Chapter 18: Divining Wind Chime (Part 2)
“Gangzi, you brat. You won’t feel satisfied unless you make your uncle suffer, huh?”
Jing Shizhen looked at Zheng Dagang with a helpless smile. “I paid one million for this thing. I have to eat, drink, and live, right? Plane tickets, hotels, all those expenses cost money too. And I can’t run a business without making a profit, can I?”
“Uncle Jing, if the buyer you mentioned doesn’t want it at that price, I’ll take the Divining Wind Chime!”
Su Xiaofan knew Jing Shizhen was being reasonable. A discount of six hundred thousand was already an enormous favor. And judging by how rare magical artifacts were, it should be easy to sell.
“Xiaofan is much more sensible than you.”
Jing Shizhen thought for a moment before saying, “If you two don’t have anything else to do, stay here in the shop. You’ll see how much this transaction is really worth, so Gangzi won’t accuse me of fooling him later.”
“How could I? Uncle, don’t I trust you?”
Zheng Dagang chuckled. “You know me. Usually, selling something for ten or twenty thousand is already a big deal. Today I get to ride on your coattails and witness a million-yuan transaction.”
“I really don’t like talking to you.”
Jing Shizhen shot him a glance. “Be smart later. Watch more, talk less. Learn to read the room and pick up a few things. Then I’ll feel comfortable letting you manage the Jingxin Hall branch here in Luochuan.”
Though he was scolding Zheng Dagang, Jing Shizhen genuinely cared about his nephew. Years ago, he had wanted to bring him into the trade, but the kid had only wanted to hang around the market. Now that he was older, perhaps he could finally be persuaded.
Despite the size of Jing Shizhen’s business, he was facing the problem of having no one to carry it on.
He did have a son, but the man had no interest in antiques. He was now a prominent lawyer in Hong Kong. His grandson was still too young to count on, so Jing Shizhen had begun looking for a successor.
“Alright, Uncle. I’ll listen.”
Zheng Dagang wasn’t ungrateful. He knew he had been operating on too low a level before. Today, seeing Uncle Yuan enjoying tea while burning reverse-flow incense, he thought this kind of life didn’t seem bad at all.
Right in front of Su Xiaofan and Zheng Dagang, Jing Shizhen made a phone call. The other party happened to be free and agreed to come to the shop shortly.
Uncle Jing clearly had considerable influence. They had only finished two rounds of tea, about half an hour in total, before the buyer for this transaction walked into Jingxin Hall.
Two people entered.
The elderly man in front was very tall. Though his hair was gray and he had to be over seventy, he looked exceptionally well maintained. He carried himself with an imposing presence that immediately marked him as someone long accustomed to holding power.
Following behind him was a young woman about the same age as Su Xiaoxiao. She was slightly shorter, around 168 centimeters tall, dressed in sportswear with short hair and a baby face that made her look very cute.
“Chairman Zhao?”
The moment Zheng Dagang saw him, he jumped to his feet.
“Who’s Chairman Zhao?”
Su Xiaofan stood up as well, though he didn’t recognize the old man, and quietly asked Zheng Dagang.
“The chairman of Luochuan Real Estate.”
Zheng Dagang answered in a low voice. By then, Jing Shizhen had already gone over to greet the elderly man.
“The house my family lives in was developed by his company. Half the real estate in Luochuan was built by him…”
Zheng Dagang quietly explained.
The old man’s name was Zhao Hengjian, a legendary figure.
He had started from scratch doing small business in the 1980s. After the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, he became an international trader, accumulating his initial capital.
By the late 1990s, Zhao Hengjian had entered the real estate business, expanding from Luochuan to the entire country. His company now ranked among the top ten in China, and he had appeared on the domestic Forbes rich list for ten consecutive years, with assets exceeding ten billion yuan.
Zheng Dagang knew him only because of demolition and relocation work. During that period, he had been running paperwork for his family, constantly traveling between the real estate company, the housing bureau, and the relocation office. Naturally, he had become familiar with Luochuan Real Estate and had seen Zhao Hengjian several times.
But Zhao Hengjian certainly didn’t know Zheng Dagang.
While Zheng Dagang was quietly talking with Su Xiaofan, Jing Shizhen beckoned him over.
“Old Zhao, this is one of my nephews, Zheng Dagang. He may very well be managing Jingxin Hall in Luochuan in the future. I hope you’ll look after him.”
“Mmm. A steady young man. Very good.”
Zhao Hengjian glanced at Zheng Dagang and nodded before turning to the girl beside him.
“Yaoyao, call him Uncle Zheng.”
“Grandpa, he’s only a few years older than me. I’m not calling him that.”
The girl looked thoroughly unwilling.
What she hated most was going out with her grandfather to meet his elders. Last time, she had been told to call someone only three years older than her “uncle,” and it had infuriated her.
“The young people can address each other however they like.”
Jing Shizhen laughed and gestured toward the inner room.
“Old Zhao, the magical artifact I found this time is excellent. Take a look first.”
“Alright.”
Zhao Hengjian nodded and followed him inside.
However, when he saw Zheng Dagang and Su Xiaofan following them in, surprise immediately appeared on his face.
He knew that whenever Jing Shizhen conducted transactions, he normally disliked having anyone besides the buyer and seller present. They had done business many times before, and Jing Shizhen had never made an exception.
Zheng Dagang’s presence made sense, since he was the future successor of Jingxin Hall.
But Zhao Hengjian couldn’t figure out Su Xiaofan’s background.
“This is another one of my nephews. He’s not an outsider, and he’s also very interested in these magical artifacts.”
Seeing Zhao Hengjian’s expression change, Jing Shizhen smiled.
“Old Zhao, don’t misunderstand. You get first pick. It’s fine if you buy both. He’s just the backup. Only if you don’t want one will it be his turn.”
“Mmm, that’s good. So this young friend is one of yours.”
Zhao Hengjian’s expression softened.
“Where are you from, young man?”
“Huh? I’m from Luochuan.”
Su Xiaofan hadn’t expected Zhao Hengjian to speak to him and quickly answered.
“He’s from Bronze Ware Village.”
Jing Shizhen explained.
“Oh, then you’re not an outsider. How’s Old Bucktooth Su doing?”
Hearing that Su Xiaofan was from Bronze Ware Village, Zhao Hengjian burst into laughter.
“Sixth Grandpa is in good health. Thank you for asking.”
Su Xiaofan became much more respectful.
Very few people knew his Sixth Grandpa’s nickname. Since Zhao Hengjian could call him that, they were obviously old friends.
“There’s plenty of game around your village. One of these days I’ll ask your Sixth Grandpa to take me hunting wild boars.”
Zhao Hengjian nodded.
Though he looked quite old, he was full of vigor and didn’t think of himself as elderly at all.
“They’ve confiscated all the guns now. Hunting isn’t allowed anymore.”
Su Xiaofan relaxed and smiled.
When he was little, he often went hunting in the mountains with his grandfather. But in recent years, enforcement had become strict, and every household’s hunting rifles had been confiscated.
“That’s alright. Your Sixth Grandpa hunts with a bow.”
Zhao Hengjian laughed.
The two chatted casually for a while, and then Jing Shizhen emerged from the inner room carrying a tray.
“The Bagua Mirror can protect a house and ward off evil. It has excellent defensive properties. This is the Divining Wind Chime. It also has some defensive capability, but it should be an offensive magical artifact.”
Setting the tray on the tea table, Jing Shizhen got straight to the point.
“Old Zhao, these are the two best magical artifacts I’ve been able to find recently. They’re also relatively easy to carry. Take a look.”
“Alright.”
Without ceremony, Zhao Hengjian picked up the Bagua Mirror first and examined it carefully for quite some time. Then he picked up the Divining Wind Chime. Like Su Xiaofan before him, he gently shook it and listened to its sound.
“Brother Jing, couldn’t you find any wearable magical artifacts?”
After a long while, Zhao Hengjian put both artifacts back and said somewhat disappointedly,
“I wanted something for Yaoyao to carry for self-defense. Neither the mirror nor the bell can really be worn on the body. It’s rather inconvenient.”
“Brother Zhao, you know as well as I do that wearable magical artifacts are all inherited treasures. I... I can’t exactly rob them off someone else.”
Jing Shizhen smiled bitterly.
“It took tremendous effort just to obtain these two. Actually, the Bagua Mirror is still quite convenient if you keep it in a bag and carry it with you.”
At that point, he suddenly paused and glanced at Zheng Dagang and Su Xiaofan before vaguely adding,
“You know how things are. Right now, money can still buy them. Later on... that may no longer be the case.”
“Wearable magical artifacts?”
Hearing their conversation, Su Xiaofan’s heart skipped a beat.
He almost reached up to touch the dragon-shaped jade pendant hanging around his neck.
Wasn’t that exactly a wearable magical artifact?
And a mid-grade one at that.
“Fine then. I’ll take both.”
Without even asking the price, Zhao Hengjian waved his hand, intending to buy both magical artifacts.
“Uncle Jing.”
Su Xiaofan grew anxious.
Chairman Zhao being wealthy was one thing, but if he bought both, the Divining Wind Chime Su Xiaofan wanted would be gone.
“Oh! I almost forgot. Young friend, you had your eye on one too. You wanted the Divining Wind Chime, didn’t you?”
Hearing Su Xiaofan speak, Zhao Hengjian remembered that the young man before him had also come for the magical artifacts.
“Forget it. I’ll just take the Bagua Mirror. The Divining Wind Chime is yours.”
He smiled.
“Consider it making a good connection with a young friend.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Su Xiaofan had already given up hope. He never expected Zhao Hengjian to give up the Divining Wind Chime to him.
He was overjoyed.
“No need to thank me.”
Zhao Hengjian waved his hand.
“If your Sixth Grandpa found out I didn’t leave one for you, he’d definitely give me an earful.”
Turning to Jing Shizhen, he said,
“Brother Jing, I have other matters to attend to. I’ll take the item with me now.”
“Very well. Come by for tea another day.”
Jing Shizhen nodded.
Together with Zheng Dagang and Su Xiaofan, he escorted Zhao Hengjian and Zhao Yaoyao out of the shop.
As for payment, a transaction worth several million yuan naturally had staff to handle it. Someone of Zhao Hengjian’s status certainly wasn’t expected to transfer the money personally on the spot.
Su Xiaofan, however, didn’t receive such treatment.
After Zhao Hengjian left, he took out the bank card his father had given him, then swiped another two hundred thousand from his own card before finally paying for the Divining Wind Chime.
Even so, he owed Jing Shizhen a tremendous favor.
If Jing Shizhen hadn’t said those words to Zhao Hengjian earlier, Zhao would certainly have bought both magical artifacts.
In that case, Jing Shizhen would have effectively lost six hundred thousand yuan for nothing.
(End of Chapter)
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