Chapter 132: Jade Seal, Doucai, and the Gluttonous Girl

After sending off Wang Zipeng, Ning Weidong returned to the inner room and sat down on the kang, pondering the situation Wang Zipeng had just described.

It seemed that Wang Zipeng's eldest cousin really did have some family assets, and this time she appeared to be exceptionally willing to part with them.

Although Wang Zipeng didn't say it, Ning Weidong estimated there must be some situation that made Wang Zipeng's cousin's son urgently need to get a job at a factory.

It was likely inseparable from dating.

It was just that Ning Weidong still found it a bit strange; logically, the kid wasn't that old, so could it be that they "got on the bus before buying the ticket," the woman was already pregnant, and they really couldn't wait?

On the other side, at Wang Zipeng's home.

After Wang Zipeng returned from Ning Weidong's place, his wife Qian Fangqi was sitting with a middle-aged woman, and beside them was a listless young man.

As soon as Wang Zipeng entered the door, the middle-aged woman stood up and asked anxiously, "Little brother, what did they say over there?"

The young man also stood up, though he didn't seem very anxious, acting rather slovenly.

Wang Zipeng said, "Eldest sister, don't be anxious yet, let me have a drink of water."

As he spoke, he took the teapot from the coffee table, poured a cup of water, and drank it down before saying, "I explained the situation just now, but... eldest sister, in the current climate, for you to insist on a large State-owned enterprise, it's really difficult!"

The middle-aged woman said, "Sister knows, you are the capable one in our family; you must have a way, right?"

Wang Zipeng smiled: "Eldest sister, it's only because it's you; if it were anyone else, there would definitely be no chance."

The middle-aged woman's eyes lit up: "It's done!"

Wang Zipeng hurriedly waved his hand: "Don't be happy too early; this matter isn't that simple. Just now I went to the side courtyard and brought up those two vases of yours, but they didn't take a liking to them."

The middle-aged woman was stunned; it turned out to be a false alarm.

Wang Zipeng looked at her expression and said with a smile: "Eldest sister, look at you, one thing viewed from different angles yields different results. They didn't take a liking to that pair of vases, and you feel this matter is off, but in my view, it can be done, it's just..." He rubbed his fingers together: "This part isn't enough."

The middle-aged woman realized and hurriedly asked: "You mean, we need to increase the stakes?"

Wang Zipeng said: "Eldest sister, we are family, so I'll speak the truth. If this were a few years ago, this matter would indeed not be hard to handle, but look at the climate now! Not to mention those from out of town, just here in Beijing, there are hundreds of thousands of unemployed youth; when a single spot opens up, how many people are eyeing it!"

The middle-aged woman nodded repeatedly, her face full of worry, indicating she understood.

Wang Zipeng looked at the young man and added: "Actually, our family doesn't lack food or clothing; just staying idle at home for a few years is fine. Although the situation is tight now, it can't always be like this. In a couple of years, when the situation changes, it will naturally be much looser; why must you rush at this juncture?"

The middle-aged woman said helplessly: "Sigh, how could your brother-in-law and I not understand, but... but this... the woman's side wants to get married, they must have a formal job, and it has to be at a State-owned enterprise, otherwise... what can I do?"

The situation was indeed almost exactly as Ning Weidong had guessed; Wang Zipeng's eldest cousin had no other choice.

Wang Zipeng clicked his tongue and said: "Alright then~ just wait for news~"

The next morning.

Ning Weidong was reading in the Office when Wang Zipeng came again.

He chuckled and said: "Section Chief, busy?"

Ning Weidong knew his intention, let him sit down in the room, and said: "Still that matter from last night?"

Wang Zipeng came in and specifically closed the door tight, saying: "After I went back yesterday, my eldest cousin and the others discussed it thoroughly again..."

As he spoke, he fished a small box about half the size of a fist out of his pocket.

It looked unremarkable, but when he opened the lid, there was a cyan-colored imperial seal inside.

Wang Zipeng said: "From the Qing Dynasty, Cixi's..."

Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow: "This is Cixi's seal?"

Wang Zipeng hurriedly said: "That's not it, wasn't Cixi the West Palace Empress? This is the East Palace's..."

It was clear Wang Zipeng didn't know what that East Palace Empress was called.

Ning Weidong continued: "Cian?"

Wang Zipeng blinked; although he didn't know, he knew how to butter someone up, and immediately said: "You are indeed well-read and have a great memory, yes, yes, yes, it's Cian, it's her seal. Take a look, this... carries enough weight, right~"

Before transmigrating, Ning Weidong had followed the antique craze for a few years, playing with things like porcelain and calligraphy, though he couldn't claim to be an expert.

But even though he had some things at home, he had never come into contact with this level of item.

Ning Weidong couldn't help but become a bit interested.

Come to think of it, that Empress Dowager Cian was, to a certain extent, someone who had changed history.

If it weren't for her sudden death, Cixi wouldn't have been left to hold all the power alone.

However, having said that, the general trend of events does not depend on the life or death of one person; even if she hadn't died, as a woman deep in the palace, she couldn't have changed the overall situation.

As Ning Weidong thought this, he reached out and picked up the cyan-gray imperial seal.

But the moment it touched his hand, he couldn't help but let out an "Eh."

Wang Zipeng was stunned and hurriedly asked "What's wrong?" Ning Weidong shook his head without speaking, feeling that the jade seal, half the size of a palm, was actually emitting a trace of warmth.

Ning Weidong wasn't sure if this was his imagination, and ignoring Wang Zipeng, he carefully felt the jade seal with his hand.

That trace of warmth was definitely not his imagination.

Ning Weidong could clearly feel that as this trace of warmth entered his body, his spirit lifted, as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

He wasn't sure what was going on, but since he could transmigrate, and after transmigrating his physical fitness had skyrocketed, it wasn't something that could be explained by common sense anyway.

Now that this Empress Dowager's jade seal had some abnormalities, it seemed there was nothing he couldn't accept.

Wang Zipeng, standing to the side, saw this and was secretly happy, knowing that Ning Weidong had taken a liking to it, so he wasn't in a hurry to speak.

A moment later, Ning Weidong put the jade seal back into the box and turned to ask: "That..."

Wang Zipeng was sharp and immediately took the cue: "His name is Wang Bingyi."

Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow: "Isn't he your cousin?"

Wang Zipeng explained: "My eldest cousin's husband is also surnamed Wang."

Ning Weidong gave an "Mm": "Wang Bingyi~ where does he want to go?"

Wang Zipeng said: "What's the climate now? How can he afford to be picky? As long as it's a State-owned enterprise, anywhere is fine."

Ning Weidong nodded; dealing with smart people is always convenient. Wang Zipeng could be considered sensible, as he didn't bring up any unrealistic demands.

Ning Weidong said, "Alright, I know now. You go back first and wait for word."

Wang Zipeng hurriedly said "Okay" and left.

Once he left, Ning Weidong's gaze fell back onto this jade seal. Strictly speaking, it wasn't as if he hadn't touched antiques before.

Living in Beijing, what family doesn't have a few old items?

Ning Weiguo and Wang Yuzhen also had a few vases, incense burners, and the like at home. When they moved, they dug them out from the bottom of boxes, and Ning Weidong helped carry them over, but he didn't have this feeling. He wasn't sure if those items weren't old enough or of high enough grade, or if only jade had this effect.

Holding this jade seal in his hand, he could feel his spirit becoming more full and his thinking clearer.

Truly a good item!

Ning Weidong toyed with it for a moment, then put it back into the box, placed it in the drawer, locked it, and got up to go find Li Peihang.

The item is a good item, but if he wants to keep it, he has to help the person get things done.

He walked out, turned right, and arrived at the office diagonally across.

He knocked on the door, heard a "Come in" from inside, pushed the door open, smiled, and called out, "Division Chief."

Li Peihang was currently still a Deputy Division Chief. He looked up, saw it was Ning Weidong, and immediately stood up to welcome him: "Weidong, you've become a rare guest lately. You're cooped up in your office reading and studying every day, and I haven't dared to go over and disturb you."

Ning Weidong smiled and said, "Sigh, my brain just isn't cut out for studying. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had to go down to the countryside so early. Now that I'm forced to take Correspondence Education, if I don't put in some effort, wouldn't it all be a waste?"

Li Peihang handed over a cup of tea and said, "With just this drive of yours, you'll definitely be able to pass."

Ning Weidong took it and said, "Then I'll take your auspicious words."

Li Peihang knew that Ning Weidong certainly wouldn't visit without a reason. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he got to the point.

Ning Weidong didn't call him Division Chief again, but instead said, "Brother Li, there's a Wang Zipeng in our factory's Logistics Department who lives in the same courtyard as me. You know him, right?"

Li Peihang nodded. Wang Zipeng was quite adept at social maneuvering; although he was only a worker, he had made himself a familiar face in front of the factory leaders. He asked, "Does he have a matter?"

Ning Weidong didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "He has an eldest cousin..."

Li Peihang listened as Ning Weidong introduced the situation, couldn't help but frown, and scoffed, "Are State-owned positions that easy to get? Let alone him, even if it were me, if my nephew came, it would still be a Big Collective position. Still wanting a State-owned one, what is he thinking?"

Ning Weidong didn't mind; he had long anticipated Li Peihang's reaction. He smiled and said, "That's what I said too, but Wang Zipeng said that his eldest cousin really has special circumstances, and..." As he spoke, he leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, "They are willing to pay a high price."

Li Peihang raised an eyebrow: "A high price?"

Ning Weidong gestured as he spoke: "A pair from the Qing Dynasty palace, said to be Doucai Vases used by the Qianlong Emperor, this big..."

Li Peihang felt a jolt in his heart. He had dabbled a bit in antiques and knew the saying that Doucai porcelain was more valuable than gold in ancient times.

Not to mention they were exquisite pieces made for the imperial palace, his heart immediately began to itch.

But he couldn't show it too obviously, so he waved his hand and said, "What use is that kind of thing? Can't eat it or drink it. I don't know how many were smashed a few years ago."

Ning Weidong smiled. He had long known Li Peihang's hobby from Ning Weiguo's mouth. He chuckled and said, "Who's to say? I told him the same thing, that you don't like these trinkets."

Li Peihang waved his hand and hurriedly said, "Sigh~ who could dislike things that even the Emperor liked..."

Ning Weidong had a look that was half-smile, half-not.

Li Peihang felt awkward for a moment, then immediately returned to normal.

Anyway, there was no need for him to put on airs in front of Ning Weidong. He skipped over the topic directly and turned to say, "Hey, how do you think this should be handled?"

He didn't ask what benefits Ning Weidong had received. Since Ning Weidong came to his office for this matter, it certainly couldn't be out of the friendship of living in the same courtyard as Wang Zipeng.

Let alone living in the same courtyard, even for real relatives, in the current climate, no one helps people get jobs for nothing, let alone a worker with a State-owned position, unless it's their own son.

Ning Weidong said, "Brother Li, you're asking me that? You're more experienced than I am after all these years."

Li Peihang pursed his lips and suddenly asked again, "Is it really Qianlong Doucai?"

Ning Weidong said, "I haven't seen the items either, but Wang Zipeng is reliable in his speech. Even if he dared to fool me, he wouldn't dare to spout nonsense in front of you."

Li Peihang nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "This matter... let me think of a way~"

Ning Weidong smiled: "Alright, then I'll have Wang Zipeng go to your house tonight."

Having finished speaking, Ning Weidong stood up directly.

"Not sitting for a while?" Li Peihang saw him to the door. After closing the door, the smile on his face could no longer be contained. Humming a tune from *Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy*, he turned back and grabbed the phone: "Hello, Yazhi..."

Li Peihang's wife, Wang Yazhi, had some family background in antique porcelain; her father had worked in a pawnshop before the Liberation and later worked at a Trust Store.

Wang Yazhi could be considered to have been influenced by what she saw and heard.

Li Peihang said impatiently: "Yazhi, a pair of Qianlong imperial Doucai vases... no, it's a pair... haven't seen them yet, about seventy or eighty centimeters tall... yes, yes... bring them over tonight..."

On the other end, Ning Weidong returned to his office, grabbed the phone, and dialed out: "Hello, get me Wang Zipeng... It's me, Ning Weidong... Nine o'clock tonight, you go to Division Chief Li's house. Don't forget to bring the items... I don't need to tell you the address, right~"

Hanging up the phone, Ning Weidong picked up that jade seal again and toyed with it in his hand.

Truth be told, people haven't realized it yet. If it were ten years from now, a pair of Doucai vases, plus Cian's seal, who would still be working? But now, there are people willing to trade it for a secure State-owned job.

As for how Li Peihang arranges it, Ning Weidong wouldn't bother.

Almost at the same time, on the fifth floor of the Factory Office Building, inside Wang Guoqiang's office.

Ever since Wang Kaifeng had his incident, Wang Guoqiang was so angry he vomited blood. He stayed in the hospital for a few days, and upon returning, he kept a low profile, as if he had become a different person.

However, mountains and rivers are easy to change, but a person's nature is hard to alter.

How could Wang Guoqiang, who was used to being overbearing, stay dormant forever?

"Hello, I am Wang Guoqiang..." Behind the desk, Wang Guoqiang leaned back in his chair, holding the phone with an expressionless face: "Okay, I know. Let's leave it at that for now~ Wait for my signal for the next step."

Hanging up the phone, Wang Guoqiang stood up and walked to the window. Looking out toward the South Gate, he muttered to himself: "Li Weibing~ Li Peihang~ Ning Weidong..."

After work in the evening, Ning Weidong arranged to have dinner with Zhao Ruyi. This gluttonous girl kept nagging about wanting to eat roast duck.

"You're really not afraid of getting fat!" Ning Weidong rode his bicycle side-by-side with Zhao Ruyi.

Zhao Ruyi curled her lips and made a "Tch" sound: "How fat can I get from eating a few bites of duck? Look at how stingy you are. If you can't bear to pay, I'll treat you, big brother."

Ning Weidong didn't fall for the provocation and chuckled: "That would be great, thanks in advance, Sister Ruyi."

Zhao Ruyi rolled her eyes, but she didn't care about the cost of a roast duck meal, and instead said, "Hey, about that thing you told me last time, the matter of the Approval Document..."

Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow: "Have you thought it through?"

Zhao Ruyi said: "A few days ago, I mentioned it to Li Jie in private."

Ning Weidong looked ahead while pedaling the bicycle: "Which Li Jie?"

Zhao Ruyi said: "Li Jie was a classmate of my second sister, she used to come over to our house to play when we were little, and she was closest with my second sister."

Ning Weidong gave an "Oh": "What did she say?"

Being able to hang out with Zhao Yushui and frequently visit the house, this Li Jie was surely no ordinary person.

Zhao Ruyi said: "She wants to pick a time to meet with you."

(End of chapter)