Chapter 2
“One hundred million?”
Qi Linlin’s alluring eyes widened slightly. “Then her father is basically giving you no chance. In today’s world, not to mention young people from ordinary families, even those from middle-class backgrounds, it’s almost impossible to earn a hundred million in three years unless they have some extraordinary opportunity.”
Opportunity?
Jiang Cheng thought to himself. Perhaps the red orb his grandfather left behind, which had merged into his left eye, was his opportunity.
“Sigh, what a pity. Back then, you and Nan Nan were the model couple we all envied. Many people thought you’d go from school uniforms to wedding dresses,” Qi Linlin said, though it was unclear if she genuinely felt regret or was just making small talk.
Jiang Cheng smiled. “Maybe I still have a chance?”
“Huh? Do you really think… you actually want to make a hundred million in three years?” Qi Linlin asked in surprise.
Jiang Cheng replied, “I’ll give it a try. Nan Nan said she’s willing to wait for me. Besides, if I don’t try, wouldn’t I regret it for the rest of my life?” He had initially been prepared to give up, as it really seemed hopeless. But things were different now—the mysterious changes in his left eye had given him confidence.
“True, you shouldn’t have any regrets,” Qi Linlin said, thinking she understood Jiang Cheng’s meaning. She assumed he just wanted to try so he wouldn’t have any lingering regrets.
The two chatted casually and soon finished their lunch. Then they headed back to the Tang City Antique Market together.
Nabao Pavilion was not far from the bank where Qi Linlin worked, so Jiang Cheng courteously offered to walk her back.
“Goodbye. Now that we live close by, let’s have a meal together sometime,” Qi Linlin said with a smile as she stood at the bank’s entrance.
It might have been just a polite smile, but with the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, it looked irresistibly seductive.
Jiang Cheng waved his hand. “Better not. If Zijie finds out I’m having lunch alone with you, he’ll want to kill me.”
“Who cares about him? He’s not anyone to me,” Qi Linlin emphasized seriously.
Jiang Cheng shook his head, saying no more, and turned to leave. He wanted to test his left eye again that afternoon.
Qi Linlin watched his back for a moment before entering the bank. A colleague glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. “Linlin, was that your boyfriend? Not bad—tall and handsome. You two look great together, way better than that Liu Zijie who came looking for you last time.”
Qi Linlin paused, then shook her head. “No, just a classmate.”
“A classmate? Then hurry up and make a move. If you don’t like him, introduce him to me,” her colleague joked.
“Stop joking. He has a girlfriend, and she’s gorgeous,” Qi Linlin replied, though she added silently in her heart, “But they’ll definitely break up soon.”
…
The location of Nabao Pavilion in the Tang City Antique Market was actually quite good, with a decent flow of customers. However, Jiang Cheng’s grandfather lacked talent in antique appraisal. Despite spending most of his life studying antiques, his ability to identify them was still subpar.
Because his appraisal skills were lacking, he rarely made profitable finds. He often sold valuable items cheaply and bought worthless items at high prices. With this kind of business, it’s no wonder Nabao Pavilion had been running at a loss for years, nearly going bankrupt.
Jiang Cheng stood in the shop’s main hall, looking at the various items displayed on the antique shelves, and sighed helplessly.
To keep Nabao Pavilion running, he had many things to do. First, the shop’s interior was quite shabby and needed a makeover. Second, most of the items in the shop were fakes, and the fakes were too obvious. No one would want to buy them, even as decorations. So he needed to replace them with better-quality replicas. As for genuine items, that would have to wait until he found some.
“Money,” Jiang Cheng sighed. The 150,000 yuan he had just made from picking up a bargain wasn’t even enough for a decent renovation.
He found a piece of paper and his grandfather’s calligraphy brush and wrote a job advertisement. He planned to hire a shop assistant.
His grandfather had never hired help because he stayed in the shop all day. But Jiang Cheng was different; he couldn’t stay in the shop all day. The mysterious ability of his left eye gave him many possibilities.
After posting the advertisement outside the shop, Jiang Cheng locked the door and headed straight to the southern area of the Antique Market, where the street stalls were located.
The antique street stalls had all sorts of items, ranging from “national treasures” to radios from the last century. The former was unlikely to be real, and the latter still held little value today.
The stalls were packed with various items, so there was a slight chance of finding something valuable—if one had exceptional appraisal skills.
But for Jiang Cheng, things were a bit different. With the miraculous ability of his left eye, as long as there was something valuable to be found at the stalls, he would certainly discover it.
Just like in the morning, the Ming Dynasty copper statue of the Willow Guanyin he sold to Yang Yao was bought from one of these stalls. The stall owner hadn’t recognized its value, allowing Jiang Cheng to get it at a low price.
It was just after lunch, so there weren’t many people around. The stall owners were either lazily smoking while squatting or sitting on small stools reading books. A few scattered individuals were looking at the items, hoping to strike it rich by picking up a bargain.
Jiang Cheng silently walked in, glancing quickly at the street stalls as he passed by. His observation was swift and did not conform to the usual antiques trading practices.
After about ten minutes, Jiang Cheng’s eyes flickered slightly as he stopped in front of a modest stall. The vendor was a middle-aged man in his forties, engrossed in playing with his phone.
“Boss, why do you have so few items here?” Jiang Cheng squatted down and asked.
The items on this stall were scattered and mostly consisted of popular collectibles like porcelain and jade, totaling no more than twenty pieces.
“I don’t deal in antiques. These were collected by my father as a hobby. Since he passed away, these items are of no use, so I’m selling them off to earn a bit,” the middle-aged man explained straightforwardly. “He didn’t really understand antiques; it was just a hobby. These items aren’t valuable. I’m selling them cheap as decorations.”
Jiang Cheng nodded, his gaze falling on a yellow-glazed porcelain plate. When he had initially scanned it, his left eye had felt a slight warmth.
He carefully picked up the plate, which surprisingly had an inscription on the bottom: “Made in the Yongzheng Period of the Great Qing Dynasty” in six-character double-line regular script.
Official kiln?
Could it be? Genuine official kiln porcelain at a street stall?
Jiang Cheng was quite surprised. Such official kiln porcelain would not have appeared in the hands of ordinary people in ancient times. The probability of it appearing in the hands of ordinary people now, especially at a street stall, was even lower.
However, the sensation from his left eye should not be wrong. After the red orb left by his grandfather merged into his left eye, Jiang Cheng had received information in his mind, knowing that if the objects his left eye saw were genuine antiques, it would emit warmth. By holding the item and focusing, he could even know specific authentication details.
With astonishment in his heart, Jiang Cheng focused on the yellow-glazed porcelain plate in his hand.
Within a few breaths, information was transmitted to Jiang Cheng’s mind from his left eye.
“Qing Dynasty Yongzheng Yellow-Glazed Plate.”
“The repair is neat, the shape is elegant, the lines are smooth, the base is coated with white glaze, and the rim shows a hint of firestone red body color, which is a variety imitating Ming Dynasty yellow glaze. The double circles inside are decorated with blue and white script ‘Made in the Yongzheng Period of the Great Qing Dynasty’ in six-character double-line regular script. The yellow glaze is thick, with a delicate and elegant color, bright and clear. This is a genuine official kiln piece from the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty.”
Official kiln from the Qing Dynasty, really?
Jiang Cheng was astonished, then his amazement turned into joy. Just as he was about to say something, someone passing by saw him and sneered, “Oh, isn’t that Jiang Dajun’s grandson? Why is he at a street stall? Don’t tell me he’s trying to pick up leaks at a stall?”
“Haha, Jiang Dajun has been a joke in the antique business for half his life, and even in death, he’s still a joke. Are you planning to inherit your grandfather’s legacy and become the new joke in Tang City’s antique world? Picking up leaks at a street stall, it’s really laughable.”
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