Chapter 75 Old Gong

The next day, Shi Yue didn't get up until almost noon.

He had slept too long and was groggy. He scratched his hair, slipped on his slippers, and pushed the door open. Sitting on the sofa watching TV, Shi Qiushui heard the door open and immediately turned around. She blinked her big, clear black and white eyes and said, "Dad, why are you getting up just now?"

There was a hint of complaint in the little girl's tone.

She got up early this morning and waited for a long time but Shi Yue didn't get up. She thought something had happened to her father. Later, she went into her father's room to take a look and found that her father was sleeping well. Only then did she feel relieved.

Shi Yue yawned and said, "I went to bed late. I didn't go to bed until almost two o'clock last night."

It was almost one o'clock when he got home. Even though he simply tidied up and lay down in bed, it was almost two o'clock.

Shi Qiushui's eyes widened in surprise: "Dad, are you back so late?"

Shi Yue: “Yes.”

He glanced at Shi Qiushui and said, "You didn't even wake up when I came back last night. You were sleeping like a pig."

Shi Qiushui curled her lips: "It's too late."

She glanced at Shi Yue and asked, "Dad, you came back so late yesterday. Did you buy anything?"

Shi Yue sat on the sofa and pointed to the large blue and white porcelain jar in the corner and said, "I bought a jar. Look, it's right there."

Shi Qiu Shui took a curious look and then ran over.

She glanced up and down and asked, "Dad, is this an antique?"

Her eyesight wasn't as good as Shi Yue's, so she couldn't tell the origin of the jar. However, based on her understanding of her father, she knew that if it wasn't valuable, her father would definitely not buy it.

Shi Yue nodded: "Well, I guess it's an object from the Yuan Dynasty."

"From the Yuan Dynasty?" Shi Qiushui muttered softly, "That should be worth a lot of money, right?"

Otherwise, why do people say that Shi Qiu Shui is Shi Yue's daughter? These two are exactly the same, both money-grubbers.

Shi Yue glanced at the little girl and said, "Well, it's an antique."

Shi Qiushui asked curiously, "How much did you spend on this?"

Shi Yue: "Three thousand yuan."

Shi Qiushui opened his mouth in shock: "Three thousand yuan? That's not a small amount, right?"

Shi Yue: "I bargained for a long time for this."

Shi Qiushui blinked his eyes and said, "Dad, if you can't sell this jar, then you'll lose three thousand yuan, right?"

Shi Yue glanced at her and said, "My dear, could you please stop saying such unlucky things? I just bought something and you're already saying bad things about it. How unpleasant."

"Okay." Shi Qiu Shui pouted.

Shi Yue looked up at his watch and saw that the hands were approaching twelve. "Oh, it's already this late. Xiaoqiu, are you hungry?"

Shi Qiushui rubbed his stomach and said, "A little bit."

Shi Yue: "A little? Have you had breakfast this morning?"

Shi Qiushui nodded: "I ate it. I ate the peach cake."

"Are there any peach cakes left? If so, I'll have two pieces too." Knowing that his daughter was not hungry, Shi Yue felt a little hungry.

Shi Qiushui grinned and chuckled, then said embarrassedly, "No more, I've finished eating."

Shi Yue: "Okay, that's fine. I won't eat anymore. I'll save some space for lunch later."

He said, "I'll quickly wash up and clean up, then we'll go out to eat."

"Great!" Shi Qiu Shui cheered softly, while Shi Yue took the basin and went to wash up.

When Shi Yue opened the door, he saw that the yard was unusually quiet, with no one there. He frowned, thinking that something was wrong.

Today is Sunday, why is there no one in the yard? Is it just a coincidence that everyone is out?

Shi Yue muttered as he walked towards the pool. When he glanced at the closed door of Ma Yulan's house, he realized that today was the 8th, the day of the college entrance examination, and everyone had gone to volunteer to maintain order around the examination room.

He slapped his forehead and thought that his memory was getting worse and worse. Ma Yulan had clearly called on everyone in the hospital to sign up as volunteers before, but he actually forgot about it.

Ma Yulan did not call on everyone to be volunteers because of Niu Xiaobei, a college entrance examination candidate. Being a volunteer was a job arranged by the street. Everyone responded actively to the call because the street arranged for everyone to be volunteers and received subsidies and commendations.

Not to mention the five-yuan subsidy a day, the commendation alone is crucial enough. You have to know that the street office is in communication with the factory. With the commendation from the street office, the factory will pay more attention to it. When it comes to regularization, promotion, and evaluation, priority will be given to those who have been commended.

Shi Yue did not sign up as a volunteer because he had a child at home who needed to be left alone. Besides him, the Yang family and the Guo family, all other families in the courtyard had signed up to be volunteers.

Yang Zhiqiang didn't go because he had to stay at home to take care of the injured old lady Yang. Guo Pozi and his wife didn't go because they had to take care of the children. Besides, they didn't work in a machinery factory and didn't need to be volunteers for recognition.

However, although Guo Pozi's family did not go to volunteer, they also went out. After all, today is Sunday and they have to do business.

After figuring out why the yard was so quiet, Shi Yue stopped thinking about it. He carried the washbasin to the sink, turned on the faucet, and squeezed toothpaste on himself.

"Comrade, comrade—"

Shi Yue had just raised his toothbrush to brush his teeth when he heard someone calling at the door. He looked up at the door and saw that the person calling was a short and fat man.

The man saw him looking at him and immediately smiled kindly. He said with a smile, "Well, comrade, could you please tell me if Mr. Yang Zhiqiang lives in this compound?"

Shi Yue was stunned for a moment, then nodded quickly and said, "Yes, that's right. Yang Zhiqiang lives in this courtyard? Are you looking for him?"

The man: "Yes, I'm looking for him. Could you please call him for me?"

"Okay." Shi Yue walked towards the Yang family, shouting, "Zhiqiang, Yang Zhiqiang, someone is looking for you."

Hearing Shi Yue's shout, Yang Zhiqiang quickly opened the door and came out.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw the man standing at the door, and he subconsciously called out "Old Gong".

After hearing Yang Zhiqiang's address, Shi Yue looked at Yang Zhiqiang and the middle-aged man at the door with a look of surprise and doubt.

husband? !

Did he hear it right? Yang Zhiqiang was calling him "husband"?!

Damn, no wonder Yang Zhiqiang didn’t like any lesbians that others introduced to him before. It seems that Yang Zhiqiang didn’t like lesbians!

Shi Yue suddenly ate a huge melon and couldn't help it, and his expression was a little distorted.

Yang Zhiqiang didn't realize anything was wrong at first. He walked out the door enthusiastically and said to the man at the door, "Hey, Lao Gong, why are you here?"

The middle-aged man at the door said, "Well, I heard that Auntie was sick, so I came to visit her. Look, we met just two days ago, and you didn't tell me that Auntie was sick. If I hadn't gone to your store today and heard your clerk tell me, I wouldn't have known about it."

He punched Yang Zhiqiang in the chest and said, "Tell me, don't you consider me one of your own? Otherwise, why didn't you tell me that Auntie was sick?"

Yang Zhiqiang waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, of course I treat you as one of my own. What is our relationship? This is not..."

Before Yang Zhiqiang could finish his words, he was interrupted by Shi Yue.

Shi Yue said awkwardly, "Well, how about you guys chat here first and I step aside for a while?"

Yang Zhiqiang and Old Gong were completely bewildered, unable to react. Shi Yue said with a complicated expression, "But, does Aunt Yang know about your relationship? If she doesn't know, you two should be more cautious. She's still ill. If she can't accept your relationship, it might be bad if she gets angry and affects her health..."

He did not have any discrimination or aversion to gay men. After all, in the Dayu Dynasty, it was common for scholars to marry male concubines. Although he was not interested in men, he had seen quite a few.

So although he was surprised that Yang Zhiqiang was a homosexual, he did not discriminate against him, and even gave Yang Zhiqiang a thoughtful reminder.

It was just that Yang Zhiqiang, who was reminded by Shi Yue, looked confused.

Yang Zhiqiang was bewildered. What was his relationship with Old Gong? Aren't they just good friends? Why couldn't his mother accept that he and Old Gong were good friends?

He frowned and said, "Shi Yue, you must have misunderstood something. Old Gong and I..."

Yang Zhiqiang reacted midway through his words. He looked at Shi Yue stiffly and said, "You, you, do you think that he and I are, are...are we in that kind of relationship?!"

He pointed at himself and Old Gong at the door, his expression as if he had eaten a fly, disgusted and aggrieved.

Shi Yue nodded innocently.

Isn’t it?

He didn't say anything, but the expression on his face clearly showed that he was asking this question.

Yang Zhiqiang's face flushed red, and he collapsed and yelled, "No! He and I are not that kind of relationship. I call him Lao Gong because his last name is Gong! Last name Gong! The Gong with a dragon on top and a Gong on the bottom!"

He pulled Old Gong beside him and said, "Gong Fa, say something! If you don't, Shi Yue will think we are in that kind of relationship!"

Gong Fa now understood that Shi Yue had misunderstood. He looked embarrassed because this wasn't the first time that his last name had caused a misunderstanding. But usually it was women who had caused misunderstandings when they called him by his first name. This was the first time a man had called him by his first name...

But he had no choice. After all, this surname was passed down to him by his father. He couldn't just change his father's surname because of a misunderstanding, right?

Shi Yue realized that he had made a big mistake and quickly apologized.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, I, ugh!" The more Shi Yue thought about it, the more he found this misunderstanding hilarious. He couldn't help laughing and apologized to Gong Fa with a smile: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't realize your last name was Gong. I'm sorry, I was confused, I was confused."

This wasn't a serious matter, and since Shi Yue had sincerely apologized to him, Gong Fa didn't want to make a fuss. He waved his hand and said, "It's okay, buddy. It's all because of my last name. I don't blame you."

Yang Zhiqiang also tried to smooth things over: "Well, it's just a misunderstanding, it's nothing, Shi Yue, don't take it too seriously. Come, it just so happens that you two have met each other, I'll introduce you to each other."

He pointed at Gong Fa and said to Shi Yue, "Shi Yue, this is Gong Fa, the man who runs a watch shop. He owns the watch shop next to the Wangfujing Department Store."

Then he turned to Gong Fa and introduced him, "Old Gong, this is Shi Yue, the deputy chief of the security department of our machinery factory. He's the chief Shi I told you about before whose handwriting is so good. The centenary painting I gave to Mr. Zhang at his birthday party the day before yesterday was created by Shi Yue."

When Gong Fa heard this, he immediately extended his hand: "Oh, this is the legendary Section Chief Shi! I've heard so much about you..."

Shi Yue politely extended his hand in return and said, "Boss Gong, you're too polite. I'm just a deputy section chief, so why would I admire you so much? But I've been to your watch shop before, and it's quite good."

He was just being polite. He actually knew the watch shop next to Wangfujing Department Store, but at most he had glanced at it when passing by and had never been in it.

Hearing this, Gong Fa waved his hands repeatedly: "You are too polite. I am just a small business owner, but you are a master, a master of calligraphy."

Shi Yue touched his nose, feeling that Gong Fa's compliment was too much. With those two terrible handwritings, how could he be called a master of calligraphy?

Gong Fa: "Don't think I'm complimenting you. I'm sincere. I'm like Lao Yang, not very cultured, let alone art. When I see other people's calligraphy, it's all just three words—I can't understand it! But I understood that Hundred Years of Longevity painting that Lao Yang brought last time. I really like it. Your handwriting is beautiful."

He smiled sheepishly and said, "I'm not good at speaking, so I can't really put it into words, but I just think your handwriting is beautiful."

Shi Yue had an embarrassed smile on his face. He thought to himself, is this how a businessman speaks? He is really good at talking.

No wonder they are successful in business.

But since people have said this much, it would be inappropriate for him not to express his gratitude at all. He smiled and said, "Boss Gong, you are really exaggerating. Since you like my calligraphy so much, let me write a pair of calligraphy for you."

Gong Fa said with a look of surprise: "Really? Oh, I am so honored, really so honored."

Shi Yue waved his hand and said, "Not really, I just wrote the second character."

Gong Fa: "That's different. What you wrote isn't words. No, it's not just ordinary words. It's art!"

Yang Zhiqiang interrupted and said, "Shi Yue, don't think Old Gong is exaggerating. He told me before that your handwriting is beautiful. If there is a chance, he would also like to ask you for a copy of your calligraphy. He is very happy that his wish has been fulfilled."

Shi Yue finally understood why those incompetent emperors favored treacherous ministers. Who doesn't like to hear good words? Just like him, he knew that his handwriting was mediocre, but he couldn't help feeling flattered by Gong Fa and Yang Zhiqiang's flattery.

Shi Yuepiao was so busy that he forgot that he had to wash up. He took Yang Zhiqiang and Gong Fa back to his home. He was anxious to write a letter to Gong Fa.

Shi Qiu Shui, who was waiting for Shi Yue to come back to have dinner together, was stood up by Shi Yue. She looked at Shi Yue with resentment as he led the two men in.

Shi Yue took out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from the cabinet and immediately asked, "Boss Gong, what do you want me to write for you?"

Gong Fa thought for a moment and said, "Let's just write 'wealth and prosperity'."

He said self-deprecatingly: "I am a vulgar person, and all I think about is these money-making things."

"Well, what's the big deal? It's such a good omen to have a lot of money coming in." Shi Yue said as he poured ink into the inkstone.

Shi Yue was busy writing to Gong Fa, while Yang Zhiqiang and Gong Fa sat there bored and began to look at the furnishings in the Shi family's house. Yang Zhiqiang glanced around and quickly noticed a large blue and white porcelain jar that had appeared in the corner at some point.

He took a few curious glances and asked, "Shi Yue, did you get this from Panjiayuan?"

He knew that Shi Yue had been following Old Zhao to Panjiayuan frequently recently.

Shi Yue looked up and nodded, "Yeah, that's right. I got it yesterday."

Gong Fa also noticed the jar at this time. He was surprised: "Wow, Chief Shi, you are also interested in antiques?"

Shi Yue waved his hand modestly: "It's not really a dabble, I just bought it for fun."

Gong Fa: "Then you must understand it too. People like me and Lao Yang have no idea how to play it."

Shi Yue: "Well, it's just a little hobby."

Gong Fa curiously moved closer to the large blue and white porcelain jar, but he knew the rules well enough, so he just moved closer to look at it without reaching out to touch it.

He walked around the large blue and white jar and said, "Tsk, tsk, some things require knowledgeable buyers. From a distance, I thought it was just an ordinary jar. The pattern on it was no different from the blue and white plates my mom bought at the market, but when I got closer, I could tell they were different. This one is still the best looking."

Shi Yue smiled and said nothing.

Gong Fa looked up after admiring it enough and said, "Hey, Chief Shi, I want to ask you something. If I want to give someone a gift, what kind of antique would be suitable?"

Shi Yue: "The score depends on who you give it to. Different people, different reasons for giving gifts, the gifts you give will be different."

Gong Fa: "Ah, I want to give it to a partner. Well, I call him a partner, but he's actually a big boss. He manages all the branches of a brand in Central China. I want him to introduce his brand to our store, but I'm afraid he won't look down on my small store. After all, that brand is sold in department stores and foreign trade stores. So I want to give him a gift. I asked around and heard that he's quite interested in antiques..."

Shi Yue nodded. "Okay, I see. How old is your partner? Does he have any preferences? Has anything happened at home recently?"

There are many things to pay attention to when giving gifts, especially when someone like Gong Fa is asking for favors. You have to consider the other person's preferences and needs, and make them feel your sincerity...

Especially when it comes to antiques, there are many things to pay attention to and it is easier to make mistakes, so Shi Yue naturally has to ask more questions.

Gong Fa: "Ah, my partner is over 50 years old this year."

Shi Yue thought silently, he was over fifty, which was not too old, so it would not be appropriate to give him something that symbolized longevity, otherwise people might misunderstand him.

Gong Fa continued, "I haven't found out his preferences, but I heard his son got married last month."

"Get married, get married!" Shi Yue clapped his hands. "Since his son just got married not long ago, why don't you give him something to celebrate the wedding? There are so many options!"

He said: "The gift doesn't need to be too particular, as long as the pattern is well chosen, something like auspicious dragons and phoenixes, flying phoenixes, blooming flowers, a hundred children bringing blessings, or fish playing with lotus flowers will do."

Gong Fa: "Fish playing with lotus? Is that what your jar looks like?"

Shi Yue didn't expect Gong Fa's eyes to fall on the jar in the corner. He smiled and said, "Ah, yes, that's right."

Gong Fa rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Shi Yue and asked, "Hey, Chief Shi, are you selling this jar?"

Shi Yue was stunned for a moment and then said, "Sell it. I'm selling this jar, but..."

Gong Fa's eyes lit up: "How much do you want this jar for?"

Hearing this, Shi Yue looked at Yang Zhiqiang hesitantly.

After all, Gong Fa was brought here by Yang Zhiqiang, so he could barely be considered an acquaintance.

But Shi Yue hated doing business with acquaintances the most. When doing business with acquaintances, if the price was too low, he would be unhappy, but if the price was too high, the other party would feel at a loss.

Yang Zhiqiang felt Shi Yue's gaze, pulled him and said, "Shi Yue, feel free to name your price. Don't treat Lao Gong as an acquaintance."

Gong Fa also said, "Yes, Shi Yue, you can charge as much as you normally would. Don't give me a discount just because of my relationship with Lao Yang."

Shi Yue pursed his lips and said, "I want to sell this jar for 50,000. Because according to my estimation, this jar is from the Yuan Dynasty, and there are relatively few blue and white porcelains from the Yuan Dynasty that have been handed down, so the price is relatively high."

Gong Fa: "Wow, from the Yuan Dynasty?! That must be six or seven hundred years old, right?!"

Shi Yue: "Yeah, almost."

Gong Fa: "Then fifty thousand is not expensive, not expensive."

He rubbed his forehead and thought for a while. To be honest, he just liked this jar and felt it was suitable as a gift to a partner. But when he asked Shi Yue about the price just now, he didn't expect Shi Yue to ask for such a high price.

Fifty thousand yuan is not a small amount of money.

But according to what Shi Yue said, if this thing is from the Yuan Dynasty, it seems normal to sell it so expensively.

Besides, he can afford 50,000 yuan.

Gong Fa thought for a while, gritted his teeth and said, "Chief Shi, I want this jar of yours!"

Shi Yue: "Hey, Boss Gong, don't be impulsive. Antiques are different from other things. Think about it carefully. Seriously, if you want to give something to a partner, there are still many choices in Panjiayuan. If you are not sure, I will accompany you to choose. Like you just told me, I will not give you a discount because of Zhiqiang's relationship with you, and you should not make a hasty decision because of Zhiqiang's relationship with me. I'm asking 50,000 for this jar, which is not cheap. You should think about it again."

He said this with great sincerity, as if he was thinking completely from Gong Fa's perspective.

But in fact, he said this just to avoid trouble.

He didn't want to sell the things today and then have Gong Fa come and complain and cause trouble tomorrow.

But Gong Fa didn’t know what Shi Yue was thinking!

Looking at Shi Yue's kind expression, he really felt that Shi Yue was just thinking about him.

He was instantly touched. Shi Yue was so nice and thought so much about him.

Gong Fa, a businessman who has been working hard in the business world, shouldn't be so naive and easily deceived, right?

In fact, he is not naive, but his filter for Shi Yue is too deep.

After all, Yang Zhiqiang had spoken well of Shi Yue in front of him several times, and because of those words, he had a very good impression of Shi Yue, so now...

Gong Fa: "Don't think about it, I want this jar!"