Chapter 418: What a sin!

Wu An got up to say goodbye.

Elder Zhang said, "What's the hurry?"

"Have a cup of tea before you leave."

He finished speaking.

He poured a cup of tea.

Wu An did not decline.

After chatting for so long, he was indeed a bit parched.

He picked it up and drank.

If someone else pours tea for you and you don't drink it, it's a bit rude.

Moreover, Elder Zhang is still an elder.

Setting down the tea cup, Wu An rose and said, "Elder Zhang, please stay."

No need to see me out.

"Let's meet again tomorrow."

Elder Zhang still rose, saw him to the gate, and instructed, "A An, put the ambergris away promptly; don't let it get stuffy."

Wu An nodded, indicating he understood.

The two of them walked away.

Looking back, he saw Elder Zhang had already returned inside, the door still ajar as before; Gu Anran could not help but hop twice with delight.

The after-tremor was surging.

Wu An took another look.

The ambergris sold smoothly, fetching a good price; Gu Anran was pleased in his heart and didn't mind Wu An's rude glance.

She walked with her arm around Wu An, her ponytail swaying much more happily than before.

As they passed the entrance of the antique shop where they had first entered, Wu An paused and said, "Let's go in and have a look."

Gu Anran pursed his lips: "What's there to see?"

Wu An gave a hehe laugh and pushed the door open to go inside.

The boss saw them return, his face breaking into a smile, and warmly greeted, "Handsome guy, pretty girl, you're back!"

"I was wrong before."

"I've seriously reflected; I will definitely give you a fair price."

He said that with his mouth, but in his heart he snorted, thinking about offering fifteen thousand.

Having those people help isn't free; one still has to pay kickbacks.

After all is said and done.

At most, this deal could net him only a few thousand dollars.

Thinking this over, he felt he was still at a loss.

Why?

Because initially he could have spent less money and taken it without effort.

He only blamed his initial greed.

But it doesn't matter; this piece of meat flew around and ultimately still ended up in his pot.

Wu An coughed loudly twice.

The boss, perceptive and quick to act, hurriedly greeted them and poured tea.

Wu An waved his hand, saying it wasn't needed.

But the boss's enthusiasm was hard to resist.

Wu An drank two large cups.

The tea at Elder Zhang's place was nice, but the cups were too small—drinking it felt like not drinking at all.

At least it quenched his thirst.

Wu An smiled and said, "Boss, the tea is good; goodbye."

The boss was bewildered.

What does that mean?

You came to my place just to drink tea?

The boss hurriedly asked, "What about the ambergris?"

Wu An said, "Sold."

The boss glared: "Since you sold it, why are you still coming to my place?"

Wu An: "Drinking tea."

The boss: "……"

Holy shit.

Oh no.

And I guessed right after all.

The boss came to his senses, realized Wu An had come just to disgust him, and angrily chased after him.

But when he stepped outside, there was no trace of them.

Ah!

The boss stamped his foot on the spot.

Next door, the antique shop boss heard the commotion, came out laughing, and asked, "Old Zhang, you got the ambergris, right? This exciting deal must net you a tidy sum."

Someone nearby chimed in: "We're helping you like this, nothing else to say, we'll set a whole table tonight."

Elder Zhang was originally twisted.

What a sin!

He shouted: "Get lost, what's all this fuss?"

"I've been tricked!"

"That kid sold the ambergris; who among you intercepted my share?"

"Don't go biting around like a dog!"

"We're not nearly as dirty as you."

"......"

Wu An and Gu Anran hung out in the supermarket for a while enjoying the air conditioning, watched the boss and others argue for a bit, then left leisurely.

Just after five, the sky wasn't dark yet.

The time was still early.

Wu An and Manager Wang Jingli got in touch, took a taxi to the shipyard, wandered around aimlessly, and incidentally grabbed a meal.

This meal wasn't free either; Wu An went ahead and paid next month's bill as well.

Returned to the hotel.

That was about all there was to do.

"......"

Early the next morning.

Wu An groggily heard his phone ringing; the phone was lying on the TV stand.

He had just tossed it there casually after coming back yesterday, and he hadn't played with it since.

Got up.

He walked over with somewhat difficulty.

Sure enough, he was still snoring loudly; he lowered his voice: "Elder Zhang... good morning."

Elder Zhang laughed: "A An, I'm ready over here."

Wu An said: "We'll probably need about an hour."

Elder Zhang said: "All right, I'm not in a hurry."

They chatted a couple of sentences and hung up.

Wu An glanced at the time—it was past nine—no wonder Elder Zhang called; the time was no longer early.

He was about to go back to bed and linger a bit, but Gu Anran threw off the covers and was already up.

He also went to the bathroom.

With a "click", he locked the door from the inside.

Wu An held his waist: "You're guarding against thieves!"

Gu Anran giggled: "No, I'm guarding against dogs—against you, this big lecherous dog!"

Wu An: "......"

"......"

An hour later.

Antique shop.

Wu An and Gu Anran pushed the door open on time; Elder Zhang saw the two of them, smiled and greeted: "Quite punctual."

Wu An said: "Sorry to keep you waiting, Elder Zhang."

Elder Zhang closed the door.

They went over to the tea table and sat down.

Elder Zhang put away the ambergris, Wu An asked curiously: "Elder Zhang, I've seen some materials describing ambergris as heavenly and miraculous; is it really that good?"

Elder Zhang smiled: "I won't go into the medicinal effects of ambergris; it's also not easy to demonstrate, but you can look it up online."

"As a fragrance, ambergris is still quite easy to showcase."

"Just a moment."

Elder Zhang brought out a small knife, cut off a tiny piece, then ground it into powder.

He also did some extra processing, which was rather tedious and complicated.

But Elder Zhang's movements were orderly, much like watching someone brew kung fu tea—smooth and graceful, and quite pleasant to watch.

After Elder Zhang finished processing, he placed it in the incense burner.

Shortly after.

Wisps of cigarette smoke drifted out, a unique fragrance spreading with the mist.

Wu An smelled it, nodded and said: "What's said online isn't bragging; this fragrance really is quite nice."

Gu Anran said: "It really smells good."

"It smells much better than those perfumes."

Elder Zhang said: "It smells nice and has benefits, but it's not friendly to pregnant women."

Wu An realized.

He noted it down.

Since ambergris is so good, from now on whenever he gets ambergris, he'll definitely keep a piece for himself.

The ambergris powder Elder Zhang used for display wasn't much; it burned out quickly, but the fragrance lingered.

Elder Zhang said: "As long as you don't open the window for ventilation, the scent can last a long time."

Wu An couldn't stop praising.

Someone spent so much money; giving a bit of emotional value in return is only proper.

The three of them headed straight for the bank.

The bank was in the Pedestrian Street, not far from the Antique Alley; after the payment was received, Elder Zhang invited Wu An to return to his shop for a sit.

Wu An politely declined.

We'll go again when there's good merchandise.

He wasn't very interested in those antiques; although antiques can be an investment, for him now, putting his money in would probably not even yield a single drop of profit.

Buying a car would be more economical.

At least it makes getting around convenient.

He's still short on cash now; there are many places where he needs money— the Trawler, the Homestay Project, and also building his own big villa.

But it's not that dire; the main thing is that the cash he has can circulate.

At present, he has no urgent expenses; it's all a slow, steady flow.

Buying a car for transportation, to make travel convenient, is actually a matter that needs to be dealt with promptly.

Leaving the Pedestrian Street.

Wu An hailed a taxi; after getting in, he told the driver to go to Qiche Cheng.

Gu Anran tugged Wu An's hand: "Really buying a car?"

Wu An smiled and said, "We'll go take a look; if something fits, we'll buy it."

"Mainly for getting around."

"We come to the county every few days; it's also convenient for something."

Gu Anran fell silent.

They muttered to themselves, "Who wants to come every few days?"

After speaking, they pushed away Wu An's mischievous hand.

She tightened her legs and sat properly like a lady.

Soon, they arrived at Qiche Cheng.