Not everything goes smoothly.
At first, Tang Feng didn't react, and after a long pause, he finally spoke, "You said you are Fu Chenchen?" "Yes! The real deal." Fu Chenchen took a puff of his cigarette and slowly exhaled, which made Tang Feng cough. "What's up, kid? You need something from me?" Tang Feng watched Fu Chenchen go into the house, and he hesitated whether to follow. When it came to discussing business, it was best to let Bu Gu handle it. He was just a complete novice who hadn't even stepped into the door yet. However, Bu Gu had said that this man's whereabouts were usually unpredictable. Tang Feng didn't want to miss such a good opportunity. After a brief moment of thought, he gritted his teeth and followed him in.
“I have a shop assistant in my shop who said he knew you and wanted to introduce you to me, but he hasn’t been able to find you for the past ten days. I know you are a free-spirited person and not a reserved one, so I didn’t ask him to look for you anymore. I just didn’t expect to run into you at your doorstep today.” Tang Feng finished speaking and began to discreetly observe the style of the shop. There was a long table made of ash wood in the main hall, as well as several chairs that looked like antiques. There was a screen in the middle, and behind it were several rows of shelves with an unclear number of items. “Shop assistant? I, Old Fu, never befriend shop assistants. However, it’s true that I wasn’t in Fuyang the other day. I went to Puyuan to discuss business.” Fu Chenchen pulled the chair behind him out and sat down. Tang Feng saw Fu Chenchen sit down. Feeling awkward standing there, Tang Feng pulled out a stool and was about to sit down when Fu Chenchen smacked him hard on the head with his pipe. "Put it down! This is an antique! Over three hundred years old!" Tang Feng was stunned and stumbled back several steps, bumping into the display shelf behind him. Fu Chenchen then smacked Tang Feng on the back with his pipe. "Stay away from it! This is also an antique! The poems on it were copied by the monk of Lanyin Temple before his death! They're very precious!" Tang Feng rubbed his aching back and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Uncle Fu... I..." He grabbed the ash wood table for support, only to be smacked again. "Let go! This ash wood table has a very distinguished history. It was used by the late Emperor's concubine, Consort Yu. I spent a fortune on it."
"Ouch... Well, then I..." Tang Feng rubbed his sore hand, feeling a little aggrieved. The last time he was hit was a few years ago when his engagement was called off. Thinking about it carefully, there was a reason for that, but what was this? "Uncle Fu, is there... a place to sit?"
While Tang Feng was busy, Fu Chenchen carefully examined him from head to toe. Tang Feng was dressed in a beige robe, his hair tied up with a white jade hairpin. His face was like a peach blossom, and while his posture wasn't exactly leisurely, it was still dignified and proper. Although his appearance wasn't stunningly beautiful, his eyes were incredibly bright and lively, and his thin lips, with a slight upturn at the corners, seemed to hold a smile even before he spoke. He was gentle and generous, making it impossible for Fu Chenchen to dislike him. "Go sit over there," Fu Chenchen said, pointing with his pipe to the wooden stool outside. Tang Feng obediently agreed and brought the stool in, sitting obediently next to Fu Chenchen, looking docile and sensible. Fu Chenchen cleared his throat and then asked, "Boy, what's your name? And how did your servant know me?"
Upon hearing Fu Chenchen's question, Tang Feng quickly stood up, bowed, and said, "My name is Tang Feng. I'm here from Xiling on business. The shop assistant is called Bugu... He says he's an old acquaintance of yours." "Bugu? How did that old fellow become a servant?" Fu Chenchen was taken aback. He reached for the teacup on the table, poured himself a cup, and handed one to Tang Feng before asking with interest, "What happened? Tell me. I've been here for so many years, and I'm incredibly bored every day. Listening to you talk about these things can help pass the time. Ugh... No, no, it's no fun talking here. Let's go inside." Fu Chenchen had been working on the trade routes of Fuyang since he was twelve, and he had met countless people. From this brief exchange, he could tell that Tang Feng was a trustworthy person. There was no greed in his eyes, and coupled with Tang Feng's harmless appearance, his trust in him immediately increased.
Fu Chenchen's room was practically an antique shop, with old pieces flying everywhere. It was almost as if he could sleep among antiques. Tang Feng had never seen anything like it before. He turned around and admired it, almost twisting his head off. "Sit down and talk," Fu Chenchen said, sitting in a rocking chair and pointing to the bed next to him. Tang Feng looked at the carved mahogany bed and then asked tentatively, "This isn't an antique either, is it?"
Fu Chenchen laughed heartily upon hearing this, "Why are you still so timid and hesitant in your actions? How can someone with this kind of personality do business? I don't know how Bu Gu decided to follow you." Tang Feng scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, "I'm not very talented, but I'm lucky. I saved Brother Bu's life on the long street, and easily won his sincere affection. He even humbled himself to work as a shop assistant in my little shop..."
“It’s not a waste of his talents for him to follow you,” Fu Chen took a deep drag on his pipe and tapped the ash on the armrest. “To be honest, this kid isn’t suited to be a boss. He might be better suited to be an assistant and become an accountant.” He then pointed to the shelves behind Tang Feng. “Take a look at the back and see if there’s anything you like. Grab a small one.” Tang Feng waved his hands repeatedly. “No, no, no, I came here today to talk to you about renting a caravan.” As he spoke, Tang Feng rested his chin on his hand, looking at the items in Fu Chen Shen’s collection.
“Renting a caravan? No problem,” Fu Chenchen waved his hand. “Four hundred taels of silver, starting from one year. That old bastard Bugu probably told you before that I only care about money. Don’t be fooled by the four hundred taels you’re offering; I’ve covered a lot of things. For example, if the caravan gets robbed along the way, or if the goods aren’t sold by the time they reach their destination, I’ll cover all the losses. How about it? Want to make the deal?”
Tang Feng wasn't entirely sure about the price, but the only thing he trusted was Bu Gu's character. Plus, the shop had made a small profit recently, so he nodded in agreement. "Great! I'll come to your shop in a few days, and we'll go to the Cong Mansion together to get the seal." Tang Feng didn't really listen to the last sentence; he knew that as long as he nodded and paid, Fu Chenchen would handle the rest.
"This box is quite unique," Tang Feng remarked, noticing a strangely shaped wooden box on the shelf. Judging by the material, it seemed to be made of high-quality wood, but the carving was clearly the work of an amateur. The appearance was indescribable, and the carving was crooked and uneven. Tang Feng stared at it for a long time before finally deciphering that it depicted a tree, with a character carved below it... something like the character "阑" (lán). "What's this for? An antique from a previous dynasty?"
“This? It’s for holding bells.” Fu Chenchen slowly stood up, holding onto the armrest, and walked to Tang Feng’s side, saying, “The things inside are quite remarkable.” Bells? Tang Feng’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he looked at Fu Chenchen, saying, “Uncle Fu, you said this is for holding bells… Do you know about Yu Lingzi?”
"Wow, not bad! You know your stuff, kid. This is the box that holds the Spirit Essence. It seems to be from your Xiling area. There's a fortune teller there named... named, named..."
Fu Chen hesitated for a moment before finally remembering the name, so Tang Feng, seeing his hesitation, quickly added, "Su Zili, isn't that his name?" "Yes, yes, yes, this is Su Zili's stuff. This Su Zili! When he was traveling around the country, he told my fortune and said that if I went into business, everything would go smoothly. Look at the layout of my house, Su Zili helped me with the feng shui. I've been doing business for a few years now, and sure enough, I've become one of the wealthiest merchants in the area."
"Where's your bell? Didn't you say it was a pair?" Tang Feng was clearly anxious. If Fu Chenchen had the bell, he could buy it and return directly to Xiling. With both bells, he could find out why he had ended up here. Just as the truth was about to be revealed, fate played a cruel joke on him. Fu Chenchen shook his head. "This bell was sent back to Yanyun. Su Zili asked me to give it to him before he left. You know how much he helped me, so naturally... I must grant his request."
"Where did he go? Is he still in Shanghan?"
Seeing Tang Feng's anxious expression, Fu Chenchen patted him on the shoulder. "I last saw him many years ago. I know Su Zili treasures those bells inside. He gave one to me, but was afraid the caravan would lose it. So he asked me to deliver the bell to Cong Mansion, waiting for that batch of tribute to enter Yanyun together."
Upon hearing this, Tang Feng's heart sank. The fact that the bell had entered Yan Yun along with the tribute meant that what he saw at the pawnshop was the bell Su Zili had asked Fu Chenchen to deliver to Yan Yun. All his questioning had been for nothing. "The bell has been sent, but this box... I don't know its meaning. Since it's for tribute, such rough workmanship is inappropriate for holding a bell, so I changed the box. As for this, I'll keep it. Look at the carving—a tree and a blessing plaque. It clearly has a good meaning; I'll keep it as a memento."
Tang Feng took a closer look and realized that the box engraved with the image of the Thousand Prayer Tree—the very tree where he had almost fallen when Zhang Mobai took him to pray for blessings! This box certainly had a story to tell! And that character "Lan"... could it have been engraved by the current emperor for Su Zili? Remembering the story Bu Gu had told him, Tang Feng smiled awkwardly and then said to Fu Chenchen, "How much silver is this box? I'll take it."
"No, no!" Fu Chenchen quickly snatched the box from Tang Feng's hands as soon as he heard Tang Feng wanted to buy it. "This isn't for sale! Su Zili is my best friend and benefactor. This! I absolutely cannot sell it!" Tang Feng pouted and took out a silver note from his pocket. "Take this first. If it's not enough, come back with me to get more. Besides, Uncle Fu, didn't you say I could take one of whatever I wanted?" "You were the one who said you didn't want it..." Fu Chenchen reluctantly took the silver note from Tang Feng, then opened it and saw a genuine five hundred taels of silver, making Fu Chenchen's eyes widen several times over. "Hiss... Kid, we're destined to meet. Here, take this. We'll meet at the Cong Mansion in a couple of days. From now on, we'll be in the same boat. I wish us a pleasant cooperation." Tang Feng tossed the wooden box in his hand, a harmless smile on his face, but in his heart he was thinking, "He really is a money-grubbing guy."
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