Chapter 161: How a Master of Romance is Forged (2)

After finishing breakfast, Luzhu was seen parking his car right in front of Boss Li's courtyard house. Before even stepping through the door, he called out, "Liangzi, we're here...!"

There were five or six people in total, arriving in two cars—a silver Beijing Hyundai and a black Land Rover. They were all young men and women, three guys and two girls. He Zhixing got the impression that Boss Li's friends were doing quite well for themselves.

Shortly after, they set off in three cars together toward Cangzhou in Hebei. Boss Li had his car as well, a black Peugeot 508. High-spirited and singing all the way, the group headed toward an old village on the outskirts of Cangzhou. Upon reaching the village, they parked their cars and walked together to a pre-arranged house.

The homeowner led them inside. The house was rather old, yet much more spacious than the dwellings of the neighbors, complete with a private little courtyard—a sign that the original owner of this estate had once belonged to the gentry class.

It had fallen on hard times, however. The current owner of the house was a bachelor in his thirties, dressed very ordinarily. It was said that his parents had died in a car accident years ago, leaving him as the sole heir, and he wasn't doing very well in life. If he were well-off, he wouldn't be selling off his family's ancestral property and antiques.

They entered the main hall of the substantial house and saw several pieces of rosewood and pearwood furniture dating from the early Qing Dynasty to the Republican era. They did not form a complete set; only a few sparse pieces were scattered across the hall. The tea table and long side table were made of pearwood, the carvings of dragons and phoenixes on the side table exceptionally delicate, making it a rather fine pearwood tea table.

Aside from those, there were three taishi armchairs made of rosewood. After examining these items, they spotted a poorly preserved and tattered bamboo painting by Zheng Banqiao hanging on the wall, with frayed and missing edges in some places. The aged, yellowish surface of the painting looked relatively normal at first glance, though whether it was authentic remained to be determined.

After Boss Li, He Zhixing, and the others finished inspecting these objects, they asked, "Are there any others?"

Hearing their inquiry, the man immediately replied, "Yes, there are a few old, battered chests, along with some unremarkable jars and pots. Follow me..."

The man led them to his parents' former bedroom, hauled two old chests out from beside a pile of old clothes, and brought out several dusty jars and pots that stood next to the chests. He brought them all out to the doorway of a room with better lighting.

He Zhixing and the others asked the man to open the wooden chests. The chests were unlocked, and upon opening them, to their surprise, they found not much of value inside—only some old books and comic books, alongside a few ancient copper coins and old paper fractional currency.

Turning their attention to the jars and pots, they wiped away the dust to find no genuine treasures like Song or Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain, but rather Qing Dynasty imitation blue and white porcelain and colored glazed ceramics, possessing only mediocre collectible value.

He Zhixing and his companions discussed a price, ultimately making a deal with the man for three hundred and fifty thousand. Only then did they summon a small truck to load all the items and head back to Beijing to split the spoils. He Zhixing only took some of the old books, copper coins, and old paper currency.

As usual, He Zhixing waited every day in front of the neighboring courtyard house, watching the beautiful woman leave and return from work. It seemed he would not give up until he hit a brick wall, which even surprised Boss Li: Could it be that He Zhixing had fallen for the pretty young neighbor?

On this day, after He Zhixing waited for the beauty to get off work, he asked her the same question again: Would she be willing to rent out the house? The beauty gave her usual cold reply that she had no intention of renting it out, and He Zhixing once again slunk back dejectedly.

One of Boss Li's friends—who had gone treasure hunting with them in Cangzhou, Hebei last time—happened to be visiting Boss Li and witnessed He Zhixing's rejection and disappointment. Stepping forward, the friend said, "Brother, do you like that woman? It's true that proximity gives you the advantage, but this approach still isn't working. Come, let me share some expert secrets and tricks of the dating game with you, and I guarantee you'll get results...!"

Hearing this, He Zhixing grew a bit interested and said, "Really? Tell me about it so I can learn..."