Wuxi City, a famous ancient city in the south of the Yangtze River. It was recorded in historical records more than 500 years ago, and it has been more than 2,500 years now. It is precisely because Wuxi City has a long history and rich cultural history that the custom of collecting antique calligraphy and paintings has always been very prosperous. There are many antique shops in the city, and there are several large-scale antique fairs.
Among them, the antique market in Chenghuang Temple is very famous. Today is the weekend, and more people come to the market to shop for treasures. With the improvement of living standards, there are more and more people who like antiques, so this market is also crowded and lively.
There are stalls on both sides of the street in front of the Town God's Temple, and all the stall owners are trying their best to sell their items to potential customers passing by.
In front of an inconspicuous small booth, a tall, thin young man with quick eyes was selling a piece of bamboo carving to a plainly dressed old man in front of him.
"Old man, you seem to be a connoisseur of goods, so I won't say much about those fools!" The young man was named Li Yuan, and he said to the old man seriously: "Look at this carver. , This bag is at least an old product from the Qing Dynasty, right? I only offer two thousand and five, because you are a person who knows the goods, if someone else asks, the price will be doubled at least!"
The old man had been fooled by Li Yuan before, and he couldn't find the north. After hearing his last sentence, his eyes lit up and he asked: "Really, if others buy it, you will have to double it!"
Li Yuan stared and said: "Of course, at least double. If nothing else, you can take this thing to a pawnshop, and you can put it out with a few thousand yuan. Three or five times is not a problem!"
Hearing that this bamboo carving can make so much money, the old man became even more excited, but he was still a little hesitant to take the bamboo carving.
Although Li Yuan is not very old, he is only in his early twenties, but he is also a veteran in this field. He knew that at this time, he must not rush the other party, otherwise the fish that was about to take the bait might run away. So he didn't say anything more, just waited for the other party to make a decision with a smile on his face.
As Li Yuan expected, the old man quickly made up his mind. He tremblingly took out a wad of money from his pocket, and at the same time muttered to himself in a low voice: "Anyway, the old woman's medical bills will be paid next week, so let's buy this antique first!"
Li Yuan was also full of joy when he saw the old man paid for it. However, when he listened to the other party's words, the smile immediately froze on his face.
Li Yuan's expression was a little stiff, and he pointed to the stack of money in the old man's hand and asked, "You mean, this money was originally used for medical treatment?"
The old man nodded and said: "Yes, the money was originally intended for the old woman to see a doctor, but since there is such a good opportunity, I should invest it first! Anyway, as long as the bamboo carving is done, I don't have to worry about the old woman's medical expenses. !"
While the old man was talking, Li Yuan put his hand into his pocket quietly, and then his cell phone rang. Li Yuan immediately took out the counterfeit mobile phone worth only a few hundred yuan, and said loudly to the other party: "Yes, yes, the bamboo carvings are still there. What? Someone wants it? I have already talked with people here... huh? Thirty-five thousand?! Okay, okay, then I'll go back to him, okay, we'll talk about it when we meet, bye!"
Pretending to put away the phone, Li Yuan said to the old man apologetically, "I'm sorry, old man, a friend of mine asked for this item, so... I can only be sorry!"
"Hey, didn't you say you could sell it to me?" The old man yelled dissatisfiedly, but Li Yuan was determined not to sell bamboo carvings, so after dawdling for a while, the old man reluctantly left.
But when he left, the old man would inevitably complain a few words. Of course, he said that young people nowadays don't keep their promises, and they go back on their promises.
Seeing the back of the old man leaving, Li Yuan also showed a wry smile. In fact, there is no one who has been taken advantage of is willing to pay tens of thousands of yuan to buy this bamboo carving. He said that just to trick the old man away.
Of course Li Yuan wants to make this deal, but he is also a person with a bottom line. Knowing that the money was from the old man to see a doctor for his wife, Li Yuan gave up this opportunity to make a small fortune without hesitation. Thinking of this, Li Yuan couldn't help sighing, and said in his heart: "Oh, bad luck!"
Thinking of this, Li Yuan touched the last three hundred yuan bills left in his pocket, and couldn't help showing a helpless wry smile. Then he took a look at the sky and began to close the stall. Although it was still early to close the stall at this point, Li Yuan still had other things to do, and if he left later, it would be too late.
After skillfully packing up the items on the booth, Li Yuan pushed his bicycle and left the Chenghuangmiao Antique Market. On the busy street, Li Yuan tried his best to drive forward on his bicycle.
From time to time, a limousine drove past Li Yuan, and sometimes through the window glass, the young girl in the passenger seat could be seen. At this time, Li Yuan's eyes would flash with envy. After all, for a man of his age, the combination of a luxury car and a beautiful woman is definitely very attractive.
After his mother passed away, Li Yuan, who graduated from high school, did not continue his studies, but wandered around in the market, relying on odd jobs and stalls to make a living. Li Yuan also knew in his heart that for a grassroots like him, luxury cars and beautiful women are just a distant dream.
But even knowing this, Li Yuan has never given up on his pursuit. To use his favorite sentence, that is "If there is no dream in life, it is no different from a salted fish".
"Just wait and see, sooner or later, my buddies will be prosperous too. At that time, I will buy a dozen luxury cars, and each car will be full of beauties!" Li Yuan looked at the BMW Z4 that just passed by. Speak your ideals out loud in your heart.
However, when Li Yuan was looking forward to a bright future, something suddenly hit his head. Li Yuan even heard a "pop", although it didn't hurt very much, but he was really taken aback.
"What!" Li Yuan hurriedly got off the bicycle and looked around, and immediately found the culprit of the accident - a peach pit that was still spinning around on the ground.
"Who, you are so immoral, throwing everything around!" Li Yuan complained loudly while looking around, trying to find out who threw peach pits on his head.
However, after looking at Li Yuan, he found that there were no tall buildings or pedestrians around, and he didn't even see a car on the fast lane. This puzzled him a lot. If no one was around, where did the peach pit come from
Since there is no "perpetrator" around, Li Yuan's attention quickly focused on the peach pit. After picking it up and taking a closer look, he realized that it was no ordinary peach pit. There is no remaining pulp on the peach pit with fine lines, it has already shown a deep purple color, and the smooth surface reveals a faint luster, obviously it is a very old thing for many years.
After all, Li Yuan often hangs around in the antique market of the Town God's Temple, and he has a good eye. He immediately saw that this peach pit was unusual. This wiped away his anger from being hit on the head just now, and he muttered happily: "You can be hit on the head by old objects on the street, it seems that the buddy is going to be lucky. I will sell this peach pit next week Drop it, you can get a few hundred yuan anyway, maybe next month's rent will be paid, hehe, this is really good!"