Chapter 521: Making a Feint to the East and Attacking in the West, Secretly Crossing Chencang
The next morning, after breakfast, I received three phone calls in a row.
One call was from Mr. Deng. He first asked about my recent situation and then said:
"Progress in the Philippines is faster than expected. I have some time tonight and would like to discuss the work with you."
I agreed.
Then Fu Siping called and said his uncle had recovered but couldn't travel, so he sent him to Shangzhou to thank me. He asked if I was home during this period and asked me to come over as soon as I could confirm a date.
I thought about it and said, "I'll get back to you tomorrow. Welcome to Shangzhou."
The third call was from Liu Fengshou, who said he would come to see me at ten o'clock in the morning.
It was rare for me to stay home for a day, and even when I did, I had never taken care of Xiaoyu for several days. I went upstairs and said to Sister Guihua, "I'll take care of her."
I took Xiaoyu out and took a slow walk along Huaxi Lake. Sister Guihua walked with me, pushing a stroller.
Strangely, when I hold him, he doesn't cry or make a fuss. When I tease him, he laughs. When I kiss him, he cries.
Sister Guihua said, "You should shave your beard too."
"I'm so ashamed. I haven't done much. I'm as busy as a mule, grinding the mill every day."
Sister Guihua said, "It's all the same. I raised all the children of my previous master, and sometimes he and his wife wouldn't come home for a day or two.
Before I moved to the city, I thought city dwellers had more money and a comfortable life. Later I discovered that, if I were to talk about comfort, being a farmer is truly comfortable now.”
I was just halfway there when the phone rang again. Sister Guihua had no choice but to carry Xiaoyu into the stroller and said to me, "You go and get busy."
I stood there and answered the call from Principal Hu.
Principal Hu said, "My daughter had a fight with her boyfriend today, and he finally changed his mind. He said he doesn't want to be with her anymore."
I smiled and said, "Don't be too happy too soon."
She asked, "What's going on?"
I said, "No matter how much we quarrel, maybe it will be fine after a couple of days."
She was anxious: "What should I do?"
"Come over this afternoon, and I'll give you some advice."
She thanked him repeatedly.
I caught up with Sister Guihua and said, "I still want to hug him."
Xiaoyu was also obedient. When I teased him, he uttered unclear words, and it was all up to Sister Guihua to translate for me.
After a short walk around Huaxi Lake, I saw that it was almost time, so I returned to my study.
At ten o'clock, Liu Fengshou arrived as expected and offered some cigarettes and alcohol as soon as he entered the door.
The two sat down, made tea and chatted.
Liu Fengshou said, "Teacher Wan, I never thought you had such good kung fu skills."
"Without some self-defense skills, I wouldn't dare to help you."
Liu Fengshou took a sip of tea and said, "Yesterday afternoon, I called a friend and asked him about it. After seeing the photos I sent him, he said that the real value of this tea bowl is only 300,000 yuan.
If I donate it to the cultural relics department, they will accept it. If I don't donate it, they won't force it to be confiscated. So, I asked if it was returned to my uncle, and I wanted to keep it.
My uncle also agreed. But after thinking about it all night, I felt it was inappropriate. So, I came to ask you for your advice.
"Why not?"
"It's my duty to take care of my uncle's funeral, and I promised him that long ago.
Now I have a bowl, and I am afraid that others will criticize me because I want to get this bowl. This is a fear.
The second thing I'm afraid of is that thieves will covet it. If others know that this bowl has been passed to me, there will be people with bad intentions who will always covet it.
I am often away from home and my children work away from home, which makes my wife worried at night."
I smiled faintly. "It's normal for you to be thinking about this bowl. After your uncle passed away, this bowl should have been passed down to you. Others will understand. This worry is unnecessary."
Liu Fengshou interjected, "My wife said that my family isn't short of money, so we might as well announce it to everyone. I'm keeping it for my uncle now. After he dies, I'll bury the bowl with him..."
Before I even finished listening, I burst out laughing: "Your wife's idea is a bad one. Your uncle won't be able to sleep peacefully in the ground. After he's buried, tomb robbers will come to visit that night."
Liu Fengshou slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my stupid brain. How come I didn't think of this?"
I gave him a cigarette and joked, "It'll help with your brain."
He immediately took out his lighter and lit it for me.
I took a puff, exhaled the smoke, and said, "Donate it. Frame the donation certificate issued by the cultural relics department and hang it in your uncle's house. That'll put an end to it once and for all. Thieves won't want to think about it anymore."
Liu Fengshou showed an embarrassed expression on his face.
I immediately understood that his real intention was to pass on this ancestral relic. What his wife said about burying it in the grave was not true.
Liu Fengshou said: "Even if I donated it, it wouldn't work. Without it, nothing would happen. Now, all the relatives have come out.
Qiao Bin's mother, in particular, rushed home from Jinan, saying it was an ancestral inheritance and she had a share of the inheritance rights.
Since she could arrest her son, she could also sue her brother. Then my uncle came out and said he was involved as well.
I sneered, "If you want to keep this thing and pass it down forever, let your uncle be the bad guy for once, and you be the good guy for once."
"Evil man, good man?"
"Yes, let your uncle smash the bowl to pieces with a hammer in front of the neighbors."
Liu Fengshou's eyes widened, thinking I was wrong.
"Let your uncle say a few words in public, basically saying that my nephew is definitely not after my job. He has already said that he will take care of my funeral.
Now, this bowl that has been used for decades can suddenly be sold for money. I am afraid that others will say that my cousin is after this bowl.
And this relative, that relative, wanted a share. My uncle and I discussed it and decided to just smash it.”
Liu Fengshou was speechless for a long time because of this bad idea he gave me.
The study fell into silence.
Everything indicates that Liu Fengshou only wants this bowl. He really doesn't want to change it into money.
I said, "If you really want this bowl but are afraid of what others will say and fight over it, I'll tell you a story from ancient times."
He was not very interested in listening to the story and just smiled bitterly.
"In ancient times, there was an old man who had the same situation as your uncle. He accidentally discovered a valuable bowl at home. His relatives, friends, and neighbors all coveted it, and he couldn't eat or sleep well.
So one day he went to the market and bought an identical bowl, smashed it in public, and then secretly sold the real bowl to an antique dealer.
Liu Fengshou looked at me in surprise, waiting for me to continue.
I burst out laughing: "That's it."
He scratched his head for a long time before coming to his senses:
"Fake smash?"
I didn't express my opinion and just smiled.
He suddenly understood and looked at me with admiration.
"It's 948 yuan online, and you can buy one that's exactly the same. No one except experts or antique dealers can tell the difference."
After saying that, I crossed my arms, pursed my lips, and looked at him meaningfully with a hint of a smile on my lips.
After a long while, he finally sighed, "Teacher Wan, why did I meet you so late?"
"Books are the golden house. I just read a few more books."
"I should have taken you out for a quick meal, but I own a chain of drug stores and a small hotel.
I have a lunch appointment. I'll come back another day to thank you formally."
I smiled calmly and said, "No need to thank me. I'll trouble you next time."
"What is it? Tell me."
"It's a small matter. We'll talk about it next time."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
