บท 63: Impossible
"Eating out? Why would she invite us to dinner?"
In stark contrast to Fatty's exuberance, Fang Yi furrowed his brow. It was the first day he was to accompany Old Sun for his apprenticeship, and he was unwilling to let something as trivial as a meal disrupt this significant endeavor.
"She said she wanted to thank us; if it weren't for our intervention, she would have been humiliated..."
San Pao recounted the girl's words verbatim, his expression calm. Fatty was excited, but for San Pao, who was currently in a sweet phase with his girlfriend, the beauty of the police officer had little bearing on him.
"Oh, she merely wishes to express her gratitude?"
Fang Yi relaxed his furrowed brow and replied, "In that case, I won't be going. Fatty, you and San Pao can attend. After all, it was you two who intervened and provided statements at the police station; it doesn't concern me..."
Though he had ventured into the secular world and reached the age of budding emotions, Fang Yi was not one to indulge in the kind of infatuation that would keep him awake at night, nor was he like Fatty, who transformed into a peacock at the sight of a pretty girl.
Moreover, Fang Yi had casually observed the girl's features and noted the auspicious shape of her ears and the smooth, radiant curve of her forehead. Clearly, she hailed from a family of fortune and privilege, and he did not believe he would have any connection with someone of such background.
"Hmm? Fang Yi, why don't you want to go?" Upon hearing Fang Yi's words, Fatty paused, saying, "While you may not be as tall or handsome as me, there's a chance she could take an interest in you. It would be a shame for you not to go..."
Though Fatty spoke loudly, he lacked confidence. If he understood the meaning of feeling inferior, he would grasp his current sentiment. His insistence on bringing Fang Yi along was merely an attempt to bolster his own courage.
"I have a class with my teacher tonight; I simply can't spare the time," Fang Yi waved his hand dismissively. "You two should go. It's just a gesture of thanks; don't take it too seriously—just eat a little and head home..."
"Are you really not going?" Fatty inquired, looking at Fang Yi.
"Of course not. The food outside cannot compare to what I cook myself..." Fang Yi replied. "My teacher is dining at Man Ge's tonight, and I need to prepare the meal. So it's settled; you two can go..."
"Just don't regret it later..." Fatty wanted to persuade Fang Yi further, but two tourists had just arrived at their stall, and he hurriedly approached them to make a sale.
"San Pao, has Man Ge arrived?" Fang Yi turned to San Pao, still preoccupied with the matter of the star and moon bodhi beads around his neck.
"Yes, he came after lunch and is currently in the shop..." San Pao pointed towards Man Jun's store. "I just went over to refill some water and saw him talking business with a friend. Do you need to speak with him?"
"Alright, let Fatty handle it; I'll go take a look..." In this antique market, while most stalls had only one person behind them, Fang Yi's stall had three. With nothing pressing on his mind, he stood up and made his way to Man Jun's shop.
"Fang Yi, come here! Join me for some tea..." Upon seeing Fang Yi enter, Man Jun waved him over without rising.
"Boss Man, since you have a guest, I won't disturb you..." As Fang Yi entered, a slender man in his thirties stood up from across the table and said, "Boss Man, we agreed on this; I'll bring the goods tomorrow..."
"Yes, same time tomorrow; just come to the shop..." Man Jun nodded, rising to see the man out, unaware that Fang Yi had been observing him intently.
"Man Ge, are you conducting business with that person?" Once Man Jun returned to his seat, Fang Yi inquired.
"Yes, he has some items; I'll assess them before deciding whether to purchase..."
Man Jun nodded, expressing some frustration. "In recent years, the antique market has become quite hot, making it difficult to find quality items in the countryside. Just the other day, I went to a rural area in Northern Jiangsu, and an old woman tried to sell me a broken Republic-era bowl, insisting it was from the Kangxi imperial kiln. She demanded twenty thousand, refusing to budge a single cent..."
Man Jun appeared somewhat disheartened. In times of poor market conditions, he had struggled to sell items; now that the market was thriving and more people were engaging in antiques, he faced the opposite dilemma—sourcing quality goods had become increasingly challenging.
After spending several days together, Fang Yi had come to regard Man Jun as an older brother. He then remarked, "Man Ge, that man has an unsettling demeanor and a sinister aura; be cautious when dealing with him..."
Typically, Fang Yi refrained from voicing his impressions of others, but sensing the man's earthy scent and lingering malevolence, he felt compelled to warn Man Jun, fearing he might fall victim to the man's schemes.
"I know; he's the largest con artist in the Jinling area, and those who engage in this trade are notoriously ruthless..."
Upon hearing Fang Yi's words, Man Jun chuckled bitterly and shook his head. "Most of the goods in the Jinling antique scene are controlled by people like him. If I don't seek them out, others will; business is tough these days..."
Recognizing that Fang Yi was no ordinary young man, Man Jun chose not to conceal the situation from him. In fact, he had found his sources for acquiring goods increasingly limited over the past couple of years, and his stock was dwindling, nearly facing a shortage. Otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed to the countryside to acquire that particular item a few days ago.
With no other options, Man Jun had resorted to contacting these underground traders. Though their goods were often illicit, they had a steady supply; almost anything one desired could be procured within a month. Thus, anyone in the antique business inevitably found themselves in contact with such individuals.
"Man Ge, it's one thing to deal with them in the shop, but if you meet them outside, exercise caution..." Although Fang Yi was not in the antique trade, he understood the implications of the term "con artist," which referred to grave robbers in the region of Xiangnan.
Speaking of grave robbing, Fang Yi was no stranger to the subject. Throughout five millennia of history, nearly every emperor, upon ascending the throne, would commission the construction of a tomb for themselves, sometimes even before their passing.
Constructing a tomb could take decades, and the treasures buried with the emperor were immensely valuable. Thus, the profession of grave robbing emerged alongside the construction of tombs, persisting through every dynasty.
The peak of grave robbing likely occurred during the Three Kingdoms period when Cao Cao, in need of military funds, established the position of "Mojin" (grave robbers). Their duty was to pilfer gold and silver from tombs to finance the army, and many modern grave robbers regard Cao Cao as their ancestral figure.
Fang Yi had once read an ancient book titled "Records of Mountain Moving," authored by an anonymous Taoist. It detailed the exploits of grave robbers throughout history and included some feng shui knowledge related to seeking out dragon veins, akin to the folk wisdom found in "The Book of Burial."
"Fang Yi, rest assured; I've been in this business for many years..." Man Jun discerned the concern in Fang Yi's words and nodded. "Let's not dwell on that; by the way, how did your lesson with Director Zhao go this afternoon?"
"Man Ge, I was actually hoping to discuss that with you..."
Upon hearing Man Jun's question, Fang Yi took the star and moon bodhi beads from around his neck and handed them to Man Jun. "Man Ge, I must ask—why did you give me such an old item? I can't possibly wear something worth several tens of thousands..."
"An item worth several tens of thousands?" Man Jun was taken aback. Upon receiving the beads and glancing at them, he froze in astonishment.
"Fang... Fang Yi, where did you acquire this old star and moon bead?"
Though Man Jun was not primarily in the business of decorative items, he recognized that such objects fell under the broader category of antiques. With his discerning eye, he could certainly identify the quality of such items.
"This is what you gave me last night..."
Fang Yi looked at Man Jun in bewilderment, having never encountered someone so forgetful. It was hard to believe that someone who owned such a large antique shop could fail to recognize something they had given away.
"Impossible!"
Man Jun shook his head, speaking with certainty. "Fang Yi, while I may not be an expert in decorative items, I can tell that this star and moon bead is made from pure, natural materials. It is certainly not a product of oil or vermilion, and I have never had anything of this age or quality in my possession. How could I have given it to you?"
Despite having consumed quite a bit of alcohol the previous night, making it difficult to recall precisely what he had handed over, Man Jun was sober now and could affirm that he had never dealt with such an item. Moreover, he had never seen a star and moon bead in such pristine condition.
"This... this is indeed the item you gave me yesterday. Are you sure you didn't mistakenly overlook it when you received a batch?"
Fang Yi found himself equally perplexed by Man Jun's assertion. He had distinctly received this star and moon bodhi bead from Man Jun, and could it be that he had somehow aged it into a decades-old artifact overnight?
Of course, this notion was fleeting; Fang Yi had gained some understanding of decorative items and knew that developing a connection with such objects was not an overnight endeavor. If one could age an item in a single night, there would be little joy in the pursuit of decorative artifacts.
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