Jincheng, Haixi Road, is an old street with a long history. Since the late Qing Dynasty, this street has been a gathering place for merchants, with numerous shops, particularly antique and calligraphy stores, which were renowned nationwide for yielding many valuable items.
Although its fame has diminished over the years, Haixi Road is still home to several century-old shops. With the recent opening of an antique and jade market nearby, it has sparked the revival of a sizable weekend antique street market, bringing signs of life back to this historic cultural street.
At this moment, an elderly man pushed open the door of "Pingu Zhai." He paused, somewhat taken aback as he stepped inside.
The shop's shelves were disordered, with items casually scattered on the ground. A young girl was crouching on the floor, packing items.
The old man cleared his throat and asked, "Young lady, are you still doing business here?"
Jin Mutong glanced up at the old man, stood up, and smiled, "Of course we're open for business. Feel free to browse, and if something catches your eye, I'll give you a fair price."
The old man cautiously walked around the store, skillfully picking up a vase to examine it, then shook his head and put it back down.
Jin Mutong noticed that the old man's gaze lingered on a few of the shop's more presentable items, but there weren't many. He quickly finished looking around, his expression showing some disappointment.
"Is there nothing you like?" Jin Mutong remained enthusiastic in her service. After half a month without making a sale, she was eager to please any rare customer who came in.
The old man politely responded, "Everything here is too new."
With that, he shook his head and walked out.
"Too new," of course, referred to the fact that none of the items in the shop were genuine antiques. At best, they were imitation crafts. This situation was not uncommon in the antique shops on Haixi Road. Nowadays, with people's standard of living improving, as the saying goes, "gold in times of chaos, antiques in times of peace," anything of genuine antiquity would be quickly bought up. There was nothing left for her little shop.
Jin Mutong didn't dwell on this small incident. After all, the business of this shop had long since faltered. She continued to crouch down and pack up the merchandise.
As she packed away the imitation crafts, the old-fashioned abacus on the table clicked and clacked as she repeatedly calculated the value of the store's remaining inventory.
This antique shop had been passed down through her family for nearly a century.
However, her branch of the family had lost interest in antiques generations ago. By the time it had been passed down to her, aside from the shop itself, there wasn't a single genuine antique left inside. The century-old reputation of the store had been completely tarnished.
Initially, considering it was the family legacy, Jin Mutong had hoped to hold on a little longer.
Although she knew nothing about antiques and didn't expect to revive the shop's former glory, she only hoped to keep the store running and not let the family's century-old establishment end in her hands.
Unfortunately, fate didn't give her that chance. Recently, her father had accumulated a massive debt of five million yuan to the bank. The interest alone was enough to crush the family. Helpless, Jin Mutong had to consider using the shop to repay the debt. Conveniently, the owner of the neighboring "Jubao Hall," her uncle Jin Junhao, had been looking to expand his shop. He offered to buy her store.
The terms were reasonable: he would take over the shop for four million yuan, and he even offered to cover the remaining one million yuan shortfall.
"Pingu Zhai" was in a good location and had once held a certain reputation. Normally, selling the store should easily bring in more than five million yuan.
But they were in urgent need of money. Although the offer was a bit of a loss, given her uncle's wealth and his ability to immediately provide the five million yuan, he was solving a significant problem for them. So, even though Jin Mutong was somewhat reluctant, she had no choice but to go along with her parents' wishes and sell "Pingu Zhai" to her uncle.
Today was the last day of business for the century-old store "Pingu Zhai."
After packing up the crafts displayed in the cabinets, Jin Mutong began taking down the paintings and calligraphy hanging on the walls, one by one.
"What era is this from?" Jin Mutong asked herself as she took down the last landscape painting. She raised an eyebrow slightly, noticing that the store's account book didn't record the value of this painting.
"Oh well, I'll just ask Uncle to estimate its price later," she thought to herself.
Jin Mutong steadied her nerves and was about to pack the painting into a box when a voice suddenly spoke.
"Are you really going to give up?"
"Who's there?" Jin Mutong instinctively turned around, looking at the tightly closed door and the empty room. Suddenly, her scalp tingled with fear.
"This store holds the memories of many people. Giving it up would be a real shame," the voice continued. Though the voice was gentle, it sent chills down Jin Mutong's spine.
"Who are you? Where are you hiding?" Jin Mutong asked, trying to stay calm.
"I'm in your hand."
Clatter—
Jin Mutong immediately let go of the painting, which fell to the floor.
She stared at the landscape painting in shock. Was it the one speaking? Was she really seeing a ghost?
"Hehe." The painting let out a soft laugh and continued in its gentle voice, "You don't need to be so nervous. Though I can communicate with you, I am still just a painting. I can't harm you."
"Is it really you speaking?" Jin Mutong asked in disbelief.
"Yes."
"Why?" Jin Mutong's mind was on the verge of going blank.
The painting paused for a moment, then explained, "Every antique, having witnessed hundreds or even thousands of years of history, has its own consciousness. You, by a stroke of luck, happen to be able to hear my voice."
"..."
Jin Mutong bent down and picked up the painting from the floor. She looked at the painting's aged, worn surface and fell silent.
She sat there for a good half hour, finally sorting through her thoughts.
She'd seen plenty of fantasy shows, so now that it was happening to her, did she really possess a superpower? The ability to hear antiques speak?
If she told anyone, they'd probably think she was crazy, but this had truly happened to her.
"Are you still there?" Jin Mutong asked tentatively after calming herself down.
The voice quickly responded, "Yes, I've been here the whole time."
Jin Mutong was now sure that everything that had just happened was no illusion.
"You've always been able to talk? Why have I never heard you before?" she asked in confusion.
"Perhaps I didn't want to let this shop disappear without trying to do something," the gentle voice said, tinged with a sense of regret.
For some reason, Jin Mutong could hear a trace of heartache in the voice. However, some things needed to be made clear. "If I could, I wouldn't want to sell the shop either, but my family owes five million yuan. If I don't sell it, I won't be able to fill that gap…"
It seemed that the person in the painting understood her predicament. After listening to her explanation, he smiled slightly and said, "If it's only about money, there's a better way. You don't need to sell the shop."
"What way?" Jin Mutong asked instinctively.
"In the antique business, a single good sale can last you three years. With proper management, you could pay off the debt in no time," the painting explained softly.
Jin Mutong's expression gradually dimmed as he spoke. She smiled bitterly, "I don't know the first thing about antiques. That's why I couldn't keep the shop going. If I keep trying, I'm afraid I'll only end up worse off…"
"That may have been true before, but it won't be in the future. As long as you're determined, I can help you," the painting said.
This statement sparked a glimmer of hope in Jin Mutong's heart. Could she really keep the shop and still pay off the debt?
If there was a way to solve the problem without selling the shop, no one would willingly let their family's legacy end in their hands.
"Can you… really help me?" she asked tentatively, as if a window in her heart had been cracked open, eagerly awaiting confirmation.
"Hmm," came the soft reply from the painting.
However, before Jin Mutong could ask further, there was a knock at the door.
Jin Mutong opened it to find the owner of the neighboring antique shop, her uncle, Jin Junhao, who was about to take over her store.
Jin Junhao stood outside, cheerfully looking in. "Mutong, packing things up, huh?"
"Uncle, you're here. Please, come in," Jin Mutong smiled as she welcomed him inside. She carefully set the painting aside and brewed a pot of tea, pouring him a cup.
This was the traditional way "Pingu Zhai" had always treated customers, and Jin Mutong had been taught this from a young age. Her movements were natural and graceful.
Jin Junhao sat down on a wooden chair, took a sip of the tea, and set the cup down.
"If you need help with anything, just let your uncle know. I'll definitely lend a hand," Jin Junhao smiled, appearing friendly. "I see you have quite a few things in the shop. Must be exhausting packing them up. How about I send Xiao Deng over to help you clean up?"
"Thank you, Uncle, but it's alright," Jin Mutong declined politely.
"Alright, as you wish," Jin Junhao replied with a smile, glancing around the room.
Most of the crafts had already been packed by Jin Mutong, and only a few scattered items remained. Still, the number of items was quite considerable.
After a moment's thought, he offered, "You probably haven't had much experience with this line of work, and dealing with these items can be a bit tricky, right? How about this: you don't need to deal with the items. Just leave them here, and I'll pay you market price. It'll save you the hassle."
As he spoke, Jin Junhao casually reached for the painting Jin Mutong had set aside. Just as he was about to unfold it, Jin Mutong made up her mind and said, "I appreciate your offer, Uncle, but I've decided not to sell for now."
"That's fine too. You can wait until you find the right buyer. But if you ever need help, don't hesitate to come to me," Jin Junhao said, setting the painting down. "In fact, I already had your aunt go to the bank today. As soon as you're ready to transfer the shop, I'll send the money right over. We're family, so you won't have to wait."
"Actually, Uncle…" Jin Mutong hesitated, then said, "I've decided not to sell the shop."
The smile on Jin Junhao's face froze for a moment, turning slightly awkward. "Mutong, no need to joke around with your uncle. I've got everything ready."
Jin Mutong took a deep breath and repeated, "I'm truly sorry, Uncle. I hadn't thought things through before, but now that I've reconsidered, I think it's best to keep the shop Grandpa left me and run it myself."
The smile completely disappeared from Jin Junhao's face. He lit a cigarette and took two deep drags.
After a moment, he adopted the tone of an elder, speaking coolly, "Are you sure about this, Mutong? The antique business isn't for just anyone. Without experience, you could lose a lot more than just money. You might end up sinking the entire legacy."
"Besides," he continued, "right now, I have the cash to buy the shop at a high price. If you change your mind later, I might not have that kind of money to offer."
Jin Mutong shook her head. "I understand what you're saying, Uncle, but I'd still like to give it a try."
"Give it a try? With all these cheap crafts you have here?" Jin Junhao glanced at the remaining items in the shop and shook his head.
Jin Mutong had no response.
Without saying more, Jin Junhao took another deep drag from his cigarette, a flash of disdain briefly flickering in his eyes.
After a long pause, he stood up, patted Jin Mutong's shoulder as if to encourage her, and said, "Good luck. Do your best."
With that, he turned and left, heading back to his own shop.