This kind of life was exactly what Zhuang Rui longed for.
"Zhuang Rui, do you think we look like an old man and woman in their seventies or eighties? Just staying at home all day doing nothing?"
Qin Xuanbing leaned half of her body against Zhuang Rui, talking to him languidly. After these few days of Zhuang Rui's care, Qin Xuanbing became even more radiant and beautiful. Every move she made had a mesmerizing quality. Even Zhuang Rui found it hard to resist Qin Xuanbing's charm.
"If I had a beautiful old lady like you, I'd be happy to stay at home..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and replied, pulling Qin Xuanbing closer by his right arm around her waist. He then asked, "What's wrong? Want to go out and do something?"
"Yeah, being too idle isn't good either. Eating and sleeping all day, sleeping and eating, you're going to gain weight..."
Qin Xuanbing ran her hand through her hair, and a gentle breeze caused her long hair to flutter, creating an indescribable charm that left Zhuang Rui almost mesmerized.
"You idiot, what are you thinking about?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui's lecherous look, Qin Xuanbing couldn't help but pinch the soft flesh on Zhuang Rui's waist. She also realized that there was something wrong with what she had just said, and a blush instantly rose on her fair face.
The two of them have been exercising in bed almost as much as they've been sleeping these past few days. Gaining weight? That's practically impossible. I've never heard of that kind of activity burning a lot of calories.
"It's good to be a little chubby, so cute to be plump like a little girl..."
Zhuang Rui gave Qin Xuanbing a wicked smile and kissed her on the cheek. Startled, Qin Xuanbing quickly pushed Zhuang Rui away and glanced around. The two hadn't even registered their marriage yet. Although everyone knew this, Qin Xuanbing was still a little embarrassed to be intimate in public.
"How about this, Xuanbing, if you're really bored, you can design some jade jewelry. I have quite a few rough stones that haven't been cut open yet. When we get two pieces, we can make jewelry specifically for your designs. What do you think?"
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and decided that he still needed to find something for Qin Xuanbing to do. Otherwise, the two of them were only in their early twenties, and they couldn't just live like those old men and women, wasting their lives.
Another reason is that although Luo Jiang's jade carving skills are superb, his jewelry design skills are still slightly inferior to those of professionals.
Currently, most of the items carved by Luo Jiang are common items like the twelve zodiac animals. Qin Ruilin's shop has very few distinctive jade jewelry pieces, and Qin Xuanbing is able to fill this gap perfectly.
"Great, if only there were top-quality jadeite like the purple-eyed variety..."
Qin Xuanbing was immediately delighted upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, but her reply made Zhuang Rui smile wryly. Among so many rough stones at the Myanmar jade auction, not a single piece of top-quality purple jade was found; it's not something that's easy to come by.
"You couldn't buy a single purple eye even if you sold your husband. Wait, I need to take this call..."
Zhuang Rui made a joke to Qin Xuanbing when his phone suddenly rang.
"Hey, is this Brother Zhuang? It's me, Da Xiong. I... I just wanted to ask when we two brothers start work?"
When Zhuang Rui heard Da Xiong's voice on the phone, he was stunned for a moment. These past two days, he had been spending time with his mother and Qin Xuanbing at the courtyard house, and he had completely forgotten about taking Da Xiong and Monkey to Panjiayuan.
Zhuang Rui glanced at his watch; it was 11 a.m. Since Uncle De was returning to Zhonghai tomorrow, Zhuang Rui had specially invited him to lunch at his home. He figured they wouldn't be going to Panjiayuan until the afternoon, so he said into the phone, "Da Xiong, I'll take you two to the shop this afternoon. By the way, is Xiao Jing at work yet?"
On the day of Zhuang Rui's engagement, he introduced Xiao Jing to Manager Wu. He left the arrangements to Manager Wu, but he hadn't inquired about it for the past two days and didn't know if Manager Wu had made the arrangements yet.
"Brother Zhuang, Xiao Jing went to work yesterday, she's doing great. My brother and I both went to check on her..."
Da Xiong was quite excited when he heard that Zhuang Rui was going to take them to the store that afternoon.
They'd been in Beijing for about a week, and were getting a bit tired of wandering around. Plus, after witnessing Zhuang Rui's engagement that day, the two brothers were eager to get to work and make a good impression. Besides, Zhuang Rui had promised them a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan, so starting work a day earlier meant getting paid a day earlier.
"Okay, I'll pick you up this afternoon and call you when I get there..."
Zhuang Rui hung up the phone. He realized that he had really fallen into a trance these past few days, neglecting his work and not even knowing whether Zhao Hanxuan's shop was finished being renovated.
"Let's go out for a walk this afternoon. I opened an antique shop. Oh, and I also need to buy you a car when I have time. I'll go with you to choose what kind of car you like..."
Seeing that Qin Xuanbing looked confused, Zhuang Rui explained a few things to her. Qin Xuanbing had also been feeling a bit down these past few days, so she smiled and nodded in agreement.
Love also has an expiration date. Couples in love feel that everything about each other is perfect, but if they spend too much time together, all sorts of flaws will probably appear. This is why Zhuang Rui and Qin Xuanbing can be so passionate when they meet again after a period of separation.
More than half an hour later, Peng Fei drove Uncle De to the courtyard house.
Ouyang Wan knew that Uncle De had always treated his son as a nephew and respected him greatly. She specially cooked a table full of dishes herself, and Zhuang Rui had a few drinks with Uncle De at noon.
"Uncle De, you're going too? Okay, then let's take two cars and go together..."
After dinner, Zhuang Rui originally intended to take Uncle De back to the hotel, but when Uncle De heard that he was going to Panjiayuan, he also wanted to go and have a look. So Zhuang Rui simply drove his Audi with Qin Xuanbing and Uncle De, and had Peng Fei drive the empty Grand Cherokee to pick up Da Xiong and Monkey.
"Hey, this is way bigger than our Pengcheng antique market..."
Upon arriving at Panjiayuan, Da Xiong and Monkey stared wide-eyed at the crowded throng. The two were wondering if performing a double act in Panjiayuan would surely boost their business compared to Pengcheng.
"Alright, from now on you'll just stay here all the time. You'll have plenty to see..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and led the group toward his shop, which was located in the middle of Panjiayuan, in one of the busiest spots. If Zhao Hanxuan hadn't wanted to transfer the shop and its goods together, Zhuang Rui wouldn't have gotten this bargain.
Upon arriving at his own shop, Zhuang Rui noticed that the signboard had been replaced with the work of a master calligrapher. On the dark, heavy plaque, the three large characters "Xuanrui Zhai" were written in a flamboyant and elegant style.
Chapter 565 The Partner
When Uncle De and the others saw Zhuang Rui stop and look up at the signboard, they also stopped and looked up. However, the dark and heavy signboard gave each of them completely different thoughts.
With Da Xiong and the monkey's eyesight, they could at most recognize what these three characters were. As for the quality of the calligraphy, Da Xiong could still tell a little, but the monkey was completely clueless. He looked at it for a long time but couldn't figure it out. It seemed to be no different from the signs of the previous shops.
As for Qin Xuanbing, she felt a sweet warmth in her heart when she saw the sign. Although the grass radical of her name had been removed, the three characters "Xuanrui Zhai" clearly took one character each from her and Zhuang Rui's names, and its meaning was self-evident.
Women are always easily moved, and Zhuang Rui's efforts were not in vain. At least Qin Xuanbing is now sweeter than if she had drunk honey water. She is already considering whether to grant Zhuang Rui's wish tonight for the few embarrassing things she refused yesterday.
"Xiao Rui, how did you manage to get this person to write the shop name for you? I heard the old man isn't in very good health and rarely writes for others these days..."
As the saying goes, the layman sees the spectacle, while the expert sees the details. Uncle De could tell from the size and order of the font on this signboard that it wasn't copied from somewhere else; it was indeed specially written by that calligraphy master.
Nowadays, some businesses, in order to attract customers, often use characters written by celebrities to make rubbings and then connect them to form the signs or sentences they need. However, the standardization of those characters is far inferior to that of specially written characters, and experts can tell the difference at a glance.
"A while ago, I went with Teacher Jin to pay New Year's respects to the master. He seemed to be in good spirits, so we asked him for two pieces of calligraphy..."
Zhuang Rui replied with a smile, his expression quite proud. Due to health reasons, the old gentleman had rarely picked up a brush in recent years, so his two pieces of calligraphy were definitely an exception. There are many shops in Panjiayuan that use the master's inscription as their signs, but his signs written by the master after the age of 90 are definitely unique.
"Oh, I remember now, the calligraphy you wrote on your engagement day was also by a master. You fat Jin, you didn't even tell me that your teacher is feeling better. I was afraid of disturbing the master, so I didn't dare to visit you..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Uncle De immediately cursed Fatty Jin indignantly. He and the master were old acquaintances; Uncle De had known the master since Fatty Jin was still wearing open-crotch pants. This time, when he came to Beijing to visit relatives and friends, he was afraid that the master was not in good health, so he did not dare to disturb him at home.
"Boss, you've arrived! Why are you standing at the door? Please come in..."
Zhuang Rui and his group stood at the door, blocking the shop entrance. When Zhao Hanxuan saw Zhuang Rui inside, he quickly greeted him. After more than half a month of adjustment, his mentality had basically changed, and he had temporarily adapted to the identity of going from boss to employee.
"Old Zhao, you're very efficient..."
Zhuang Rui greeted Zhao Hanxuan with a smile and led everyone into the store. What greeted them was a row of glass counters, seven or eight meters long, which were exquisitely crafted.
Inside the display case, there is a small spotlight every few centimeters. This is a common technique used by jewelry retailers. Under the illumination of these strong lights, even jewelry of average quality can shine with dazzling brilliance.
The layout of the entire shop has also changed. The most prominent place is now reserved for the jewelry counter, while the stationery is placed on both sides. Several ancient inkstones are displayed in the jewelry counter, and these items can be considered antiques.
Zhao Hanxuan's business relies heavily on repeat customers, so he doesn't need a signboard or storefront to attract them. Judging from the people buying stationery, business seems to be doing quite well.
It's clear that Zhao Hanxuan put a lot of thought into getting these things done in just over ten days.
"Boss, how is it? Are you satisfied? By the way, that's a copy of the new shop's business license hanging over there. I've corrected it all. I'll get the original for you later..."
The reason Zhao Hanxuan didn't call Zhuang Rui was that he wanted Zhuang Rui to come and see the changes here so that he could have a direct understanding of his own abilities. Regardless of whether he would start his own business again in the future, he was working for Zhuang Rui now, so he naturally had to be worthy of the tens of thousands of yuan he received every month.
Zhuang Rui nodded, walked behind the shop counter, and looked at the business license hanging on the wall. The legal representative's name had been changed to his own, which meant that if anything happened to Xuanrui Zhai in the future, Zhuang Rui would be responsible.
"That's right, Lao Zhao. Let me introduce you. This is my teacher, Uncle De from Zhonghai, and this is my wife..."
Zhuang Rui's words made Qin Xuanbing blush. In Hong Kong, people usually introduce their wives or madams, but the word "daughter-in-law" sounded much more intimate and full of life.
After Uncle De and Qin Xuanbing had greeted Zhao Hanxuan, Zhuang Rui pointed to Daxiong and said, "His name is Daxiong, he's my friend. From now on, he'll be learning about writing implements from you. If you think he's acceptable, he can be your disciple or apprentice, as long as he understands a bit about this industry..."
The antique trade can be simple in some ways, but it can also be extremely complex. No one can become an expert in appraising certain items simply by looking at pictures in books. To master a subject, one needs the guidance of a teacher.
However, many modern antique appraisal experts are like old craftsmen who cherish their knowledge and are unwilling to pass on their experience to newcomers. It is not uncommon for apprentices to teach their masters but the apprentices starve to death. The meaning behind Zhuang Rui's words to Zhao Hanxuan was also to subtly ask Zhao Hanxuan to pass on some genuine knowledge to Da Xiong.
"Okay, this is what we agreed on, Old Zhao, I definitely won't hold anything back..."
After sizing up Da Xiong, Zhao Hanxuan readily agreed. This was because Da Xiong looked rather honest and made a good first impression. If Zhao Hanxuan had known that Da Xiong used to be a swindler in the antique market, he probably wouldn't have agreed so readily, since he himself had been badly swindled by these swindlers.
"Teacher Zhao, I can start work today. You can arrange whatever you want, I'm fine with anything..."
Da Xiong, quick-witted as ever, stepped forward and bowed deeply to Zhao Hanxuan, performing the apprenticeship ceremony first. This pleased Zhao Hanxuan, who said, "Start as a shop assistant. In our line of work, it's all about reading people and figuring out whether they have a desire to buy something. You have to get that out in a few words and then introduce the products based on their needs. Da Xiong, you can learn these things slowly. First, familiarize yourself with the Four Treasures of the Study, and then I'll give you a price list to get a feel for the market. It's not that complicated. Go change your clothes and follow Xiao Wang; see how he talks to customers..."
As Zhao Hanxuan spoke, he called over one of his former employees, Xiao Wang, and had him take Zhao Hanxuan to the back to change clothes. These employees were all wearing long robes and mandarin jackets, which was a characteristic of Panjiayuan; basically, every shop dressed like that.
To be honest, once Da Xiong changed his clothes, he really looked the part. He was completely different from the person who used to wear a cotton-padded jacket and set up a stall at the Pengcheng Antique Market. Especially his smile, which was even more honest than when he was performing a double act. He was definitely the kind of person who was kind on the outside but ruthless on the inside.
In fact, when it comes to the skill of tailoring one's approach to different people, Da Xiong is probably no less capable than the two current shop assistants. After all, he and Monkey have been in the antique market for several years, and quite a few people have fallen victim to their charade. They are not lacking in experience, which is the main reason why Zhuang Rui asked these two brothers to help.
"Brother Zhuang, Teacher Zhao, I'm going to work with Brother Wang now..."
After greeting Zhuang Rui and Zhao Hanxuan, Da Xiong followed Xiao Wang to serve the customers. The store was quite busy today, and the two employees were a bit overwhelmed. Zhao Hanxuan himself had been serving the customers.
"Old Zhao, this guy's name is Monkey. He'll be in charge of the jewelry and antiques business from now on. I'll come over and teach him when I have time. But in the shop, Da Xiong and Monkey will be under your supervision. When there's no one around in the antiques section, have him help sell some stationery items. Also, give these two some pointers on the ways of the trade..."
After Da Xiong left, Zhuang Rui introduced Monkey to Zhao Hanxuan. Monkey wasn't as steady as Da Xiong, but he was very sweet-talking. He could just set the prices for the antiques and jewelry and let Zhao Hanxuan sell them according to his prices. There was no need for Monkey to have the ability to authenticate the antiques.
"Alright, you should go change your clothes too, and learn from those two first..."
Zhao Hanxuan nodded in agreement.
The monkey went in and changed into a long robe. Although he didn't appear as composed as Nobita, he exuded a cleverness and had the air of an antique shop assistant from before the liberation.
Sure enough, as soon as someone entered the shop, the monkey immediately bowed and went up to greet them, leading them to the inkstone area in just a few words.
"Boss, the two people you found are both quite good..."
Zhao Hanxuan also realized that when it came to reading people's expressions, his two former companions were probably no match for Da Xiong and Monkey.
"Hehe, they used to run stalls in the antique market for a few years, so they're familiar with these things, but their professional knowledge is lacking. Old Zhao, you should give them more guidance in the future..."
Zhuang Rui didn't intend to hide anything from Zhao Hanxuan, so he briefly explained their backgrounds. These things were obvious, and others could tell even if he didn't say anything.
"Uncle De, please have a seat. I brought some things; let me set them up first..."
After settling the two of them, Zhuang Rui invited Uncle De to sit down in the tea room where guests were entertained in the shop, while he took out the more than thirty antiques and jewelry he was carrying with him.
Chapter 566 A Joyful Celebration Upon Opening the Door
The dozens of antiques Zhuang Rui brought this time included not only jewelry and jade, but also items such as tortoiseshell ruyi scepters, gold hairpins for women, and pearl flowers—basically miscellaneous items.
These items can all be categorized as miscellaneous antiques. Zhuang Rui didn't take the boxes from Qin Ruilin, as putting these items in boxes would lower their quality. After opening the counter with the key Zhao Hanxuan gave him, he placed the items one by one inside the counter.
When the monkey saw Zhuang Rui tidying up the antique counter, it quickly came over, as this was where it would be busy from now on.
After placing them in place, Zhuang Rui turned on the spotlights, and the somewhat old jewelry inside immediately shone with a dazzling light, attracting some customers who were selecting stationery to come over and take a look.