The journey that should have taken ten minutes extended to half an hour before Jin Muchen and Candice returned to Harvey's luxurious mansion. They placed the cardboard box in the trunk of Jin Muchen's newly won Infiniti, then entered the villa together.
Harvey and Mike were already up, seated at the dining table enjoying their supper. However, the two young women they brought home yesterday had already been sent away.
"Ha-ha, how did it go? Any gains from the visit to the Bentley's?" Harvey, seated at the dining table, asked with a hearty laugh upon seeing Jin Muchen and Candice return.
"Don't even mention it..."
Jin Muchen proceeded to recount their experience at the Bentley's residence to Harvey and Mike, followed by the incident where Candice teased that fellow, Du Qiangni.
While Harvey and Mike weren't particularly interested in their participation in the auction, they found amusement in their pranks on others, especially when they heard about the unfortunate state to which Du Qiangni was subjected, prompting them to burst into laughter.
"Alright, it's getting late. There's some food left for you. Come and join us. Later, after we finish eating, we'll drive over and help you return the items you've set your eyes on."
After Jin Muchen mentioned the idea of borrowing the car to Harvey, he readily agreed. Despite only having met the previous day, they felt an instant rapport and had quickly become good friends. Such a small favor was certainly nothing worth mentioning.
After dinner, Harvey presented Jin Muchen with a form: "Fill out this form and send it to that bastard. Once he's signed it, send it to the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Infiniti will be yours for good!"
In the afternoon, he and Mike went to the supermarket, conveniently located next to a post office, where they picked up the form.
In the United States, a post office is more than just a place for mail. It's where you can take care of many things, such as paying utility bills, vehicle taxes, road taxes, and even transferring vehicle ownership. The post office provides forms for various other departments or companies, which you can fill out and mail directly from there.
Jin Muchen wasted no time in filling out the form, but as he did, he voiced his concern, "I wonder if that guy will deliberately delay. Even if I mail this form, he might pretend not to see it..."
"Don't worry about it. If he dares not to respond within a month, he'll receive a summons. We often see that guy at school. Rest assured, we'll help you chase after him. Anyone who dares to renege on our deal, well, he hasn't shown up yet!"
Mike said coldly. Hearing his words, Jin Muchen no longer worried about whether Shawn would default on the deal. It was just from yesterday's simple chat that he learned the backgrounds of these two young men were not simple at all.
Harvey Speight was the son of Harvey Speight Sr., a well-known litigator on Wall Street, and his son often appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Not only was he the big boss of Speight & Pearson Law Firm, but he also had close ties with many influential bankers on Wall Street, making him one of the most powerful figures in New York City.
As for Mike Ross, his parents were both prominent figures—his father was a prosecutor picked up off the streets of Manhattan, while his mother was the youngest judge in New York. It was said that she had a good chance of making it to the position of one of the nine elders of the U.S. Supreme Court.
If he were to attain such a position, it would be quite remarkable. After all, the President of the United States only serves two terms, whereas the nine elders of the court serve for life. And once you become one of the nine elders, you have the power to vote on any new laws proposed by the President or both houses of Congress. In other words, you become someone the President and Congress both need to court.
After gaining such insight, Jin Muchen became even more inclined to forge a bond with the two. Fortunately, when they first met, they were unaware of each other's backgrounds, so the realm of friendship was relatively pure.
Of course, this was also the primary reason why Harvey and Mike were willing to befriend Jin Muchen. Over the twenty-plus years of their upbringing, they had encountered numerous individuals trying to ingratiate themselves with them, so they were quite discerning. However, individuals like Jin Muchen, who had no trace of ulterior motives and possessed decent character, were rare and worthy of companionship.
Harvey's pickup truck was the best-selling Ford F150 in America, making it much easier to transport second-hand goods, especially with Jin Muchen, a stalwart, present.
It was quite effortless to load the bed that Candice had set her sights on, as well as the cabinet, onto the truck. As for other odds and ends, they kept what they fancied and discarded the rest directly into nearby garbage bins.
It was well past seven in the evening by the time the group finished their endeavors. Jin Muchen then invited his two friends to partake in an authentic Chinese meal at a restaurant in Flushing. Afterward, they bid each other farewell and returned home.
Upon arriving home and exchanging greetings with Fang Bo, Jin Muchen proceeded directly to his room upstairs, where he delicately extracted the three table lamps from the cardboard box.
Fetching water, sponge, and dishwashing detergent, he meticulously cleaned the three lamps.
The first lamp he retrieved had a rather large base, resembling a vase, and the entire lamp body appeared to be a dark green hue. However, upon closer inspection after wiping it down, one could discern some purplish-red reflections on both the lamp body and lampshade.
After cleaning it thoroughly, he lifted the lamp, feeling its weight, and it seemed quite substantial. However, he couldn't quite discern the material used for this lamp.
The lampshade had several conspicuous cracks, although the overall condition was relatively intact. However, it was definitely not the usual glass lampshade seen before, and the lamp base was not the typical bronze or brass base either.
There were some geometric bronze wires on the outside of both the lampshade and lamp base, primarily serving as fixtures. The parts embedded within could certainly be confirmed not to be glass.
Turning the lamp base over and carefully cleaning it, he then discovered several floral English characters beneath the copper rust: tiffany1907.
Upon seeing these characters, Jin Muchen felt his heart skip a beat. It seemed like he had truly stumbled upon a treasure this time - these were Tiffany table lamps!
With this realization in mind, he hastily cleaned the other two lamps as well. One was a bronze lamp base with a green glass lampshade adorned with dragonfly patterns. The other was far more exquisite, featuring a brass lamp base and a lampshade adorned with peony patterns in red, yellow, and blue, appearing exceptionally beautiful.
The bottoms of all three lamps bore the inscription "tiffany1907," indicating that they were all products of Tiffany & Co. from 1907.
However, while these three lamps were indeed beautiful, their condition was not particularly pristine. For instance, the rust stains on the bronze lamp base were quite challenging to deal with.
If one were to opt for sanding and polishing, it could potentially damage the original lamp base. However, leaving it untreated would be quite unsightly.
The lampshade of the peony lamp looked exceptionally beautiful, but its damage was particularly severe. Cracks emanated from the center of the lampshade in all directions, making it a heart-wrenching sight.
Similarly, the green lamp, which was the first to be cleaned, exhibited significant damage and cracks.
For ordinary individuals, such issues might seem insurmountable.
Even true connoisseurs would obediently contact Tiffany & Co. and inquire about the availability of original parts, then send them over for repairs by the company's experts.
But for Jin Muchen, none of these were issues, for he possessed a portable amethyst space. After discovering this space some time ago, he conducted a series of experiments. There were many broken antiques in Fang Bo's shop, all of which, after his repairs, transformed into flawless pieces. However, he didn't dare show Fang Bo these restored items, quietly disposing of them through various means. After all, the secret of this portable space was best kept to himself.
Now, these three table lamps were evidently antique treasures. Naturally, he intended to utilize his amethyst space to refurbish them, and he also wanted to test the capabilities of this space. Although he had refurbished antiques before, they were merely insignificant trinkets. This time, the specifications of these three lamps were much grander, and he was eager to see if his amethyst space could restore them to perfection.
At ten o'clock in the evening, Jin Muchen placed the three lamps into the amethyst space and then retired to bed...
"Awake, Muchen, what's the matter? Are you unwell?"
When he opened his eyes again, he was met with Fang Bo's concerned gaze. Just as Jin Muchen attempted to sit up, he felt a wave of lethargy wash over him.
"What time is it now?"
Feeling the dim lighting, Jin Muchen casually inquired.
"It's already past three in the afternoon. You've slept for more than ten hours. You gave me quite a scare. If you hadn't woken up just now, I would have called for an ambulance!"
Fang Bo reached out to feel Jin Muchen's forehead, which was slightly warm. Then, with a reproachful tone, he said, "You youngsters, always taking advantage of your youthful vigor, drinking recklessly without a thought for your well-being. Now, you've overindulged and caught a chill, haven't you? Wait here, I'll go downstairs and brew you some ginger tea."
With that, he rose from Jin Muchen's bedside and descended the stairs. Meanwhile, Jin Muchen was left in a daze, his only sensation being one of fatigue and lethargy.
Since his body underwent changes, he had never experienced such feelings. Even after a day's work at the distribution center, he had never felt this exhausted. Why was he feeling this way now? Could it be related to the antiques stored in the amethyst space?
With this thought in mind, Jin Muchen hastily retrieved the three lamps he had placed in the space last night. This could be quite serious.