Chapter 13: Changing Hands

  "Never mind, since these are all facts, I can only accept them."

  After the pain on his fist completely disappeared, Zhou Ming Luo gradually calmed down and then thought of Xiuniang. After all, no matter how great or small the effect of the Golden Vajra Seal was, he had no power to change it, and he couldn't help but accept it.

  From the time he discovered the change in the yellow book, it had been a long time until now, and it was already noon, so he should go see Xiuniang.

  The other party had a severe fever, which had already reached the point of confusion, and not only needed emergency treatment but also someone to take care of her afterwards. After knowing that there might be no time during the day, Zhou Ming directly sent her to the nearby San Yuan Hospital and completed the admission procedures.

  This might be a bit of an overreaction, but he thought it was worth it. He was really worried that if he left and no one took care of her, something would happen to Xiuniang again. Although the hospital costs money, at least there are nurses to take care of her.

  "High fever is after all a minor issue, hopefully she's better now, sigh."

  He let out a sigh and stepped out, arriving at San Yi Hospital in less than half an hour.

  Familiarly entering the inpatient department building, taking the elevator to the sixth floor, Zhou Ming Luo walked along the corridor and arrived at the door of room 609. Looking through the glass window on the door, he saw Xiuni lying on the hospital bed inside at a glance.

  Xiu Yi was not very old, only in her early thirties this year, and she still had a few points of beauty. However, the person lying on the hospital bed at this moment looked haggard and disheveled, and at first glance, she seemed to have aged more than ten years.

  Just thinking about how gentle and kind Xiuniang was to him in the past, like an elder sister, but now because of Fang Shuotong's imprisonment, she has become so disheveled, it pains Zhou Ming deeply.

  "No matter who you are, you've ruined Fang Shu's family like this, it was tolerable in the past, and I could only admit it for various realistic reasons, but from now on, I must make you regret everything you've done!"

  Clutching his fists tightly again, almost piercing the tender flesh of his palm with his short fingernails, Zhou Ming's eyes were filled with a chilling coldness.

  The next moment he quickly gathered his emotions and gently knocked on the door before pushing it open.

  "Xiu Yi, how are you feeling now?"

  As he entered the ward, Zhou Ming hastily walked to the bedside, forcing a bright smile on his face. The closer he got to Xiuniang, the more unbearable it became for him.

  "Little Luo, I'm really sorry for you, I'm fine." From the moment Zhou Mingluo pushed the door open, Xiuni had turned her gaze away, always looking at him with a loving and caring gaze, but in this gaze, she also carried a hint of guilt.

  She was really apologetic, although the pressure she had been under these days was not ordinary, so when she learned that Uncle Fang refused to let her visit him in prison, she guessed the reason and collapsed, getting drunk alone at home and even developing a high fever.

  Even though her high fever had basically subsided after the treatment in the morning, and even her mood was still severely depressed, she can now think very rationally and face reality.

  It wasn't until she saw Zhou Ming Luo again that she suddenly realized, the pressure she had been under these past few days was huge. Could it be that Zhou Ming Luo was actually younger than her? Even if that were the case, Zhou Ming Luo still managed to spare so much energy to take care of her.

  It's unbearable for her to think that she fell ill and left everything to a child. To her, Zhou Ming Luo is still just a big kid after all.

  Since Fang Shu's matter has become a foregone conclusion, she also wants to get rid of the shadow of this matter as soon as possible. After all, Fang Shu can still come out after five years.

  "I'm really sorry, Aunt Xiu owes you an apology."

  "Don't say that, this is what I should do..." Hearing the other person say this, Zhou Mingluo hastily waved his hand, but before he could finish speaking, Xiuni suddenly smiled and sat up with a jerk. "I'm really fine now, just a fever, and the hospital also did another examination for me, I can go home now."

  "Really?" Seeing Xiuniang, although she had sat up, but looked very weak, Zhou Mingluo hurriedly pressed her back onto the hospital bed and smiled, "Xiuniang, I know you're almost recovered, but since we're already here, there's no need to rush back immediately. Your body is still weak, so rest a bit more, when your spirit is fully restored, I'll send you home."

  The next moment, Zhou Ming got up again and said, "What do you want to eat now? I'll go out and buy it for you."

  "A little fall."

  A few words, Xiuniang's eyes suddenly turned sour, almost shedding tears again, but she still forced herself to hold back her tears and managed a smile as she told Zhouming what she wanted to eat. After he took note of it and left to buy food, she could no longer bear it and finally burst into hot tears on her face.

  But while shedding tears, she had secretly made up her mind that she absolutely could not fall ill so irresponsibly again, putting all the burdens on Zhou Mingluo alone. And that she and Fang Shu were able to take in Zhou Mingluo, such a good child, was truly the greatest gain and happiness of these years.

  ……………

  The next day, Nanjiang Hotel in Xinkai City.

  "Congratulations on your longevity." A clean and refreshing young man held a porcelain plate in his hands, standing in the corridor, smiling at the old man who opened the door.

  Young people are just as good as Zhou Ming Luo, yesterday afternoon accompanied by Xiuni in the hospital for half a day of rest, until evening when Xiuni returned to Rui Xiang community.

  He followed him back to his own hut and painted new "Mò Wén Fú" and "Jīn Gāng Fú" after 12 o'clock before falling asleep.

  However, after waking up today and thinking about it briefly, he directly took out the business card that Old Man Bi gave him yesterday and started dialing the mobile phone number on it.

  His purpose in contacting the other party was to sell that blue and white tile, since he had already absorbed the "wenqi" inside the blue and white tile, then he didn't need to continue keeping it either.

  After all, he is not a true collector, let alone now that he needs money and urgently.

  At first, in order to make Fang Shu's sentence lighter, whether it was the Fang family's previous savings or his own, almost all of them had been sold out. Although he still had some small change left, yesterday when sending Xiuni to the hospital and buying this blue and white porcelain tile, those small changes were also spent.

  At this moment, his family's savings are still less than 300 yuan, so making money has become his most important goal for now.

  Whether it's for the next life or continuing to find antiques to enrich the yellow skin book in hand, both require money.

  The quickest way is undoubtedly to sell the blue and white porcelain tiles bought yesterday.

  So he remembered that old man with the surname Bi.

  People like Zhou Ming Luo and Fang Shu Tong, who are generally engaged in the business of buying and selling antiques, usually resell most of the antiques they purchase from outside to acquaintances. For example, Fang Shu Tong has established a relatively complete network of relationships with many well-known collectors in Xincheng District. These people have a certain economic foundation, understand antiques, and love collecting them, making them the ideal customer type.

  No matter what treasure Uncle Fang digs up, he can always find the most suitable buyer at the fastest speed and sell it for a relatively ideal price.

  But in this regard, Zhou Ming Luo was actually doing it for the first time. In the past, he had only assisted Fang Shu, and when he occasionally practiced on his own, most of the time he just did some superficial work, without having the opportunity to go through the entire process, so naturally he didn't have any familiar collectors.

  It was fortunate that I met the old man with the surname Bi when buying this ceramic tile yesterday, and Zhou Ming Luo also had a good impression of him, otherwise it would be difficult to sell this ceramic tile.

  At that time, after the phone was connected in the community, as soon as he made his intention clear, Old Bi on the other side immediately agreed excitedly.

  After inquiring about the other party's accommodation, Zhou Ming Luo also hugged the blue flower brick and took a taxi to rush over.

  Nanjing Grand Hotel has a certain reputation in the prosperous Xinkai River area, and is one of the top five-star hotels in the city. The old fixed room is a business suite.

  "Ah, Ming Luo little brother, come on in!"

  Until this moment, Bi Lao's face still had a hint of surprise, he really didn't dare to believe that Zhou Ming Luo would bring the Qing Hua brick in front of him so quickly. Yesterday, he had asked Zhou Ming Luo several times to buy it, but was firmly refused. Now, after just one night, the other party had suddenly changed their stance, which made people suspicious.

  But to be honest, he was quite pleased to see such a situation.

  Please ask Zhou Ming to enter the room. After the two sat down on the sofa in the living room, they exchanged brief pleasantries again. Then, Old Bi carefully picked up the entire ceramic plate and placed it in front of his eyes for a serious appraisal. After confirming that this ceramic plate was indeed the one from yesterday, and the bottom of the entire plate was truly made from the blue-and-white tiles of the number one kiln under heaven.

  Bi Lao's whole person visibly relaxed, previously he had also really suspected that Zhou Ming Luo would not take a fake ceramic plate to deceive himself, or maybe yesterday he was mistaken, this base is not really a Qinghua brick, it was this little guy who discovered something after going back and brought it over.

  After all, the other party's change was a bit too sudden, and he couldn't help but feel suspicious. The appreciation just now was even more serious and careful than when he first watched this porcelain plate yesterday.

  But now all these speculations are naturally self-defeating.

  Things are fine, no matter why Zhou Ming Luo changed, he will never mind taking down this tile.

  "Ah, Ming Luo, little brother, I don't know why you suddenly changed your stance, and I don't want to know either. Being able to get this piece of ceramic tile makes my trip to Xin Chuan worthwhile. How about this: I'll offer 1.8 million to buy this tile from you, are you satisfied with this price?"

  As soon as Bi Lao finished speaking, Zhou Minglu was taken aback, 1.8 million?

  This number is indeed somewhat beyond his expectation, not low, but high. Based on his previous estimate, the price of this tile should be between 100,000 and 200,000, but 100,000 to 200,000 is just a rough figure after all. After all, what price it will ultimately be depends on the buyer's own purchasing intention.

  If it falls into the hands of someone who doesn't particularly like this tile and is just preparing to resell it, the highest price would be around 100,000 yuan. Even for someone who generally likes to collect it, they might only offer a price of 120,000 to 130,000 yuan. It's possible to sell it for nearly 200,000 yuan, but that usually requires several collectors competing with each other to drive up the price.

  Such situations often occur at auctions, but if you enter an auction, the deducted commission is also considerable, and in the end, it falls into Zhou Ming's hands, which is not much higher.

  But at this moment, Bi Lao actually opened his mouth and said 1.8 million, with a tone that even had room for negotiation?

  Zhou Mingluo didn't believe the other party at all, and couldn't guess why he would change his stance so quickly. Yesterday, Lin Hong said that he was currently in a state of lacking money.

  When a person is very short of money, if they sell things, they will often sell at a loss. Even if the buyer on the other side is a fool, they probably understand that this is the best time to press for a lower price.

  He looked at Bi Lao deeply and nodded with a smile, "Thank you, Bi Lao. I'm very satisfied with this price."

  "Okay."

  Old Bi smiled and nodded, then took out a pen from the pocket of his shirt, "I'll write you a check right now."

  After a few breaths, a cash check that can be withdrawn for 180,000 yuan was signed and completed. After the check is in hand on Monday, after confirming that there are no mistakes, the first transaction between the two parties also came to an end.

  At this moment, whether it's Zhou Ming Luo or Bi Lao, they are both beaming with excitement. Zhou Ming Luo's excitement is understandable, as he is thrilled about his first truly meaningful discovery. The items he bought for a few hundred yuan can now be sold for tens of thousands of yuan, which is the joy of treasure hunting and easily gives people a sense of accomplishment. It also solves his pressing problem, so it's worth being happy about. As for Bi Lao, he is holding the ceramic plate like a child, reluctant to let go, and begins to admire it carefully once again.

  "It's getting late, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first." A moment later, Zhou Minglai put away the cash check and prepared to stand up and bid farewell.

  "Wait a minute." Until then, Bi Lao was still admiring the porcelain plate in his hand, but suddenly stopped, waking up from his excitement, and then smiled, "Ming Luo, little brother, I have an impolite request. More than 20 years ago, I also came to Linchuan, but at that time, this place was completely different from now. The area is dozens of times smaller, and other changes are too great. If you have time, do you have any interest in helping this old man take a tour of the new Linchuan? People like us, whenever we arrive at a place, are probably most interested in the same kind of places."

  Indeed, whether it's a collector or a second-hand dealer, the most interesting place to visit in every location is probably where local antiques gather. After hearing the other person's words, Zhou Ming Luo immediately laughed too, of course, this was no problem.

  But at the moment he stood up, Zhou Ming Luo was also somewhat puzzled, whether the other party was really unfamiliar with Xinkai and needed a tour guide, or if the other party's mood was too good and wanted to give himself an opportunity to learn. Or perhaps it was both.