Chapter 155: Our Roots Are Pure and True

Wait a minute, don't leave yet.

The bus arrived, but Li Ye and the others didn't get on.

He stood behind Jin Peng and the others, silently watching Nakamura Naoto get into a car and quickly drive away.

"Brother Peng, last time Old Song messed up a deal near Beier Tiao and nearly got beaten to a pulp—exactly which alley was that?"

"I really don't know; I was at the police station picking someone up back then."

But after thinking for a moment, Jin Peng asked Wei Jiaxian beside him: "Did Old Song mention this to you?"

Wei Jiaxian muttered: "He did mention it, but only said the family's surname was Guan, they lived near Beier Tiao, with a big willow tree in front of their house, and they had a set of Ming dynasty official kiln teapots."

Li Ye's heart sank, and he told Tan Min: "Go get Huang Gang—he needs to come see me, I've got something to ask him."

Tan Min immediately left, but after a while, Huang Gang didn't show up—instead, his sister Huang Suwen arrived with Tan Min.

"Brother Li, my brother's drunk. You can ask me instead—if I don't know, I'll tell him when he wakes up and he'll come find you."

"Asking you is fine too," Li Ye asked: "I heard there's a big willow tree around here? Is that right?"

"A big willow tree?" Huang Suwen paused slightly, then pointed: "There's one right inside that alley—right at the front of Uncle Guan's house. Why are you asking about it, Brother Li?"

Li Ye looked in the direction Huang Suwen pointed—and it was exactly the alley Nakamura Naoto had just come out of.

"Sigh~"

Li Ye sighed, feeling his good mood for the day had vanished.

If any nationality is most interested in Chinese antiques, it's definitely the Japanese—besides Hong Kong, Japan is one of the biggest destinations for antiquities leaving China.

Back then, the limping Old Song had been tailing those suspicious people and knew they shipped goods out of Jincheng Port; now seeing Nakamura Naoto, Li Ye was almost certain.

Li Ye didn't really care about a Ming dynasty teapot, but if Nakamura Naoto bought it and took it overseas, he'd care deeply—and be furious.

Seeing Li Ye didn't answer, Huang Suwen suddenly smiled and asked: "Brother Li, did you also hear about the antiques in Uncle Guan's house?"

Li Ye looked at Huang Suwen in surprise and asked: "Why would you ask that?"

Huang Suwen smiled: "Last month, there was a fight right outside Uncle Guan's house.

One short, hunchbacked old man from Dongshan was incredibly strong—he took down two guys by himself, and everyone in the neighborhood knows about it.

Since you're all from Dongshan too, I just guessed—don't be mad if I'm wrong, Brother Li."

You guessed right—we're all in the same group.

Now, looking at Huang Suwen again, Li Ye realized this straightforward, quick-witted girl had a clever, shrewd side too.

Just earlier, Li Ye had whispered to Jin Peng: if Wang Qiang ever ends up with Huang Suwen, would he be able to handle this blunt girl? After all, girls like her have sharp tongues and don't hold back!

But now it seemed her personality was firm yet soft—much better than he'd imagined.

Seeing Li Ye lost in thought, Huang Suwen added: "Actually, that Dongshan old man is a good guy—he saw those ragpickers offering Uncle Guan only sixty yuan,

so he said Uncle Guan's old items were antiques. After that, people started coming to visit him daily, raising the price each time.

I heard recently someone offered a thousand yuan—he's been secretly delighted, saying he'll buy his younger son a motorcycle!"

Li Ye smiled and said: "That'll happen soon—I just saw a Japanese guy come out of that alley. Japanese motorcycles are really top-notch!"

"A Japanese guy wants to buy Uncle Guan's antiques?"

Huang Suwen blinked, then said: "Wait here a second—I'll go ask."

Before Li Ye could stop her, Huang Suwen dashed off toward the alley.

Jin Peng couldn't help laughing: "This girl is so blunt—I wonder if that dumbass Qiang can handle her."

But Li Ye said: "I actually think they're a good match. Don't always treat Qiang like a fool—he's learning every day, improving every day. If you don't step up, he might surpass you one day."

"Heh, improving, improving—I'm improving every day too!" Jin Peng smirked, clearly not taking it seriously.

Li Ye had given them two lessons these past few days; Wang Qiang was extremely serious, while Jin Peng only pretended to be.

Huang Suwen returned quickly, running up to Li Ye: "Someone did go to Uncle Guan's house just now—I couldn't tell if it was Japanese, but the offer was high, though they still couldn't agree."

"Then Uncle Guan should thank my Dongshan buddy—holding out for the right price will surely fetch a fortune. Thanks, sis—we're leaving now, you go back!"

"Brother Li, don't thank me—I still owe you for helping my brother!"

Li Ye chatted casually with Huang Suwen for a moment, and just then the bus arrived—they all got on and left.

After boarding, Li Ye said sternly to Wei Jiaxian: "Go find Old Song and work out a plan—no matter what, you've got to ruin their plans."

Wei Jiaxian nodded silently and agreed.

He clearly understood Li Ye's meaning: no matter what, they couldn't let that Ming dynasty teapot fall into Japanese hands.

Huang Suwen returned to Wang Qiang's new house and saw her father chatting with a few drinking buddies at the table, while Wang Qiang, the host, was already drunk—she couldn't help feeling angry.

"Uncles, how could you guys get the host completely drunk?"

"Girl Wen, what are you talking about? 'Drunk'? We're just celebrating, celebrating!"

"Exactly! Drinking cheap wine at eight yuan a bottle—how could you not be happy? How could you even complain?"

"Wen, come help me clean up—where have you been running off to?"

Huang Gang's mother, Yang Xiujuan, quickly pulled Huang Suwen away—otherwise, if she kept talking like that, even longtime friends would be embarrassed.

In the kitchen, Huang Suwen helped her mother wash dishes while continuing to complain: "Mom, Brother Qiang is a sincere guy, but they can't treat him like a fool!

They give a few jiao as a gift, drink a couple sips of Maotai worth several yuan, then keep forcing my brother and Qiang to drink—cup after cup, never stopping."

"Lower your voice," Yang Xiujuan slapped her daughter on the forehead and whispered: "Are you trying to save Qiang money—or get him in trouble? If you feel bad, talk to him privately later—why are you making a scene now?"

"Who's saving him money?" Huang Suwen huffed: "What do I care about some vice manager? Let him spend himself into bankruptcy—I'm not playing Robin Hood!"

"Whose wealth are you taking? Whose poverty are you relieving?"

Huang Gang stumbled in, half-drunk—he'd been holding drinks for Wang Qiang, passed out for a bit, and was woken by his sister's shouting.

"Those guys out there!" Huang Suwen nodded toward the living room, then suddenly added: "Brother, Brother Li was looking for you—you were asleep, so I came over. He said a Japanese guy might be interested in Uncle Guan's antiques."

"Japanese? Did Uncle Guan sell them?"

Huang Gang instantly sobered up, narrowing his eyes.

"No—Guan Dasheng asked for a brand-new imported motorcycle, 250 yuan. They refused."

"Hah, Guan the Fourth really has guts," Huang Gang scoffed: "Why don't we have any old antiques at home? If we did, I'd trade them for a motorcycle—even a Xingfu brand would be fine."

"We don't care about that junk," Yang Xiujuan said coldly: "Since Grandpa's time, we've been solid working class—not like those Guans, hmph."

The Huang siblings leaned in, puzzled: "What's wrong with Uncle Guan's family?"

"They used to be surnamed Gua."

Yang Xiujuan scowled, carrying a bucket of wastewater out the door.

"Gua? Which Gua? Watermelon or cucumber?"

The siblings exchanged glances, both scratching their heads in confusion.

Nakamura Naoto sat in the plush backseat of the car, watching the scenery blur past, his mood extremely sour.

Or rather, his mood had been bad lately.

Since arriving in Beijing two years ago, Nakamura Naoto had always presented himself as gentle and wealthy, gradually befriending many classmates and becoming a "good friend."

Many people liked Nakamura Naoto and treated him with great courtesy.

But just a few days ago, he took an interest in a new first-year girl, showing her his kindness fully—

Yet she was so rude, telling him to "stay away from me." Didn't she see how special he was?

Wasn't he, the third son of the Nakamura family of the Great Day Empire, worthy of her affection?

Things weren't going well at school, and outside too.

His grandfather loved Chinese porcelain and antiques, so Nakamura Naoto had his men scour Beijing at high prices to collect similar items—everything had gone smoothly until recently, when he kept failing.

It felt as if a cunning force, like the "clever guerrillas" his grandfather described, was secretly watching him.

Today, Nakamura Naoto personally went to negotiate for a Ming dynasty porcelain piece—but the seller suddenly changed his mind, demanding a price that made Nakamura Naoto furious.

【The Chinese are truly untrustworthy.】

That alone would've been bad enough, but his family-appointed "secretary" kept nagging him, making things worse.

"Mr. Nakamura, you don't need to handle such minor matters personally. Your presence makes the seller more suspicious and contradicts the president's plan for your future."

Seeing Nakamura Naoto silent, the secretary raised his voice, sternly adding: "The president's wish is for you to build wide social connections here, facilitating the family's business expansion into China—not to waste your energy on a trivial antique."

"Trivial?"

Nakamura Naoto turned his head mechanically, coldly staring at the secretary.

"If it's so trivial, why haven't you gotten it yet?

Is your salary too low? Are you resentful for leaving Osaka to come here with me?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Nakamura—I spoke out of turn."

The secretary's face turned pale as he quickly apologized: "I've never felt wronged—serving you is an honor for me, Iwami Koji,

and coming to this land full of opportunity is a blessing for my Iwami family."

"Hmph~"

Nakamura Naoto looked down at his obedient subordinate with contempt: "I understand my grandfather's expectations better than anyone—don't lecture me on how to act. Just do your job."

"When I return home for the New Year, I'll give Grandfather a complete set of antiques as a gift. Right now, I'm just missing that exquisite porcelain set."

Iwami Koji immediately nodded: "Yes, sir—I'll make it happen."

Nakamura Naoto glanced at his subdued subordinate, then slowly closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat.

After some time, he murmured softly: "Guan Ciying… he might have once been a servant to that Prince."

Iwami Koji snapped his head up, staring at Nakamura Naoto in utter disbelief.

Nakamura Naoto didn't open his eyes—he could already guess Iwami Koji's expression.

He tilted his mouth slightly and let out a smug snort.

"Hmph~"

(End of chapter)