Chapter 46: As You Wish

  Uncle Wu heard this and slapped his forehead: "This is my fault, I've been really busy lately, and I even went out on a trip recently. You go back and tell your grandfather that when I have time, I'll go see him as soon as possible."

  Li Pei laughed and said, "Hehe, Uncle Wu, don't take it seriously. My grandfather is like that now, he likes the excitement of old age, and doesn't think about it. When I was young, he had a 'don't enter' attitude, which made my uncles and aunts not very close to him. Now, looking at his current state, I think it's all caused by himself back then."

  "Wu Shu scolded with a smile: 'You kid, you're so young and reckless, how can you talk about your grandfather like that? Be careful or I'll tell him one of these days.'"

  "Uncle Wu, goodbye!"

  Li Pei listened to Wu Shu and started acting coquettishly, which left Chu Chen speechless. However, he didn't know that his expression was seen by the sharp-eyed Li Pei, who felt extremely dissatisfied in her heart, thinking, "How can this person be so annoying!" So she quickly thought of something and opened her mouth to say:

  "By the way, Uncle Wu, my grandfather's 80th birthday celebration is coming up and I'm formally inviting you now. Please make sure to attend. And little Chu brother, you're also invited. Little Chu brother, since you're so knowledgeable about antiques, it wouldn't be good to show up empty-handed, would it? The gift should match your expertise."

  Chu Chen was taken aback upon hearing this. Going to wish someone a happy birthday wasn't a big deal, and bringing gifts wasn't either. However, having to bring a gift that matched her own level of learning was a different story altogether. Did she expect him to give away an expensive antique? They didn't have any particularly close relationship, so such a request was completely unreasonable. This woman was indeed quite unreasonable.

  I'm not so stupid, at that time just pick a gift casually and it will be fine.

  Uncle Wu didn't bother with their little tricks, and smiled: "You kid, you're really lazy to death. It's not a wedding banquet that needs to be notified several months in advance. Are you going to formally notify me at my house then? Can your body still drop meat or are you still calculating the things from back then?"

  It turned out that Wu Shu's words really hit the nail on the head. That joke back then had left a deep impression on Li Bei, and to this day, she still felt embarrassed whenever she thought about it, and her anger towards Wu was still simmering just below the surface. So when she heard Wu Shu's words, she couldn't help but blush and became tongue-tied.

  Fortunately, Liu Qinshu came out of the house at this time. Li Beibei hurriedly changed the subject and said: "Auntie Shu, has Grandpa Liu settled down? I heard that older people have back pain because they lack calcium. You should supplement him with it from time to time, it should be useful."

  Seeing this, Liu Qinxu felt a bit strange. When did Li Beibei become so meticulous? Is it considered growing up? So she smiled and said: "Beibei, I didn't expect you to know how to care about people too, looks like you're going to grow up."

  Li Pei Pei heard this and pouted, saying: "Nonsense, I've always been concerned about Liu Lao's well-being, Auntie Shu you say that as if I was a little kid before."

  "Alright, alright, it seems Shu Yi was wrong."

  Liu Qinxu joked and then said to Chu Chen: "Little Chu, let's sign the contract. When Old Master came in, he was still muttering about your things."

  "Hey!"

  Chu Chen slapped his forehead, "Just now I didn't think of reminding Old Liu to take it over."

  Liu Qingshu smiled and said: "This is not your fault, even if you have already agreed, but the transaction has not been completed, my dad will not take it, this is his principle."

  Liu Lao's persistence made Chu Chen very admirable, people of their generation often have certain principles and beliefs in their hearts, and they also consistently adhere to them in their daily work and life, which is the most worthy of his respect and learning.

  Some people nowadays, for the sake of money and so-called hobbies, have lost even the basic lines of being human, which inevitably raises doubts as to whether it is a progress or a regression of civilization.

  "Here, the transfer agreement is here. I'll also trouble Zǐ Píng and Bèi Bèi to act as intermediaries." Liu Qín Shū said while handing over the contract to Chǔ Zhèn.

  Chu Chen was already very familiar with this agreement, and after a simple glance, he signed his name. Afterwards, Wu Shu and others also signed their names in front of the witness.

  However, the bank was closed today and the transfer could not be made. So Liu Qinshu issued a check for Chu Chen, and this multimillion-dollar transaction was quickly and easily completed, leaving Chu Chen to marvel at how easy it was to get the money.

  Then, Liu Qingshu smiled and said to Chu Chen: "Little Chu, just now my dad told me that if you have time, you can come visit him often."

  "Really?!"

  Chu Chen did not expect his wish to be fulfilled in this way, and Liu Lao's acceptance of him would undoubtedly be of great help to his development in the antique business. This made him so excited that he didn't know what to say for a moment, and could only repeatedly express his gratitude to Liu Qingshu.

  Seeing this, Wu Shu was also happy for him on the other side. Being able to watch his junior grow up step by step is a gratifying and proud thing.

  Li Beibei, on the other hand, was extremely envious and jealous. Although she was also familiar with Old Liu, she could only occasionally visit his home. This time, she came to ask Old Liu for appraisal, but it was under the pretext of her grandfather's birthday celebration that she managed to come over. Seeing Chu Chen being treated this way on his first visit, how could she not feel envious?

  Liu Qinxin smiled faintly: "Xiao Chu, don't thank me either. If you want to thank someone, thank your own rich knowledge. Otherwise, my dad wouldn't have looked up to you either, right?"

  Wu Shu saw Chu Chen's silly smile and laughed: "Qin Shu, since everything is done, let's take our leave."

  "Alright, you guys come over and play sometimes."

  After leaving Liu Lao's residence, Li Beibei sent them straight home since she had a car.

  "Baobao, it's almost noon, why don't you come to my house for a simple meal before leaving?" Wu Shu suggested after getting off the car.

  Li Pei said with a smile: "No need, there are still things at home today, let's trouble you next time."

  "Alright then, be careful on your way." Wu Shu heard her say that and didn't press the issue.

  "Hmm!"

  Li Peipei replied, then turned to Chu Chen and said: "Little Brother Chu, I heard your kung fu is very good. When we have time, let's exchange moves. I'll set the time and place and call you. We've got a deal, don't try to back out!"

  As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Chen didn't even have time to respond before she drove away.

  At this point, Chu Chen was really crying and laughing, this woman was too overbearing, she didn't even give others a chance to refuse. With her personality, it's no wonder that Wu Ke disliked her, let alone Wu Ke, even he himself couldn't stand it sometimes.

  "This girl, it seems that she has shifted all her dissatisfaction with Xiaoke onto you. However, in the future, Xiaoke and you will become a family, so just bear with it a bit and let her vent for now. But be careful not to get hurt yourself, or else Xiaoke won't forgive me." Seeing this, Wu Shu started joking again.

  Chu Chen said with a mixture of laughter and tears: "Uncle Wu, you're at it again! But compared to her, it's not that important. However, I'm not happy just being on the defensive, and I believe Xiao Ke won't agree either."

  "Alright, just remember when the time comes, don't beat her too badly, it won't look good for Old Wu's family either." Uncle Wu said with a smile, he still had quite some confidence in Chu Chen's skills. He remembered that not long after Chu Chen arrived in the capital, she encountered two thugs and knocked them down with just three moves, let alone now that she had already broken through.

  Then Wu Shu said: "Xiao Chuan, since Liu Lao accepted you, you must work harder in your studies and cannot be complacent. You should know that Liu Lao's requirements for people are very high."

  Seeing Chu Chen nodding in agreement, he continued to say: "Do you have a dinner appointment this afternoon? If not, come to my house today and we'll drink two cups together."

  "Fine, I haven't tasted Aunt's cooking for a long time, today I must satisfy my cravings. However, Uncle Wu, I said you're just being greedy because of the Maotai I gave you that day, so you said you wanted to drink two cups." Chu Quan chuckled and said.

  "You little scamp!"

  Wu Shu handed him a sugar-roasted chestnut, "Am I that unbearable? You're talking about me as if I'm some kind of drunkard... Can you not drink for just one moment?"

  The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked into the house.

  In the afternoon, Chu Chen didn't have anything to do, so he thought of going to Nancheng to take a stroll. On one hand, he wanted to see if there were any book and painting works that would satisfy Zhao Qirui; on the other hand, it was a good opportunity to go to an acquaintance's place to pick up some goods.

  Familiar roads lead to the Baoguo Temple in Nancheng, which is now a new cultural market in Beijing. In fact, as early as the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Baoguo Temple was already the most famous book market in Beijing, many years earlier than another famous cultural street in Beijing, Liulichang Book Market. This place used to be a elegant resort for scholars and writers, leaving behind many legendary stories.

  However, with the rise of Liulichang Book Market in those years, Baoguo Temple Book Market gradually declined and did not officially reopen until the 1990s. Once it reopened, it became famous nationwide for its down-to-earth trading activities.

  Actually, from the opening of Baoguo Temple to its current prosperity, Chu Chen has personally experienced all of this. At the time of the opening, he and Wu Shu came together to visit the Coin Expo, but at that time, he was still very inexperienced in the antique business.

  Today is Sunday, although the number of customers strolling and shopping here is not many due to the hot weather, compared to the deserted scene when it just opened, it has undoubtedly become much more prosperous. Chuyan thought that the development of the book market was really like his own growth, feeling very intimate.

  He went straight to the familiar store, but unexpectedly found that the door was tightly closed and didn't open all day today.

  Seeing this, Chu Chen was very puzzled in his heart. What's going on? Could it be that Old Zhou went out to pick up goods? Alas, if that's the case, then he came for nothing. Suddenly, he felt a bit resentful towards himself, why didn't he think of making a phone call before coming? It was such a waste of time and energy on this hot day, it was really infuriating.