When Ethan returned to his rental apartment, he was surprised to find Ivy sitting in the living room, looking exhausted and staring blankly at the floor. He had no choice but to brace himself for what was coming.
"Sis, I'm back," Ethan muttered as he walked in with his head down, his eyes fixed on his toes.
Ivy's lips trembled slightly. She wiped her dry eyes and said, "You haven't had breakfast yet, right? I'll make something for you." With that, she got up and headed toward the kitchen.
"No, I already ate outside," Ethan quickly stepped forward and stopped her. Seeing how weary she looked, his heart ached.
"Oh... then wash your face and get some rest. I'm heading to work." Ivy, her expression wooden, slowly turned around, picked up her small bag, and walked toward the door.
No scolding, no harsh words—as if Ethan had never left—but her haggard face clearly showed she hadn't slept at all last night.
After Ivy left, Ethan immediately pulled a paper cutter and a new book out of the drawer. Carefully, he sliced open the inner layer of the old atlas, revealing a square piece of paper resembling a stamp inside.
Taking advantage of the fact that he hadn't returned the laptop yet, Ethan quickly went online to search for information about the paper. After a long search, he finally found a matching stamp on a site called "Stamp History."
The Penny Black stamp, designed by Sir Rowland Hill and issued in 1840, was the world's first postage stamp. It featured a profile of Queen Victoria, printed in black ink with the words "POSTAGE" and "ONE PENNY." The stamp was printed on watermarked paper, handcrafted, and had anti-counterfeiting features. The introduction of the Penny Black simplified postage payments and modernized the postal system...
Ethan held his breath, reading through various descriptions of the Penny Black stamp. His heart was racing, and when he saw phrases like "extremely valuable" and "invaluable," even his fingers started to tremble slightly.
After an hour of research, Ethan was convinced that the small piece of paper he had bought for eight dollars was indeed a Penny Black, and in perfect condition, almost like a brand-new stamp. According to online sources, this stamp had sold for nearly 5.5 million dollars at auction, which was what excited him the most.
Even if it sold for half that, say 2 million, it would be more than enough to solve his current financial troubles. Ethan exhaled deeply, pulled out a small plastic bag from the drawer, carefully slid the stamp into it with the blade, then placed it between the pages of a book and put it in his backpack.
Just as he finished, his phone rang. Ethan grabbed it and answered. It was the guy from the second floor asking him to fix his computer. After a quick response, Ethan shut down the laptop, unplugged it, and hurried downstairs.
When he reached the second floor, Mike was already at the door, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. This guy was short and fat, with thick black-framed glasses. His job was writing scripts for online novels, which paid fairly well. But without his computer, it was like having his lifeline cut off, and he had been frantically calling Ethan since early morning.
As soon as Ethan arrived, Mike rushed up to grab the computer tower and darted into his room.
Ethan watched Mike's fat rolls jiggle as he moved with surprising speed, shaking his head with a laugh before following him inside with the monitor.
Mike, though clueless about fixing computers, knew how to plug everything in and boot up. As soon as the computer powered on and the monitor lit up, Mike's face broke into a grin, and he exclaimed, "Bro, you're a pro! Fixed my baby in just one night..."
Ethan blinked in confusion, lines of disbelief appearing on his forehead. "Fixed your baby"? What was he even talking about?
Mike, still beaming, pointed at the computer. "This is my baby. It broke down, and you fixed it, right? And hey, even the fan noise is quieter now."
Ethan finally understood, laughing as he explained, "There was dust on the CPU fan. I cleaned it off with a brush."
Mike gave him a thumbs-up. "You're dedicated, man. Better than most repair guys. Here, 20 bucks. If I need anything else, I'll come to you." He handed Ethan a 20-dollar bill.
Ethan pocketed the money and casually asked, "Hey, do you know if there's a place in River City where I can trade stamps?"
Mike grinned. "You collect stamps too?"
Ethan nodded. "I used to. Got a few now that I want to sell for some cash."
He figured even if the stamp was worth a lot online, it was useless if he couldn't sell it. It'd be better to sell it for a lower price and cover his university expenses, which would also lighten his sister-in-law's burden.
While fiddling with the computer, Mike said without looking up, "I know a rich guy who's into stamps and antiques, but regular stuff like Hawaiian Missionaries won't impress him. If the quality's good, though, money's no issue."
In other words, if the stamp wasn't high-end, it wouldn't even catch the guy's attention. Mike had a wide circle of acquaintances, and the rich guy he mentioned had a father who was a well-known oil tycoon. People say that once money becomes just a number, they start to value culture. As long as the item was good, money was no object to them.
Ethan's heart raced, but he kept his cool, smiling as he said, "Honestly, bro, my stamp is worth way more than Hawaiian Missionaries. If your guy's interested, it'll be a real surprise for him."
"Oh?" Mike put down the mouse and turned to Ethan, his face full of skepticism. "Really? You're not pulling my leg, right? What stamp is it?"
"Brand-new Penny Black," Ethan replied calmly. Mike's face twitched, and though he didn't know much about stamps, even he knew the reputation of the Penny Black.
"Are you sure it's a Penny Black?" Mike's eyes gleamed as he asked again. When Ethan nodded, Mike immediately grabbed his phone and dialed a number.
The phone rang, and a gruff voice answered, "What the hell? Why are you bothering me so early?"
Mike, undeterred, said confidently, "It's not me calling, it's a brand-new Penny Black... Queen Victoria..."
"Shut up, you idiot..." The call cut off with a string of curses, and Mike hung up with a wry smile, shaking his head. He couldn't understand why the rich guy had hung up—maybe it was his fault for disturbing him so early.
"Forget it. Maybe he already has one," Ethan said, seeing that Mike hadn't had much luck. He didn't plan to stick around either, as he still had to clean the stairwell of his apartment building. As for the rich guy Mike mentioned, Ethan didn't think much of it.