Fourth Uncle had someone open a box labeled "electronic products," and after clearing away a pile of wood shavings, he put on black gloves and reached down.
They pulled out a palm-sized Western Zhou bronze tomb guardian beast.
He examined the patina on the surface with satisfaction: "This batch is indeed quite good."
As he spoke, he gestured for someone to open another box so that Ning Yuan could inspect the goods.
Ning Yuan walked over to another box, carefully put on gloves, and examined the contents of the box. She couldn't help but exclaim, "This Guanyin head from the Northern and Southern Dynasties is remarkably well-preserved."
She had mixed feelings; these were all cultural relics that had been lost to the Qing Dynasty at the end of its reign.
Uncle Si smoked his pipe as he watched the workers carrying goods up and down the stairs: "You all better watch out, these are all top-quality imported goods!"
Upon hearing the word "imported," Ning Yuan couldn't help but shake her head—it should be called "exported goods resold domestically."
She said calmly, "Fourth Uncle, I have already had the relevant authentication documents prepared. This auction will definitely cause a sensation throughout the Hong Kong government."
"You, the Star of a Hundred Dislikes, do have some method in your work, and you're not so annoying after all." Fourth Uncle glanced at Ning Yuan sideways and exhaled a smoke ring.
Standing behind Ning Yuan, Aheng frowned: "Fourth Uncle, you should know your place. Stop smoking. My Ning is pregnant now, and she hates the smell of smoke the most."
As she spoke, she decisively stepped between Ning Yuan and her fourth uncle.
Fourth Uncle glanced at Ah Heng, who was standing right in front of him, and sneered, "So many fussy rules. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was pregnant with your child!"
Ah Heng retorted bluntly, "So what if he's my child?"
Why not? They're all of the Zhou family bloodline anyway!
Fourth Uncle rolled his eyes at her: "People pretend to be elephants with garlic sticking out of their noses, but you don't even have a penis in your crotch, and you're already trying to act tough!"
Despite saying that, the old man didn't continue smoking his pipe and angrily put it out.
Listening to the two of them, Ning Yuan found it both amusing and helpless. She simply shook her head and got down to business.
"It wasn't easy for this shipment to get here, so let's hurry up and get our goods directly to the Chenguang Elite Club's warehouse!"
Uncle Si squinted his old eyes: "Alright, I also want to go and see the warehouse of the Morning Light Socialite Club. I've heard it's quite modern, with temperature and humidity control."
Ning Yuan smiled slightly: "Yes, the socialite club has a comprehensive storage system, and most importantly..."
She paused, a sly glint in her eyes: "It will be convenient to prepare identification documents for the exhibits, since these are all 'legitimate' exhibits that will be participating in the spring auction."
The workers moved swiftly yet carefully, steadily lifting the wooden crates onto the waiting trucks.
About an hour and a half later, Uncle Si confirmed that the last item of cargo had been loaded onto the truck, nodded to his men, and said, "Let's go!"
Then, he turned to Ning Yuan and raised an eyebrow: "Once this batch of goods is successfully auctioned off, we... will both get a share of the profits."
Ning Yuan smiled faintly: "Fourth Uncle, doing business is naturally about achieving a win-win situation. You are a first-rate broker, and I have learned a lot from you."
Fourth Uncle curled his lip in disdain: "Heh, I don't take disciples, especially not someone like you. Don't even think about taking advantage of me. I'm not like Ninth Brother and Old Fang, who are used to being poor and only care about money."
After saying that, he patted his butt and got into the car.
Ning Yuan raised her eyebrows slightly, said nothing, and pulled her coat tighter before getting into the car.
...
The next morning.
Ning Manfei walked gracefully into the hall in her high heels. Although she rarely came here, she had come prepared today.
He went into her office, which she hadn't visited in ages, and dialed the phone directly.
A moment later, two middle-aged professional women walked in. The one in the lead greeted her politely, "Miss, you wanted to see me?"
"Team Leader Zhang," she said haughtily to the head of the planning team in front of her, "I would like to see the list of items for the spring auction."
Team Leader Zhang hesitated for a moment, somewhat embarrassed: "This... Miss, the list of items to be auctioned is still being compiled..."
Ning Manfei raised an eyebrow: "What, do I, as a director, not even have the right to look at the list?"
“No, it’s not…” Team Leader Zhang’s forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.
Although Ning Manfei doesn't usually participate in the affairs of the socialite club, she is, after all, the second young lady of the Ning family and a director, so she can't be ignored.
"Then I'll have to trouble you." Ning Manfei smiled elegantly, but her tone left no room for argument.
Team Leader Zhang had no choice but to instruct his team members to fetch the documents, which he then handed to her with both hands.
Ning Manfei took the document and casually flipped through it.
Suddenly, her finger stopped on a certain page, and her brows furrowed involuntarily.
"The head of Guanyin from the Northern and Southern Dynasties?" Her gaze lingered on those words.
As a heiress who grew up in a wealthy family, although she has never had a proper job, she still has some basic knowledge about antiques.
This Guanyin head... she remembered seeing a similar picture somewhere before.
Ning Manfei carefully examined the other items on the list: Dunhuang murals, Western Zhou bronzes, Han Dynasty jade discs... each one was a priceless treasure.
"Was this batch of goods... provided by Madam Ning?" she asked casually.
Team Leader Zhang shook his head: "I heard that Miss Seven brought it from the mainland."
Ning Manfei's eyes sharpened.
Ning Yuan? How could she have so many precious antiques?
Although my second aunt has been running the Chenguang Elite Club for many years, she mainly deals in jewelry and accessories and rarely deals in antiques.
Ning Manfei rolled her eyes and suddenly said, "Go and bring all the newspapers from this week."
The strange request startled Team Leader Zhang, but he still obeyed.
A short while later, a thick stack of newspapers was placed in front of Ning Manfei.
Ning Manfei did not trust Team Leader Zhang, who had been working for Madam Ning the Second, and said coldly, "You all get out."
Team Leader Zhang and his team member looked at each other in bewilderment, but both left Ning Manfei's office.
Ning Manfei immediately began flipping through the newspapers one by one.
She remembered seeing a news report that morning—a major theft had occurred at a French museum, resulting in the loss of a large number of Oriental artifacts.
She quickly searched through the pages, and sure enough, half an hour later, she found the news in an English newspaper.
She carefully compared the description of the stolen artifacts, her fingers trembling slightly.
The style, era, size, and description of that Guanyin head from the Northern and Southern Dynasties are almost identical to those in the auction listing!
“Ning Yuan…” She bit her lower lip, her eyes sharpening.
Where did that brat get so many antiques of dubious origin... from the mainland...
Is he perhaps involved in selling stolen goods with his second aunt?
Ning Manfei gripped the newspaper tightly, already having made up her mind.
If it can be proven that these antiques are stolen goods, and that they were stolen from a French museum, it will damage the Ning family's reputation once it is discovered!
She didn't believe that the old man and her father would still insist on letting Ning Yuan marry Bing An!
The thought of Ning Bing'an made her heart ache.
Why should a woman who is pregnant out of wedlock and may be involved in cultural relic smuggling marry Bing'an?
Ning Manfei picked up the phone and, after thinking for a moment, dialed her eldest sister Ning Man'an's number.
"Eldest sister," she said in a low voice, "I've discovered a major problem with the batch of antiques that Second Aunt and Ning Yuan recently acquired for auction."
"What's the problem?" Ning Man'an's calm voice came from the other end of the phone.
“It looks so similar to the artifacts stolen from the French museum! I think she’s smuggling stolen goods!” Ning Man’an said with a hint of excitement.
"Big sister, we have to tell Daddy and Grandpa about this, so everyone can see what Second Aunt and Ning Yuan are really like! Does someone like her deserve to be a member of the Ning family, or to marry Bing'an!"
"Do you have any evidence?" Ning Man'an's voice grew even colder.
“I… I’m still investigating…” Ning Manfei was speechless for a moment.
"Don't talk nonsense without evidence. Do you think you can convince Daddy and Grandpa?" Ning Man'an interrupted her bluntly.
Ning Manfei's face instantly turned pale and then red: "But there's still you..."
Ning Man'an said coldly, "If you make up such things without solid evidence, the entire Ning family will be implicated."
"But eldest sister..."
"Enough," Ning Man'an said firmly. "You can dislike Ning Yuan, and you can go against Second Aunt, but you're not allowed to affect the Ning family. It will affect the stock price. Shut your mouth!"
Ning Manfei's face flushed red instantly at her older sister's bluntness.
The phone went dead; Ning Manfei had already hung up.
Ning Manfei stood there, trembling with anger, staring intently at the newspaper in her hand.
Stock price! Stock price! Everything is about money! Everything serves the family, so what is she?! Aren't she and Bing'an human beings?!
Family is everything! Family!
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