On the east side of the Zhengyangmen city wall in Beijing.
There stands a weather-beaten train platform.
It was first built in the 27th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1901).
It was built in the 29th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1903).
It has a history of 81 years.
In the old days, this railway station platform was called "Zhengyangmen East Station of Jingfeng Railway".
After the establishment of Huaxia, it was renovated and expanded and renamed Beijing Railway Station.
At nine o'clock in the morning, Mo Zhexuan, Li Peizhen, and Li Wanhua came to a breakfast shop outside the train station.
While eating breakfast, he was waiting for an important person, who was Wang Yalin, who had returned to Yanzhao Province to visit relatives and recruit comrades.
Li Peizhen drank a sip of pure milk, took a bite of the bun, and asked:
"Brother Xuan! What time will Brother Wang arrive?"
"He mentioned last night that the train was at five this morning, which would take four and a half hours. It should arrive around 9:30."
Mo Zhexuan smelled the soy milk in the bowl and took a small sip while suppressing his nausea.
But I spat it out after tasting a little bit, it was really too unpalatable.
"It tastes terrible! I can't get used to it. It has a rancid smell."
As Li Peizhen spoke, she pulled out a tissue from the table and handed it over.
"Indeed, it tastes the same as stinky tofu." Mo Zhexuan took it and wiped his mouth.
He nodded in agreement and looked at Li Wanhua who was drinking with relish.
"Mr. Mo! Ms. Li! I couldn't get used to drinking douzhi when I was a kid, but after drinking it a few times I got used to it."
Li Wanhua took a big sip of soy milk, ate some pickles and fried dough twists, and an expression of enjoyment appeared on her face.
"You two must be guests from out of town!
Douzhi, as a special snack of us old Beijingers, has a history of more than 300 years.
The production process is to ferment the remaining soup from water-ground mung bean products.
It has a special smell and a sour taste when you take a bite.
It’s hard to accept, but you get used to it after drinking it for a while.”
An old man in a tattered shirt at another table explained with a smile.
"Thank you, old man!" Mo Zhexuan nodded to express his gratitude.
I took another sip and found a sweet taste after swallowing.
"Mr. Li! I heard you went to the suburbs to look for treasures again. I bet you got quite a lot this time!"
The boss collected the dishes and chopsticks left by the customers and asked the old man with a smile.
"Alas... I just can't bear to see our country's treasures being lost to the public and unprotected."
A trace of loneliness flashed across the old man's face as he explained.
"You should buy less of those things! They're not worth much, save some for your grandson!"
If anything happens to you, your grandson will go to an orphanage."
The old man didn't say anything, but took out a few crumpled bills and put them on the table.
He stood up and left quickly, his hunched figure revealing a sense of desolation.
"Mr. Yi! I've said a few words to you, and if you're still not happy, just take the money back!" The boss chased after him and returned the money to the old man.
"Boss! Do you know him?" Mo Zhexuan, who had been watching all the time, asked curiously.
"I know him! He's a famous scrap collector in our neighborhood, and his family can barely make ends meet.
He also went around buying some worthless stuff, and foreigners would come to him to buy it if they saw something they liked.
This old guy refuses to sell it, I think he will not be satisfied until he is buried in the ground."
"Oh! So that's how it is. Then he must be a collector!"
“Even if you’re a collector, you still have to eat!
Sometimes this old man and his grandson can't even afford to eat.
You can't even pay your tuition, yet you insist on buying those rubbish."
After some investigation, we learned that the old man's name was Yijian, and he was a descendant of the once famous Emperor Xianfeng.
Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, my family was a veritable landlord.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, not only was his property confiscated during that movement, but even his son was killed.
Currently, the family only has one grandson who is in junior high school.
When Yijian was young, he was a famous playboy with a special liking for antiques.
Nowadays, almost all of the monthly compensation paid by the government is used to collect some strange and old items.
Sometimes I can’t even pay my grandchildren’s tuition.
This piqued Mo Zhexuan's interest, ever since he raided the Friendship Store in Guangzhou last time.
I had already made up my mind to increase my investment in antiques, but it was delayed recently due to a series of things.
Now I have met an expert in antiques, and I am a good candidate to recruit him.
"Boss! Thank you." Mo Zhexuan took out 50 yuan of foreign exchange coupons from his pocket and handed them over.
Then he immediately turned around and took Li Peizhen and Li Wanhua to the exit of the train station.
"Sir! I haven't given you the change yet."
"No, thank you for telling me this."
The boss looked at the backs of the people leaving and couldn't help but sigh at their generosity.
These 50 yuan foreign exchange coupons can be exchanged for at least 150 yuan in cash on the black market.
"Brother Xuan! Why are you so curious about that old man?" Li Peizhen asked in confusion.
"Oh! Aren't I planning to open a company specializing in acquiring antiques and curios?
The old man just now happens to be an expert in this field, so we can recruit him."
Mo Zhexuan explained with a smile.
The three of them stood in a good position and stared at the faces of people coming and going at the exit, trying to find Wang Yalin among them.
Finally, he found that there were too many people, so he quickly found a way to get a sign, wrote the three big words "Wang Yalin" on it, and held it high.
"Hey! Look, is that Brother Wang the one carrying a snakeskin bag on his back?" Li Peizhen had sharp eyes.
Suddenly, he noticed a man at the exit whose figure was very similar to Wang Yalin, and he quickly spoke.
Mo Zhexuan looked in the direction of the finger for a moment and found that the slightly rough face was Wang Yalin. He hurriedly shouted:
"Wang Yalin!"
Wang Yalin was shocked when he heard this, and when he looked up he saw Mo Zhexuan.
He waved his left hand, a smile appeared on his face, and he squeezed through the crowded crowd like a tiger descending from the mountain.
After a while, he came to Mo Zhexuan and his friends with a snakeskin bag containing something unknown.
"Mr. Mo! Miss Li! Long time no see."
"What are you carrying? Aren't you tired of carrying it?" Mo Zhexuan asked curiously.
"Oh! These are local specialties from our Yanzhao Province, Jinzhou duck pears and dates. I brought them here for everyone to taste." Wang Yalin said with a smile.
"Let's go! There are too many people here, let's go back to the hotel first." Mo Zhexuan responded.
He picked up the big bag of snakeskin bags and walked out of the train station.
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