50 Ghost Market

"He's the most unfathomable person, but she only trusts him."

Song Chiyu could tell from his expression that he must have found out something, and it was obviously not good news, so she wisely didn't press him for details: "Okay."

Qi Yanzhou was determined not to let her get involved in this mess and didn't mention it again. After dinner, he went straight to the antique market. Unlike the previous quiet days, the antique street was bustling with people setting up stalls and browsing tonight.

Song Chiyu muttered, "It's quite lively," without giving it much thought.

When I arrived at her shop, the store, which had been somewhat desolate just over two weeks ago, had been completely transformed. The walls were painted a warm yellow, and the mud stains on the floor had been mopped clean, so that one could faintly see their reflection.

One side of the shop features wooden shelves that display porcelain and handicrafts. At the end of the shelves is a long wooden table and a tool cabinet for the restoration room. In front of the table is a semi-transparent linen screen curtain. The bamboo shadow print and wooden furniture create a particularly antique atmosphere.

On the other side are bookshelves and tables and chairs for guests. The shop isn't large, but it's very cozy, immediately setting it apart from other antique shops.

She's obviously a female shop owner.

Song Chiyu became more and more satisfied as she looked at the package, nodding repeatedly. Qi Yanzhou was still explaining the approximate expenses to her when suddenly he was kissed hard on the cheek.

He was stunned for a moment, and it took him a few seconds to regain his composure: "That's it."

“Okay,” Song Chiyu said, her mind focused on the shop and completely oblivious to his unusual behavior. “Thank you, Teacher Qi.”

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "You're welcome."

She walked around the room, but because the smell of renovation was quite strong, Song Chiyu suggested leaving. Standing outside the door, she asked, "Teacher Qi, do you think I should hire a shop assistant to help me manage the shop? It seems a bit of a waste."

"No need, let's keep it like this from the beginning. Otherwise, you'll have to increase labor costs, and you won't make much money in the early stages anyway. Once you have a stable customer base and have completed your apprenticeship, you can take on apprentices, and naturally, someone will be there to look after the shop for you."

Song Chiyu immediately recalled Zhou Yue's ten years as an apprentice, "Your line of work... is pretty shady."

"It's not just our line of work; it's the same for all trades. And how can it be considered shady? We don't charge tuition, and we even give people a living allowance every month. What we teach are skills that allow them to earn a living. Zhou Yue was swindled out of a lot of money by his master before, but he earned it all back later. This shows that being an apprentice is not a problem. You can learn for eight or ten years, but the master must be willing to teach you real skills."

"Then I will definitely be a very competent master in the future." Her eyes were bright, revealing an innocent and hopeful longing.

"Do you think apprentices are so easy to recruit? You should be grateful if you find one who can sit still and stay focused." Let alone those with bad character; she might go to great lengths to teach them, only to be betrayed and stabbed in the back, especially in this line of work—it's neither entirely innocent nor entirely shady. He didn't want her to have overly optimistic expectations, nor did he want to dampen her enthusiasm from the start, so he offered a compromise: "There are too many ways to make money in this world, too many dazzling things, and many things with faster returns than this. Those who can stick with this line of work must genuinely love it to some extent."

Song Chiyu was not the kind of impulsive person who acted rashly. Of course, she knew what Qi Yanzhou was worried about, but she didn't want to think about that now. "Teacher Qi, I understand what you're saying, but no matter what kind of disciple I am, I will always be a good teacher who will speak my mind without reservation and will never hold anything back."

Qi Yanzhou understood; she wouldn't deliberately hide her skills from others just to get more people to work for her.

So she really is a good teacher.

Qi Yanzhou nodded in agreement: "Okay, Master Song, keep it up."

"You too," Song Chiyu said politely, clasping his hands in a fist salute. "I also wish Teacher Qi a future filled with students all over the world."

Qi Yanzhou also joked with her without reservation, and replied with a fist and palm salute, "Then I wish that we can both get what we want in the end."

Leaving the shop and returning to the antique street she had come from, Song Chiyu found that there were even more stalls and people browsing the night market. She wondered what the difference was between this and the antique markets she had seen before, so she squatted down in front of a shop, picked up a porcelain plate, assuming it was the same as the ones she had seen before, but she was stunned the moment she touched it.

Authentic product.

Just like the one Zhou Yue had acquired before, it was from a late Qing Dynasty imperial kiln. This one mistake cost him more than half a year's salary, so he dutifully returned it.

"Young lady, what would you like to buy?" The stall owner, an elderly man, greeted her when he saw that she was interested.

"Grandpa, how much is this?" Song Chiyu asked, pointing to the porcelain plate from earlier.

"Fifteen, take them."

"..." Song Chiyu said nothing, silently stood up and left.

Seeing that she was a stranger and a young girl, vendors along the way were trying to reach out to her. At a glance, Song Chiyu realized that the items on these stalls were not genuine, but they were all authentic, completely different from the handicrafts she had seen in the antique markets of Beijing and here.

She tugged at Qi Yanzhou and asked, "What's going on today?"

"There are a few days of 'ghost market' every month, similar to the old flea markets in Beijing. The items sold at this time are mostly genuine, and it's hard to find anything fake."

"Huh?" Song Chiyu was hearing this for the first time.

"Have you heard of sex in bed?"

Is this serious?

Qi Yanzhou was immediately amused. "Exactly, it's selling everything on the bed in a hotel room."

"Are you sure it's something?" Song Chiyu's gaze turned questioning.

Qi Yanzhou couldn't help but flick her forehead: "I'm sure."

"Have you been there?"

Qi Yanzhou chuckled and said, "I'll take you with me next time."

If someone can take her there, then they must be quite serious.

Song Chiyu didn't ask any more questions and refocused her attention on the stall. "Do you think I can find a bargain?"

"Yes," Qi Yanzhou replied, "as long as we can find a buyer to take it over."

Song Chiyu remained silent, only staring intently at him. Qi Yanzhou immediately realized, "You want me to find you a buyer?"

Song Chiyu nodded repeatedly.

"Go ahead and buy it," Qi Yanzhou gestured for her to choose.

"Have you already thought of a buyer for me?" Song Chiyu asked with admiration, her eyes shining. "Master Qi is indeed Master Qi."

“Qi Jianguo,” Qi Yanzhou replied matter-of-factly.

"What?" Song Chiyu was greatly disappointed: "I went through all that trouble just to make money off your brother...? To be honest, knowing your brother as I do, I don't even need to bring anything. I can just spread my hands and say, 'Brother, give me 200,000 yuan. I want to buy something.' He can immediately take me to withdraw money."

“So you know him quite well in this regard,” Qi Yanzhou said, holding her outstretched fingers. “But he does know a lot of collectors. Some things that might be worthless in other people’s hands can be worth double or even several times in his hands.”

“Okay, I’ll sell it to your brother.” Song Chiyu’s expression changed immediately when she thought about how Qi Jianguo could make money off others. She went back to the stall and started picking out items.

But just because there's a buyer doesn't mean you can find a suitable one.

Song Chiyu couldn't find anything suitable after looking around. Just then, a shifty-eyed young man approached her and said, "Beautiful lady, didn't find anything you like? Why don't you take a look at the ones on my phone? They're cheap and all genuine."

Song Chiyu could tell from his appearance that he wasn't a good person, so she grabbed Qi Yanzhou's sleeve and hid behind him.

The young man then noticed the person behind her, a man dressed like an office worker, clearly not in this line of work. The young man immediately focused his attention on Qi Yanzhou, "Handsome, brought your girlfriend along? Want to check out our stuff?"

"Take a look." Qi Yanzhou nodded, seemingly unable to discern what he was selling.

"Handsome, look at the pictures first. If you're still not satisfied, you can choose from the videos." The young man took out his phone, about to show him photos from his album, when suddenly a middle-aged man shouted, "Master Qi—"

Qi Yanzhou and the young man looked up together.

Qi Yanzhou had already figured out what they did, but he remained calm and said, "Boss Zhao."

Boss Zhao stepped forward, first slapping the young man hard on the back of the head, then calmly taking the young man's phone and putting it into his bag.

"Master Qi, what are you doing here?"

"I work here."

"What?" Boss Zhao exclaimed in surprise, "You, are you at work?"

"kindness."

What are you doing?

"To become a teacher."

"Really going to be a teacher?" Boss Zhao repeatedly asked him to confirm.

Qi Yanzhou nodded.

Boss Zhao took a deep breath: "No wonder I haven't heard much about you in Anxi. Have you quit this line of work?"

"kindness."

"It's like this," Boss Zhao pondered for a moment, then suddenly pulled Qi Yanzhou to the side, whispering something furtively.

Song Chiyu and the young man looked at each other in bewilderment.

The young man was quite embarrassed: "I didn't expect that you knew Master Zhao."

Seeing that Master Zhao didn't seem like a good person, Song Chiyu quietly pulled Qi Yanzhou aside and left under an excuse.

Qi Yanzhou's expression remained indifferent, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

Once they had walked a little further away, Song Chiyu asked in a low voice, "What did he say to you?"

"He has a batch of goods he's looking for buyers for, and he wants me to help him find a way. We can split the profits 40/60. I'll take the lion's share."

When Song Chiyu heard that he was going to take the lion's share, she knew it wasn't that simple.

"Can't he get out on his own?"

"Well, although he told me he collected it, I guess it was from the field, and it's very likely the police are already looking for him. That's why he was in such a hurry to act."

Should we call the police?

"No need, the police should be coming for him soon."

"But what if he sells what he has?"

"The police will try to track them down, and these are just my guesses. Don't get involved in this mess." Qi Yanzhou explained gently, "Don't be fooled by how easy-going these people are now. When it comes to money, they're quick to change their tune and are capable of anything. In this line of work, what I hate most is dealing with these kinds of people. They're not clean themselves, and they always try to drag others down with them."

Song Chiyu immediately understood that he was thinking about her safety and wanted her to stay away from this mess.

She suddenly realized that this line of water was far too deep.

A slight misstep could get you into trouble.

It became clear why Qi Yanzhou was so strict with the Qi family members: with the Qi family's influence, without restraint, they could very well commit a major crime that would implicate the entire family.

They have the ability, the connections, and the financial resources.

Song Chiyu nodded: "Okay, I understand."

"That person saw that you were a young girl, unfamiliar with the business, and didn't know anything about it, so he wanted to sell the items to you at a low price and take them back after things calmed down."

"He's already paid, how can we take it back? Isn't that against the rules?" Song Chiyu thought of Brother Wen from before, who almost robbed him outright, but still insisted on following the rules.

"That's only from those in the know. Otherwise, who do you think Zhou Yue is buying his goods from? Usually, it's people who don't know their stuff, things passed down in their families, people who don't understand the trade."

"Then how is he going to take it back?"

"Whether you cheat, swindle, or steal, there's always a way to get back."

"Aren't you afraid someone will call the police?"

"The person who called the police should also go in. Because at such a low price, it's obviously stolen goods, and he might even get a few years in prison."

"You're just trying to scare me, aren't you?" Song Chiyu found it increasingly eerie.

"That possibility cannot be ruled out." He was still being somewhat tactful.

After a moment of silence, Song Chiyu finally understood the true meaning of those words: "You just don't want me to get involved in this industry, right?"

"No, I'm worried that you'll be taken advantage of, because there are too many shady characters in this industry. The reason they came to the Ghost Market is that they want to sell their goods here, but they're not willing to give up, so they're hoping to find someone like you who doesn't know anything about this industry to help them avoid trouble."

"Don't worry, I would never go to these places without you." Although she was interested in this line of work, she was by no means reckless.

"Hmm," Qi Yanzhou stroked her hair, then suddenly remembered what had happened before and laughed with realization: "So, that day I wasn't there, and you left without even going through the door?"

"Which day?"

"On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the day my brother treated people to a meal."

"Ah," Song Chiyu also realized that he had been handling matters in the countryside, and that he had taken Qi Zhannan back to Anxi and then went straight back to Mingzhou that day. "Yes."

"You only trust me in our family, right?"

Song Chiyu wasn't sure if this was the right answer, but she still nodded: "Yes, your family's situation is too complicated. Apart from Qi Zhannan, who can be seen through at a glance, everyone else is like a thousand-year-old fox, and we don't know what they're up to."

What about me?

He was the most incomprehensible person, but she knew she had some understanding of his nature. "Although you are sometimes a bit tough, everything you do is right. Few people can be like you, able to stick to their principles in the face of such great temptations, always remember what they should do, and when they find others going astray, they can still mediate and get everything back on track."

She couldn't help but stop in her tracks. "Wow, Master Qi is amazing!"

“It’s not that impressive. I’ve just been in this industry for so long that I know what I can and cannot do, and—” he said slowly, “these things don’t really benefit me much.”

Song Chiyu was taken aback.

It's unclear whether he didn't want to be portrayed as a saint by her, or whether he simply wasn't that capable, and the current benefits weren't enough to cross his bottom line.

"How much profit could make you take such a risk?"

"No." Qi Yanzhou didn't explain further, and continued to hold her hand as they walked forward: "Next time we go back to Anxi, I'll take you to a place and you'll understand."

"Where?"

“What your museum has, my family has; what your museum doesn’t have, my family also has.” He stared at her intently, a half-smile playing on his lips, giving off a half-serious, half-joking feeling.

She immediately thought of Qi Jianguo's antique shop, "The only pity is what happened last week, right?"

He suddenly laughed, seemingly lost in thought, and stopped dwelling on the matter. "Is there anything else you want to see? If not, we'll head back."

After being interrupted, Song Chiyu lost all interest in looking at anything.

He shook his head: "Let's go back."

**

Three days later, Song Chiyu heard in the courtyard that some villagers had discovered a tomb raider's hole in their own field. After reporting it to the police station, the archaeological institute was now required to conduct a rescue excavation after approval from higher authorities.

At first, Song Chiyu didn't connect this incident with the people from that night. It wasn't until she watched the news with Lao Song that evening that she realized the people who shipped the goods that day were in cahoots with the tomb robbers.

The items they offered were not ordinary porcelain or pottery jars, but bronze artifacts that were explicitly prohibited from trade by the state.

Song Chiyu stared in disbelief at this news, which Old Song considered insignificant.

She quickly patted Qi Yanzhou, who was sitting next to her, signaling him to put down his phone and watch TV first.

He wasn't surprised at all. After the news finished airing, he looked away and handed over his phone.

They're also discussing this in their line of work.

Everyone sighed, wondering if Old Zhao had gone mad with poverty to dare to help sell such a worthless item. Song Chiyu then realized that tomb raiding had its intricacies: one group steals the goods, another sells them, and yet another covers up the evidence.

The tomb raiders were arrested first, and then they implicated Lao Zhao and others, which led to the scene at the ghost market.

For Song Chiyu, a law-abiding citizen, this was quite an unexpected encounter. However, Qi Yanzhou's nonchalant expression told her not to get involved.

Song Chiyu never liked getting involved in such things, and after this incident, she was even less likely to get involved.

However, no one expected that Old Li would actually find her at the museum. At first, she didn't know who he was. When she got to the security room, she saw Old Li, who was so thin he was practically skin and bones, huddled in a corner, with bruises still visible on his face.

Song Chiyu didn't know what had happened to him, but she really couldn't do anything about it.

When the security guard asked her if she knew the other person, she didn't know how to answer, so she walked out and dialed Qi Yanzhou's number.

Qi Yanzhou was also somewhat surprised, "He actually came looking for you?"

"Hmm." Song Chiyu felt a pang of pity, but knew this was not something she could afford to get involved with. "What should we do?"

"Okay, it's nothing." Qi Yanzhou's tone was gentle, as if it were just a trivial matter: "I'm coming over now, but you don't need to say you know him. I'll take care of the rest."

"How will you manage it? Won't it cause you trouble?"

"No, it might be troublesome for you, but not for me." Old Li knew that those people wouldn't dare cause him trouble, which was why he came here. But it would be troublesome for Song Chiyu, and Qi Yanzhou certainly wouldn't involve her: "He came here specifically for me."

Song Chiyu said no more and told the security guard that she did not know him.

The security guards immediately chased away the unconscious Lao Li. Song Chiyu was worried and kept watching from a distance until she saw Zhou Yue get out of a white SUV and take him away from the roadside. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Back in her office, she immediately contacted Zheng Qiu, subtly inquiring about Lao Li. Unexpectedly, Zheng Qiu was also looking for him. "He hasn't come back since he left work that day. I'm still receiving several months' worth of his salary. What? You saw him?"

"No, I just saw someone on the street who looked a bit like him and thought he had come out of the archaeological station, so I wanted to call and ask."

Zheng Qiu sighed: "I don't know where he ran off to. If you run into him, make sure he contacts me. Even if he quits, he has to take back his wages from the past few months."

"Yes, I will. Teacher Zheng, how's work going lately?" Song Chiyu asked politely so as not to make him overthink.

"Everything went smoothly. Since your husband came, we haven't seen any more of those strange things. But don't be angry with me, I really couldn't handle Teacher Xie's matter back then."

Song Chiyu didn't expect him to still be thinking about this. "It's okay, Teacher Zheng. I understand your difficulties."

"Tell your husband not to hold a grudge against me either." Zheng Qiu was still resentful about offending Qi Yanzhou and letting someone else take advantage of the situation.

“He’s not that petty,” Song Chiyu said sincerely. “He must have his reasons, Teacher Zheng, don’t overthink it.”