Chapter 164

So much time has passed, and the past grudges should have been resolved by now.

During this period, he made a lot of money from selling antiques, and planned to settle down in Siheyuan after finishing his last job.

At worst, I can just apologize to Li Jiandong and even compensate him a few hundred yuan.

The key is to have a home of your own.

With this in mind, Yi Zhonghai prepared to make a big move in this final move.

He has been collecting things during this period, and among them there is an item that looks priceless, but is actually a fake.

When Yi Zhonghai received it, he could tell it was a fake, but he still accepted it.

After all, this kind of counterfeit is cheaper, and if he can sell it to others at the price of the genuine product, he will make a fortune.

At present, the fake has been hidden in Yi Zhonghai's place for more than a year.

Yi Zhonghai never had the courage to sell it. After all, this thing was too valuable. If someone found out, he would definitely not be spared.

But now he is ready to call it quits, with only this last piece of stock left, and Yi Zhonghai is ready to sell it.

"I have been collecting junk for three years and have earned five or six thousand yuan. If I sell this thing as an authentic product, my income can at least double."

One item could equal his income for three years, which made Yi Zhonghai think more and more that he could take the risk.

The most important thing is that he has met a group of colleagues in recent times. They collect antiques under the guise of collecting junk, and their bids are very aggressive, sometimes higher than the market price, but they don't care at all.

Yi Zhonghai had been eyeing them for a long time.

This time, he was going to sell the fake item to the people from the Rag Gang.

Yi Zhonghai had seen them many times during this period and found them easily.

On this day, Yi Zhonghai found an opportunity and stopped a member of the Rag Gang.

"Hey, bro! You from the Rags?"

The other party was a middle-aged man in his thirties. When he heard Yi Zhonghai's question, he spoke with some caution.

"Who are you? What ragtag gang? I don't know what you're talking about."

After all, their business as the rag-and-bone gang was to collect antiques, and at that time, collecting antiques was not a serious job.

If people knew about this, there would be trouble.

Although Han Chunming's family has connections, it is better to avoid trouble if possible.

Yi Zhonghai also knew what the other party was afraid of, so he took the initiative to tell him his purpose.

He said with a smile on his face.

"Don't get me wrong, buddy. I'm also a rag picker. If you want to join our rag picker gang, we can help each other."

The other person glanced at him and waved his hand in disdain.

"No, no! You are too old to join us. Our gang won't want you."

Seeing that the other party was about to leave, Yi Zhonghai hurried forward to stop him.

"Brother, don't leave yet, I still have something to say."

The other party was already a little impatient and said in a bad tone, "If you have anything else to say, please tell me quickly. I'm busy."

"Brother, let me tell you the truth. I am just like you. I am collecting antiques in the name of collecting junk. I used to do small things by myself. I just got to know a few brothers in our gang recently. So I want to join in and do my part for our gang."

Yi Zhonghai said it nicely, but in fact, this was his strategy.

On the surface, he wanted to join in, but in fact he wanted to bring out his own samples from this topic.

After all, if I go to their door and say I have antiques to sell to them, they will easily become wary.

However, if you want to join the other party, and when the other party wants to test your ability, you can take out your fake work.

This will seem much more natural and the other party will be less vigilant.

It has to be said that Yi Zhonghai had considered a lot before selling this fake.

When the other party heard what Yi Zhonghai said, he looked at him with some suspicion, glanced at him up and down several times before asking tentatively.

"Brother, where did you hear this rumor? But I have to tell you that we in the Rag Gang are rag pickers. I don't understand what you are talking about."

Seeing that the other party was so vigilant, Yi Zhonghai simply took out his collection.

Open the sack in your hand and show it to the other party:

"Brother, you see, I really didn't lie to you. We are really in the same business. This porcelain came from the palace. I collected it from the home of a high-ranking official. The official is now dead, and his descendants are not very good. They have sold everything that can be sold in the family, and only this heirloom is left."

"It cost me more than 3000 dollars to get it back."

"I brought up such a precious thing for you to see. This is enough to prove my sincerity."

Yi Zhonghai finally showed his fangs.

As for, how much truth and how much falsehood are there in these words?
Then only he knows.

The other party looked at the porcelain in the sack and felt a little surprised and doubtful.

Since they were able to join the Rag Gang, they must know something about antiques.

The porcelain in Yi Zhonghai's sack does not look like an ordinary object.

If you really collected more than 3000 yuan, then you will get a lot of rewards if you take it back.

But this is a big item after all.

There are rules in the junk gang: if something is worth a dozen or twenty dollars, you can buy it first and then exchange it for money later. No matter whether it is genuine or a fake, you will be paid according to the purchase price in the end.

But if the price is too high, they must report to their superiors.

Only after finding a more senior person to appraise it can we decide whether to purchase it.

The man in front of him was just an ordinary member of the Rags and Blasteds.

Such a valuable item, not to mention him, even the small leader above him is not qualified to purchase it.

In the entire gang, perhaps only the gang leader Han Chunming is qualified to purchase this item.

Even so, as long as he passed the news to Han Chunming, he would definitely get a lot of money if he really got the treasure.

Isn't the reason why everyone joins the Rags Gang just to make money?

Regardless of whether what the person in front of me said was true or false, since it was an opportunity, I had to give it a try.

Then the man said:
"Brother, if you want to join our Rag Gang, you should know our rules. We collect antiques to protect cultural relics, not to make money for ourselves. If you want to join our gang, you must hand over this thing in your hand."

"Of course, we will definitely give you corresponding compensation. It will be based on the purchase price plus 20% labor fee. If you agree, I will go back to our gang leader. If you don't agree, forget it."

Of course Yi Zhonghai knew this rule. Otherwise, why would he propose to join the Rags Gang?

I just want to rely on this rule to sell things.

However, he pretended to be a little entangled.

"Ah? You still have such rules, this..."

He pretended to be embarrassed and thought for a long time. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I still want to join you. Otherwise, such a precious thing, now that you already know about it. I'm worried that someone will snatch it away."

The other party laughed and felt relieved.

But he said:
"Brother, you have misjudged us. We in the Rags Gang do want to make money, but we won't do anything illegal just to make money. The money we earn through hard work is enough for us to spend."

He himself didn't believe what he said.

After all, collecting antiques is not supported in itself.

Of course Yi Zhonghai didn't believe his lies, but he knew that sometimes he had to turn a blind eye.

Now that the matter has been settled, the next step is naturally to call the superior to authenticate the authenticity of the cultural relics.

The two agreed on a place to meet next time and went back.

In the evening of that day, the man came again and took Yi Zhonghai to the outside of a large courtyard.

There aren't a lot of people around this place.

But it’s not particularly remote, so at least you don’t have to worry about being robbed.

The two waited outside the yard for a while before a young man about sixteen or seventeen years old walked out of the yard.

After seeing Yi Zhonghai and the other party, this young man who seemed a little too young asked,
"Is this the person who wants to join us? You want to join our Rags Gang, do you understand the rules?"

Yi Zhonghai nodded.

"I understand. I understand."

The man who brought him here said, "This is our Rag Gang's leader Han. Leader Han's family members work in the upper echelons. With him protecting us, we don't have to worry if anything goes wrong. If you deliberately go out and cause trouble, we will also clean up your mess."

Yi Zhonghai nodded repeatedly.

"I'm sure I won't go out and cause trouble. I'm an honest man."

Han Chunming waved his hand.

"Okay, let's not talk about this for now. Where are your things? Let me take a look first."

Income in the ragtag gang is not so casual. Under normal circumstances, there must be someone to recommend you, and unfamiliar people are not allowed to join.

The reason why Yi Zhonghai was viewed differently this time was mainly because he had a cultural relic worth 3000 yuan.

If this artifact is fake or does not exist at all.

Then, they would definitely not want Yi Zhonghai.

The target of both parties was the cultural relic, so Yi Zhonghai did not say anything more and directly and decisively handed over the sack in his hand. Han Chunming asked him to put the sack on the ground.

Then he opened it and found a piece of porcelain inside.

A lot of newspapers and cotton were placed around and inside the porcelain.

Cotton is not cheap these days.

However, for more valuable antiques, especially porcelain antiques that are easily damaged, it is understandable to add more cotton.

Yi Zhonghai put the things on the ground and took a step back.

This is the rule for antique appraisal. It cannot be handled by two people. Otherwise, what if two people touch the antique at the same time and break it?
Just arguing is a waste of energy.

Han Chunming certainly knew this rule and saw Yi Zhonghai step back.

He also walked forward and carefully picked up the shareholder with both hands.

Then I looked left and right, front and back, inside and out.

Soon he put the antique down again.

"This thing of yours is fake."

Han Chunming's unique skill is to identify the authenticity of cultural relics, although the success rate is only 90%.

However, since even Yi Zhonghai could tell that this antique was fake, there was no reason for him not to be able to see it.

At this moment, knowing that what he heard was false, the middle-aged man who brought Yi Zhonghai here immediately cursed angrily.

"Damn it! I thought there really was some cultural relic worth 3000 yuan. You wasted a whole day of my time. What a damn bad luck."

Han Chunming comforted him:
"Okay, stop complaining. Isn't this normal? In our line of work, it's inevitable that we won't be noticed."

After saying that, he turned to Yi Zhonghai.

"Master, I'm sorry. I won't play tricks on you. We in the Junk Gang don't just accept people casually. We let you try it out for the sake of your cultural relic. Now it's confirmed that this thing is fake. We are not destined to be together anymore."

Han Chunming is different from other members of the Rags Gang. After all, he has a backer. So he speaks directly and confidently.

Yi Zhonghai didn't expect that the young man had such a good eyesight.

Yi Zhonghai has a strong learning ability. He has been working in this field for many years. When he found out that this piece was a fake, he confirmed it again and again, while the other party only took a few glances and was able to tell that it was fake.

Yi Zhonghai also suspected the other party at first, thinking that he might be pretending.

But the other party's temperament was so calm that Yi Zhonghai subconsciously believed that the other party must be telling the truth.

Since the other party has someone in the family, it is obvious that he has seen a lot of these things since he was a child. Perhaps he has been learning to recognize antiques since he can remember.

It is understandable that the other party has better judgment than you.

Yi Zhonghai is a person who can afford to lose and let go.

Since the other party had seen through him, he didn't continue to pester him.

He just sighed and said, "Since Gang Leader Han said this thing is a fake, then this object should really be fake."

"I can only blame myself for my poor judgment. Even if Gang Leader Han didn't say anything, I wouldn't have the face to continue to join our gang. Let's leave it at that. Goodbye."

After Yi Zhonghai finished speaking, he put the porcelain vase back into the sack.

Then stuff it tightly with newspaper and cotton.

Although he didn't sell anything today, he didn't plan to smash the fakes. Who knows, he might meet another blind person like him in the future.

Anyway, if I keep this thing, I'll have a chance to sell it.

Seeing how cautious he was, Han Chunming knew what the other party was thinking, but of course he had no intention of stopping him.

After separating from Han Chunming, Yi Zhonghai was thinking on the road about who his next target would be.
You know, this antique was intended to be sold for five or six thousand yuan. The target customers were not easy to find, and ordinary people simply could not afford it.

And those rich people are all very shrewd. It is impossible for them to simply spend money to buy such expensive cultural relics.

Apart from the Rags and Bone Gang, it’s really hard to find the next target.

"Forget it. Whether you have money or not, you have to go home for the New Year. I'll sell this porcelain slowly later. I've made a lot of money in the past two years. I'd better go back to the courtyard first."

After so many years away from home, Yi Zhonghai really missed home.

Especially now, the Chinese New Year is approaching.

Yi Zhonghai's mood was even more up and down, and he couldn't calm down the whole day.

He felt that so much time had passed and the people in the hospital should have let go of their grudges. Even if they hadn't, he could go back and apologize.

Even if you only spend two or three hundred dollars, it's worth it.

My house alone is worth more than 500 yuan.

After a night of ideological struggle.

The next day, Yi Zhonghai returned to Yard No. 40 with all his belongings.

Today is the first day of the first lunar month. After the young people in the yard paid their New Year's greetings to the old people, they all prepared to go to Li Jiandong to pay their New Year's greetings to him.

It has always been like this in previous years. At the beginning, only a few of Li Jiandong’s apprentices brought their children to pay New Year’s greetings to Li Jiandong.

Later, other people in the hospital also went there spontaneously.

After all, Li Jiandong was the boss of Yard 40. Although he had moved away, his influence was still there.

Over the years, Li Jiandong has been helping No. 40 Courtyard, including promoting people in the courtyard and doing some other things.

When Yi Zhonghai came, Yan Bugui was cleaning his bicycle.

Later, everyone in the courtyard will go together to pay New Year's greetings to Li Jiandong. Everyone in the courtyard has a bicycle, so of course they will all ride their bicycles.

Although he is the third uncle in the courtyard, he is no exception.

See Yi Zhonghai walk in.

Yan Bugui was stunned for a moment.

After not seeing each other for so many years, he felt very strange when he suddenly saw Yi Zhonghai.

"You are? Yi Zhonghai?"

Yan Bugui asked seriously.

A few years have passed, and Yi Zhonghai's appearance has not changed much. But his sudden appearance here is still very shocking.

Yi Zhonghai forced a smile on his face and said to Yan Bugui.

"Old Yan, it's me. I haven't seen you for a few years. You still look so good."

Yan Bugui was shocked and asked Yi Zhonghai:

"No, Lao Yi, why are you back? Where have you been during this period? What is the meaning of your return this time?"

Yi Zhonghai said with a smile.

"Oh, it's a long story over the years. I know I did something wrong and I'm too embarrassed to come back to see you. But no matter what, this is my home."

"Isn't today Chinese New Year? I just can't stay out any longer. I want to come back to see you guys and apologize to you guys."

Yi Zhonghai's words were flawless.

It is easier to gain sympathy by taking the initiative to confess your mistakes than to hide them.

Yan Bugui had nothing to say about this. The other person's house was still in this yard, so it was normal for him to come back.

but……

"Lao Yi, why didn't you tell us in advance that you were coming back for such a big event? Someone else is living in your house now. If you suddenly come back, where will they live?"

Yi Zhonghai was stunned for a moment.

He just suddenly wanted to go back to the hospital, and he had never thought about this problem.

But soon he said:

"Isn't this right, Old Yan? I've been away for several years, but how can the house continue to be rented out to others without my consent? Even if it is rented out, who will get the rent? I haven't received a penny."

"But it doesn't matter. I have damaged our yard. These rents can be regarded as my compensation. But now I am back. This house should still be occupied by me. Don't you think this makes sense?"

Yi Zhonghai had a very clear plan. In this way, the compensation that was originally planned would no longer be necessary.

How much is the rent for two years?

It's just a house, and the annual rent would be only about 30 or 40 yuan, even if you calculate the maximum.

Yi Zhonghai had been gone for less than two years, and the money he made was only 50 yuan at most.

Yi Zhonghai didn't care about this little bit of money at all.

If he could make up for it with this little bit of money, his relationship with the people in the hospital would be a huge success.

"This……"

Yan Bugui didn't know what to say.

Yi Zhonghai is telling the truth.

But it’s New Year’s Day, we can’t ask Director Yang and his team to move out, right?
I saw Yi Zhonghai walking towards the central courtyard.

Yan Bugui also hurriedly followed behind.

When Yi Zhonghai knocked on the door, he ran to the backyard.

(End of this chapter)