Chapter 1376: Not a Deal When One Rushes

Nanluoguxiang

Cao Cao Weiguo and his family of three were eating when Yu Yu Haitang burst into the room in a rush: "Where's the small car? Why didn't I see it? Where did you park it?"

Cao Cao Weiguo picked up a piece of cucumber: "I drove the car back to the rolling mill. It's a public vehicle; how could I park it in the hutong? If it gets lost or damaged, I can't bear the responsibility."

Yu Yu Haitang said disappointedly: "So boring. I was hoping to ride along with you and take a ride in the small car."

Song Song Yulan smiled: "There will be plenty of chances to ride in a car later. Have you eaten? If not, eat a few bites at my place so you don't have to cook again when you get home."

Yu Yu Haitang said with a grin: "Thank you, Sister Song Yulan. Sister Song Yulan treats me the best. Don't move; I'll get the bowls and chopsticks myself."

Having mooched meals at the Cao family's more than once or twice, Yu Yu Haitang didn't know when to be polite, acting as casually as if she were eating at her own home.

Watching Yu Yu Haitang serve a heaping big bowl of rice, Cao Cao Weiguo said with an exaggerated expression: "Yu Yu Haitang, are you Zhu Zhu Bajie reincarnated? Eating so much?"

"Cao Cao Weiguo, what did you say? Do you want me to die with you!"

Yu Yu Haitang instantly became angry and ashamed, her face flushed red as she gripped her chopsticks tightly, her eyes seeming to want to swallow Cao Cao Weiguo whole.

Song Song Yulan picked up a slice of meat and placed it on Yu Yu Haitang's rice: "Alright, you're grown up; why act like a child? Isn't that childish? Eat. If you keep making trouble, the children will laugh at you."

Cao Cao Weiguo poked his son's little belly with his finger: "Son, do you think we have a Zhu Zhu Bajie visiting our home?"

"Giggle, giggle, giggle..."

Whether it was ticklish or he understood Cao Cao Weiguo's words, little Ping'an waved his small hands and laughed.

This made Yu Yu Haitang so angry her teeth itched; she glared viciously at Cao Cao Weiguo.

With such a beautiful face, people chasing her could fill a whole truck, yet this stinky bastard Cao Cao Weiguo actually called me Zhu Zhu Bajie! You really have blind dog eyes!

Surname Cao! You just wait for me, young lady!

Sooner or later, I'll make you fall at the feet of my pomegranate skirt!

Pouting and burying her head to eat, Yu Yu Haitang turned her grief and indignation into appetite.

"Cao Weiguo, eating?"

"Brother Jin Peng, go in quickly."

"No need. Cao Weiguo, come out. I have something to tell you."

"You guys eat; I'll step out for a bit."

Cao Cao Weiguo put down his bowl and chopsticks and went out of the room. Yu Yu Haitang curiously stuck her head out to look around.

Song Song Yulan said: "Yu Haitang's man is talking about something. What is there to look at? Eat."

Yu Yu Haitang said "Oh," lowered her head, and, burdened with worries, pushed the rice around with her chopsticks.

Lu Jin Peng whispered a few words mysteriously. Cao Cao Weiguo's eyes lit up: "Interesting. Wait for me a moment; I'll go with you."

Lu Jin Peng said in a low voice: "It's best to bring something for self-defense. That person is no good."

Cao Cao Weiguo: "Understood."

Turning back into the room, he took a shoulder bag from the wardrobe. Cao Cao Weiguo turned his head and said to Song Song Yulan: "Song Yulan, you guys eat; I'm going out to handle something."

Song Song Yulan: "Mm. It's dark outside; be careful and come back early."

Cao Cao Weiguo smiled: "Understood."

After Cao Cao Weiguo left, Yu Yu Haitang couldn't help but ask Song Song Yulan: "Sister Song Yulan, what is Brother Cao Weiguo doing out so late at night?"

Song Song Yulan smiled: "Why are you so curious? Men have men's business to attend to. Since your Brother Cao Weiguo didn't say, I never ask proactively."

Yu Yu Haitang said "Oh," lowered her head absentmindedly, and continued eating.

Cao Cao Weiguo rode his Twenty-Eight Big Bar bicycle, followed Lu Jin Peng to Yanzhi Hutong, turned left and right, entered an old, dilapidated house, and met the seller.

According to Lu Jin Peng, the seller was an old resident of Jingcheng who had become disabled early in life from practicing martial arts, later performed on the horizontal bar at Tianqiao, and after liberation did some small peddling around the streets and alleys... He was responsible for scrap recycling in this area and had become familiar with the residents here. The seller's son was caught selling things at the pigeon market; because he urgently needed to gather the fine to bail him out, he came to him.

The seller brought out an old object, but the asking price was too high, so he wasn't sure and came to Cao Cao Weiguo.

Cao Cao Weiguo originally didn't want to show up, but he couldn't resist because the item in the seller's hand was too tempting.

Bronze wine vessel!

Even though Cao Cao Weiguo didn't lack money, he couldn't help feeling excited by the hunt and wanted to investigate its authenticity.

What if it's real!

"Here!"

In the dimly lit room, the seller, with graying hair and a thin, small build, handed the object to Cao Cao Weiguo.

"A good thing!"

The moment he held it, Cao Cao Weiguo's eyes lit up; he thought this trip wasn't in vain.

This object was a bronze jue, its belly cup-shaped, its tail pointed, its three legs cone-shaped, with bird-shaped patterns on the body... twenty-two centimeters high, widest at about seventeen centimeters, dignified and grand, with ancient patterns; it was clearly a Western Zhou Phoenix-Bird Pattern Jue.

In a moment, the seller asked nervously: "Do you like this object?"

Cao Cao Weiguo thought for a moment: "This object is old, but your asking price is too high. I can't pay that; I can only offer ten yuan."

The seller opened his mouth, shook his head with a bitter face, and said: "Ten yuan is really too little, young comrade. I see you're not someone short of money. Can you add a bit more? I really need the money urgently."

The price the seller told Lu Jin Peng was sixty yuan; Cao Cao Weiguo offered ten yuan; the difference was truly too great.

But according to current market conditions, ten yuan already is a lot, or one could say it's too much.

This bronze jue is an antique, but nowadays antiques are not only worthless; they can even bring trouble. Thrown on the street, no one would pick them up; if picked up, they'd be sold as scrap.

As for sending it to the cultural relics store, not to mention having to prove its origin, the money received would be pitifully small; otherwise, the seller wouldn't have secretly approached Lu Jin Peng.

The seller frowned tightly, his heart in great turmoil. After a while, he gritted his teeth and said: "Young comrade, I have some other objects passed down from my ancestors. Do you want to look at them together?"

The seller also understood the current market conditions, knowing there was little hope of getting more money, so he had to bring out more items to sell. No matter what, he had to gather the fine; the family had only this one son; it couldn't be cut off!

Cao Cao Weiguo placed the bronze jue on the table: "Okay."

The seller turned and went into the inner room, whispered a few words to the people inside, then came out carrying a wooden box.

"Young comrade, these are all my family's assets passed down from ancestors. If the family hadn't encountered difficulties and had no other way, I would rather starve than sell them... If the ancestors knew I was squandering the family fortune like this... Alas!"

The seller opened the old wooden box; inside were placed many objects, including porcelain, bronze, and wood items.

Cao Cao Weiguo glanced once, and that was enough for him to know.

Either the seller speaks no truth, or the seller's father was a tomb raider.

For among the items in this crate, there were at least three "funerary objects."

The seller took an object wrapped in blue cloth from the wooden crate; after unwrapping it, a black-glazed tea bowl lay inside: "Little comrade, take a look at this. According to my father, this is a Song Dynasty item; it should be worth quite a bit, right?"