Chapter 72
Chen Ming snatched the report from the table, pinching the edge with his fingers. He glanced over it, his expression darkening. Frowning, he slammed the report down on the tea table. The sound made the air quiet for a moment. He gritted his teeth, turned his head, and stared at Granny Chen intently, his voice filled with suppressed anger. "Mom, what's going on?"
"Second brother, calm down," Chen Cheng was still advising, "If it's a mistake, we can't just believe it when we see it."
"Take a look at it yourself," he threw the report to Chen Cheng.
Chen Ming continued to ask: "Mom, tell me the truth, what did my dad say back then?"
Chen Cheng took it, opened the report and flipped through it, his eyes briefly scanning the densely packed appraisal text until he saw the last page, the black and white photocopy of the bowl that was pasted on it, and the specially enlarged area on the bottom of the bowl. The words "copy made in the seventh year of the Republic of China, not authentic" were clearly written on it.
"Mom, did you remember it wrong?" Chen Cheng asked.
Grandma Chen sank into her chair, her back slowly curving. Her two sons' incessant questions were like venomous snakes, suffocating her. Her head lowered lower, her graying hair tangled in a mess across her face, almost completely obscuring her dim, drowsy eyes. Her hands, hidden beneath her sleeves, clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, their knuckles turning pale from the strain.
"Mom, say something." Chen Ming's voice suddenly rose.
Granny Chen's lips moved, and there was obvious fear in her voice, "No, no confusion, this is what your father gave me before he left."
"No, I didn't mix it up." Chen Ming grabbed his hair and said, "How can it be fake if it's not mixed up? Look carefully at what it says. It says it's a replica from the Republic of China. It's fake, a fake thing that's not worth a penny. Why did you hide it so well at the time? What's the point?"
Chen Cheng's face was equally grim, his words full of complaints, "Just for this piece of junk, my second brother and I have run back and forth countless times, but I have lost several days' work, and now I have to pay another 5,000 yuan. I worked so hard for a long time and got nothing in return, and I still have to pay for it."
"I don't know." Granny Chen's tears fell from her eyes and fell on her wrinkled clothes. She sobbed and repeated, "Your father told me at the time that this bowl could be worth a lot of money and could help you live a good life. How could I know it was fake?"
"I can't believe it, I can't believe it's like this now." Chen Ming took two steps back and forth in frustration, then turned around and glared at Grandma Chen fiercely, "What did I tell you then? Find someone I know to take a look first. You insisted that this was a treasure left by my father and that I couldn't look at it carelessly. I'd be mistaken if I did. Now look at it, you didn't make any money, but you even lost five thousand."
Chen Cheng sighed, "What should I do with this money?"
Chen Ming was furious. "What can I do? Whoever said it has to pay for it."
"Second brother, what you said is that I have to pay for it alone," Chen Cheng said, "You also agreed to come for the appraisal, now let me pay for it alone."
Chen Ming didn't say anything, but just picked up the appraisal report and read it again. His expression became uglier and uglier, and his eyes were full of annoyance. Finally, he kicked the stool next to him hard.
"What a fucking bad luck!" Chen Ming cursed through gritted teeth, his voice filled with resentment. "I originally thought I could get some money for this thing, but after all the trouble, I still have to pay for it."
The hand holding the teacup paused, and Yang Ye glanced at the two people who were still arguing and shirking responsibility. From what they said, it seemed that the only one who was wrong was Grandma Chen, and they had nothing to do with it. She put down the teacup impatiently, her face expressionless, but her tone was filled with disgust and irritation that she rarely saw. "If you want to argue, go outside. This is not the place for you to quarrel and vent your anger."
"And you..." Chen Ming was already full of anger and had nowhere to vent it. When he heard Yang Ye's words, it was like he had found an outlet to vent. He immediately turned the conflict towards her, pointing at people and yelling, "We brought the things over, why didn't you look at them carefully? We don't understand and you pretend not to understand. Is there something fishy going on between you and that appraisal agency? You knew it was fake and you still tricked us into buying it. Why don't you open a store if you don't have the ability?"
As soon as Chen Ming said this, Xiao Xiao was also unhappy. Her face immediately darkened. Just as she was about to open her mouth to refute, Zhou Yiheng took over the conversation. He walked to Yang Ye with a serious look, and his eyes fell directly on Chen Ming. "When you brought the things here, the boss clearly told you that antiques are not something you can completely distinguish with the naked eye. That's why he suggested that you send them to a professional institution for testing. You agreed at the time. It was written in black and white. How come it has become our responsibility now?"
Chen Ming was speechless after hearing Zhou Yiheng's words. He was stunned for a moment, then stiffened his neck and retorted, "I only agreed to the test because I believed you. You clearly said the product looked good before, but it turned out to be this bad. Did you collude with that agency and deliberately say our product was fake?"
"The testing agencies we work with are all formally qualified. If you're unsure, you can always find another agency for re-inspection." Yang Ye took over the conversation. She walked over to Chen Ming and stood still. Although her voice was not loud, it was firm and unquestionable. "I told you before the test that the results can only be true or false. You agreed at the time."
Xiao Xiao nodded and said, "We are just providing reference opinions. The final decision is still yours. Why are you blaming us now that you are not satisfied with the results? If the things you want are real, shouldn't you be happy to give us some money?"
"Boss Yang, please calm down. That's not what we meant." Chen Cheng hurried to smooth things over. He pulled Chen Ming to the back. Chen Ming knew he was in the wrong, but he couldn't swallow his anger. He could only vent his anger on Grandma Chen and yelled at her dissatisfiedly, "What do you think of this broken thing? I've been providing you with delicious food and drinks these days, and you're wasting your time on this thing."
"Mom doesn't have any other thoughts, I just want to help you." Grandma Chen raised her eyes, her red eyes full of earnestness.
Yang Ye watched the two brothers' changes coldly. She didn't say anything, but just watched from the perspective of a bystander. Chen Ming forcefully shook off Granny Chen's attempt to hold his hand, his tone filled with impatience, "Don't make excuses, I thought this crap could really be exchanged for some money for a down payment, now it's all in vain."
Grandma Chen panicked. She looked at Chen Ming helplessly, "Ming, didn't you say before that this money was for Mom to keep? Why..."
Chen Ming yelled at Grandma Chen angrily, "What's the point of keeping the money? You're already this old, why do you need so much money? If you had known it was fake, you might as well have thrown it away to avoid being so embarrassed now."
"Chen Ming!" Chen Cheng's voice rose, and his expression changed instantly. Chen Ming's anger flared up, and his words were all thoughtless. He just blurted out all the calculations in his mind. His words made Chen Cheng's face look a little embarrassed, anxious and embarrassed.
Chen Ming was stunned by Chen Cheng's shouting, and only then did he realize what he had just said. He opened his mouth to say something to make up for it, but he didn't know what to say. He simply grabbed the clothes on the chair and put them on.
"I have something else to do, so I'm leaving first." He slammed the door and walked out without waiting for others to react.
Chen Cheng sighed as he watched Chen Ming walk away. He turned around and saw Grandma Chen, forcing a smile to make amends, "Mom, don't blame Ming. He was just angry and spoke without thinking. Don't take it to heart."
But when he saw the grievance and loneliness in Grandma Chen's eyes, the words he wanted to find for excuses suddenly became speechless. She avoided Grandma Chen's pleading gaze, scratched her head awkwardly, and hurriedly made up an excuse, "I have a meeting at the company, so I have to go first. Mom, I'll come see you in two days."
Before he finished speaking, he also followed Chen Ming's direction and left.
The grocery store became quiet again, leaving only Grandma Chen sitting alone in the chair next to the tea table.
She lowered her eyes and clenched the corners of her clothes tightly with her hands. Her eyes, which had been filled with hope just now, now only showed deep loss. She pursed her lips and looked at the ground silently.
Yang Ye glanced at Xiao Xiao, asking her to make another cup of tea. He then walked over to Grandma Chen and asked in a soft voice, "Grandma Chen, are you okay?"
Grandma Chen sniffed silently, her chest rising and falling slightly. After a long while, she slowly shook her head. Her eyes were red, and there were still unshed tears in the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
"I'm fine," she said in a hoarse voice, trying hard to hide it, "I'm fine, sorry to have embarrassed you."
Zhou Yiheng brought the chair next to her and placed it next to Grandma Chen. Yang Ye sat down and looked at Grandma Chen, her tone gentle but with some certainty, "In fact, you knew it was fake from the beginning."
"Yeah," Granny Chen nodded, lowering her eyes to see her rough, calloused hands. She smiled softly, "When the old man left, he told me that the thing was fake. He stayed just to have fun and think about it."
Xiao Xiao placed the newly brewed cup of tea next to Grandma Chen, replacing the cold one. "Since you already know, why do you still say it's true?"
"This is also the idea the old man gave me." Grandma Chen pulled the corners of her mouth, she smiled bitterly, tears streaming down her eyes again, she quickly wiped them with the back of her hand, her voice was obviously choked, "He said that these two sons are unreliable, impatient, and only have money in their eyes. He is afraid that after he is gone, his sons may not think of me, so he asked me to tell them that there is a treasure passed down from our ancestors at home. The old man said that even for such a treasure, they will not ignore me."
At this point, Granny Chen's voice dropped again, rubbing her hands back and forth. "I know this is dishonorable, but I really have no other choice. When other people's sons and daughters come back, my room is so cold and deserted. I've told them that they can come back a few times a month to talk to me. I know they're after this fake thing, but seeing them makes me feel a little more at ease."
Yang Ye lowered her head and thought for a moment. She suddenly stood up and walked towards the boxes she had packed earlier. She squatted down and rummaged through them. Soon, she pulled out a rosewood box. Inside was a blue and white glazed porcelain bowl similar to Grandma Chen's, but the glaze on this one was more mellow.
"What is this?" asked Grandma Chen.
"This bowl is the same as yours." Yang Ye placed the two bowls side by side.
"Boss Yang, what are you doing?" Grandma Chen didn't understand.
Yang Ye didn't answer her question directly, but changed her approach. She looked at Grandma Chen seriously and asked, "If I ask you to tell your son that there are actually two bowls, would you be able to do that?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
