Chapter 130 What is your surname, sir/madam?

Lin Sicheng remained silent, quietly gazing at the three paintings on the long table.

These three items are not going to be sold for the time being. Even if they were to be sold, how much would be appropriate?

Just like Xu Weili's documents.

Xu Weili was little known, and his highest rank was only that of a sixth-rank official, but the value of his seventeen volumes of documents was as high as two billion.

Some historians and archaeologists have even compared it to Su Shi's handwritten memorial, "Memorial on Flood Control in Xuzhou."

The reason lies in the revolutionary academic discovery of the information recorded in the documents regarding the official system of the Southern Song Dynasty, as well as the groundbreaking preservation technology.

Compared to these, these three items are really hard to sell. Selling too few feels like a loss, selling too many leaves no one interested, and using them for research seems like such a waste…

Oh right, the "Xu Weili Documents"?

If you can't remember, fine. But now that you do, you can't let such treasures be passed around among antique dealers.

The item should not have left Wuyi yet, or at least not Jinhua.

I need to go and look for it.

His thoughts wandered freely, and Lin Sicheng's eyes were vacant.

Assuming he was just in a bad mood because he lost money, Hao Jun smiled and comforted him, "That's how this industry is. There are gains and losses. Don't be discouraged, and don't get carried away!"

Lin Sicheng came to his senses.

"Getting carried away? That's not an option. Didn't I lose money in my past life?"

Besides, this hasn't even come with compensation yet.

"I know!" He nodded. "Senior Brother Hao, Director Guan, let's have dinner together another day!"

Lin Sicheng quickly rolled up the scroll, picked up the long box, and Ye Anjing followed quietly behind.

Guan Xingmin and Hao Jun looked at each other in bewilderment.

Lin Sicheng picked up so many bargains that two million was not a small amount for him, but it was definitely not a lot either.

But it seemed like he had suffered a huge blow.

Lin Sicheng was indeed absent-minded and preoccupied.

Even Ye Anning was a little skeptical and was thinking about how to comfort him when Lin Sicheng suddenly asked, "Sister Anning, have you ever thought about changing careers?"

"ah?"

Ye Anning was a little confused, wondering why his thoughts were jumping around like this: "Change what?"

"For example, doing academic research, like a teacher!"

Ye Anning shook her head: "Too boring, I don't really like it!"

Oh, never mind then!

Secondly, there's not enough time: Ye Anning's major is art appreciation, and accumulating professional knowledge and skills is a major challenge. If she starts from scratch, it will take at least three to five years, and at most seven or eight years.

By then, the daylilies will be too cold...

The two got into the car, and Lin Sicheng drove directly to the school.

After getting out of the car, Lin Sicheng tossed the keys aside and waved, "Sister Anning, thank you for your help today. I'll treat you to dinner another day!"

With that, Lin Sicheng picked up the three long boxes and strode away.

Ye Anning was disheveled in the wind.

Lin Sicheng, it's already midnight, why do you want to postpone it?

Suddenly, he felt as if he had returned to those days when he was researching gold craftsmanship, absent-minded and preoccupied with his studies.

With a change of heart, Ye Anning turned around and entered the building, then suddenly realized: research?

Suddenly, she remembered Lin Sicheng's sudden question when they left the city: "Sister Anning, have you ever thought about changing careers, like doing academic research or something?"

Those three paintings can't possibly have any scientific or technological value, can they?

After thinking for a long time without finding a solution, Ye Anning called home and asked Wang Youjian to come downstairs and take him out to eat.

On the other side, Lin Sicheng was on the phone as he walked home.

Two beeps later, Gu Ming's "baji baji" sound came through the microphone.

It looks like they're eating.

"You let something slip?"

"You're the one who missed it!" Gu Ming put down his chopsticks. "Didn't you go to keep your cousin Ye company today?"

"Keep up with you my foot?"

Ye Anning, on the contrary, spent two days with him.

Lin Sicheng cut to the chase: "Do you have time this afternoon?"

Gu Ming glanced at Li Xinfang across from him: "Yes!"

"What about tomorrow, or the day after? If you're not busy, come with me to Hangzhou!"

Gu Ming's eyes lit up: Li Xinfang had been nagging him for over half a month, asking him to make an appointment with Lin Sicheng every day, but Lin Sicheng was always busy.

Here comes the opportunity.

"Want to go out with Cousin Ye? Perfect timing, Xinfang isn't busy either..."

Where is there time to play?

"It's important business! If you're busy, I'll go by myself!"

Li Xinfang gave him a wink, and Gu Ming quickly nodded: "No rush, no rush, what time are we going?"

"You eat first, then come pick me up from home. I'll go buy the tickets first!"

So urgent?

Just as he was wondering, Lin Sicheng hung up the phone with a beep.

Li Xinfang served him a bowl of rice: "Eat quickly, then go!"

"good!"

Gu Ming took the bowl. "I won't be able to spend the next few days with you!"

"Am I a child?" Li Xinfang chuckled, then thought for a moment, "Gu Ming, if Lin Sicheng needs anything in the future, don't take it lightly."

"Of course!"

The two grew up wearing the same pair of pants; they're not brothers, but their bond is stronger than that of brothers.

Gu Ming ate with his head covered, but Li Xinfang was getting anxious.

She didn't know the specifics, but she knew at least that because of Lin Sicheng's help, the case of the incense burner suddenly took a turn for the better, and she could even be released on bail at any time.

What his father was prepared to spend millions of dollars to accomplish—that requires immense power and connections.

Li Guojun even gave her a card, saying he'd try giving it to Lin Sicheng. He also reminded her that Gu Mingren was a good person, and that as long as Lin Sicheng was around, that big, simple-minded guy wouldn't have a bad life.

I don't know about the others, but Li Xinfang has at least seen what it was like when Lin Sicheng, Hao Jun, and Guan Xingmin were together.

But even the best relationships need maintenance. Therefore, she was genuinely worried for Gu Ming…

Lost in thought, she kicked Gu Ming: "This time we're on serious business, don't just think about playing around!"

Gu Ming nodded: "I know!"

...

The flight was at 2 PM. After boarding, Lin Sicheng gave him detailed instructions: "This time when we go to Hangzhou, you will act as my bodyguard. No matter where we go, just remember six words: speak less, ask less, and look less."

Gu Ming was stunned for a moment.

Old Gu is a policeman. He was raised with policemanship and has a basic sense of vigilance.

"Chengwa, you're not planning something bad, are you?"

"You think too much?" Lin Sicheng scoffed. "I'm going to look for something, and I'll probably have to deal with tomb raiders. I'm just giving you a heads-up in case you're curious and ask too many questions."

Gu Ming rolled his eyes: "Am I that stupid?"

"He's not exactly smart either!"

Gu Ming punched him.

After a few laughs, Lin Sicheng closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

Going alone is not impossible, but it's best to have someone to look after you, and Gu Ming is just right.

With that physique, no one would believe he's not a bodyguard.

The two were best friends, and as long as he confessed, Gu Ming would never say anything he shouldn't.

There's only one thing: the item shouldn't be hard to find, but when will this case be exposed?

Too early is bad; we probably won't figure it out by then, and the artifacts will be confiscated. Too late, and several more tombs will likely be looted…

While pondering, a thought flashed through Lin Sicheng's mind, and he opened his eyes again: "Mingwa, have you ever thought about changing careers?"

Gu Ming asked, bewildered, "Change careers? What kind of careers?"

"Become a policeman?" Lin Sicheng coaxed. "Look at Uncle Gu, how impressive he is!"

Gu Ming curled his lip: "Old Gu is powerful? He's powerful my ass. He's only powerful to me! He just laughs when my mom nags."

Lin Sicheng laughed heartily: "Really, think about it. It's better than what you're doing in logistics now!"

"That's true!" Gu Ming nodded. "But I wonder if Old Gu will agree?"

Lin Sicheng patted his chest: "Don't worry, I've got it covered!"

No wonder he had this sudden idea.

Gu Ming only went to university with a bachelor's degree in medical laboratory science, which doesn't even qualify him as a clinical practitioner. His future is predictable, and Lin Sicheng can't offer any real help.

But if Gu Ming becomes a policeman, and can also pass the customs exam, it would be perfect: Lin Sicheng could easily assign him a few cases, enough for Gu Ming to stand on stage and receive an award every year.

Then, the flowers on her shoulders will keep piling up...

Wait, didn't I just advise Ye Anning to change careers this morning?

After pondering for a while, Lin Sicheng dozed off for a bit. Around 4:00, the plane landed.

They hailed a taxi and arrived in the city center. They found a hotel near the Shangcheng District Public Security Bureau, dropped off their luggage, and headed straight for Wushan Tongbao City.

Even when people are hundreds of meters away, they can hear the noisy commotion.

As you get closer, you can see crowds of people on both sides of the road, and stalls scattered all over the ground.

There were many people, many stalls, and even more items. The key point was that they would just spread a cloth on the ground and haphazardly put their things on it, making the aisle so crowded that there wasn't even a place to put your feet.

If you're not careful, you'll step on the stall.

It was noisy, chaotic, and disorderly.

Gu Ming instantly got into character, squeezing and bumping his way through the crowd, managing to clear a path. The two crossed the corridor, entered the mall, and arrived on the second floor.

Lin Sicheng, without bias, found a fairly large shop.

The double-door curtain has no door frame, but it's filled with many things.

Bronze ware, porcelain, ancient coins, ancient books, ancient jade, wood carvings, lacquerware... it seems like you can find almost any type of antique on the market here.

Almost everything is clearly priced, and the prices are not low. There's even a sign that reads: "Price is fixed, no bargaining, buy now and leave now."

But don't doubt it, the authenticity rate is at least 30%.

Downstairs, on the first floor of the mall, in the so-called premium section, only about 10% of the items are genuine. As for the stalls outside the mall, if you find a genuine item out of a hundred, your ancestors' graves must be emitting auspicious smoke.

A man and a woman were sitting behind a tea table in the shop. They were both in their thirties and looked like a brother and sister.

He barely paid attention to people when he saw them, just nodded casually, emphasizing his easygoing nature.

But don't be surprised, because such stores mostly cater to regular customers.

After making a quick look around, Lin Sicheng sat down in front of the tea table. The siblings raised their eyelids and looked at him curiously.

Lin Sicheng didn't speak, but smiled first, and then picked up the porcelain cup from the tea tray.

There were only four of them, arranged in a simple pose. Then, with a cupped-hand salute and two little fingers lightly touching, he said, "Brother, your surname is Lin. May I ask your surname, Zhiguo (the person in charge of providing funds and selling stolen goods in a tomb-raiding gang, also referring to the big boss)?"

Suddenly, the siblings sat up straight.

Four eyes, sharp as arrows, glanced at the array of teacups on the table, then at Lin Sicheng's clenched fist.

Then, the siblings stood up, their eyes narrowing into slits: "Brother, you look unfamiliar?"