"Minister the shop? Me? I'm not good with words. I'd probably just try to fool people, oh no, I probably wouldn't be able to sell anything."
Chen Ke slowly wiped his mouth. "It's okay, I'm just minding the shop."
Later, Li Guaizi realized that Chen Ke's so-called "keeping an eye on the shop" was really just that—keeping an eye on the shop. For an entire morning, not a single person had stepped into the antique shop!
"Boss." Chen Ke said that he should be called boss in the shop. Li Guaizi, wearing a brand-new blue long gown, paced back and forth at the door with his hands tucked into his sleeves. Seeing that another group of people had rushed into the hat shop next door, he couldn't stand still any longer and called out to Chen Ke again, "Boss!"
Chen Ke looked up from the newspaper and glanced over, indicating with his eyes: What is it?
Li Guaizi walked over with a worried expression, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
"Just say what you have to say." Chen Ke took a sip of tea.
Li Guaizi: "Boss, do you think... there's something wrong with the decoration of our shop? Why hasn't anyone come in all morning?" Although doing business in an antique shop is different from other shops, there's a saying that if you don't make a sale, all is well, but if you do, you can live off it for three years, but it's not normal for no one to come in all morning, is it?
"What's wrong with it? Everyone who's seen it has good taste."
Li Guaizi's expression froze. "Boss, the person being praised isn't... the owner of another antique shop, is he?"
Chen Ke glanced at Li Guaizi but didn't say anything.
Li Guaizi: "I just went for a walk, and there were two people going into the coffin shop on another street that was almost deserted. It doesn't make sense that our street is so bustling, yet not a single person has come in."
It turned out he was worried about the lack of business. "Don't worry, we're not doing business with ordinary people."
Seeing Chen Ke's calm demeanor, Li Guaizi thought to himself, "It's true what they say, the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is. Bah! He's not a eunuch, he's not worried at all."
There was no business all morning. At noon, Chen Ke took Li Guaizi to a restaurant that looked expensive. It turned out that the restaurant was not just expensive, but really expensive.
The two of them, along with their driver, ordered five dishes and a soup, which cost almost thirty dollars!
"My goodness, this dish is just so-so, why is it so expensive?" Li Guaizi said as he poured all the soup from the plate into his bowl and mixed it with rice, eating it all up. There wasn't a single drop of oil left on the plate, let alone any leftover food.
When the waiter finally came to collect the bill, the shocked expression on his face probably already suggested he was wondering whether the couple had licked the plates clean.
In the afternoon, when Li Guaizi was pacing at the door, he didn't even put his hands in his pockets. He stood straight at the door. When his driver, Li Gang, went out to run errands, he saw him and was very puzzled. "Master Li, why aren't you going in to sit and have some tea? What are you doing standing here?"
Because Chen Ke gave Li Guaizi the identity of an antique master, Li Gang started calling Li Guaizi "Master Li" after he found out.
Upon hearing Li Gang's words, Li Guaizi puffed out his chest smugly, "I'm acting as a greeter!"
Li Gang was completely baffled. "Welcome guests?" What do they need a welcome guest for in their antique shop?
Li Guaizi chuckled, "The restaurant we went to for lunch had a greeter. Look how good their business is. I'll give it a try too."
Li Gang sized up Li Guaizi from head to toe, and finally said, "Well, it's like being in a completely different world. I wish you success." Then he shook his head and left.
Li Guaizi snorted, "I'm definitely going to welcome a guest in today!"
An hour later, Li Guaizi started to feel pain in his foot and leaned against the wall, but he still persevered.
Two hours later, someone stopped because of Li Guaizi. Li Guaizi quickly smiled and said, "Sir, would you like to come in and have a look?"
The man glanced strangely into the shop, muttering to himself as he walked, "Why would they put a cripple as a greeter? Is the owner out of his mind?"
Li Guaizi: ······
"You're the cripple! Not only are you crippled, you're also mentally ill!"
Finally, Li Guaizi angrily sat down in the shop, gulped down a large cup of tea, and decided never to stand foolishly at the door again.
Later that evening, Chen Ke returned from outside and saw Li Guaizi sitting listlessly in a chair, asking, "Has anyone been here?" Chen Ke was worried that Chen Zhuo had already come since he had returned so late.
Li Guaizi, however, thought Chen Ke was asking about the customers. "So you're finally worried? All day long, not a single ghost has come to our shop, let alone a customer."
Speaking of this, Chen Ke asked Li Guaizi with a hint of amusement, "I heard from Li Gang that you were standing at the door as a greeter this afternoon?"
"No! What kind of greeter? I was just standing at the door admiring the scenery!"
Chen Ke raised an eyebrow. "Okay, the view from the entrance is not bad, is it? After all, this is the most bustling street in Shanghai."
"Yes, the rent must be quite expensive, right?"
"It is quite expensive, but luckily I have already bought it, so... it's not too bad."
Li Guaizi's eyes widened suddenly, and his tongue began to tie itself in knots again. "You, what did you just say? You said you bought this shop? You've only been in Shanghai for a short time and you can already buy such a big shop? When did you buy it?"
"This afternoon."
"What? So you mean you went out to buy a shop this afternoon?" Li Guaizi stood up in shock, as if he couldn't believe that such a significant event had happened this afternoon.
No wonder Li Guaizi was so surprised. In Li Guaizi's eyes, buying a shop was like acquiring family property. For Li Guaizi, who was always penniless and never had a family to worry about, this was something he never dared to dream of.
Moreover, in his eyes, Chen Ke was just like him a little over a month ago. How come he suddenly became so different after coming to Shanghai?
Chen Ke knew what Li Guaizi was thinking even with his toes. The two were considered to be from the same sect, but given the original owner's personality, their relationship was just so-so. It was a superficial friendship where he was worried about Li Guaizi suffering while also fearing that Li Guaizi would drive a Land Rover. So it was normal for Li Guaizi to have complicated thoughts now.
So Chen Ke didn't say anything more and focused on waiting for Chen Zhuo.
To be honest, he wasn't really sure Chen Zhuo would come looking for him.
As night fell, the bustling streets outside gradually quieted down, and the pendulum clock on the wall struck eight o'clock.
Li Guaizi drank pot after pot of tea, and after running to the toilet twice, he finally couldn't hold it in any longer and said, "Boss, why don't we stop guarding this place? Look, there's no one on the street anymore, so there probably won't be any customers."
Chen Ke's voice was cold and indifferent, "I'm not waiting for guests, I'm waiting for my brother."
"Oh? You have a younger brother? I've never heard you mention him. Did you tell him you were waiting for him here?"
"I said so."
Perhaps it was Chen Ke's cold tone that gave Li Guaizi the wrong impression. He actually felt sorry for Chen Ke, who had been sitting there waiting for his younger brother. He thought that Chen Ke must love his younger brother very much to keep waiting like this.
Sigh, this younger brother is so insensible. If he had such a rich older brother, he would be fawning over him every day!
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