Chen Jiandang, who had just taken sweet potatoes from the cellar, interrupted Qin Yalan impatiently when he heard her saying this.
"Mom, why are you telling my sister all this? If you ask me, we should keep our distance from Uncle Si's family, just like Aunt Dad does. They're a family that can't stand seeing others do well."
You wouldn't believe it, but when I met Chen Shuting, I clearly heard her cursing my sister. She only stopped when she saw me. She can't stand seeing my sister doing well just because she's not doing well herself.
I was just worried that the old man selling millet porridge would leave early and I wouldn't be able to buy any, otherwise I would have punched him.
Chen Shuning was enjoying the conversation when Chen Jiandang interrupted her abruptly, which annoyed her. However, she knew that her brother was doing it for her sake, so she quickly advised, "Why are you paying attention to her? She can't stand seeing others doing well! Let's just live our lives even better and make her angry."
Speaking of this, Chen Shuning remembered Qin Yalan's complaints earlier that her younger brother was so focused on the scrap metal recycling station. Although she definitely felt that her brother was still young and there was no rush to find a partner, she still tried to persuade him so that Yalan wouldn't worry: "By the way, little brother, Mom said you don't have a partner yet? If you don't have time to look, do you want me to introduce you to someone?"
Chen Shuning asked tentatively, knowing that Chen Jiandang, at his age, shouldn't be holed up in a junkyard all day. Even if he wasn't looking for a partner, he should at least go out and have fun with his peers more often.
Her younger brother not only filled his current small courtyard and the house Chen Shuning bought for him to the brim, but he also borrowed several of Chen Shuning's houses to store things.
It's no wonder no girl has ever been interested in him. Over the years, he's spent all his time holed up in the scrap metal yard, always covered in dust and dirt.
He spends all his money on these things. The clothes he wears are bought for him by Qin Yalan and others who couldn't stand his situation. He's also very frugal, not willing to waste a single penny. It would be strange if any girl were interested in someone like him.
Thinking of this, Chen Shuning remembered that Chen Jiandang seemed to be carrying a wooden box when he came in. So he asked in annoyance, "By the way, Jiandang, what's in that wooden box you were carrying? Let me see it."
Chen Jiandang was wondering how to respond to his sister's suggestion to introduce him to someone, but to his surprise, his sister changed the subject herself, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
He hurriedly picked up the wooden box that had been placed in the corner as soon as he entered the room and showed it off, saying, "This is a good thing, a genuine antique from the Yongzheng period, with no more than a hundred pieces in existence."
As Chen Jiandang spoke, he opened the wooden box in his hand, revealing a beautifully crafted gold bowl with lotus patterns inside.
The bowl is inlaid with various gemstones, making it look very exquisite and luxurious.
It's important to understand that in ancient times, with its strict hierarchical system, not just anyone could eat from a golden rice bowl.
Therefore, these items were mostly royal products, either used by the emperor and his concubines, or bestowed by the emperor upon meritorious officials, so most of them have a provenance.
These antiques with clear provenance are quite valuable for collection, which explains why Chen Jiandang was so happy.
Seeing Chen Jiandang's excited face, Chen Shuning couldn't help but tease him, asking with a mischievous smile, "How much did it cost? Such a big golden rice bowl must have been expensive, right?"
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Chen Jiandang's face immediately fell, and he said with a pained expression, "My two months' salary and New Year's money are all gone. I just bought some millet porridge and sugar ears, and I'm really penniless."
Seeing Chen Jiandang like this, Chen Shuning couldn't help but smile and pat Chen Jiandang's head, secretly giving him a wink before getting up and going into the house.
Chen Jiandang, understanding the situation, hurriedly followed them inside. Qin Yalan, who was cooking, didn't notice the siblings' commotion and was focused on preparing lunch.
After entering, Chen Shuning pretended to rummage through his small bag, but actually took out a stack of money from his spatial storage, which looked to be about three or four hundred yuan. Chen Shuning didn't count how much it was.
After Chen Jiandang entered, he immediately stuffed the money into Chen Jiandang's hand and whispered, "Take this, spend it sparingly, and go out and have fun with your classmates and friends more often. Don't just stay cooped up in that shabby scrap metal recycling station."
"By the way, how's the search going with the houses in Wanjiayuan and the old courtyard that I asked you to inquire about?"
Chen Jiandang knew his sister was rich, and over the years Chen Shuning would often give him pocket money. At first, the little guy was embarrassed and refused, but he gradually got used to it.
However, what Chen Shuning didn't know was that Chen Jiandang had his own little ledger, in which he recorded every penny of the money Chen Shuning had given him over the years, thinking that he would repay his sister with interest when he made money in the future.
Of course, Chen Jiandang didn't know at the time that the junk he collected, which was now seen as worthless junk by everyone, would one day become priceless treasures.
By then, he could easily sell one item and it would be enough to buy a house in Beijing, where land is incredibly expensive.
But now all he could do was grin and say thank you: "Thank you, sis. But sis, are you really going to buy that house over there? I did go and take a look these past couple of days."
The houses over there are so dilapidated, some are completely uninhabitable, and they're in such remote locations that they don't even have running water. It's so inconvenient.
The two places Chen Shuning mentioned are the two very famous antique streets in later generations. They are prime shops that are hard to come by. With only two years left before the reform and opening up, Chen Shuning was thinking of buying as many as possible as soon as possible, so that he could rent them out and make money in the future.
Another reason is that I thought my younger brother likes these things. He has learned enough from the master craftsman over the past few years and is fully capable of supporting a shop.
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