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Fatty was quite straightforward, tossing Huang Hai aside and heading off to Ground-Digging. This left me in a tough spot; I referred to Huang Hai as Yellow Dog behind his back, truly a good dog for Fatty, always watching things closely, even wary of me. I had to move all the goods from the shelf into his room at night just to sleep soundly.
The last time Fatty went out to collect items, he didn't have much cash left on hand, so this time he had to quickly liquidate some assets for cash. To ensure he had enough money, he needed to sell as much stock as possible. Fortunately, Fatty had gained some fame recently, mainly because he loved to show off; every time he returned from digging up land, he would boast about it everywhere. As a result, my quiet little shop became lively.
Huang Hai always had a confrontational attitude towards me, convinced that Fatty was his boss. However, he dared not defy Fatty's words in the slightest. He managed the goods, but the money had to come to my account. At those times, Huang Hai would immediately reveal his true nature as Yellow Dog, fixating on every penny, meticulously recording each transaction, fearful that I might encroach on his boss's profits.
Gradually, I began to think that the car accident Huang Hai had suffered did more damage than just breaking his leg; it likely messed with his head too. I told him to keep his distance and not stare at me like a dog. I even threatened him by saying I could withhold food from him. He really couldn't do anything about it since the money was in my hands. But this guy glared at me fiercely and said, "You dare? I'll call Brother Gang right away and make your life miserable." Fine, I've already made your life miserable enough. Since then, I didn't dare talk to him while eating.
When Fatty returned from Ground-Digging, it was time for Huang Hai to report on me. It felt like this guy never slept; he could clearly recount my every move and even knew when I turned off the lights. There was no need to worry about accounting issues; he remembered every transaction in detail.
Being watched day and night by someone is quite uncomfortable. I tried to alleviate the situation but saw little success; eventually, I became numb to it. Luckily, I didn't have any unusual hobbies or a girlfriend; otherwise, I'd seriously consider moving away.
During this time, something happened that made me truly trust Fatty.
One time when Fatty returned from Ground-Digging, he told me about an arduous task. He had spent a week wandering through the impoverished mountains of Shanxi without roads or vehicles, relying solely on his two feet. In a village with only a dozen households, Fatty found a piece of porcelain at an old couple's home—a Chenghua Blue and White Bowl—along with several other bowls and plates displayed before him.
Fatty's group consisted of four people; their identities and purposes were clear and couldn't be hidden as they went door-to-door collecting items. Fatty was the only expert in Hard Porcelain among them, but that didn't mean the others lacked knowledge; the characteristics of Chenghua Blue and White were too obvious for anyone familiar with this field to miss. However, those who weren't specialists in Hard Porcelain couldn't confidently determine its authenticity and were hesitant to act.
Nevertheless, Ground-Digging had its own rules; unless Fatty spoke up, no one else could say anything—even if they were envious of that item. Fatty's mental fortitude was commendable; he carefully examined each piece of porcelain before finally focusing on the Chenghua Blue and White Bowl. His recent outings had been focused on Hard Porcelain because he had a keen eye for it. To avoid drawing attention, he scrutinized each item closely; while he could confirm that the earlier pieces were genuine but merely late Qing dynasty items of little value, he found no flaws in the Chenghua Blue and White Bowl either. It was now time to negotiate a price.
The old couple was delighted that someone was willing to pay a high price for their bowls and plates; they resolutely asked for fifty thousand yuan—enough money for them to build a new house. When collecting items in such places, it's essential to greet the village chief first; Fatty ’s group did just that by offering some benefits to him so that he would accompany them around the village. The village chief was stunned by this price; fifty thousand yuan could build a two-story house there.
Logically speaking, this asking price wasn't high at all, but Fatty grew suspicious. How could these rural old folks possibly ask for such an amount if they had never seen so much money in their lives? While these items were indeed worth that price—despite the other pieces being of low value—the Chenghua Blue and White Bowl alone could fetch millions if fought over fiercely. Of course, this wasn't based on auction prices since those often contained inflated values.
Fatty pondered for a moment and felt that the risk of this business deal was not significant. Firstly, he had confidence in his own judgment. Although he had little experience with Chenghua Porcelain, he had handled plenty of Late Qing Porcelain, which gave him assurance about the earlier items. The only uncertainty lay with the Chenghua Blue and White piece. However, the market value of the earlier items alone exceeded fifty thousand, so it was clear that this deal would not result in a loss.
Nonetheless, Fatty habitually began to haggle with the Old Couple. This was also a way to avoid drawing their attention; if he simply picked up the items without negotiating, they might think he was trying to back out of the deal. During the bargaining process, the Old Couple could not reach a consensus. One was willing to negotiate, while the other refused to budge at all, turning the haggling into a three-way standoff filled with mutual arguments.
At that moment, a dramatic scene unfolded as a distant nephew of the Old Couple arrived, accompanied by an outsider. This person spoke with a Beijing accent and immediately lit up upon seeing the porcelain on the table. He confrontationally asked the Old Couple's nephew, "What do you mean by this? I came all this way, and you have someone else here. Are you trying to raise the price on me?"
The nephew began to complain about the Old Couple, saying that he had brought someone along and they were supposed to make a deal. The village chief, who had received benefits from Fatty, hurriedly stepped in to mediate. At that moment, the person with the Beijing accent realized that Fatty was still haggling with the Old Couple and boldly shouted out a price of one hundred thousand to buy all those pieces of porcelain.
Fatty remained calm throughout this situation and did not engage in bidding, allowing the others to argue among themselves. Eventually, one of Fatty's companions lost patience. Seeing that Fatty remained silent, he assumed that Fatty did not have enough cash and decided to compete with the Beijing accent speaker by raising the price. The Beijing accent speaker appeared wealthy and soon they pushed the price up to over five hundred thousand. This person didn’t actually have that much money but was unwilling to concede defeat and sought help from Fatty, asking to borrow money—whether as a high-interest loan or as an investment share—he was desperate.
Fatty simply replied with two words: "Not lending."
"Why?"
"You don't follow the rules."
This reasoning silenced everyone. The rule of traveling together for safety is meant to avoid competition and price inflation; in this context, it meant that each person should take their own share without reaching into someone else's bowl. If you break the rules and expect others to help you, it's a miracle if you don't end up worse off.
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