The next day, after waking up, Jin Mutong went to the shop.
The two brothers were still chatting, but as soon as the younger brother saw Jin Mutong walk in, his voice abruptly stopped, and he looked at her pitifully.
"Big sister, are you tired?"
"Not at all," Jin Mutong replied as she opened the shop's windows to let more light in.
"Then, can you restore my brother today?"
"Yes," Jin Mutong nodded, taking out the tools needed to repair the antique. She was about to start when the younger brother's voice appeared again.
"Hey, big sister, be careful. My brother is really handsome!" The younger brother said nervously, more anxious than when he was being restored.
"Mm, I know."
Jin Mutong prepared to start again, but she was interrupted once more: "Big sister, do you still remember what we look like? Maybe you should hold my brother and take another look? From his perspective, his appearance is clearer."
Jin Mutong nodded and held onto the older brother, and sure enough, his form appeared clearly in her mind. Along with it came the deep affection the elder brother had for his younger sibling.
Even though she had already seen the brothers' story before, Jin Mutong still felt a twinge in her heart.
Thankfully, she had found both of them.
Taking a deep breath, she was ready to begin when the younger brother spoke again.
"Big sister, are you sure you're in the right condition? Your hands won't shake, right?"
Jin Mutong: "..."
She stood up, picked up the younger clay figure, walked over to the counter, and put him in the drawer, closing it.
"Ahhh! Big sister, what are you doing? Why are you locking me up? Brother, brother!" The younger clay figure cried out.
Jin Mutong, expressionless, said, "You're distracting me from fixing your brother."
The younger clay figure immediately fell silent.
Seeing that it was finally quiet, Jin Mutong returned to the older brother.
The older brother, of course, had seen her actions, smiled slightly, and looked a bit embarrassed. "He's always been like that."
"I know. Now I'll start repairing you," Jin Mutong said, just as she was about to begin, Uncle Jin slowly walked in from next door.
Jin Mutong: "..."
"Second Uncle, you're here. Please, take a seat." The restoration work was now completely interrupted, so Jin Mutong put down her tools and politely invited him in.
Jin Junhao nodded to her in acknowledgment but did not sit down. Instead, he walked around the shop with his hands behind his back.
After making a full circle, his gaze landed on the clay figure with the broken arm on the counter.
"Did you just buy this?" Jin Junhao asked, looking up.
"I just got it yesterday."
Jin Junhao examined the clay figure carefully. "How much did it cost?"
"Two hundred thousand."
Jin Junhao's eyes widened, and his voice rose. "What? You spent two hundred thousand on this thing?"
Jin Mutong said nothing.
Jin Junhao paused and then said earnestly, "Mutong, it's not my place to interfere, but as your elder, I can't just watch you keep making mistakes. The antique business isn't as simple as making money at will. This clay figure might look old, but there are too many fakes in the market, and genuine items are rare. You barely see them at auctions. How could you spend two hundred thousand on something like this? Careless purchases will lead to losses. Hasn't your family lost enough money already?"
His words stung, but Jin Mutong didn't argue, and she calmly responded, "You're right, Second Uncle. I'll be more careful."
Seeing her attitude was agreeable, Jin Junhao softened his tone, "Besides, even if this clay figure is genuine, the market demand for such things is low. You won't get a good price for it. In the end, it's still a loss. Your family still owes several million in debt, and with the New Year coming, if you can't repay it, you won't have a good holiday. Mutong, even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about your parents. The antique business isn't something ordinary people can just succeed in."
The implication was clear—he was advising Jin Mutong to give up, especially given that Jin Junhao had previously expressed interest in taking over the "Pin Gu Zhai" shop. His intentions were now even more obvious.
Jin Mutong's expression remained indifferent, and this time she didn't respond.
As Jin Junhao was about to leave, he turned back and said, "This business requires not just good judgment but also capital and connections. Just this afternoon, two big shots in the antique world are coming to my shop, and one of them is a professor of archaeology at Jincheng University. It's taken me years to build these connections. How about I introduce you?"
Jin Mutong smiled, "Thank you, Second Uncle, but there's no need."
Hearing her refusal, Jin Junhao said no more and turned to return to his "Treasure Hall."
The younger clay figure in the drawer kept shouting, "Hmph, he actually said my brother looks like a fake! That old man has the nerve to brag about his sharp eye. Pretty lady, is your family short on money? If you sell us brothers, you could definitely pay off your debts, and you'd fetch a high price to annoy that old guy!"
Jin Mutong couldn't help but laugh and opened the drawer. "Are you willing to be sold?"
The younger clay figure put his hands on his hips. "Hmph! I know this is an antique shop, and you spent a lot of money to find my brother. As long as you sell us brothers together, we won't be separated. You have to promise me that."
Jin Mutong nodded. "Of course."
After her second uncle left, Jin Mutong didn't immediately start restoring the older clay figure because she had been interrupted so many times. Instead, she picked up the Antique Restoration Basics Guide to study and prepare for the restoration. Before she knew it, the afternoon had arrived.
...
At this moment, two men walked out of her second uncle's "Treasure Hall." Both were a bit older.
The younger of the two, a middle-aged man with a square face, looked back at the "Treasure Hall" sign and complained, "Lao Fang, this is the shop you recommended? This is too casual. I think you just tricked me into coming here to drink with you. Is your wife getting on your case again?"
The older man, with graying hair, quickly explained, "Not at all! The stuff at 'Treasure Hall' used to be pretty good. I've worked with them a few times. Ah, I really didn't expect things to have changed so much… Never mind, Lao Li, let's forget about it and go have a drink."
"You! You're such a liar! You're just an old drunk!"
"Alright, alright, enough," Lao Fang waved him off.
Just as the two were about to get in their car and leave, the old man glanced at the shop next to "Treasure Hall" and stopped in his tracks.
"What's wrong?" asked the square-faced man.
"Why don't we check out this shop instead?"
The square-faced man quickly scanned the shop's contents with a critical eye and made a swift judgment, clearly not pleased. "Lao Fang, since when are you interested in craft shops? I'm not going."
But the old man pulled him into the shop anyway.
"Ding-ling—"
The bell hanging on the door of "Pin Gu Zhai" rang. Jin Mutong had put it up when she decided to run "Pin Gu Zhai" seriously, but there hadn't been any business recently, so the bell hadn't rung in a long time. Just as she was about to clean up and go home, she looked up and saw two people walking into the shop.
"Hello, can I… Professor?" Jin Mutong stood up to greet them, but upon seeing a familiar face, she froze.
Wasn't this the professor who had helped her out when she was buying tools?
Fang Rongkun walked over, laughing, "Young lady, I didn't expect you to remember me. Is this your shop?"
Jin Mutong, unsure why this gentleman had suddenly come here, nodded and instinctively asked, "Why are you here?"
"I was just wandering around Haixi Road today, and when I passed by this shop, I saw you inside, so I decided to come in and take a look."
"Please, have a seat," Jin Mutong warmly invited him in. The tools the professor had recommended to her that day had been very useful, and she hadn't expected to meet him again.
The professor smiled and nodded, chatting with Jin Mutong for a while.
Meanwhile, after Li Honglin entered the shop, he began looking around and picked up a few items, only to put them down again in disappointment. The shop was exactly what he thought—a crafts shop. Just as he was about to urge Fang Rongkun to leave, he noticed the small clay figure on the counter in front of Jin Mutong.
"This is…" His expression shifted slightly as he walked closer to take a look.
Fang Rongkun heard his friend's voice and looked over, also spotting the antique clay figure. At a glance, he could tell it was something special. He pulled out his reading glasses and examined it more closely.
Before Fang Rongkun could reach out, Li Honglin had already picked up the clay figure, carefully inspecting it from all angles, not missing a single detail.
After a long while, Li Honglin finally put it down and asked, "Young lady, where did you get this?"
"I bought it from a collector in Nancheng. It just arrived yesterday."
At this moment, Li Honglin's heart was racing. He hadn't expected to find such an authentic Han dynasty clay figure in such an unremarkable shop.
Still, even though he was almost certain the clay figure was genuine, he exchanged a glance with Fang Rongkun. After all, clay figures from the Western Han dynasty were extremely rare, and even fewer were well-preserved. It had to be confirmed.
Western Han!
He read those two words from Fang Rongkun's lips.
It was indeed a piece from the Western Han dynasty!
Li Honglin's breathing quickened, but he kept his expression composed as he casually asked, "Young lady, how much would you sell this clay figure for?"
Jin Mutong smiled. "This little clay figure may not seem like much, but it's an authentic piece from the Western Han dynasty. I'm afraid the price won't be low."
She had only just reunited the two clay figures, so she wasn't eager to sell them right away. After all, the older brother's arm hadn't been restored yet, and she wanted to finish the job before selling them. Besides, she was a bit reluctant to part with them.
Li Honglin, however, grew anxious. As a collector of ancient ceramics, most of his collection consisted of porcelain, and he had very few pieces of pottery. A well-preserved clay figure from the Western Han dynasty would be a valuable addition to his collection. The less Jin Mutong mentioned a price, the more impatient he became.
"Well, young lady, don't get too cocky. Even the most valuable item has a price. Besides, this clay figure, while genuine, is small, with a broken arm, and the clothing details are worn. At most, I'd say it's worth five hundred thousand." This was his estimate, a reasonable price. Though the clay figure was rare, if she asked for too much, it wouldn't sell.
Five hundred thousand was already higher than Jin Mutong had expected. After all, she had bought the older brother figure for two hundred thousand, and selling it for five hundred thousand would earn her a profit of three hundred thousand. That was quite impressive.
However, she was more concerned about something else. The brothers couldn't be separated.
"What if… the clay figures were a pair? How much would that be worth?" Jin Mutong asked. Generally, a pair of antiques is worth much more than two individual items.