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墨書 Inktalez
At this point, Fatty nodded thoughtfully. "According to your method, aside from Hard Porcelain and bronze artifacts, we can't touch anything else?"
"It's not 'we,' it's 'I,'" I replied seriously. "There are very few things in Hard Porcelain and bronze that I might overlook. I don't touch other items because I'm not confident enough. But I just don't understand why everything I taught you is what I'm good at, yet what you're bringing back is all stuff I'm not familiar with."
Fatty spat and cursed, "This is infuriating. I originally aimed for porcelain, but everything I've handled so far has been dubious. They all look like fakes. However, I've found a few other items that seem genuine."
I chuckled lightly. "That's exactly it; the more you know, the more you realize that the market is filled with fakes. If something looks like a genuine article to you, it just shows you don't know enough. There's no way all the Hard Porcelain out there is fake while other items are mostly real; that only proves your discerning eye for Hard Porcelain."
After this conversation, Fatty quieted down for a while. However, keeping him quiet was a challenge; soon enough, he announced his action plan: Ground-Digging.
This term is slang in the Antique Circle, meaning to go to underdeveloped areas to collect items. People in the industry refer to these individuals as Ground-Diggers. This is also one of the main sources of goods in the Antique Circle. Compared to grave robbing, Ground-Digging is much safer and at least doesn't break any laws.
However, this requires a keen eye from practitioners. Nowadays, many people are involved in this line of work, and the quality varies greatly; there are plenty of thieves and con artists among them. As a result, there is a certain level of disdain for such individuals in society. Additionally, as Ground-Digging has increased, some rural towns have gained experience and won't easily sell good items to them; they might even set traps. At this point, it's not just about the Ground-Digger's eye but also their intelligence.
"Intelligence is a hard issue," I said worriedly as I looked at Fatty.
Fatty immediately raised his middle finger and cursed back, "My not getting into college has nothing to do with my intelligence; it's because I focused my energy on things outside of studying. I've seen through their tricks; they won't know what hit them when I return victorious."
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Fatty brought back several items. They weren't particularly valuable but were all genuine artifacts. This made me see him in a new light. He happily displayed his finds in the showcase, but I thought this would attract thieves and hurriedly told him to take them down. Fatty was on a roll and stubbornly refused, insisting on showing off. I knew this would mean trouble for me.
As expected, while no thieves showed up, Antique Dealers soon arrived on the scene. They weren't concerned about whether the items Fatty collected were valuable or not; what caught their attention was that Fatty's first outing as a Ground-Digger had yielded no mistakes—this piqued their interest significantly. Their conversation quickly shifted from buying antiques to discussing potential collaborations.
It's rare for Ground-Diggers to operate alone; Fatty was an exception as he went out solo for his first time—by their standards, he was being reckless. Typically, Ground-Diggers go out in groups of three or so; they won't go out together if they're collecting the same type of item. For instance, someone collecting Hard Porcelain can team up with someone gathering Jade or Calligraphy pieces but won't partner with another porcelain collector due to competition concerns. On his second outing as a Ground-Digger, Fatty went out with two others; this time they spent longer collecting and returned with something valuable—a piece known as an Early Qing Dynasty Blue and White Floral High Footed Bowl.
This thing could be exchanged for two houses back then. After I gave Fatty a clear answer, his enthusiasm soared, and he urged me to join him with great fervor. I really didn't know how to explain to him that if it were just for money, I might as well go back and help my parents run their business. The reason I was here doing these things was to resolve the doubts in my heart, to fulfill an unfinished promise.
Seeing that I wouldn't be persuaded, Fatty didn't get discouraged and started organizing a trip for Ground-Digging. I watched as he threw a pile of things at me, some of which he directly tossed into the display case. My scalp tingled; wasn't this just adding chaos? I had no time to deal with these items, especially since I often went out to contact the manufacturer making the Sand Table Model to confirm the dimensions of each model. Having these items here felt like a ticking time bomb; who knew when thieves would come? With his big mouth, Fatty would surely announce whatever he had, making it common knowledge.
I immediately made it clear to Fatty that he should handle these items himself and that I wouldn't take any responsibility for them, including any losses. After hearing this, his big eyes rolled around: "No problem, that's easy." Then he left.
Before long, Fatty returned with someone. I recognized him immediately. This person was my classmate from middle school named Huang Hai. We weren't in the same class, but he was known for causing trouble. We had even gotten into a fight once.
It was during a school sports day when we had a bit of friction over something I can't remember now. In any case, he insisted on challenging me to a duel. Back in school, students usually resolved conflicts themselves, and anyone who declared a duel would find no one intervening, no matter how many people were around. Although I wasn't good at fighting, my physical fitness was decent, and with Fatty as my example, I certainly wouldn't back down.
However, once we started fighting, my lack of practical fighting skills became apparent. Despite having an advantage in stamina and physical condition, I still couldn't gain the upper hand, resulting in a mutually damaging outcome. Fatty found out about this right away; being my only close friend, he couldn't stand seeing me suffer and went directly to Huang Hai's class to give him a beating without informing me first. For the next few years, whenever Huang Hai saw Fatty, he would instinctively tremble all over. I had no idea when they became friends.
But Huang Hai was no longer the same as before. When he walked in with Fatty, I noticed he had a slight limp; his old suit was wrinkled, yet his face glowed red.
Fatty nodded at me and said to Huang Hai: "Right here. As long as I'm eating here, you won't go hungry. I'll tidy up a room for you to stay in soon; just focus on working here."
Then Fatty pointed at me: "This is Zhang Jianqiang, Zhang the Shopkeeper; he's our classmate. You still remember him?"
Huang Hai grinned widely. When I looked closely, I noticed he was missing several front teeth. "Shoot it out, Brother!" Wow, that comment really fell flat.
I felt both of them staring blankly at each other; however, I understood what this meant—another tenant added to my place! The problem was whether I had agreed to this or not; Fatty was being too presumptuous.
I immediately turned to Fatty: "We only have two bedrooms inside; where are you planning for him to stay?"
He looked a bit taken aback, probably not expecting me to respond this way. "Is it okay if he shares a room with me? I need someone to keep an eye on the shop while I'm out. It's not like I'm the only one running the place. Are you really going to act like a hands-off manager and not let me find someone to help?"
I was momentarily stunned. Since when did the shop become communal property? What a scam.
Sorry for the delay; this is freshly baked. Transition chapters are tricky to write as they need to set the stage for the story ahead. Thank you for your understanding.
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