The owner of the bamboo slips is a foreign antique dealer named Joseph. He has a neat brown beard and is dressed in a gentlemanly manner, but his eyes reveal shrewdness. When he arrived at the floating restaurant, Yu Nian had already put away the manuscript paper and pen, and was chatting quietly with Xie You.
Seeing Yu Nian and Xie You, Joseph quickened his pace, walked up to him, put the password box in his hand on the ground, and arranged his suit jacket solemnly, then reached out his hand to Yu Nian, and said in substandard Chinese, "It's very Nice to meet you, I wish your father well!"
Yu Nian smiled decently, "Nice to meet you."
After getting Yu Nian's answer, Joseph's smile became brighter, "No, no, no, it's my honor!"
After shaking hands with Xie You again, he sat down on the opposite seat and poured out his bitterness, "I thought this bamboo slip would sell for a good price, but I didn't expect to cause a lot of trouble, and fell into a bilateral dispute between the two countries. Li, it’s really worrying! Last time I was in Hong Kong City, I almost sold something, but I had to withdraw it in the end! I’m a businessman who makes money by buying and selling, so unlucky!”
He added sugar to the coffee cup, stirred it with a small spoon, and said, "Fortunately, your father, Mr. He, is willing to rescue me from this vortex and save me from getting into trouble." He made an exaggerated expression, "I've already bought a plane ticket, and I'm flying to the Mediterranean Sea for vacation tomorrow!"
"Then I wish you a happy holiday first." Yu Nian understood that the other party's enthusiasm, or flattery, was not aimed at him, but at He Xiao behind him.
"Thank you!" Joseph touched his beard and got to the point, "Then let's take a look at the goods?"
"Please."
Joseph put the black suitcase on the table lightly, and said happily, "I was very nervous on the way here, and worried about bumping into it. After all, every millimeter inside is worth a stack of banknotes!"
Yu Nian didn't answer, but asked, "Where did you buy this thing?"
"I'm not telling you lies, because I know that you can easily find out if you want to." It's normal for a buyer to ask about the origin of an item. Joseph's smile remained undiminished, and there was a bit of pride in his expression, " I bought it at a low price from an idiot. That man was a black sheep, he spent all day in the casino, and once he won money from gambling, he invited the people in the casino to drink. The heirloom, his father values it more than his life, but in his opinion, it is just a piece of broken bamboo, a mess, nothing new."
"I paid attention to it as soon as I heard it. Later, when I heard that he owed a large amount of gambling debts, I went to him to negotiate a deal. He gave me the bamboo slips, and I gave him money to help him pay off the debts. This person is not too stupid, you know After bargaining, I added some money in, and the deal was done.”
Yu Nian remembered what Sun Ruozhuo said. The old man of the Sun family thought that the bamboo slips had been burned to ashes in the fire, so he knelt in the ancestral hall for a long time, and vowed not to touch meat in his life to make amends.
With a "snap", the combination lock was unlocked. Joseph opened the box, showed the contents in front of Yu Nian, and raised his eyebrows, "I'm sure you will be satisfied."
What Joseph said was right, every bamboo slip in the box was well preserved, even if it was passed down from generation to generation and spanned countless time, there was no major damage. Sweeping his gaze one by one, Yu Nian remained calm and said calmly, "Are you sure it's the real thing?"
Joseph said quickly, "How dare I lie to you with fake products, then am I courting death?"
Yu Nian raised the corners of his mouth, with a half-smile, and said, "My father invited an appraiser to come over, and he is waiting in this restaurant. Your goods need to be inspected." Seeing that Joseph's expression was not very good, Yu Nian picked it up again. One sentence, "You bought the things at low prices from fools. Maybe you will treat me as a fool and sell fakes to me at high prices, won't you?"
Joseph twirled his beard and looked embarrassed.
Soon, the appraiser came in with the equipment and made the appraisal in front of several people. The result that came out was indeed not a fake, so Yu Nian let go, and said calmly, "What is your asking price?"
Joseph compared five fingers.
Yu Nian knew in his heart that Joseph was a pure businessman. In his eyes, all the added value of the bamboo slips could be converted into corresponding dollars. In the same way, the troubles caused by things must also be deducted from the corresponding amount.
Picking up the bone china cup, Yu Nian took a sip of coffee slowly, without any sense of urgency. After Joseph's eyes became a little anxious, he asked, "This item is not easy to sell now, and you don't want it to fall into your hands, and you won't be able to get rid of it for ten or twenty years."
Joseph also restrained his expression, and said in a firm tone, "You and I are very clear that this item is of inestimable value to you and your country. Fifty million US dollars is not a high price."
Yu Young smiled, the corners of his lips were not more than two points wide, and the brows were even more aggressive. He tapped the table twice with his fingers, and he said slowly, "Then you should also understand a truth. The more immeasurable the value and the greater the significance, the greater the trouble it will cause and the more difficult it is to solve. Of course, you should have a deeper understanding than me on this issue."
Joseph didn't speak.
Yu Nian picked up his coffee again and took a sip, "Am I right?"
Putting down the bone china cup, Yu Nian continued, "If you can't sell this item, it's like a knife hanging above your head. I guess your enjoyment of vacation will be compromised."
Joseph stroked the handle of the cup with his fingers, and did not speak for a long time.
Seeing this attitude, the expression on Yu Nian's face became obviously cold, "Since you have no intention of making this deal, then I'll take it as if you came here to enjoy the scenery here." After saying that, he and Xie You stood up straight away.
Joseph raised his head and spoke faster, "What's your asking price?"
Yu Nian said a number, "Fifteen million."
"Too little!" Joseph squeezed the spoon tightly, "Impossible!"
From top to bottom, Yu Nian looked directly at Joseph and sneered, "You can't be too greedy, can you? You want to get rid of troubles and stuff a lot of money into your pockets, that's impossible."
After a long silence, Joseph's nose moved slightly, "Now?"
"Of course, if you give me something, the money will be yours."
Sitting still for a while, Joseph put his hands on his thighs, wrinkled the ironed trousers, and then spoke, the voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "Deal, I must get the money immediately! "
Yu Nian turned around, his tone unchanged, "A deal, happy cooperation."
Carrying the password box and coming out of the floating restaurant, Xie You opened the big umbrella, and Yu Nian held the box in his arms lovingly, the smile on the corner of his lips didn't fade away.
Holding people to avoid puddles, Xie You couldn't help but kiss Yu Nian's eyes under the umbrella, "Nian Nian, don't just focus on being happy, walk well."
The look in Yu Nian's eyes was bright, and he replied, "Okay!" He added, "If I fall, the things in the box will be knocked too."
Xie You had no choice but to hold him in his arms and protect him.
At the same time, in the domestic forum, another post floated to the front page.
"Someone found out on Weibo that Yu Nian's father is Yu Zhusheng, everyone?"
"—I just wanted to say that it's interesting. This topic has been discussed for a hundred or eighty years, and I'm tired of watching it!"
"—Fuck Yu Zhusheng? The top three in Hong Kong City's richest list, is it real? And I remember that Yu Zhusheng has a big wife who gave birth to four children, and there is an illegitimate child who has no name or distinction outside. Girl, what's the situation in Yu Nian? Is it the illegitimate child of the Yu family who is not prepared to recognize his identity? Does he have a share in the property fight?"
"—Does the one upstairs have any brains? Can a girl from such a prominent family as the Qingshan Yu clan fall in love with a married man like Yu Zhusheng?"
"—If it's really picked out, Yu Nian is a disgusting illegitimate child. His fans will probably go crazy. He's happy to hear about it! Talented and good-looking, it's just as disgusting!"
"—Are black fans so brainless, and just goof around when they catch them? Or is it that the marketing account is also chasing performance? The topic of parents is as black and black as a wheel, can you have something new? Hurry up and take Niannian away!"
On the other side, when he got in the car, Yu Nian put the suitcase on his lap, and when he heard the phone ringing, he pressed to answer, "Sister Rourou?" He calculated the time in his heart, it should be eight o'clock in the morning in China, and he was in a good mood I said a good morning authentically.
Shi Rou said anxiously, "Niannian, are you free now?"
Yu Nian heard that her tone was wrong, "I'm free, what's the matter?"
"Some time ago, didn't the speculation about your parents appear at the bottom of the forums and hot search lists from time to time? Later, when you appeared on Lin Sha's show, Lin Sha didn't announce it at all because of the popularity of the show. Asking you relevant questions obliquely."
Yu Nian remembered, "Well, Double Ninth Festival."
"Yes!" Shi Rou spoke quickly, "It's the Double Ninth Festival issue. Didn't you mention on the show every year that your father is not in good health recently? Netizens are so powerful that they just picked up your father's identity." It was also found out that your father is now living in the Yangyi Sanatorium in Hong Kong City."
Yu Nian didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Who do they say my father is?"
"Yu Zhusheng!"
Yu Nian was not familiar with this name, so he turned his head and asked Xie You, "Who is Yu Zhusheng?"
Xie You answered succinctly, "The chairman of the Brilliant Group is fifty-eight years old and has four children. A month ago, he suddenly fell ill and was admitted to the hospital. The four children and an illegitimate daughter are fighting for family property."
Shi Rou over there also heard the conversation between Yu Nian and Xie You, and quickly realized, "So, Nian Nian, isn't your father Yu Zhusheng, right?"
Yu Nian smiled, "Really not, I don't even know him."
"Ah, I'm so scared to death," Shi Rou rejoiced, but also felt ashamed, and said disgruntledly, "I didn't believe it at first, but after reading the posts on the Internet, they all made sense. The more you read, the more real it becomes. I was scared to death! Stop talking, stop talking, I hung up the phone, and you will pretend that you have never received this call every year!"
"Wait," Yu Nian called Shi Rou to stop, and asked curiously, "What did you say on the Internet, do you even believe Sister Rou Rou?"
"First, let's list the evidence. It is said that Yu Zhusheng worked in Ningcheng for two years when he was young, and he happened to be the same age as Niannian. This Yu Zhusheng is a mixed race from five countries, and he looks handsome. There are always good-looking people. If there are one or two similarities, some people will analyze that your faces are similar. I can’t remember the other things that are messy, but anyway, it makes sense and is very confusing!”
Shi Rou couldn't hold back her face, "I woke up early in the morning, and my mind was a little sleepy. After reading the compiled materials, I was so anxious that I called you first without thinking too much. Ah, I'm really ashamed. If Brother Meng knew about it, he might be ridiculed."
"Well, don't worry, I won't tell Brother Meng." Yu Nian thought for a while, "However, sister Rourou, please tell Brother Meng to suppress the heat of this topic."
Shi Rou didn't ask any further questions, and quickly said, "Okay!"
Back at the place where he lived, Yu Nian first carefully put away the black combination box containing the bamboo slips, and then took out the paper with a string of messy musical notes written on it. You stretched your neck, bent your eyes and smiled, "I'm really happy!"
Xie You patted Yu Nian's lower back lightly twice, and a smile appeared in his eyes, and he hugged Yu Nian directly in his posture.
Startled by Xie You's sudden movement, Yu Nian consciously wrapped his legs around the other's waist, said with a smile, "I'm going to fall", and let the other party hug him and sit on the sofa.
Leaning in Xie You's arms, Yu Nian bowed his head, fiddling with Xie You's fingers, and counted them down one by one in order, ""The Picture of Continuous Rain in Mountains and Rivers", a fishtail bottle with landscape patterns, a cloud-floating pine-crane bottle, and a bird singing branches Yuzun, "Drunken Horse Touring Spring Picture", "Insomnia Poster", "Praying for Heaven's Virtue Manuscript", Chang Fangzun, "National Book" bamboo slips, nine pieces, none of which is bad."
Holding Xie You's finger, he was silent for a few seconds, Yu Nian raised his eyelashes, emotions that he couldn't figure out filled his heart. After a long while, he said, "Xie You, I have found them all."
As he spoke, he blinked several times in a row, trying to suppress the soreness that surged up.
Xie You hugged him, leaned closer and kissed Yu Nian's eyelids lightly, and said softly, "Well, we are very good at Nian Nian, and it's not easy." He coaxed clumsily again, "Be good."
Yu Nian was originally holding on to his emotions, but when he heard Xie You's last sentence, he couldn't help but bury his face on the side of Xie You's neck, rubbed it lightly, and said sullenly, "I got it all back, that share Everything on the list is not bad, but... neither grandpa nor grandma can see it."
Holding the material of Xie You's windbreaker in his hands, a sense of loss and inexplicable sadness suddenly filled his heart - compared with these so-called dead things, human life is but a moment in a thousand years.
He also remembered that grandpa was sitting in the study, slowly unfolding a scroll, looking at the ink stains on it, and said slowly, "Every year, look, after hundreds of years, this writing is still the same as before, with iron paintings and silver hooks. , majestic. Me, you, countless people, but they are all bones. Thinking about it this way, isn’t it sad?”
At that time, he was only not much higher than the book case, and he didn't quite understand what he heard, but he felt a little sad, so he nodded.
Grandpa touched his head and said gently, "But after thinking about it, these things, whether it's porcelain, bronze, or writing, calligraphy and painting, are all created by us, aren't you proud?"
He scratched the edge of the table and nodded seriously, "Yes."
"So what we have tried our best to protect and preserve is our civilization, inheritance and history. Although my life is only a hundred years old, my family has survived through the ages. Compared with the ancient world, the sun and the moon, human beings are too small. It is also too fragile and short-lived, but the fire of civilization is not extinguished, the continuation of life is not extinguished, and 'I' will last forever."
"Grandpa, I don't understand."
"We are still young every year, it doesn't matter if we don't understand, and we will gradually understand in the future."
Leaning in Xie You's arms, Yu Nian looked at the password box safely placed on the table, and suddenly felt that he understood a little more.