Chapter 27: Digging Up the Old Mansion (Part 1)

  Gu Quanzhi is getting old after all, a person in his seventies can't withstand too much hard work. Apart from teaching Qu Yun and Guo Jing about antiques every night, he has handed over most other matters to Bao Xiang.

  To make Quwen meet Master's requirements as soon as possible, Bao Guoqiang took the opportunity to put Quwen in his antique shop, so that even if he competed with Chen Qifeng later, he would have an excuse, and the person was someone he had helped cultivate.

  Compared with working in a pawnshop, working in an antique shop provides more opportunities to come into contact with antiques, and the combination of theory and practice will make one's progress faster.

  This time, Quwen really became Zhao Haifeng's Shu Bo, but he didn't have much to say about it. Privately, he and Zhao Haifeng were friends, and their relationship became even closer over time, becoming a good pair of brothers.

  "Awen, are you free tomorrow? My master is giving me a day off and I want to go to the old house in Western City."

  Digging old houses is a term in Beijing antique market, which means to dig up treasures in the old quadrangle courtyard. In such old buildings and houses, there are often some old objects left behind, and it's not uncommon to stumble upon precious antiques unexpectedly.

  Qu Wen has been in Beijing for over a month and usually enjoys listening to people's gossip, being very interested in the things on the Beijing scene.

  After listening to Zhao Haifeng, he immediately became interested: "Okay, I'll go tell my senior brother about it later, and we'll go dig up the old house together tomorrow."

  A person won't get rich without unexpected wealth, a horse won't get fat without midnight grass. Very few people who work diligently and honestly become wealthy, but there are many who get rich by taking shortcuts. Although this is a bit of a blow to the confidence of working-class people, it's a very real thing.

  Since the antique craze began in the 1980s, people started discovering antiques and business opportunities in old houses. As a result, whenever an old house was about to be sold, transferred, or rumored to have valuable items inside, people would flock there immediately.

  Like the early days of digging up old houses, there was a particular emphasis on excavating ancient dwellings where wealthy people lived. Think about it, the living conditions of the rich were not comparable to those of ordinary commoners, even their pots and pans were high-end goods that have become valuable antiques in modern times. Nowadays, the mansions of the wealthy have been dug up almost completely, leaving only the original homes of ordinary folks to be excavated. Although they may seem worthless at first glance, these everyday folk items have now turned into money, a delicacy for antique collectors.

  In the past, people who went to old houses to find treasures were mostly not worried about being deceived, because at that time there were very few counterfeiters. If it was said to be from the Ming Dynasty, it was basically from the Ming Dynasty. If it was said to be from the Qing Dynasty, it was basically from the Qing Dynasty. Absolutely no modern handicrafts would appear.

  Since the reform and opening up, the antique industry has also experienced several waves of enthusiasm. Most of the old houses in 49 cities have been dug through, and it's basically a dream to find some old objects. Either someone is setting up a fake scene. When digging for treasure in an old house, if you don't keep your eyes open, you won't even know where your money is flying to.

  After having breakfast, Zhao Haifeng drove to pick up Qu Wen and arrived at a small quadrangle courtyard in the west of the city. The yard was not big but very square, with a pomegranate tree planted in it. There were three rooms on the north side, three rooms on the south side, two rooms on each side, and a parking space in front of the door, making it very convenient for living.

  Qu Wen looked curiously and found that the old house was well preserved. In the courtyard, there were pomegranate trees, flowers and grass on both sides, couplets on the wall, and paper-cut flowers on the windows, which showed that the previous owner was a person with a more leisurely and elegant temperament.

  "Afeng, what did the original owner of this place do?" As they spent more time together and were close in age, Qu Wen also started calling him by his first name, just like Zhao Haifeng called himself.

  "I heard that his ancestors were literati, but he started doing business in this generation. He recently completed the immigration procedures, so he put up a 'for sale' sign on the old house."

  For people like this who are going to move abroad, apart from a small number of items with commemorative significance, most are not willing to take away and it's also not convenient. There are many problems involved, requiring a lot of effort to solve, so it's better to cash them all in and save a lot of trouble.

  Zhao Haifeng walked ahead, and as soon as he stepped through the gate, he heard a mocking voice: "Hey, what's this wind that's brought Brother Feng from Ci Shi Zhai? What's going on, are you here to fight with us for food today?"

  The speaker's name is Yuansheng Jie, 35 or 36 years old, a red third generation, just like Zhao Haifeng, both are from the military district compound. Relying on his ancestral blessings, he spent some time drifting in the United States and only returned a few years ago. He always thought he had more experience than others, often flaunting his returnee identity, almost forgetting where he was born.

  Yuan Shengjie returned home and set up an investment company, making a lot of money. He also followed the domestic wealthy merchants to engage in antiques, buying several pieces of ancient artifacts, fortunately not encountering any counterfeit goods. From then on, he had nothing better to do than follow antique dealers around to dig for treasures, calling himself a self-taught connoisseur master.

  It is said that among three people walking together, there must be a teacher. Whether or not one has formally become an apprentice to someone, in this line of work, one will inevitably need guidance from others in order to grow. The phrase "no teacher can teach" does not apply here. Many people think that after reading several books, they are knowledgeable and consider themselves half a master, daring to make a big show in the antique business.

  It's obvious that Yuan Shengjie is this kind of person.

  Qu Wen was secretly laughing in the back of his head. Most people who drowned were good swimmers but didn't understand water, and even when they died inside, they still couldn't figure out why.

  Some people may ask, if you can swim, how can you be said to not understand water?

  The truth is simple. You may be splashing around in the swimming pool, but that's stagnant water, and even if you're not a good swimmer, there's still a lifeguard on the shore. But when it comes to real rivers, lakes, and seas, especially in fast-flowing currents, can your little swimming skills keep up? Every river, every stream has different currents, undercurrents, and hidden dangers that ordinary people can't predict.

  Zhao Haifeng didn't say a word, and another man named Qin Jian jumped out, standing in the middle to mediate: "Boss Yuan, look at what you're saying, who doesn't know that your business is getting bigger and bigger, who can take away your rice bowl."

  Yuan Shengjie heard this and looked rather pleased with himself, turning to Qin Jian: "I told you so, I wondered why there were so many people coming today, it turns out you've been spreading the word everywhere."

  As Yuan Shengjie said, Tan Jian is a middleman who makes a living by selling information. This time the news of the tomb raid was mostly spread by him, and in just a few days he had brought several groups to the tomb. Unfortunately, Zhao Haifeng and Qu Wen arrived early today and coincidentally ran into Yuan Shengjie and his men.

  But he didn't know that Yuan Shengjie and Zhao Haifeng's brothers had been at odds with each other since childhood, and this time they were brought together by two sworn enemies.

  It can be said that Zhao Haifeng is also somewhat innocent. When his brother and Yuansheng Jie were making trouble, he was only a few years old and just followed behind them, shouting blindly. As he grew older, he had almost forgotten about this matter.

  But since you're here, there's no reason to leave without taking a look. Zhao Haifeng sarcastically said: "Director Yuan, aren't you always saying that you're an expert who can figure things out on your own? Why don't we have a little competition today and see who can find something good in this house?"

  Yuansheng Jie had always been a proud and arrogant person since he was young, and he would argue over every little thing. Because Zhao Haifeng's brother had the same temperament as him, they became sworn enemies. He coldly snorted at Zhao Haifeng: "Fine, let's do it your way, but without some stakes, this gamble isn't very interesting."

  Qu Yun was a man of great importance to relationships, and he couldn't bear to see his friends being bullied by others. His temper flared up at the same time, and before Zhao Haifeng could speak, he took a step forward and asked loudly: "What kind of bet do you want?"

  Halfway through, a Cheng Yaoguang appeared out of nowhere, leaving Yuan Shengjie stunned. He secretly sized up Qu Wen, who looked like a young whippersnapper who had just entered society, and yet dared to challenge him.

  "Who are you and what makes you think you can gamble with me?"

  Qu Wencai doesn't care about all that, once he gets angry, even if you're the king or the emperor, he's not afraid.

  "Since we've started the gamble, why care about the other person's identity, unless you're not brave enough to gamble." He then took out his own bank card: "There's 7.5 million in here, if we lose, all the money inside will be yours."