Chapter 78
Sitting back in the car, the small space was still filled with huge excitement. Chen Ming gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white, and the veins on his back were prominent from too much force. His voice was filled with the uncontrollable excitement, "Boss, one hundred thousand, one hundred thousand! Now we are really rich!"
Chen Cheng leaned back in his seat and breathed a sigh of relief. The excitement and irritation that had been lingering inside him for the past two days finally dissipated. A circle of quickly drying sweat was left on the identification paper. Chen Cheng rubbed his face back and forth. With a few deep breaths, his heartbeat stabilized again, and his rationality gradually returned. He opened his eyes and saw Chen Ming's sign "Safe Entry and Exit" hanging in the rearview mirror.
"I didn't expect that the thing my mother hid was real." Chen Cheng's tone was full of emotion, but he thought of something else, rolled his eyes, and changed the subject, "After all, this thing is still my mother's."
Chen Ming's happy expression faded slightly. He let go of the steering wheel and leaned back. "It's all because of Dad's supplementary will. Hey, Boss, do you think Mom had someone forge that will?"
"Falsification is illegal." Chen Cheng glanced at him and said seriously, "Besides, who would take such a responsibility for their mother?"
Chen Ming, who was still excited a second ago, fell silent at this moment. He sat in his seat, looking blankly in front of him, his shoulders drooping, as if he had suddenly lost all hope. "What should we do? If Mom doesn't agree, then there's nothing we can do."
"It has to be sold, but not now," Chen Cheng said calmly.
Chen Ming turned around anxiously, frowning and looking at him, "When?"
"Mom is gone, so naturally the thing belongs to us." Chen Cheng said this lightly, as if a heavy hammer suddenly hit Chen Ming's heart.
Chen Ming was stunned. He was stunned by these words for a moment and didn't react. "Mom, I still have many years to live."
"Things will last for many years," Chen Cheng said meaningfully.
Chen Ming didn't understand, he grabbed his hair and asked, "Boss, what do you mean?"
"The price of things will go up," Chen Cheng said. "If we can sell it for 100,000 this year, then next year, and the year after, it's just like a hen that lays eggs. If you kill the hen now, we can only taste it, but we have to keep it forever."
Chen Ming suddenly realized, "I understand"
"One hundred thousand sounds like a lot, but if we split it between the two families, what can we do with only fifty thousand each?" Chen Cheng crossed his legs and put his hands on the edge of the car window frame. "It's different if we keep it. The longer you wait for antiques, the higher its price. It's one hundred thousand now, it will be one hundred and twenty thousand next year, and one hundred and fifty thousand the year after. If you wait a few years and sell it again, you won't get much more than you do now."
Chen Cheng glanced at Chen Ming with a smile on his face. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and exhaled smoke rings that quickly spread throughout the car. His rough fingers rubbed the lighter he had just used. He turned his head and looked out the window. Although he said this, Chen Cheng had other plans in mind. Although this thing was important to Grandma Chen, the temptation of reality was there, and he had to consider himself.
Chen Ming thought what he heard made sense. He rolled his eyes several times and immediately picked up the conversation, "Boss, you are right. Antiques won't grow legs and run away on their own. They will only become more valuable if you hold them in your hands. Now is not the right time to sell them. Let's wait a few years. When the price goes up, it won't be too late to sell them then."
Although he spoke sweet words, Chen Ming did not want to hide the calculation in his eyes. He looked at Chen Cheng directly. Don't think that he didn't know what he was planning. From childhood to adulthood, he had been cheated by Chen Cheng many times.
Chen Cheng thought of a plan. He sat up straight and said to Chen Ming, "After all, this bowl was left to Mom by Dad, and there's a will. Regardless of whether it's real or fake, we should just treat it as if it were real. With it in our possession, it won't be easy for us to sell it. I'm thinking that when the bowl is returned, we can let Mom keep it. That way, it's the best value. It won't make the other family feel uncomfortable if it's kept in their home."
"Boss, you're still smart," Chen Ming chuckled, his tone half true and half false. "I'm indeed not as good as you at thinking of ways to do this, but you just said to let mom keep it, I agree with this idea. I won't feel at ease keeping it in your house, and you won't feel comfortable keeping it in my house. But it's no use just talking to the two of us. What if you say a few words to mom and she gives you the thing, who will I go to for justice? So, we will go back and write a letter of guarantee, write down everything we just said, and then put our fingerprints on it, and give the letter of guarantee to mom. As long as mom is here, none of us can have any bad thoughts about this bowl. If anyone has any ideas, or wants to trick mom into selling the thing, then don't even think about getting a penny of the money."
"Alright, let's do it. It's written in black and white. No one can deny it." Chen Cheng nodded. The two brothers exchanged glances. They used to be quick to argue after just two or three words, but now they reached a peaceful agreement. However, the calculations evident in their eyes, the mutual vigilance and calculations, were not lost on either.
The two smiled in tacit understanding, Chen Ming fastened his seat belt and started the car.
For the sake of common interests and to better restrain each other, they reached this seemingly fragile but strong enough alliance.
Perhaps due to their good mood, on the way back in the car, the two of them chatted about family matters for the first time. The midday sun streamed through the window, warming their bodies. Chen Cheng turned up the volume on the radio, and the familiar old song came on. As the song reached its climax, they seemed to be transported back to those carefree teenagers of many years ago.
Grandma Chen sat on a bamboo chair by the door, clutching a half-finished cloth shoe sole. Her eyes were a bit vacant, as if she had barely moved since morning. Seeing her two sons enter one after the other, she raised her eyes, a silent question hidden in her cloudy eyes.
Chen Ming walked over, unable to hide the happy smile on his face. His tone was much more intimate than usual. "Mom, the results are in. The bowl is real. It's an old item from the Qing Dynasty. The experts said it's worth 100,000 yuan."
"One hundred thousand," Granny Chen muttered. Seeing their empty hands, her heart skipped a beat and her voice tightened. "Did you sell that thing?"
"No, we didn't sell it," Chen Cheng took over. He waved his hand at Grandma Chen in a soothing manner, "The item has been appraised. They said they would keep it for a more detailed report and asked us to pick it up in two days."
Chen Ming also nodded, "Yes, Mom, such a precious thing, how can we explain it clearly without a formal report? This is the formal process."
When Granny Chen heard this, she loosened her grip on the soles of her cloth shoes. There was doubt in her eyes. She looked at her two sons beside her. After seeing one, she looked at the other. She sighed softly and said, "It's good that they didn't sell it."
Chen Cheng also came over, his voice sounding much gentler than before, "Mom, when you get back the 100,000 yuan worth of things, you have to keep them safe. Don't tell those aunts and uncles about it, or they'll keep it in mind."
"I'll keep it?" Grandma Chen thought she had misheard. She looked at Chen Cheng, and then at Chen Ming, who rarely disagreed. Her voice was hesitant and trembling barely noticeable. The two had argued so fiercely about this before, but now that they knew the thing was real, why did they stop arguing?
Grandma Chen's confused eyes scanned her two sons' faces, as if trying to find something different in their now extraordinarily serious expressions. Grandma Chen put down her shoe soles, stood up, and wiped her hands on the apron around her waist. "You argued so fiercely about this bowl before, and now that you know the truth, why don't you want it anymore?"
"It's not that we don't want it," Chen Cheng explained quickly, trying to slow down his tone. "We're not in a hurry to get it now. I've discussed it with the second brother. Since this thing was left to you by Dad, then it's yours. You have the final say on what to do with it in the future. We, we will come back to see you more often in the future."
Chen Ming seemed to be infected by this rare and gentle atmosphere, or rather, he was being pushed forward by the tangible value of the 100,000 yuan. He squatted down and looked carefully at Grandma Chen sitting on the bamboo chair. His tone was rare and sincere. "Mom, you look at me and my eldest son feeling uneasy living alone in the old house. Why don't you move to the city with us? Living together will be more lively and there will be someone to take care of you."
Grandma Chen was stunned when she heard this. Through her blurry eyes and reading glasses, she was surprised to see her son who had suddenly become filial. She was silent for a while, then shook her head gently, "No, I'm old and I won't go over to trouble you. This old house is good. It's close to your father and it's quiet. I'll be happy if you can come back to see me when you are free."
Chen Ming opened his mouth and wanted to persuade him again, but Chen Cheng patted his arm and shook his head to signal him not to say anything more.
Before leaving, the two brothers talked a lot to Grandma Chen.
"Mom, please don't tell Uncle about the bowl, and don't mention it to any of the neighbors, or they'll get worried."
They kept giving me instructions one after another.
"Please remember to lock the door at night"
"If you feel unwell, don't try to resist. Call us right away. It doesn't matter who you call."
Grandma Chen nodded repeatedly as she listened. The sun shifted from the courtyard, and the sky suddenly turned overcast. After they had given her instructions to leave the old house, Grandma Chen slowly walked to the door, her hand resting on the doorframe. She watched the car disappear onto the road at the village entrance.
She stood at the door for a long time, the wind blowing her hair. After a long time, she slowly turned around and sat down on the bamboo chair again. She couldn't describe the feeling in her heart, a little uncomfortable, but also a little happy. She sat inside, looking at the old house with a blank look.
About ten minutes later, she suddenly thought of something, stood up, took the apples she had just bought in the morning, carefully locked the door of the old house, and walked slowly towards the path behind the village, step by step.
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