Chapter 556: Always Very Upright

Wang Yan pulled open the drawer, took out a one-yuan banknote, placed it on the table, and then pushed the drawer shut: "No rush to pay it back. You probably didn't take this money to subsidize your household expenses; you must have spotted some object again. You haven't even arranged your job yet. Just pay it back after you have a job and get your wages."

"Hey, thanks, Wang Ye." Han Chunming cupped his hands, then immediately asked: "You know so many people, why don't you help me out?"

"What's the use of knowing many people? Why do you think they give me face? It's because I have no ties, I'm all alone, and I've practiced a few moves, so three or five people can't get close to me. If I really thought there was that much friendship, that would be me being ignorant. The 'Wan Zhu' (hooligans) are just a bunch of unemployed alley-crawlers. To be honest, with our status, we aren't even on their level; it's good enough just to mix in and get some food and drink.

Besides, we're all in our twenties now; do you still think it's like when we were ten? Those who give me face call me 'Ye' like you do; those who don't, aren't I just a grandson to them? People are either joining the army or doing odd jobs in some units; where would there be room for me to speak?

And now there are so many 'old inserted youth' (sent-down youth) returning to the city, everyone is looking for connections and favors everywhere; where would there be room for me to speak? You don't even think about it—if I really had that ability, I wouldn't be running around the food factory repairing equipment. Even that is only because of my dad; he gave me special care and let me be an apprentice, otherwise, who knows what I'd be doing."

Wang Yan shook his head: "Don't count on me. But I remember Yang Huajian's dad seems to have some ability; you should go find him and study it."

"How could I not have looked for him? He's idle himself right now, how could he look after me?" Han Chunming let out a long sigh: "I'll just wait for news from Cheng Army Supervisor's dad; his dad promised to help think of a way. Alright then, I won't disturb your elegant interest in drinking, I'm off."

After finishing, he carefully moved his stool—this damn thing was yellow rosewood, it burned his butt just sitting on it. After placing the stool properly, he finally went out and left.

Wang Yan smiled, turned on the radio sitting on the table, listened to the news broadcast inside, and drank his little wine happily, using a tiny cup that might be worth hundreds of thousands or millions in the future.

The most famous of the Chenghua Doucai is the Doucai Chicken Cup, which sold for over 20 million Hong Kong dollars in the real world. His wasn't as unique as the Chicken Cup, but because the surviving quantity of Chenghua-period porcelain is not large—less than a thousand pieces—and his was a set of the Four Gentlemen (Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum), and the condition was extremely perfect, selling the four together as a package would definitely be worth much more than the Chicken Cup. As for whether such a surviving set existed in the real world, that didn't matter; anyway, he had it now, and it was imperial ware for the palace.

So, all in all, this time the "living father" (system) hadn't treated his "good son" badly. Just with the things in this room, if he just lived and waited to die until the new millennium, he would have a net worth of hundreds of millions.

One must eat well even when alone. Just like that, he leisurely drank half a jin of wine, finished the bean sprout stir-fry, got up to tidy up the bowls and chopsticks, rinsed the remaining sorghum water-rice again, and poured the water out into a basin to drain. It was midsummer, and this was to avoid it going sour by tomorrow morning. There were few people going out for breakfast at this time; firstly, it was hard to buy, and secondly, it was really too expensive.

Of course, in such hot weather, this rice would definitely have a bit of a smell after sitting for a night, but it was definitely edible. Not to mention Wang Yan's current body; even if it were as frail and weak as before, unable to truss a chicken, it would still be no problem. After all, when he was a child in the village, sorghum rice, millet, and the like were all eaten this way.

After tidying up, Wang Yan lit a "Huazi" (Chunghwa cigarette), carried the trash can, and swayed his way out.

The sky was just turning dark, and the Han family in the main room was incredibly lively; the whole family had returned and was happily eating meat-filled dumplings. After passing the front room and going out the door, there were quite a few people gathered at the small shop at the street corner, sitting on their own small stools or on some large rocks scattered there. Some people were waving palm-leaf fans, chatting very lively.

Under the streetlamp on the utility pole, there was also a circle of people. From the crowd, the sound of "General, check the chariot" came out; it wasn't hard to understand that they were playing Chinese chess.

Wang Yan carried the bucket, walked past the crowd with a smile, greeting Grandpa Zhang, Grandma Liu, Uncle Qian, Aunt He, and Brother Lv.

People also responded with smiles. After he walked away, this group of people began to turn the topic to Wang Yan. How this child's life was bitter, how this child had a good physique, how this child was capable, how this child was good at studying but was delayed, a whole mess of talk...

The place to dump trash wasn't far, a few dozen meters out of the street corner. There were special trash cans for centralized processing, and next to them was a public toilet. A place of "five grains reincarnation," serving so many people nearby, of course, there were those who were particular and those who weren't; the quality varied, so it was just like that. The relevant personnel cleaned it quite diligently, and there was still a place to stand.

"Wang Ye!"

Just as he was dumping the dirty water, hearing someone call, Wang Yan turned his head to look. At the corner not far away, a thin, flat-headed boy who looked malnourished was waving at him.

Spitting out the cigarette butt in his mouth, Wang Yan flipped the bottom of the bucket twice more, then left the trash pile and walked toward the boy: "Monkey, what's up?"

This person was actually named Li Hailong, a name with some dominance, but because the boy had a thin, monkey-like physique, he naturally earned the nickname "Monkey." He was also in his twenties, but because his family's background was not good and job opportunities were limited, he unsurprisingly became a hoodlum. However, he didn't do anything bad; he just acted tough, got into fights, and didn't harm anyone.

Now he was hanging around the Shichahai area, where there was a black market that had been passed down since the Republic of China. In this era, everything required coupons; even if you had money, it wasn't easy to spend, and if you wanted to buy things, it wasn't easy to buy them, so naturally, this place became active again. People exchanging items for money, people needing to exchange for national coupons, families needing to supplement their children's nutrition—all sorts of things were there. This boy had a small gang, leading a group of people to flip coupons there, or getting some agricultural sideline products; secretly, it could be considered doing some small business.

In this era, doing this job, of course, meant you weren't short of money, but you were always on pins and needles.

"It's just that I happened to see you. Today is the day the market opens again, so I thought I'd ask if you're going?"

"I would have forgotten if you hadn't said anything." Wang Yan patted his forehead, shook his head and smiled: "Forget it, I won't go. I've been a bit tired from working these past two days, and I drank wine at night. You guys do your thing; just keep an eye out for any good things I might be able to use."

This thing was like going to a fair; there were rules, like the 3rd, 6th, 9th, or 2nd, 4th, 8th, and so on. Of course, only those few relatively large places or places with complete goods had these rules. This was because there were people behind them, which was why there were so-called rules. However, with so many people in the capital, there were too many people in need every day, and the spontaneously formed large and small trading markets naturally couldn't be missing; they couldn't be controlled at all.

Of course, it wasn't that there was no management, but they only went to catch people periodically to complete tasks. Besides, the focus of people's attention wasn't on these ordinary commoners. Now it could be considered the later stage, and it wasn't as strict as when it first started. And to a certain extent, this could be considered the people's spontaneous adjustment; you couldn't block the road completely, there had to be some openings.

So, in fact, in the dark, the market in the capital was quite prosperous. After all, the people here were more sensitive, and the sensitivity to loosening and tightening was very strong.

"Alright then, Wang Ye, you go ahead, I'm off."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, swaying the bucket in his hand as he returned home.

Looking at Monkey's attitude toward him, you could tell he wasn't just honestly working at the food factory. Otherwise, no matter how loud his reputation used to be, no matter how glorious, a "scalper" who made money like this and had several younger brothers under him couldn't be so respectful to him. Strength always speaks; in the past, when young, it was about personal martial arts. Now in his twenties, being able to fight really had no use; it was about who had ability. Obviously, he still had ability.

According to the identity given by the "living father," his prestige certainly wasn't gained for nothing. He still had several loyal younger brothers under him, deeply implementing his instructions. Flipping coupons, collecting antiques, and so on—he did it all. Anyway, he didn't suffer from poverty, and even less from being bullied. After all, watching him grow up, the "living father" understood him...

Arriving home, he put down the bucket and didn't stay in the room. Instead, he took a folding fan to fan himself and went out to watch people play Chinese chess. It was really because it was still early, just past six o'clock, not time to sleep yet, and there were no entertainment activities. The room was stuffy in the heat, otherwise, why would everyone be staying outside feeding mosquitoes?

Although he had watched the TV series before coming, and had worked for a day after arriving, he wasn't sleepy now, so he went out to stroll around, feeling the authentic old Beijing of the 1970s.

Fanning himself, he strolled to the group of people playing Chinese chess, stood behind, and watched the fun.

Among those playing, one side was Grandpa Guan. Swaying, he sniffed, looked up at Wang Yan who was surrounding them, and then continued the game.

This old Grandpa Guan could live quite a while; he still had thirty years left. If you had to talk about it, besides his son and daughter-in-law being unfilial, he was the most comfortable in the drama. His seniority was high, his age was high, and everyone provided for him. Moreover, he was a genuine remnant of the old dynasty. Although he didn't seem to have any connections in the drama, in fact, according to his status, he still had some connections.

After watching for more than an hour, people gradually became fewer. This was the routine of this era; by seven or eight o'clock, they were lying on the bed, chatting with their families about household chores. They didn't even turn on the lights because electricity was expensive. Four cents per kilowatt-hour, it would cost at least one yuan a month. And at this time, people's average salary was only twenty or thirty, and a jin of meat with fat was only seven or eight cents; they couldn't bear it.

Wang Yan, of course, wouldn't sleep that early; he was still watching here. It was only past seven, and he planned to go back at eight.

Just at this time, Han Chunming ran over from the courtyard and squatted beside Wang Yan, who was smoking.

Grandpa Guan raised his eyes and looked: "Grandson, something up?"

"Ah."

"Come, kid, give me two moves." Grandpa Guan got up and spoke to Wang Yan.

Wang Yan shook his head and said to the middle-aged man watching the chess on the other side: "I'm just a stinking chess player, watching the fun is enough, let Uncle Zhang do it."

"You kid watch here every day, how can you improve if you don't play?" Uncle Zhang said so, but he sat in Grandpa Guan's seat and very decisively "pushed the pawn"—he had already thought of the moves.

Playing chess is addictive. The process of this confrontation, the contest of wisdom and chess skill, and the joy between victory and defeat are actually very good. Wang Yan smiled and didn't speak, just squatted there and continued watching.

This scene was actually not unfamiliar; it was the beginning of this drama, but it had already changed. And the source of the change was just the one yuan Han Chunming borrowed from him.

Originally, this one yuan was Han Chunming cheating his older brother. After his older brother discovered he was cheated, he went to settle accounts with Han Chunming, and Han Chunming went to find Su Meng to pay back the money. He borrowed money from Su Meng because his aunt came empty-handed during the day, and he borrowed money from Su Meng to buy apples so his family wouldn't pick faults. And after paying back fifty cents to Su Meng, he took Su Meng to the air-raid shelter to avoid his older brother's pursuit.

And that player Cheng Army Supervisor, whose brain was kicked by a donkey, while thinking about pursuing Su Meng, also owed a debt and locked the two of them inside to provide assistance. He directly helped the two of them hug and cuddle, and their relationship developed rapidly.

Only then did Han Chunming run out and find Grandpa Guan to ask if the telescopic cigarette holder he saw during the day was a good thing.

But now it was different. Wang Yan lent Han Chunming one yuan, so there was no Han Chunming cheating his older brother and being pursued, and naturally, there was no running to the air-raid shelter with Su Meng to hide. That is to say, he just normally paid back the fifty cents, said a few idle words, and then came to find Grandpa Guan.

This back and forth was different. Although it was still hard to stop Han Chunming from liking Su Meng—after all, Han Chunming had been interested in Su Meng since he was a child and had always played well together. It was just that they had been estranged for several years after being sent down, and after returning for a month, it just so happened that Su Meng didn't have a job either, and they lived in the same courtyard, passing by each other, so he found the feeling again. On Su Meng's side, there was still some response, so they were just in contact.

But because it was different from the original experience, the progress bar was definitely not that fast, which had already determined many things. A thousand-mile dike collapses in an ant nest; many things are often determined at the beginning.

Han Chunming whispered a few words to Grandpa Guan and suddenly ran over and said: "Wang Ye, I have something to discuss with you."

"Why do you have so many things, kid?" Wang Yan turned his head to look at the old man sitting behind, supported his knees to stand up, and walked over with the awkwardly smiling Han Chunming: "What is it?"

"I just told the old man about that set of Doucai pattern wine cups you have, and he wants to take a look."

"Is it possible, kid?" Grandpa Guan said: "I knew your dad had good things before, but I didn't expect you to be so capable, getting your hands on such good items."

"What's impossible about that? Let's go, let's go to my house and take a look, and also take a look to see if it's real."

Wang Yan shook his head and smiled. It was just seeing that this old man was old and his brain wasn't clear, so no one argued with him. Otherwise, if he kept nagging like this all day, there wouldn't be any good results; basically, he would just die in a cow shed. Of course, it was also possible that Grandpa Guan saw this point, which was why this happened.

Han Chunming said: "Provincial Military Commander Ye (Admiral), Wang Ye, you two go take a look, I have something to do, so I won't accompany you." After finishing, he turned and ran away.

Grandpa Guan snorted: "Stinking kid, so rash."

"He went to stock up. Didn't he just ask you about items? He's thinking about it."

"You know too?"

"He just borrowed a yuan from me before."

"That's it." Grandpa Guan nodded: "The cigarette holder from when Elgin signed the treaty is an item."

Of course, it was impossible to tell others about this. At such a time, flipping this thing was really catching people; who knew how many good things had been burned. However, since Wang Yan knew the inside story and could be considered to understand a bit of this, even if he didn't understand, looking at that meaning, he was also collecting. This old man wanted to see Wang Yan's things, so there was naturally nothing that couldn't be said about such an irrelevant matter.

"Kid, that fan of yours is golden silk nanmu, right?"

"Yo, Provincial Military Commander Ye has good eyes, you saw it at a glance?"

"I smelled it." Grandpa Guan didn't pretend to be cool, his tone was like usual: "Why didn't I see you take it out to fan before?"

"I just got a board, from the end of the Ming Dynasty. I dismantled it to make a small cabinet, and used the remaining waste material to make a few fans, turned a few strings of beads, and made a few pairs of chopsticks."

Grandpa Guan was silent. Although it was waste material, this kid really dared to think and do. Fans and beads were fine, but he actually made chopsticks—wouldn't it burn his mouth? Wasn't he afraid it was a coffin board?

Just like that, the two of them slowly arrived at Wang Yan's home.

Arranging for the old man to sit on the stool in front of the desk, Wang Yan took out a set of four wine cups from the cabinet, placed them in a row on the desktop, and specially turned on the desk lamp to let the old man observe carefully.

Grandpa Guan looked very carefully, observing one by one under the desk lamp, looking at the body and quality, looking at the glaze and quality, and looking at the painting technique. Anyway, he looked at it over and over again.

"How is it? Provincial Military Commander Ye? Is there any talk about it?"

"This is definitely genuine. As for what talk there is behind it, how would I know so much? History is an ocean; these four cups of yours don't even count as a drop of water." Grandpa Guan sighed: "It's a good thing. I heard Chunming say you use it to drink?"

"Does Provincial Military Commander Ye have any advice?"

Grandpa Guan gently put down the cup, glanced at Wang Yan sideways, and then changed to another cup to continue looking. He spoke with old phlegm that hadn't melted for ten years in his throat: "Kid, want to trade items with me?"

"Tell me about it."

"I'll give you a Hongzhi blue-and-white wine pot, which barely makes a set with your four cups. I remember your father has a Qianlong imperial-inscribed jade thumb ring; if you give that to me, plus a fan you've newly crafted, how about it?"

"You master and apprentice are not good people. I don't know anything about these old items, but I know it's a good thing just by looking at that emerald green." Wang Yan shook his head: "And I don't need a wine pot. You also love to drink, you should know, we drink by ourselves and no one serves us. Pouring the bought white wine into the wine pot, and then pouring it into the wine cup from the wine pot—how much effort is that? If you drink a lot, you won't be busy enough. It just so happens that my fan isn't worth much, there are plenty of them. I'll give you one for free to fan yourself and cool off, just don't think about the things my dad left behind. Let's go, Provincial Military Commander Ye, it's getting late, I'll send you back. If you trip and fall on the way out, I can't afford to take the blame."

"Stinking kid, it's like I'm cheating you out of your items. I just wanted to see if you knew the goods, and you sent me away with a broken fan. Who knows whose coffin board it is."

As everyone knows, Qianlong had itchy hands. This old kid stamped and inscribed everywhere. Although in Wang Yan's view, Qianlong's calligraphy was really not very good, it didn't delay that the thumb ring was a treasure, genuine imperial green, clear green. This was why he said the master and apprentice were not good people; they both wanted to take advantage of him. Of course, if you look at it from another angle, it makes sense that Grandpa Guan was testing whether he had professionalism in this regard. It's more likely that Grandpa Guan was making up for himself. If they really traded, then they traded...

As for giving a fan, it really didn't matter. Even in the new millennium, his fan wouldn't be worth much money, let alone now. The value of this fan only came from the value of the wood. Golden silk nanmu is indeed very precious, but it's only a sixteen-segment fan bone, so how much material can it use?

Wang Yan smiled: "Then why don't you put it down? Why are you holding it so tightly?"

"Don't take it for free."

Strolling along, he sent Grandpa Guan to his door. The old man's house was next to the small shop, and he lived by himself, a courtyard, very comfortable.

Watching Grandpa Guan go in and turn to close the door, Wang Yan lit another cigarette. Just as he returned to the courtyard gate, he saw Han Chunming walking back with suppressed anger. Wang Yan waited two steps and asked: "This is an unsuccessful start?"

"Don't mention it." Han Chunming let out a long breath: "In order to sell for more money, they actually polished the things with sandpaper. No culture, really... Hey, Su Meng, going out so late?"

Halfway through his words, the frustration on his face was swept away, and in the blink of an eye, he changed to a smiling face looking at Su Meng who came around from the shadow wall.

Su Meng held a flashlight and looked at the two people standing at the door: "What do you think I'm going to do? Besides going to the toilet, what else can I do? Asking when you know. Why are you two still wandering outside?"

"Just chatting." Wang Yan smiled: "You guys chat, I'm going back to sleep."

"What's there to chat about, in the middle of the night." Su Meng rolled her eyes at Han Chunming and went out.

Han Chunming smiled, caught up with Wang Yan, greeted him, and returned home.

Wang Yan returned to the room, took the basin for washing, went to the courtyard, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and washed his feet with cold water at a fast speed, then directly turned off the lights and lay on the bed, closing his eyes to brew sleepiness.

Watching from the door just now, Han Chunming and Su Meng were not that intimate, which showed that the change he had thought of before had indeed happened. This was a good start.

This task was also interesting. The current Han Chunming was flirting with Su Meng, and the Han Chunming of the future, who knows when, expressed that he wanted a different kind of life.

Tsk tsk, he, Wang Mouren, had actually always been very upright... ===== CHAPTER 557 =====