Chapter 50 The Belief in Ghosts and Gods (Part 3)
The sweltering summer heat outside and the chilly interior of the shop felt like two different worlds.
Only then did Zheng Xia realize what was wrong: the temperature.
His seventh uncle's shop didn't have air conditioning. When it got too hot, they used ice to cool it down. Many jade items couldn't withstand the cold air from the air conditioner, as they would easily oxidize if the temperature was too low.
The temperature when you first enter the room is so low that even ice cubes won't achieve the same effect.
So whose hand is patting my shoulder now?
Or rather, is it even human?
Their line of work is filled with talk of ghosts and spirits; anyone with a weak heart wouldn't be suited for it. A truly timid person wouldn't dare go into a tomb to steal things from the dead.
He grew up with funerary objects and had seen countless kinds of them. The fact that he was able to be taken in by the old master was due to his boldness, sharp eyes, and talent.
However, Zheng Xia was only in his early twenties and had never even been inside the tomb.
Even now, encountering something like this, I still panicked.
His teeth were clenched so tightly they were clicking, and his neck was stiff. How could something like this dare to come out in broad daylight?
Like a long take in a movie, Zheng Xia stiffly turned around little by little.
"Zheng Xia, what brings you here?"
A familiar voice rang out, and Zheng Xia suddenly let out the breath he had been holding in; it was his seventh uncle's voice.
His legs were a little weak. He turned to the side and saw a man behind him covered in sweat, holding a lunchbox. Who else could it be but his seventh uncle?
Zheng Xia breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could even go over, his seventh uncle closed the shop door, picked up the lunchbox, and went into the inner cubicle.
Zheng Xia followed him inside, then suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Inside, a woman was reclining on a mahogany chair.
She was probably not very old, wearing tank tops and hot pants, leaning against one armrest with her beautiful legs draped over the other.
It's a very tempting pose.
Her skin glowed with a soft, luminous white light; her jet-black hair flowed down in a winding path, glossy and black; her lips were red and her teeth white; she was alluring and captivating.
Zheng Xia, a mere lad in his early twenties, could hardly resist such temptation. His face flushed red, and he shyly withdrew his gaze. He couldn't help but move closer to Luo Shu, only to pull away as if he had been burned.
Before he could even ask his seventh uncle why there was such a beautiful woman here, he saw his seventh uncle pull out a small handful of incense sticks from the table next to him, light them with a bang, and stick them into the takeout containers.
Then he saw the alluring woman lying there, her breath slightly moving, her red lips slightly parted, and her pink tongue protruding slightly, ambiguous and seductive.
The incense burned quickly, and the white smoke was drawn into her mouth wisps by wisps by her bright red lips, with no intention of wasting any.
A look of satisfaction appeared on Luo Shu's beautiful face. Her usually pale complexion seemed to have a touch of pink on it, like jade emitting smoke, making her incomparably beautiful.
The color drained from Zheng Xia's face as the white smoke disappeared.
He wanted to run, but his legs were too weak to move. His once fiery gaze now held no courage, and he stood there blankly, like a wooden sculpture that had lost its mind.
Zheng Laoqi grabbed him and pulled him out of the inner room.
"Seventh Uncle, this, this, this is..."
Zheng Xia's words were hesitant and stammering, and the rest of his thoughts remained unspoken.
Zheng Laoqi poured his nephew a cup of hot tea and recounted his encounter with Luo Shu, speaking with utmost reverence and showing no disrespect whatsoever towards Luo Shu.
That scoundrel is still inside; how could he dare to speak ill of her?
Upon hearing this, Zheng Xia understood. Some things didn't need to be said; they naturally had their own tacit understanding.
Since the Zheng family has gotten into this mess, it's a matter of fate and can't be resolved in a short time. They can only take a long-term approach.
The two sat facing each other and drank most of a pot of tea. Listening to the cartoon playing on the TV inside, and watching the scorching sun burning the road outside, emitting a noisy, dusty atmosphere, Zheng Xia's heart slowly calmed down.
Upon seeing his backpack, Zheng Xia realized that he had come here for an urgent matter.
Zheng Xia picked up his bag and took out a small box from it. The box was just an ordinary cardboard box, but the contents of the box were not ordinary.
He opened the box, inside was an enamel snuff bottle, small and exquisite in shape and finely crafted, with two birds on it, their feathers clearly visible, their eyes lively, and their colors vibrant, both luxurious and graceful.
Old Zheng looked at the object his nephew had taken out with sharp eyes, and he also took out a magnifying glass to examine it carefully. If it was real, it would be a treasure.
Looking at the inscription on the bottom of the pot, it reads "Made by Cheng Rongzhang in the Shunzhi period." It's from the Shunzhi period, and the shape seems to be genuine. He'll have to take a good look at it.
Seeing that his seventh uncle was watching intently, Zheng Xia didn't dare to breathe too loudly, afraid of disturbing him.
He bought this from a shovelman (who specializes in collecting goods in rural areas and then reselling them to various merchants). Now that the economy has improved and the market is more open, there are more people doing this kind of work.
Some people dig graves, and many go to the countryside to collect things.
He had been in this business since childhood, so he naturally knew and recognized the shovels.
He wasn't sure about this, so he brought it to his seventh uncle for his opinion.
Things are different now. Finding bargains isn't so easy anymore; this industry is a deep and complex place.
Even he, who grew up handling funerary objects and learned to read from a young age, and who majored in archaeology in college, wouldn't dare say that his purchases were definitely accurate.
These days, which of those who sell books isn't secretly engrossed in reading them page by page? If you asked them to talk about it, they could tell you a story that's both true and false.
Even finding bargains in the countryside is difficult. You might ask someone if they're selling something, and they'll immediately know to go to a shop and ask if it's any good.
It's hard to find a big bargain in this industry now.
That snuff bottle and the shovel cost 20,000 yuan, which is no small amount. If it's genuine, you can keep it for a few years and make a fortune.
If it's fake, 20,000 is not a small amount. These days, it's about the same price as buying a house.
"Uncle, do you think this is reliable?"
Seeing that Zheng Laoqi looked serious and hadn't given a definite answer after a long time, Zheng Xia asked a question.
Zheng Laoqi asked in a hoarse voice, "How much does he want?"
"At least 20,000."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Laoqi frowned.
This amount is indeed quite large, and he's not entirely sure about it.
Zheng Laoqi was mainly in charge of the shop's sales and the tomb raiding business, while Zheng Laojiu was the most knowledgeable about these things in the family.
I went to Shanxi Province yesterday.
Zheng Laoqi put the things back in the box and asked, "Can you ask someone if we can keep them for two days?"
Zheng Xia looked conflicted: "He's in a hurry to make a move. I doubt we can hold him back."
Old Zheng frowned; he felt it was a pity to have missed such a good thing.
But he really wasn't sure, this was a difficult situation.
The animation audio inside has been replaced with advertising audio.
The Zheng family uncle and nephew stared at the snuff bottle with deep resentment, unaware of any change.
"This is fake."
The woman's voice was still as clear and melodious as ever, but it was like a thunderclap, snapping the uncle and nephew back to their senses.
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