Taiwan Island, the largest island in southern China, boasts a typical tropical climate ideal for plant growth. From the air, the island is blanketed in lush tropical forests, earning it the nickname "Eastern Amazon" by travel enthusiasts.

The island is surrounded by clear blue waters, and the surrounding waters are dotted with large and small coral reefs. Schools of tropical fish swim and reproduce in the coral reefs, attracting diving enthusiasts from all over the world.

The unique geographical conditions make Taiwan a popular tourist city in China. Most of the residents on the island make a living by running homestays, hotels, snack stalls, and selling tourist souvenirs, and they earn a considerable annual income.

One morning in July, Tainan's Folk Street began its day's bustle early. A long row of shop signs lined the streets, displaying slogans such as "Authentic Liu's Pineapple Cakes," "Secret Pearl Milk Tea," "Palace Meatballs," and "Tainan Grandma Li's Oyster Omelette." The shop assistants, dressed in Taiwan's unique ethnic costumes, greeted passing tourists with snacks for tasting.

The bus station is not far away, where all tour groups gather and are led by tour guides to the Folk Street.

Another bus stopped at the bus station, the door opened, and a group of people got off the bus one after another.

The leader was a young man in his twenties, not tall, a little fat, with a round face, big eyes, dark skin, and a shrewd look. He was holding a small red flag with "Oriental Tour Group" written on it. It seemed that he was the tour guide of this group.

The tourists in the group got off the bus and stretched their arms and legs while waiting for the tour guide Xiao Li to tell them about the next itinerary.

Li Wenhan saw that everyone was gathered, cleared his throat and said:

"Dear group members, we are now at the famous Tainan Highland Folk Street!

This old street was built during the Ming Dynasty, and has a history of over 600 years! Even the bricks on the ground are antiques!

Hey, Brother Zhang, stop picking at it. The antique tiles are inside the Folk Street. The one you picked at is just an ordinary floor tile!

Once inside, you can't touch anything. This street is full of cameras and security, with 24/7 surveillance. If anyone is found damaging historical buildings, they will be severely fined and may even go to jail! Even if you pick it up, you can't take it away. This street is all in and out of the same place, with security checks, and it's very strict!

After hearing this, Zhang Xing touched his nose awkwardly, laughed awkwardly twice, and stood up from the ground.

Zhang Xing's wife, Wang Anni, kicked him while holding their little daughter and spat:

"Zhang Xing, you're such a jerk! You're such a jerk! You're embarrassing me!"

This family of three is from Jinshi. They speak with a strong crosstalk accent, which makes everyone else in the troupe laugh.

Xiao Li continued:

"This morning is free time, so feel free to explore. We'll meet here at 11:00 for lunch. Oh, and a reminder! The antiques and jade sold in Folk Customs Street are both real and fake, so please be careful when shopping!"

When the people in the group heard that they could move freely, they called their travel companions and left in twos and threes.

Including our guide, Xiao Li, there were ten of us in our small, elite group. There was a middle-aged couple from Xishi, a family of three from Jinshi, and three university students from Yangshi. Only Chen Qingshan was traveling alone, so she always had Xiao Li as her companion when visiting the sights.

In fact, tour guides like Xiao Li generally don't accompany their guests on tours. Because he's led tours so often, he's been to the same attractions countless times, so many times he could walk through them with his eyes closed. Even the most beautiful scenery gets boring after seeing it dozens or even hundreds of times. He usually just drops his group off at a tourist attraction and finds a coffee shop or tea stall to rest and soothe his throat.

But Chen Qingshan was a beauty. Tall, with fair skin and delicate features, her eyes, in particular, were a brilliant black and white, their shimmering gleams seeming to hold a pool of water, and her smile evoked two dimples. In this world where looks are prized, beautiful women are treated favorably everywhere. Even at the market, the owner might give them two extra scallions. So, when Xiao Li learned she had no travel companions, she immediately volunteered to be Chen Qingshan's personal guide and escort.

Seeing that everyone in the group was heading towards Folk Customs Street, Xiao Li put away his telescopic flagpole and ran up to Chen Qingshan, showing his big white teeth:

"Sister Chen, let's go!"

Although Chen Qingshan looks to be twenty-four or twenty-five years old, he is actually thirty-two years old, and Xiao Li is only twenty-six, so of course she has to call her sister.

Chen Qingshan nodded, and the two walked side by side towards Folk Street.

Li Wenhan is worthy of being the gold medal tour guide of Oriental Travel Agency. He has a wide range of knowledge and can tell you everything about history and unofficial history. He can also make up a thrilling and touching story for you about a simple tourist attraction. In addition, his soft Taiwanese Mandarin is very pleasant to listen to. Along the way, he was followed by many "freeloaders". The two of them strolled in a "grand" manner to the antique alley at the innermost part of the Folk Street.

Every folk street has one or two antique shops, capitalizing on tourists' desire to find a bargain. They sell a mix of real and fake items, but most are fake. Even the authentic items are from the Republican era or the late Qing Dynasty, and are priced at least three times the market price, with no room for appreciation. It's a typical three-year shutdown, three-year profit after opening.

There is also such a place in Tainan Folk Street, which sells porcelain and jade.

It is said that when Zheng He sailed to the West, a ship encountered a typhoon and sank near Taiwan Island. The ship was full of porcelain and jade.

No one knows exactly where the ship sank, but occasionally pearl divers would pick up broken pieces of porcelain on the seabed near Taiwan Island.

Ten years ago, a fisherman caught a plate with his net and took it to Folk Customs Street's Antique Alley, hoping to sell it for a living. A wealthy Guangzhou businessman bought it for 1,000 yuan. It was later identified as a blue-and-white porcelain plate from the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. It fetched a staggering 13.85 million yuan at auction, causing a nationwide sensation.

Antique dealers from all over China flocked to the Folk Street, almost crushing the blue bricks. The porcelain bowls and plates on every antique stall were screened, and the results were disappointing: the fake rate was 99.99%.

But even so, there are still people who don't give up. Every year they come to this antique alley specifically to stroll around, hoping to find a big bargain.

However, ideals are full and reality is skinny. In the past ten years, no authentic artifacts have appeared in the antique alley. The craze for Ming porcelain has gradually cooled down. Knowledgeable antique dealers no longer come. Only an endless stream of tourists continue to listen to the legend of the one thousand yuan Ming blue and white porcelain, spend a lot of money, and dream of getting rich overnight.

Chen Qingshan knew nothing about antiques and came here purely for fun. Xiao Li was going to remind her not to buy things indiscriminately, but when he saw that she had no intention of buying anything, he felt relieved.

The two walked to a corner and found a group of people gathered not far ahead, arguing around a stall. A man inside shouted loudly:

"Let me tell you, this isn't the way to do business!"

The man spoke with a loud Shaanxi accent; he was clearly a member of their group, Ma Baoku. Chen Qingshan and Xiao Li exchanged glances and quickly walked toward the crowd.