Chapter Seventy-Three: A Huge Sum of Money

  "Are these things antiques?" Song Jie asked with a seemingly innocent expression, her small face looking adorable with a smattering of freckles.

  "Of course, look at these on the shelves, they are all antiques." Old Wu of the antique shop said with a bit of annoyance. He also had a daughter about Song Jie's age at home, so he had an extra liking for little girls.

  "Uncle, can you help me see if these things are antiques?" Song Jie carefully opened the paper box and placed the items on the desk.

  Mr. Wu was originally just coaxing the child to play, what good things could a little kid have? He casually glanced at the box and was about to come up with an excuse, but his eyes were suddenly fixed on something.

  In a small box, there is a fluorescent jade-like Maitreya Buddha. The carving of the Maitreya Buddha is exquisite, with an expression on its face that seems to come alive, and a compassionate appearance that jumps into view.

  Mr. Wu involuntarily took a step forward, picked up the towel beside him and wiped his hands clean, then carefully lifted the Maitreya Buddha out of the box with both hands and began to examine it closely. The more he looked at it, the more astonished he became - it was truly a masterpiece, and Mr. Wu became so absorbed in it that he even forgot about the people standing beside him.

  Zhao Tong discovered Old Wu's abnormality, could it be that he was indeed an antique? He secretly suspected, but didn't dare to speak out and disturb him.

  Song Jie naturally wouldn't make a sound anymore. The longer she looked at it, the better her treasure was, and of course, the higher the price would be.

  Mr. Wu gazed in wonder, as if he had entered another world, his facial expression somewhat dazed and confused. Song Jie saw this and knew that he was indeed a true antique enthusiast.

  Time really flies, Song Jie couldn't help but speak up and remind: "Uncle Wu, how is it? Is it an antique?"

  As if suddenly awakened, Mr. Wu returned to his senses from his own world. He reluctantly put the things into the box, making a hissing sound with his mouth, as if treating it like his lover.

  "What a good baby... really is a good baby." Mr. Wu couldn't help but praise him. He didn't even bother to deny it, and even if he had, no one would have believed him - his expression earlier had already given him away.

  Seeing the surprised expression on Zhao Tong's face, Wu Laoban didn't hide it: "This Maitreya Buddha is really carved from Tian Huang stone, a truly good thing. According to historical records, during the Qing dynasty, the governor of Fujian used a whole block of high-quality Tian Huang stone to carve 'Three-Chain Chapter', which was revered as a treasure by Emperor Qianlong and passed down through generations of the Qing imperial family. Therefore, Tian Huang stone has a beautiful meaning. It is called the emperor's stone and is the national stone used for worshiping heaven in the Qing dynasty, from which we can see that the value of Tian Huang stone is not trivial."

  "So it's really Tian Huang Stone?" Zhao Tong asked, somewhat disbelieving.

  "Not to mention the material of this Maitreya Buddha, just look at the craftsmanship. It's not the work of an ordinary master. And this Maitreya Buddha is even older than the Qing Dynasty, I really can't pinpoint the exact time." Old Wu's eyes were glued to the box.

  Zhao Tong carefully picked up the Maitreya Buddha with his hands and began to examine it closely, but his movements were a bit rough. Wu Laoban's eyebrows twitched as he watched from the side, repeatedly saying "Be careful, be gentle".

  When Zhao Tong bought this thing just now, he only took a rough look at it. However, he felt that there was something slightly off about it and thought that what he saw earlier wasn't as good as what he's seeing now. He assumed it was because he hadn't seen it clearly before and didn't think much of it.

  He's a connoisseur. He thinks the Maitreya Buddha in front of him is perfect from every angle, without any flaws, and naturally knows that this is the real deal.

  Song Jie was secretly delighted on one side, and finally had a connoisseur: "Uncle, is it an antique?"

  "Yes, of course it's an antique." Old Wu said loudly and affirmatively.

  "Can it be sold for money?" Song Jie asked.

  "Sell? Are you planning to let go?" Wu Boss's gaze turned to Zhao Tong.

  Zhao Tong didn't expect his niece to ask: "Nini, you liked this thing before, why don't you want it now?"

  "But I like rabbits better, can't I sell this one?"

  Zhao Tong was left speechless by Song Jie's question, and the little kid was too changeable. He turned his head to Old Wu: "Old Wu, if you want to sell it, how much would it be worth?"

  "Wu boss hesitated for a moment, then said: 'If you really want to sell it, my store can only give you 1 million yuan. Of course, if you go to another store, the price will be even higher. It's just that the store's liquidity is not much, and my ability is limited.'"

  "How much?" Zhao Tong was shocked. He had been doing small business for more than two years and had only saved less than 20,000 yuan. This little thing is actually worth 100,000?

  "Do you have any intention of selling it? I really like this Buddha statue." Mr. Wu also didn't hide his fondness for the antique in front of him.

  Zhao Tong knew at a glance that Old Wu was a down-to-earth person, and he estimated that he couldn't even lie to himself, because the price would be known as soon as it was asked. One hundred thousand was indeed not a small amount, and there was even a feeling of heart palpitations, looking at the things in front of him made his hands feel like they were on fire.

  "Are you selling?" Zhao Tong asked Song Jie absent-mindedly, lowering his head.

  "Sold!"

  Zhao Tong seemed to have gained courage, puffed out his chest and said: "Sold." From then on, no matter how much money he made, he felt that none of it compared to this one bold move.

  Mr. Wu's face lit up with a smile: "Young man, you're really straightforward, I like people like you. Wait for me in the store, I'll go get your money." After that, he hurried off as if afraid the other person would change their mind.

  Zhao Tong didn't bother to pay attention to Wu Laoban's movements, his head was still buzzing and dizzy. He plopped down on the stool, spaced out, lost in thought, unsure of what he was thinking about, only knowing that his feet felt a bit soft at the moment.

  At that time, 100,000 yuan was a huge sum of money, no wonder Xiao Shu lost his composure. Song Jie expressed understanding, it wasn't easy for him not to lose face just now.

  Mr. Wu finally came in with a box after more than an hour, and Zhao Tong jumped up, his energy immediately concentrated.

  Mr. Wu sat down at Huang Limu's tea table, poured a cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp. He took the box from just now and opened it in front of Zhao Tong, revealing the neatly arranged stacks of gray 100-yuan bills inside.

  "Go ahead and click it, little brother, I've already taken out the big move."

  Zhao Tong saw so much money that his hands were numb, and he also knew Wu Boss's kindness. If the amount was not correct, it would be useless to go back and find someone. It's better to check it out in person.

  He took a deep breath, picked up the bundle of money and counted it bill by bill. In the process, he miscounted several times and had to recount. Mr. Wu showed no impatience at all, waiting for Zhao Tong to finish counting before re-examining the Maitreya Buddha again.

  "Alright, let's consider the matter of goods and money settled. From now on, if you have any good items that you're not sure about, you can bring them to my store and I'll help you appraise them for free. If you want to sell, you can also look for me, and from now on, we'll be friends."

  After listening to Mr. Wu's words, Zhao Tong also nodded in agreement. From this matter, it can be seen that Mr. Wu is a person who can have a deep relationship with others. Moreover, having many friends means having more ways to get help, and maybe one day he will need to ask for their help again.

  The deal was done, and Zhao Tong didn't stay much longer. He asked Wu Laoban for an ordinary cloth bag, stuffed the money in hastily, and led Song Jie away.

  The two of them returned home at the fastest speed, and Zhao Tong even locked the big door of the house.

  "What's wrong, running around like a headless chicken? Someone is chasing you from behind!" Zhao's father teased.

  "Dad, it's even more serious than that. Let me take a sip of water first. This whole thing has gotten me so excited, I'm almost out of breath." Zhao Tong held the teapot and took big gulps, finally feeling like he was alive again.

  Zhao's father finally had a chance to ask: "What's wrong? You're scaring me."

  "Dad, we're rich! I made 100,000 yuan today."

  "What? Where did you get the money from? You didn't go out and do something bad, did you?" Zhao's father was also stunned.

  "That's what happened..." Zhao Tong carefully told the whole story from start to finish, without leaving out a single detail.

  Zhao's father is a knowledgeable person and has some research on antiques. If it's really good stuff, selling for that price is also reasonable.

  The money in the cloth bag was all poured onto the table by Zhao Tong, and the two of them counted it again. Only when they found that not a single penny was missing did they feel at ease.

  "Knock knock knock", a knocking sound came from outside the big gate.

  The father and son exchanged a glance, hastily put the money on the table into their pockets, and stored it in the next room. Zhao Tong then went to the front door and opened it, seeing that it was his own mother, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

  Mrs. Zhao's knocking on the door had already attracted the attention of the neighbors, so Zhao Tong quickly pulled Mrs. Zhao inside and hastily closed the door.

  Zhao's mother was left bewildered, still unaware of what had happened. Before she could even sit down properly, her son suddenly threw a big tantrum, which struck her like a bolt of lightning on the head, leaving her dazed for half a day.

  "Son, you must keep this money safe, if others find out it will be terrible." Zhao's mother cautioned.

  "Dad and mom, I want to discuss with my sister, after all this thing is Nini's to buy, I think my sister should also take a share, the rest of you two elders can keep." Zhao Tong said solemnly.

  Zhao's father was very open-minded: "Let's discuss it later, don't have a lucky mentality, thinking that this time you can buy an antique and think it's easy. The Tao in antiques is deep, it's not something that a blind cat can stumble upon. In the future, don't be blinded by interests."

  Zhao Tong most admired his father, and naturally listened to his words. He didn't have a bit of luck, but instead felt uneasy in his heart, and even now he was still "thumping" rapidly and couldn't calm down.

  Seeing that his son was not perfunctory, Zhao's father was also satisfied and stroked his beard. His son was not bad, the biggest advantage being that he could listen to others' opinions.