Uncle San has been out on the road since he was a teenager. He has seen a lot of bad things and usually has to plan everything before doing anything. For example, he prepared a lot of things when he robbed a tomb last time. Sometimes I think he is too cautious. For example, 80% of the huge amount of equipment he had last time was not used. I didn't expect him to be so careless this time. He just picked up the box and ran away. I saw that I couldn't stop him, so I shouted, "Be careful!" He yelled in response and ran into the elevator.
It happened that a waiter from a foot massage parlor in a hotel came up to settle the bill with me. Seeing this, he smiled and said, "How come your uncle is even more rude than your nephew? It's the other way around, and you still have to worry about him." I had no way to explain, so I just smiled and took the bill. When I looked at it, I realized that this old man had gone out to deal with those unclear things again yesterday, and he didn't even look at the current financial situation.
Looking at this bill, my face turned black. I have spent a lot of money these days. Originally, Third Uncle's pockets were still full, but he spent money like water during this escape. He also donated some money to the village that burned the forest. The cash he had was almost used up. He didn't bring a card when he went out. He said it was an old-fashioned style. He shamelessly used my money these days and said that he was asking his company to transfer more money to him and then pay me back. Now he ran away, and I remembered this matter. I couldn't help but worry, I don't know if the money on him can last.
I took out my wallet and my heart sank. I was used to spending money quickly and didn't pay much attention to it. There were only a few bills in my wallet. Pan Zi is in a deep coma now and I don't know when he will wake up. Although the doctor said there is no major hidden danger, it mainly depends on his physical recovery. I calculated that I can't expect to get away in 10 days or half a month. Pan Zi is a lonely person and it is impossible to find someone to replace me. This little money is definitely not enough to spend.
The most troublesome thing is that now there is a four-digit bill in front of me, which is a bit difficult. I smiled embarrassedly and said that I didn't have enough cash, so I would get some money and send it to him later. Seeing that I have been quick to pay in the past few days, he smiled and said, "It's okay, I have nothing to do tomorrow, so you can do your thing first."
As soon as he left, I got nervous. There were more things to think about. His damn Pan Zi's medical expenses in the hospital were four figures every day. Where could I find the money to pay for him now that the old man was gone? I couldn't call the old man, because if I did he would probably scold me to death. He already has a lot of resentment towards me because business has been so bad in recent years. Now I'm trying to follow my most disappointing uncle, third uncle, and go tomb robbing. Forget it.
I returned to the room, feeling annoyed, when I suddenly saw the gold-thread jade coffin cover still lying in the bag. Uncle San took great care of it, and even covered it with four or five layers of oil paper. I suddenly had an impulsive idea, thinking that I should make some plans for the next ten days. It is not a good idea to eat and sleep here every day and then make a profit. Otherwise, I can find an antique market to sell this thing, and then make some money to travel around Jinan, which is not a waste of time.
When I think about it, it makes a lot of sense. I came here with the attitude of traveling, but now it's like checking the X-files. Why bother? Besides, money is a big deal now, and this matter can't be done in a hurry. Otherwise, if I get kicked out, it will be troublesome if Pan Zi cuts off people's medicine. It's not dark yet, so we have to do it quickly.
I thought about going down to the lobby to ask the waiter if there were any places to trade antiques. The waiter was very enthusiastic and accompanied me downstairs and called a taxi for me. After I got in the car, I told the driver to go to where there were more antiques. The driver agreed and took me to Yingxiongshan Market. I saw that this place was a bit fancy.
I listened to the taxi driver talking a lot along the way. He said that this is a relatively large concentration of antiques and calligraphy products. There are a lot of people and it is quite noisy, but most of the goods are fake. If you have nothing to do, you can chat with the bosses here and brag, and they are happy to do so.
I got off the car carrying the heavy jade coffin cover, thinking about finding a bigger storefront. This thing is not something that ordinary people can afford. Those big stores must have contacts with some big customers, and I can ask them to introduce me and give them a 2% commission. I am also an old expert in this area and no one can fool me. On the way back, I discussed the value of this thing with my third uncle. My third uncle said that it was only about one million yuan. This thing is priced but not in demand. First, it is difficult for anyone to buy such an expensive thing, unless they are foreigners. But this thing is too big, and big things are inherently more difficult to buy than small things. He estimated that if someone really wanted to buy it, he would be willing to let go for about 800,000 yuan.
With his words in mind, I was confident. I looked around and walked a few steps. Suddenly, I saw a bronze incense burner in a shop. There were some figures engraved on it. I was shocked when I saw it. The people on it all had big bellies, which looked very similar to the mural of Haidou mentioned by Uncle San. I bent down to take a closer look. At this time, the boss came out and said, "Hey, you know the goods. This is the only valuable thing in my shop."
When I heard his accent, which was Beijing dialect, I asked him, "What is engraved on it? Why is it so strange? It looks like he is not from Hainan, right?"
When the man heard this, his expression changed. He helped me to go to his shop and said, "Today I really met an expert. This thing has been here for years, and you are the first one to see the signs. Yes, this is indeed from Hainan."
People who deal in antiques are definitely good at talking. Looking at his expression, I wondered if what he said was true or if he just wanted to sell it to me. I didn't have much information, so pretending to be an expert would definitely give me away. So I said, "I'm not an expert, I saw this thing in Hainan, and I found it strange. I don't even know what it's called."
The man asked me to sit down, brought me a cup of tea, and said, "You are being modest. But if you really don't know, it doesn't matter. I'll tell you, the carving on this incense burner is a kind of ghost. They call it 'Jin Po'. The origin of this thing is a long story. If you are really interested, I can tell you."
I saw that there was something interesting going on, so I hurriedly pretended to want to buy it and nodded. He gestured to me to wait, took the incense burner out of the window, and put it on the coffee table. I immediately smelled a strange fragrance coming over. I couldn't help but be surprised, and he chuckled: "Isn't this fragrance very special?"
I asked, "What spices are in it?"
He opened the lid of the incense burner and I saw a small black stone. I was stunned. He smiled proudly and said, "This is the bone of the forbidden woman. This fragrance is called bone incense. It's a good thing. Put it next to you when you sleep. It will make you sleep comfortably."
I suddenly felt a little disgusted and asked, "Who on earth is this forbidden woman? It's so immoral to smell her bones before going to sleep."
He smiled and said, "Jinpo is a very broad concept, it is equivalent to a general term for bad things. People there who get sick or injured say it is caused by Jinpo. It is really hard to describe what she is. If you really want to say it, you can say she is an evil ghost."
"Oh, so this is her bone?" I frowned and asked, "Where did this thing come from? Look at the sea shit on the lid, it looks like it's from the sea."
The man chuckled and said, "You said you're not an expert. That's right. This thing was caught by a fisherman with a net. But things are rare and expensive. Even though there's some sea shit on it, it's still not cheap."
I didn't have enough money, so I sighed and said, "What a pity! I'm a very picky person, so I don't want this seafood. If you really want to sell it, why don't you sell me the bone incense inside?"
The man's face changed, and he smiled apologetically, "How can that be? If you buy the bone incense, who can I buy the incense burner from?"
I saw that it was slightly dusty, and I knew it must have been stored for a long time without being sold. This kind of thing is too unpopular, and it is not easy to resell after buying it. People who buy it for investment generally don't like it. Gold in troubled times and antiques in prosperous times. If something can't be sold, the owner will naturally not spend time to take care of it. I shook my head. Anyway, there is no use for me to buy this thing. I will take out the coffin cover and show it to him. If he can contact a buyer, he can give it to me. Thinking of this, I smiled and said, "Okay, let's not talk about this for now. I'll show you something."
As he said this, he brought up the jade coffin cover, showing him a corner. You could tell whether this expert was an expert or not by looking at his performance. His face changed as soon as he saw it, and without saying a word, he put the jade coffin cover back. Then he stood up and pulled down the roller shutter of the shop, poured out my cup of tea, and brought me another one. I smelled it and thought, it's top-grade Tieguanyin. It seems I have reached a higher level.
He wiped the sweat off his head and said, "I wonder what this craftsman's name is?"
As soon as I saw him, I knew that he was not just an antique dealer. He reacted so quickly and saw that the thing was poured out. I couldn't help but express my gratitude and said politely, "My last name is Wu. What's your name, boss?" The man said, "You can just call me Lao Hai. So, Master Wu, are you going to sell this thing or let me take a look?"
I said, "Of course I will. This thing is a bit hot to hold next to me."
He walked back and forth in the room a few times and asked, "Is it complete?"
I nodded: "You won't lose a single piece. It's fresh out of the pan and still hot."
He sat down and said softly, "Master Wu, I'm a straightforward person. I dare say that I'm the only one in the entire Yingxiong Mountain who dares to buy this thing from you. But there's no need for me to argue with you about this thing. The price of treasures cannot be negotiated. Just tell me your true feelings and tell me how much you are willing to give. I'll call my friend for you."
I thought about it and thought that he would have to ask for one million anyway. Da Kui's family would have to give 300,000, and Pan Zi's hospitalization would cost at least 200,000. The fat man had left a message long ago, asking him to remit the money from the sale of the things, so each person would only get a little more than 100,000. Thinking of what I risked my life to get back, I couldn't help but feel that it was too little. But Uncle San said that tomb robbing is like this, otherwise why would they rob one after another? No matter how precious the things you can bring out of a tomb are, if no one buys them, they are still garbage, so he doesn't take the best things, and he can't sell them even if he takes them.
I estimated that 1 million was about right, and made a number to Lao Hai. He was delighted, and I felt a little depressed. Did I quote too low? He picked up the phone, hid in a corner and made a call. After the call, his face was red with joy, and he said, "It's done! It's done! Master Wu, you are lucky. There are people waiting for this thing. 1 million is not high, and 2 million is not low. I quoted you 1.2 million. What do you think?"
When I heard that, I thought to myself, who knows how much you quoted? Maybe you doubled it. However , I got 200,000 more than I expected. I was still very comfortable and said with a smile, "How about your share, is it still the old rules?" He smiled and said, "To be honest, they have prepared a little more for me. You can keep the 1.2 million. You are injured. It is not easy to get this thing out. You must remember my kindness. Next time you have such things, don't ask other people. Send it to me directly. No matter how much you ask, I will raise it by 20%. You must know that my customer is very rich. He dares to accept things that others dare not accept." Seeing that I was a little anxious, he hurriedly said, "Please sit for a while, I will prepare money for you. Although my shop is small, I have enough money in the account for this 1.2 million. I will advance it to you first."
When I heard this, I was really arrogant. As the saying goes, antiques are king among all the 36 trades. It's true. It seems that this guy has some skills. I hurriedly said, "Wait, what about this Jinpo furnace? Can you give me a discount for it? I'll take it all."
The man chuckled and said, "If you like this, take it. Consider it a gift from me. To be honest, I only paid 5 dollars for it. I was just trying to trick you by asking so much."
Three hours later, I was in a great mood with a huge sum of money. When I returned to the hotel, I didn't even want to look at the doorman. Some people behind me were talking about whether this guy had won 5 million yuan. Look at his eyes, he couldn't open his eyes because of his smile. After I sorted out the money, I settled all the bills first, went to the hospital to pay Pan Zi's one-month nursing fee, transferred money to Fatty, and then solemnly transferred my share, along with the money that my third uncle owed me, to my own card. I finally felt relieved.
In the next few days, I found a beautiful local tour guide and went around various places in Jinan. However, I came from Hangzhou, and the more I saw the cultural landscapes, the less interested I became. Later, I simply went to find a fishing factory to catch fish. These days were the most comfortable time in my life, but I was a little mean. I was so comfortable that I actually began to miss the excitement of tomb robbing.
Without further ado, I lived this decadent life for about a week. I came back from the fishing factory and just as I walked in the door, I heard the phone ringing. I picked it up and heard a vague message about something in the hospital. I thought it was Pan Zi who woke up and was about to be overjoyed, but the person shouted that I was wrong. When I asked, I found out that the call was from Hainan.
I had a feeling that something had happened to my third uncle, but I didn't expect it to be so serious. The other party said that a middle-aged man had something wrong and was now in emergency treatment. He had my contact information. The middle-aged man's surname was Wu. After checking his identity, it seemed that he was an antique dealer. He asked if I knew him.
When I heard that it was my third uncle, I immediately broke out in a sweat and asked him what the situation was. He said, "Come quickly, this matter is a bit tricky, and if things go wrong the worst might happen."