The next day Zhou Di decided to get an ID for Hu Zhenghan first before opening the shop for business. Then Hu Zhenghan could take care of two children at the shop while he went alone to find the person named Guan Yunkai. Initially, he had no intention of actively seeking out this person, considering this person's ties to the Wasoku troops. He was extremely reluctant to deal with anyone associated with the Wasoku. However, if he didn't go to meet this guy, he might not reap any benefits. It wasn't just about himself. Yang Zichun, Yang Chen's son, who was with him, and his own son were under the control of the Wasoku. These two children were the most important people in his life right now. For their sake, he had no choice to meet this guy.
He stood at the gate of the Cultural Relics Bureau, waiting for Guan Yunkai. After a short time, a stout, chubby middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses approached him. His chubby face bore a cheerful smile as he asked:
"Are you Mr. Zhou, the owner of the jade carving shop on Zhongshan Street? I'm Guan Yunkai."
"Yes, I'm Zhou Di."
"What? You're Zhou Di? Oh, my, I didn't expect to meet you here. Let me mention a person you might know, Guan Jing?"
Zhou Di was taken aback and replied:
"That is my master. Do you know him?"
"Well, he is my uncle and my father is Guan Qin."
"Oh, Mr. Guan. Yes, I've met him once so that makes us like brother now. Why do you want to meet me?"
"Follow me. Can you repair the antique?"
"Yes, I can."
"That's great."
He led Zhou Di to the second floor and entered a room that had once been the office of Chief Zheng of the Cultural Relics Bureau before. Inside, a Wasoku officer stood waiting. Guan Yunkai bowed slightly to the officer and said:
"Mr. Zhou is here."
The officer gave Zhou Di a brief glance, picked up the phone, spoke in Wasoku's language for a few moment, then hung up and said:
"Follow me!"
They moved to another room where a middle-aged Wasoku commander sat behind a desk. The commander looked up and asked:
"What's your name?"
"Zhou Di."
"Can you repair antiques?"
"Yes, I can."
"Can you repair this?"
The commander gestured toward something behind Zhou Di. Turning around, Zhou Di saw a tray on the table holding a broken white jade vase. He walked over to examine it and couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. It was a thousand-year-old artifact, priceless in its original state ---- worth millions of silver yuan. But now....He sighed but remained silent. The commander asked:
"What's wrong? Can it be repaired?"
"Yes, it can be repaired." Zhou Di admitted, "but it's a complex process and there will leave some visible traces. It won't be completely restored to its original condition."
Hearing this, the commander's face fell in disappointment. Guan Yunkai quickly interjected:
"Commander, we have already consulted several experts about this and they all gave the same answer. I didn't mislead you."
The commander frowned:
"Who can repair it?"
Zhou Di remained silent as Guan Yunkai spoke up:
"Commander, since you plan to stay here for the long term, and these broken antiques need restoration. I'm afraid it will take me considerable time to repair them all on my own. It might be more efficient to have Zhou Di move here to assist me in repairing them. What do you think?"
The commander thought for a while before replying:
"Good idea! You can temporarily work on the repairs here. I'll have my adjutant arrange a more permanent location for you later."
Zhou Di quickly interjected:
"Wait. I..."
The commander's expression immediately turned severe, his piercing glare silencing Zhou Di. Intimidated, Zhou Di hesitated without courage to continue speaking. He wanted to refuse this requirement impulsively but Yang Chen's words echoed in his mind: Don't act impulsively when I am not with you. In addition, the safety of two children weighed heavily on his conscience. The commander kept his eyes fixed on Zhou Di and coldly said:
"What? You're not willing?
Zhou Di had to suppress his initial reaction and replied carefully:
"Oh, no, sir, that is not what I meant. Of course I am willing to assist Mr. Guan in restoring the antiques. However, I have my own shop and two children to care for so it is impossible for me to move here permanently."
The commander's expression darkened further:
"I can give my order to seal your shop and kill your children. Let me see whether you still refuse to move here. Don't think I won't dare. I've already killed plenty of people in your country, including his father."
He pointed at Guan Yunkai. Zhou Di was inwardly shocked by the revelation but forced himself to remain compose. He said calmly:
"Sir, I wouldn't dare to doubt your authority. However, if you decide to take that course of action, please kill me first. I'm not refusing to assist in restoring the antiques for you. What I mean is that I can't move here permanently but I can come here every day to work."
The commander's expression softened slightly, and then Guan Yunkai seized the opportunity to speak:
"Commander, it hasn't been long time since you and your people arrived in this city, and everything still requires proper management. From now on, this city will serve as your administrative centre and headquarters. It would be inappropriate for people like us to come and go here very day. If there was something important to be leaked out or go wrong, Mr. Zhou and I would be the first suspects and would undoubtedly face severe consequences, for example being killed. For this reason, I don't believe this location is suitable for us to restore the antiques here. Not only would it not be beneficial for you, but it would also pose significant risk for us. Additionally, this is your personal matter. If your superiors were to find out that we were handling the private affairs for you here, what would they think of you? Therefore, I believe it's best for us to avoid working here. Commander, please consider this carefully."
The commander considered his words carefully before responding:
"Go on. Do you have any other suggestions?"
"I believe Zhou Di and I can work at his shop. We have the necessary machines and tools here. All you'd need to do is to provide us with the required materials. Additionally, if you have the time, you are welcome to visit the shop and inspect our progress whenever you wish."
Zhou Di cursed inwardly: How could this guy give this butcher such a reckless suggestion like this?
After pondering for a while, the commander said:
"Hmm, you make a valid point. However, I can't give you all the broken antiques at once. If you need anything specific, just inform my adjutant. He can prepare anything for you. Tanaka, make sure to keep meticulous records and keep your eyes on them to prevent any deception. The people in the Midlands are all frauds and notorious for lying."
Guan Yunkai asked carefully:
"So, Commander, does that mean I can move to Zhou Di's shop? I don't need to stay in the basement anymore?"
The commander waved his hand in agreement. Zhou Di thought to himself: Why does no one bother to ask me, the shop owner, whether I agree or not? Forget it! It is better to avoid any trouble whenever possible. But wait, what about the rations? So he said:
"Sir, if Mr. Guan is going to live with us, what about the rations? Besides the children, I have an employee at my shop so we only receive two and half rations. I don't think that will be enough for everyone."
Guan Yunkai quickly chimed in, eager to appease Zhou Di:
"Mr. Zhou, don't worry. I have my own rations and won't take any of yours. Additionally, the Commander also provides an extra 50 yuan to each of us per month, isn't that right, Commander?"
The commander replied coldly:
"Yes."
Guan Yunkai lifted his suitcase and followed Zhou Di toward the shop. Along the way, Zhou Di voiced his grievances to Guan Yunkai:
"You're only allowed to stay in the shop. There is already an employee living there. He's skilled in jade carving, not restoration. In addition, let me be clear that you'll have to deal with the Wasoku people yourself. Don't drag me into it. I want as little to deal with them more than necessary. By the way, did you give them the list of materials we need?"
Guan Yunkai asked:
"Why are you speaking to me like this? After all, I am your senior brother."
"Don't try to intimidate me with your so-called seniority. You know which kind of the relationship between your father and my master. Actually I only met your father once. It is a pity we will never meet each other again. Was he really killed by that commander?"
Guan Yunkai's cheerful expression shifted suddenly to one of sorrow and filled with hatred. He sighed heavily, his voice thick with emotion.
"Yes, it was that butcher, An Yuanxi, who killed my father. As you know, my father was an antique collector, an appraiser and an expert in the field of jade antiques. It is natural that there were some valuable antiques in our home. That butcher came directly to our house, demanding my father's treasures. Of course, my father was furious. He said that even if he had to destroy them, he'd never let those treasures fall into the hands of those bandits. After saying that, he grabbed his cane and smashed all the antiques himself. An Yuanxi pulled out his gun and shot my father right there in front of me. I couldn't even stop him. He even held his gun to my wife's head to order me to restore those shattered antiques lying on ther ground. If I refuse or failed, he threatened to kill my whole family. That is the only reason I was forced to follow him. You can't imagine the horrors. I never could have imagined how many of our people have been slaughtered by him and his soldiers and how many priceless antiques have been destroyed and looted as they marched south. It's a nightmare I'll never escape."
"Your father was admirable. I believe my master would forgive him for what he did. But I also believe that blood debts must be repaid with blood. We, the people of the Midlands, will not let the Wasoku invaders run rampant in our country. Yes, someone will rise to stop them and drive them out of our country." As Zhou Di spoke, Zhou Di muttered a name to himself: Yang Chen, his Chen ge. Then he continues," but I can't help feeling sorry for those lost treasures."
Leaning clos to Zhou Di's ear, Guan Yunkai whispered:
"Don't worry. You know the people like my father always kept their most cherished and valuable items hidden. Normally he never showed these treasures to anyone, not even me, his own son. Yes, I didn't see all his treasures. I had never known where he hid them, but, luckily, he told me where he had hidden them before he died. I hope you'll keep this secret for me."
Zhou Di replied firmly:
"Don't tell me and just keep it to yourself. Don't tell anyone. You can't let the treasures of our Midlands fall into the hands of murderers and robbers."
"You're absolutely right. I've been following them all this time and I've seen first hand how An Yuanxi not only kills our people but also loots countless antiques. Actually, most of these antiques he taken are damaged, which is why he needs people to repair them. I've inspected most of the items he robbed. Some are genuine while others are fakes. Of course he does not fully trust me. After I've appraised an item, he always has someone else verify it. But I've been careful to mis truth with falsehoods. My father was a highly respected expert in appraisal, and as his son, I've gained a certain reputation as well. Even if someone doubts my evaluations, as you know, there is always room for interpretation in appraisals as everyone has their own opinions."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Di's interest was piqued so he asked:
"So, are there counterfeits among those items?"
"Who said that?" Guan Yunkai replied, "All of them are real. Any counterfeits have been smashed and discarded. But I secretly collected those fragments. Can you restore them? Let me tell you, every time there is the doubt or suspicion about an item being counterfeit, An Yuanxi always smashes it to pieces. I've been secretly gathering those fragments, hoping to repair them. These are treasures of our Midlands even in their broken state. However, I couldn't collect a lot. If An Yuanxi finds out what I've been doing, he must kill me immediately. Of course I made up an excuse, saying I would use these fragments as patch material for other restoration. His adjutant believed me and allowed me to keep them. But there is another problem that I have nowhere to hide the restored items. So, before we begin repairing them, we need to figure out where to store them."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Di smiled and said:
"Aren't you afraid that I will report this to An Yuanxi?"
Guan Yunkai admitted:
"Well, it is true that I don't know you very well but my father told me about the time he met you. He admired you a lot because you were not afraid to stand up to the powerful people. Honestly, I'm also taking a gamble that you won't betray me. Of course I'm betting on your character and your patriotism."
Zhou Di smirked:
"How smart you are! Once that Wasoku butcher finds out the truth, I will be the first person he kills and you will wash your hands of it, won't you?"
"Zhou Di, my brother, please don't think I'm a bad person. As you know, I didn't tell An Yuanxi that we are from the same sect, nor did I mention him that you helped Yang Chen restore the ancient porcelain items. But I have to warn you about the ZhouXie's mummy and other items from that tomb. An Yuanxi is currently scouring the entire city for them. When he didn't find anything at the Culture Relics Bureau, he was so irritated that he rampaged through the street, killing many people. When he learned that Yang Chen was interested in the ancient artifacts and his villa is located in the mountain just outside the city, he wanted to loot everything there so I followed him to the mountain a few days ago. However, to our surprise, the villa was in ruins, burned to the ground. We found nothing except for a bicycle."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Di felt a chill run down his spine. The Wasoku soldiers had indeed gone to the mountain. Fortunately they didn't have found anything important except his bicycle. The secret there must remain hidden at all costs. Maintaining his composure, Zhou Di pretended to say:
"Really? What a pity! I stayed there for a while. Such a magnificent villa. Who dared to burn the Young Marshal's villa? If he finds out, I think he would never let this culprit go for free. As for ZhouNie's mummy and other items, An Yuanxi won't get anything from me. I quit my job at the Cultural Relics Bureau long ago when I opened this small shop. I truly have no idea where they are."
"Okay, my bother." Guan Yunkai said, though his tone carried a hint of suspicion, "But I have a feeling that you should know more about this than you're letting on, especially since the items you carved were all auctioned off by Yang Chen's people at the auction house. My father even bought one or two of them."
Zhou Di shot Guan Yunkai a sharp, fierce look but didn't say anything.