A cold glint flashed in Xu Kuo's eyes. He had long suspected that this matter was not simple, and that Zhang Guifang must have been instructed by someone behind the scenes!
"Who else could it be but Tan Wang?" Xu Kuo sneered.
Niu Erbao was shocked and immediately understood that Tan Wang was taking revenge, using his mother to get back at Xu Kuo.
Xu Kuo led Niu Erbao to the vegetable garden.
The scene before me was a mess. The once neat and tidy vegetable garden was now turned upside down and scattered everywhere. Some of the seedlings had been trampled into the mud.
Looking at the devastation, Niu Erbao felt extremely guilty. He knelt down in front of Xu Kuo with a thud and buried his head deep in the soil.
“Master, I’m so sorry! It’s all my mother’s fault, she…she…” Niu Erbao’s voice trembled, filled with sobs.
Xu Kuo helped him up and patted his shoulder forcefully: "Erbao, this isn't your fault, it has nothing to do with you. Get up!"
He knew in his heart that this debt should be settled with Tan Wang!
However, even if the land that has been turned over is replanted, it will take time, and it seems that he is about to lose the bet with Tan Wang.
A cold glint flashed in Xu Kuo's eyes: "Tan Wang, you think you can beat me like this? Dream on!"
He turned to Niu Erbao and said, "Tomorrow you go to the county town to sell fish by yourself, don't let anyone follow you."
Niu Erbao was stunned. He didn't understand what Xu Kuo meant, but he still nodded: "Okay, Master, I'll listen to you."
The next day, Niu Erbao drove the oxcart away, and Xu Kuo went to the market alone.
He walked straight into an antique shop.
The shop was decorated in an antique style, displaying all kinds of porcelain, jade, calligraphy and paintings. Several well-dressed people were selecting items inside, and they were obviously wealthy.
When they saw Xu Kuo's attire—coarse cloth clothes with mud on his trousers—they all showed disdain.
The shop owner, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, sized Xu Kuo up and down, his tone unfriendly: "Kid, are you here to buy something? If you are, hurry up, I don't have time to chat with you! If you can't afford it, go look somewhere else, don't delay my business!"
Xu Kuo wasn't angry; he just smiled faintly and said, "I'm just taking a look."
The boss pursed his lips, dissatisfied but said nothing more. After all, it's not good to kick people out when you're in business.
Xu Kuo strolled slowly through the shop, seemingly casually examining the antiques, but in reality, he was secretly activating the system.
Scanning through the antiques revealed that most were fakes, and the system did not react at all.
Occasionally, you'll encounter a few genuine items, and the system will display their value—mostly a few dozen points, but there's a wide variety of them.
Just as Xu Kuo's fingertips were about to touch the blue and white vase with its lotus scroll pattern, a loud, aged voice rang out from the side: "Wait!"
Xu Kuo was startled and turned his head to look. He saw an elderly man dressed in Tang suit, who was full of energy, staring at him, or rather, staring at the vase next to him.
"Young man, I've taken a liking to this vase." The old man's tone was calm, yet it exuded an undeniable authority.
Xu Kuo frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing through his mind. The system indicated that this vase was worth 300 points, and he was just about to buy it when this old man suddenly interfered. What was going on?
With a smile on his lips, he ignored the old man, reached out and hugged the vase to his chest, then turned and walked towards the counter.
"Hey! Young man, what's going on?" The old man became anxious upon seeing this and quickly followed after him, his tone tinged with annoyance. "I was the one who took a liking to this vase first. Can you afford to pay for it if you get it dirty?"
The antique shop owner was standing behind the counter when he saw Xu Kuo carrying a vase. He was taken aback at first, but then his gaze fell on the old man following behind him. His expression changed drastically. His previous nonchalance vanished instantly, replaced by a look of respect and flattery.
"Mr. Zhou, what brings you here? Please have a seat, please have a seat!" The boss bowed and scraped, being extremely attentive.
This Mr. Zhou is none other than Zhou Changke, a renowned figure in the world of antique collecting! He not only has exceptional eyesight but is also incredibly wealthy. He is a regular customer of this shop and the cash cow that the owner most wants to curry favor with.
Zhou Changke had no interest in paying attention to his boss; his gaze remained fixed on Xu Kuo, or more accurately, on the vase in Xu Kuo's arms.
The shopkeeper then noticed the vase in Xu Kuo's arms and was immediately startled. He hurriedly shouted at Xu Kuo, "Hey, hey, young man, what are you doing? Put the vase down! That's..."
Xu Kuo slammed the vase down on the counter with a loud thud. Though the movement wasn't gentle, the vase landed perfectly undamaged. He looked up at the shop owner and asked calmly, "How much is this vase?"
Zhou Changke snorted coldly, his eyes filled with disdain. He sized Xu Kuo up and down. This kid was dressed in coarse cloth, clearly a country bumpkin. Could he afford this priceless antique? It was simply a pipe dream!
The boss thought so too. He glanced at Xu Kuo, his tone tinged with impatience: "I'm telling you, young man, don't cause trouble. Get out of here. This isn't a place for you."
A stylishly dressed young man next to Zhou Changke, clearly trying to curry favor, chimed in, "Exactly! A country bumpkin like him wants to buy antiques? He's really overestimating himself!"
He shook his head, his face full of disdain. "Look at yourself! Don't embarrass yourself here!"
Xu Kuo listened to these harsh words, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He sneered, ignoring these clowns, and instead pulled out a thick wad of banknotes from his pocket, slamming them onto the counter with a "thud."
One thousand yuan!
In 1961, this was no small sum; it was enough to support an average family for several years!
Everyone present was stunned. They stared wide-eyed at the stack of banknotes, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
The young man who had just made the sarcastic remark was now so ashamed he wanted to disappear into the ground. He never imagined that this seemingly unsophisticated country bumpkin could casually pull out so much money!
Xu Kuo spoke again, his tone carrying an undeniable air of authority: "How much does this vase cost?"
The shopkeeper then came to his senses, quickly putting on a smiling face and becoming respectful in his tone: "Three, three hundred yuan..."
Xu Kuo nodded and was about to count the money when Zhou Changke interrupted him.
"Young man, wait a minute!"
Xu Kuo raised an eyebrow, wondering what kind of trouble this old man was up to now. He turned to look at Zhou Changke, a hint of impatience in his eyes.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Changke was not as aggressive as before. Instead, his face was full of smiles, and he even seemed apologetic.
"Young man, I misjudged you earlier, and I apologize for any offense I may have caused." He paused, then said sincerely, "How about this, I'll treat you to a meal as an apology?"
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