Scratching his head, he muttered, "Of course I can do it, but why can't I even see it? Even if I know it's fake, I won't say anything!"
"Second rule." Zhou Xuan glanced at his watch; it was 11:30 a.m. "It's 11:30 now. You drive the goods to He Laosan's place, and then at 4:30 p.m. sharp, you go to He Laosan's place to pick up the goods. Remember what I said, it must be at 4:30 p.m., no later than 4:30 p.m., understand?"
He nodded and said, "I remember, go to He Laosan's place to pick up the goods at 4:30."
Zhou Xuan continued, "Thirdly, when you go to He Laosan's place, tell him exactly what I said: leave the goods with him until the foreigner comes to pick them up. Remember, you have to say it like this: don't give the goods to anyone else, just the foreigner. Because we've received his deposit, the price must be 2.8 million, not a penny less. Then make it clear to him that you'll pick up the goods at 4:30 this afternoon. If the foreigner doesn't come to pick them up, you can deliver the goods to him tomorrow. Of course, I'll deliver them to you when I come here tomorrow."
I was getting confused. "You're going around in circles with me. Are you sending it over or picking it up? You keep saying you're sending it over and picking it up, and you even want to set a specific time!"
"Boss, if you can't remember, then forget it, and we can't try this method!" Zhou Xuan said calmly.
**Quickly said, "Okay, okay, I'll remember, I'll remember. Damn it, little brother, say it again."** Zhou Xuan then explained it carefully again, and asked, "Do you understand?"
She counted on her fingers and said, "First, you can't look at it. Send it to He Laosan's place. Second, pick it up at 4:30 this afternoon. Third, don't sell it to anyone else. Only sell it to foreigners. The price is two to eight million, not a penny less. Is that right?" After saying that, she looked at Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan nodded with a grin, "That's right, that's how it is. But I reckon when you go to He Laosan's place at 4:30 this afternoon, he might offer you 2.8 million or even more to buy it for you. Tell me, boss, does He Laosan have any influence?"
He nodded and said, "Of course, he's a well-known figure in Panjiayuan. If he really was involved in this matter, I'm afraid I'll be completely outmaneuvered. There's no one like him!"
Zhou Xuan lowered his head and pondered for a while, then looked up and said, "Boss, here's what we'll do: when you go there at 4:30 this afternoon, don't agree to anything he says. Make sure you get the goods back, and then tell him definitively that you'll definitely deliver them to him again tomorrow morning. I'll arrange this. I'll come to your house again tomorrow morning. Make sure you wait until I get there before we talk, okay?"
"Why wait until tomorrow morning? Old He is a shrewd fellow. He wouldn't be buying our counterfeit goods, would he? Besides, I've made counterfeits before. It's not something you can do in a day or two. It's meticulous and time-consuming work. To make a counterfeit of this bronze cauldron, it would take at least ten days to half a month. And what I don't understand is, if Old He is willing to pay two million eight hundred thousand, why wouldn't I sell it? Is there really such a good deal?"
Of course, there was reason to think that way. He never dreamed that Zhou Xuan would have such a strange ability, and the methods Zhou Xuan described were all rather unbelievable. Only a fool would fall for it, right? But at this moment, having no other choice, he couldn't help but be convinced by Zhou Xuan's words.
As he walked into the living room, he spat out a curse. How could he have walked right into such an obvious trap? Damn it! The first thing that made him tempted was He Laosan's statement that it was 99% genuine. Then, what really got to him was the foreigner's promise to buy the property for 2.8 million and then throw out a 50,000 yuan deposit, which completely stunned him!
Now that I think about it, it's all so meticulously planned, one link after another, perfectly connected. It was a complete scheme. That He Laosan was really ruthless. I'd built up quite a relationship with him over the years, we must have had some good relations, right?
He sighed. These days, what does friendship matter? Besides, He Laosan and he are not related by blood or anything. It's not unreasonable for him to set up this trap for him. It makes sense. If someone asked him to sell something, the first place he would go would definitely be He Laosan's shop. That explains it!
Just as he was sighing, he heard Zhou Xuan call out from inside the room: "Zhu Da, come in."
"
Upon entering the room, he saw that Zhou Xuan had already packed and sealed the box containing the bronze cauldron. He asked in surprise, "Are you going to take it somewhere else to work?"
"No, it's all done. Come with me and lift it up to the car!" Zhou Xuan said with a smile.
"It's done already?" Only a few minutes? **She could hardly believe Zhou Xuan's words. She reached out and touched the box, but it wouldn't budge. Startled, she tried to lift it with both hands; it was very heavy. She exclaimed in surprise, "Little brother, did you put a stone in there? How come it's so heavy!"
Zhou Xuan reached out and helped him lift the box. When they reached the living room, he called out to Liu Yufang in the kitchen, "Yufang, we're going out."
Liu Yufang walked into the living room and saw them carrying boxes. She frowned and said, "I've made some soup. I'll have some before going out to eat. What are you carrying?"
Without turning his head, he said, "You stay home, we have some things to take care of."
The box weighed at least a hundred pounds, and the two of them lifted it without much difficulty. However, going up and down the stairs was not like being on flat ground. By the time they reached the bottom, they were drenched in sweat and it wasn't easy. Only after putting it in the trunk of the car did they ask in confusion, "Little brother, what exactly did you get? That bronze cauldron wasn't this heavy!"
Zhou Xuan chuckled and said, "Boss, if you want your million-plus yuan back, don't say anything else, just listen to me. If you don't listen to me, I won't take responsibility for not getting the money back!"
They shut their mouths tightly in an instant; you probably couldn't pry them open even with a knife.
Upon arriving at the Panjiayuan Antique Market, Zhou Xuan parked the car on the side of the road. He remained seated and said, "Boss, you'll have to work hard. I can't show my face, otherwise He Laosan will become suspicious."
He had no choice but to carry the boxes inside by himself. Fortunately, he was tall and strong, but even so, he was so tired that he moved in step by step with a hunched back.
Zhou Xuan waited in the car for less than five minutes, and obediently returned at that time. As soon as he got in the car, he said angrily, "Damn it, little brother, I really suspect this guy now. When I left my things with him, he was indifferent. I did as you said, pretending not to know anything and not suspecting anything at all, and then I just left!"
Zhou Xuan pointed to the road ahead and said, "Boss, can you give me a ride to the West District? Hehe, it's He Laosan. I estimate he'll call you in less than twenty minutes. Remember what I said, don't agree to anything or say anything. Just say you're busy and don't have time. Go to his place at 4:30 this afternoon. But don't mention that you're only selling to foreigners, otherwise he'll bring the foreigners out earlier and we won't be able to see those two country bumpkins."
While driving, he said, "Little brother, the more I think about it, the less I understand. Forget it, I'm not going to think about it anymore." "What did you say? Xicheng District? What are you doing in Xicheng District?"
“My friend lives over there. Just drop me off in the city center. I have some errands to run, I’ll come over tomorrow morning,” Zhou Xuan said casually. Then he asked, “Hey, buddy, I don’t have a cell phone, and I didn’t buy internet when I came to Beijing. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.” He muttered to himself, reaching into the small storage compartment under the dashboard and taking out a business card, which he handed to Zhou Xuan.
The business card read "General Manager of Huaxia International Antiques Co., Ltd." He chuckled and said, "The name sounds impressive, doesn't it? Huaxia, and international!"
Without even blushing, he said with a wry smile, "These days, which brand isn't famous? Even if they don't have a penny in their pockets, their reputations are all incredibly impressive. They're not afraid of you boasting too much. They're afraid you won't boast, they're afraid of you not boasting at all, they're afraid of you looking pathetic. They're all better at bragging than the last!"
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly asked, "Little brother, you just said you were going to Xicheng District, right? That's a place where every inch of land is incredibly valuable. I might not be right, but it's more expensive than gold, you know? Four years ago, in 2006, Xicheng District in Beijing had the highest gross national income among all urban districts in the country. Your friend lives there, renting or buying? That's not a place poor people can afford!"
Zhou Xuan smiled noncommittally, thinking that although his boss had broadened his horizons in Beijing, he still hadn't met someone as wealthy as Brother Hong, so he couldn't say anything about it for the time being.
Upon arriving at the central street, Zhou Xuan said, "Boss, this is it. I'm getting off."
After pulling over to the side of the road, Zhou Xuan got out of the car and quickly started moving slowly again. Parking was not allowed here; if he wasn't careful, he would get caught, and if he was caught, he would lose two hundred yuan.
While driving, he called out from the car window, "Little brother, remember to call me!"
Zhou Xuan waved his hand, and after the car disappeared into the traffic on the road, he hailed a taxi and rushed back to Brother Hong's villa.
Unexpectedly, Brother Hong was at home. Ah Chang and a few others were there, but they were all in plain clothes. The Wei Xiaoqing sisters were not there.
When Brother Hong saw Zhou Xuan return, he smiled and asked him to sit down next to him. "Little brother, you've been wandering around without a phone call. I couldn't reach you!"
Zhou Xuan noticed that although Wei Haihong was smiling, there was more worry in his smile than anything else. He guessed that the old man's condition was not optimistic. He nodded and replied, "I went to the antique market and met a friend I've known since childhood in my hometown."
Wei Haihong said "Oh," and added, "What a coincidence? Why didn't you invite them over to sit together? Your friends are my friends too!"
Zhou Xuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Brother Hong, I have something I'd like to ask you for help with!"
Wei Haihong smiled and said, "Brother, why are you talking to me like that again? Just tell me what's wrong. Don't talk about helping or not. As long as I can do it, then I have nothing to say."
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Volume 1, Chapter 58: Seeing a Doctor
The two told Wei Haihong about how they had been cheated, but of course, they omitted the part about only getting a small amount of money.