Chapter 137: Running to pieces, worrying to pieces
"I told my brother!" Kaikai answered without waiting for Cheng Yang to reply.
It turned out that when the two brothers went out for a run in the morning, Cheng Yang asked them where they had gone to play yesterday?
The little guy told his brother all the places he went, the food he ate, and the things he did.
In particular, he specifically talked about the incident in the antique shop where Mingxi fell in love with a teapot and stood there refusing to leave, and then her sister-in-law almost gave in and bought it for her.
The reason why Kaikai said this was to show off how smart he and Mingrui were. They knew to take his sister-in-law and Mingxi away at the critical moment, so that the family finally did not spend money indiscriminately.
Cheng Yang, however, heard a different meaning.
He always knew how much his wife cared about these old items and that she loved to buy them.
If she can keep staring at the child and not want to leave even after the other children have left, then it must be true love.
He was thinking about what birthday gift to buy for his wife, but he couldn't come up with anything particularly suitable after thinking for days.
After hearing Kaikai's words, he immediately decided - this is the one!
Cheng Yang immediately asked Kaikai about the specific appearance of the thing.
Although Kaikai didn't know what it was, children have good memories. In addition, he has been studying with Shi Xiaoai recently, so his vocabulary has increased.
So even though I couldn't tell the name, I was able to describe the shape and characteristics pretty closely.
Of course, the most important point is that gold-painted purple clay teapots are not common, and even in antique shops there is only one such piece.
Plus, now that you know the specific price, it’s not easy to make a wrong purchase.
After running, Cheng Yang did not return to his room immediately, but went to find Qian Yingming and others, asking them to help exchange some foreign exchange coupons.
When they heard him say that he wanted to buy a birthday present for his wife, several comrades teased him and said that they didn't know that the cold-hearted Captain Cheng had such a tender side!
It's really eye-opening.
Joking aside, since he asked for help, no one would refuse.
Zhang Gang, who had picked them up at the station before, was transferred to Qin City after his demobilization. He had some connections here, so he immediately agreed to help Cheng Yang exchange foreign exchange coupons.
When Qian Yingming found out that he had originally planned to take his family out to play today, he simply pushed him out.
He said that the gift matter was left to him, and he promised to buy the item back in its original condition and not to delay Cheng Yang from giving it to his wife.
He even called Cheng Yang aside and asked him if he had enough money.
If it’s not enough, you can add some to him first and return it to him later when you have more.
Qian Yingming's words really hit the nail on the head for Cheng Yang. He really didn't have that much money.
Xiao Ai has always been the one in charge of the finances in their family. In addition, the family has had a lot of expenses in recent months, so he has handed over all his salary and savings.
The only thing in my pocket is the hundred-plus yuan food allowance that the school gave me some time ago. I really don’t have any more.
When Qian Yingming found out, he didn't laugh at him. He just patted him on the shoulder twice with emotion, then took the hundred yuan and drove him away.
Cheng Yang was not worried because he knew that Qian Yingming's family was well-off and his sister-in-law was a regular military factory worker with a good monthly salary. They only had one son and neither family had any financial burden, so he could afford to pay a few hundred dollars for him.
He was a family brother, so there was no need to be polite at a time like this. Besides, he would pay back the money in two months at most, so it wasn't a big deal.
So, after being driven away, he took his family out to play without any pressure at all, leaving his brothers behind to run around and worry about them.
When Shi Xiaoai heard several people talking one after another about what had happened, she was completely shocked.
She looked at Cheng Yang in disbelief. She couldn't believe that he would actually lend her money to buy her a gift.
What a waste of money this is!
Of course, she was still very happy in her heart.
Shi Xiaoai didn't have that much money on her, and she couldn't even pay off the man's debts now.
I could only blush and say, "Brother Qian, just go along with him. How can you agree to something like this so easily? I'll send you the money when I get back."
Hearing her say this, Ding Ailan immediately said: "Xiao Ai, don't pay attention to them. Lao Qian is also not good at speaking. He said that he wanted you to know how much Cheng Yang cares about you, but these nice words made him feel uncomfortable.
Money is not a big deal, there is no need to pay it back in a hurry, we won’t need it for the time being.
I heard from Lao Qian that you recently opened a new restaurant on a grand scale. That must require a lot of money. You should keep some for now and come back when you have more money.
Of course, Shi Xiaoai couldn't just delay paying back the money, but since the other party had asked her to do so, she had to accept the favor.
She quickly thanked him and then welcomed Ding Ailan to bring the children to Yuncheng for a visit, promising to take them for a good tour.
Ding Ailan did not refuse and said that she did have such a plan. She was going to take her children to see Qian Yingming off when school started, and also take her son to see the sea.
Shi Xiaoai was naturally happy and introduced some local characteristics of Yuncheng to her.
The two of them talked and got along very well. In the end, Ding Ailan stopped being polite with her and sighed, "Xiao Ai, I didn't know you liked these old things before. If I had known, I would never have let you buy them at the antique store. The things there are so expensive!
They are all trying to cheat foreigners there to earn foreign exchange, how can we, the people of our own country, be cheated by them!"
Qian Yingming felt embarrassed by what she said, and he poked her hard, signaling her to speak less.
The man must have just bought a teapot at a high price from an antique shop.
Ding Ailan slapped his hand away, rolled her eyes in displeasure and said, "Why are you meddling in what we women are saying? Am I wrong?"
If you really want to buy these, go to the ghost market, or go to the back door of the antique shop. You can buy anything there. Why go there and give people money for nothing?
Qian Yingming wanted to explain a few more words, but Shi Xiaoai's eyes lit up!
She had previously read about the antique market in the early 1980s.
According to the information, at this time many people with more flexible thinking in rural areas have already noticed the revival of the antique market.
Especially in areas near the capital, many farmers have begun to weld water pipes into heavy bicycles, and then load two large baskets on the rear frame to collect old items in the surrounding areas.
Most of them are porcelain.
These people usually travel together. After receiving a certain amount of goods, they set off together in the middle of the night, drive into the capital, and deliver goods to various cultural relics stores.
Because they come into the city early, the antique shops are often not open when they arrive, so there will be long queues at the door.
Gradually, it became a common street scene.
The "old veterans" who collect antiques in the capital often appear next to this group of people, chatting with them and, of course, their most important purpose is to find bargains.
Because the prices offered by antique shops are very low, a Qing Dynasty artifact with a large door may only cost a few dollars.
These deliverymen often only make about ten yuan for each delivery.
So they are also willing to sell to these people who come to chat them up.
This is a case of having two good things in one, and everyone is satisfied.
Over time, this situation became more and more common, and even gradually formed a large-scale underground antique market.
Even many foreigners come here to buy goods.
Shi Xiaoai has always had an idea, that is, to go to the capital with Changkong one day to broaden her horizons.
But she never imagined that such a situation had already occurred in Qin City at this time.
She would naturally not miss it no matter what.
She pulled Ding Ailan aside to chat in detail.
But Ding Ailan really didn't know much about this industry and could not provide her with much information. Shi Xiaoai could only decide to go and take a look herself tomorrow morning.
She also asked about the ghost market.
The ghost market is actually a bit similar to what people used to call the black market. It is also a place where individual operators do business privately.
However, the main commodities sold here are second-hand goods, including bicycle accessories, daily necessities, and even some items obtained through various informal channels, and even stolen goods appear from time to time.
Antique stalls were also mixed in.
People here generally don't show their true faces, and most of them try to hide their identities. Transactions are also discussed in whispers, sometimes even in the dark.
It is definitely cheaper to buy things here, but no one can guarantee the condition of the goods. Moreover, the ghost market only exists during the darkest time before dawn and disperses at daybreak.
So it really depends on your eyesight to distinguish the authenticity.
When they heard the two of them talking about the ghost market, the two men in the room both looked disapproving.
Shi Xiaoai didn't explain, but in fact she herself was not prepared to go.
Because she collected antiques just for fun and had no intention of making it a regular business, there was no need to take risks.
Besides, she was not completely sure about her judgment. It was dark and she was afraid of making a mistake.
But men don’t understand her thoughts!
Back at the guesthouse, Cheng Yang said to her as soon as she entered: "You are not allowed to go to that ghost market by yourself!"
Shi Xiaoai glanced at him and deliberately asked, "Are you ordering me around?"
Cheng Yang was so angry that he glared at me. After a long while, he managed to say, "If you want to go, I must come with you!"
Shi Xiaoai was immediately amused.
She had just received a gift from this man and was in a good mood. She didn't want to tease him anymore, so she patted his back and coaxed him, "Okay, I get it. I won't go."
Seeing that she compromised so easily, Cheng Yang obviously didn't believe it.
He looked at his wife with some suspicion, but finally did not ask any further questions.
Before going to bed at night, Cheng Yang climbed onto Shi Xiaoai's bed.
Shi Xiaoai was so angry that she pushed him and said, "Why are you squeezing on such a small bed? Are you hot?"
Cheng Yang was more insistent than ever: "I brought the fan over. It won't be hot if there's air blowing. No, I have to sleep here with you tonight. I'm afraid you'll run away in the middle of the night."
Shi Xiaoai was so mad at him!
She kicked his leg hard and said, "I said I wouldn't go, so I won't go. I keep my word! Besides, you woke up so suddenly when you were sleeping. If I really got up at night, would you not know?"
"It's hard to say. I've been drinking." Cheng Yang was not moved at all.
As he spoke, he put his arms around his wife's waist from under the towel blanket.
Although the lights were off, the other three children were asleep in the room. Shi Xiaoai didn't dare move, for fear that the noise she made would wake the children up, which would be embarrassing enough.
She pinched Cheng Yang's waist angrily, but she didn't know what was going on with this man's flesh, it was so hard that she couldn't pinch it.
She simply opened her mouth and bit his chest hard, but in return she got a muffled laugh from someone.
Speaking of which, because they have been too busy recently, the two of them haven't been intimate for a long time. This commotion made them both a little passionate, and their breathing became irregular.
Fortunately, I was still rational and controlled my emotions at the critical moment.
Shi Xiaoai told Cheng Yang about her thoughts and told him that she had never thought about going to the black market.
Cheng Yang also promised her that he would get up early tomorrow to accompany her to the entrance of the antique shop to take a look, and then he returned to his bed with a sense of unfulfilled desire.
The family stopped talking about it.
Shi Xiaoai felt that she had not slept for long when Cheng Yang woke her up.
The two of them put on their clothes quietly, washed up quickly and left the room.
Because this was a military guesthouse, security was guaranteed. In addition, Qian Yingming and his family lived not far away, on the same floor, so they did not call the children. The couple walked out of the guesthouse and went straight to the city wall.
It was just six o'clock when they arrived at the back door of the antique shop, and there was already a long line.
A few people pushing bicycles stood at the end of the line, looking in, complaining to each other: "We told you to ride faster, ride faster, but you're just dragging your feet. Now, with so many people here, we probably won't be able to get in line again today."
Shi Xiaoai looked around and found that there were not many people like her who came to watch the fun.
Even though a few elderly men and women passed by, they looked like they were there to exercise. They were used to such scenes and didn't care at all.
It seems that there are not many "old veterans" in the antique business in Qin City.
Shi Xiaoai walked up to those people and started a conversation, asking them, "Why don't you go over and line up?"
Those people looked at her, then looked at Cheng Yang who was following her silently. They seemed to think that they were just curious passers-by and didn't pay much attention to them.
He casually explained, “The cultural relics store only buys a limited amount of things every day. They only buy goods worth 100 yuan a day, and then they stop buying.
Look at how many people are queuing up ahead of us. Even if we go in now, there’s no hope.”
Is there such a saying?
When Shi Xiaoai heard that they only received goods worth one hundred yuan a day, she suddenly felt that the purple clay teapot she bought for three hundred and sixty yuan was no longer fragrant.
She glanced at the large Qing Dynasty Kangxi blue and white porcelain vase tied to the back seat of the man's car and asked, "How much do you charge for something like this?"
The man said, "About six yuan? I sold a pair of blue and white porcelain from the 'Three Hundred Pieces' collection the day before yesterday for ten yuan. This one is bigger, so it should probably sell for six yuan?"
The people next to him sneered when they heard him say this: "What are you thinking! You only had a pair that day! Why don't you try selling them individually and see if you can get five dollars? This, if you can get five dollars, you'll be making a profit!"
When Shi Xiaoai heard the price, even though she was mentally prepared, she still felt a pang in her heart!
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