novelsite Chapter 1068 Thank you
Chapter 1068 Thank you
"Boss, how much is this painting?" He Yudong asked.
The stall owner was an old man. He squinted his eyes and looked at He Yudong. He said slowly: "This calligraphy and painting is an authentic work of Tang Bohu. It is priceless. Can you afford it?"
He Yudong sneered in his heart. Tang Bohu's authentic work? It must be a trick! However, this calligraphy and painting does have some value, and maybe it can be used to write something.
"Boss, please name a price." He Yudong said.
The old man held up five fingers and said, "Five hundred dollars!"
"Five hundred yuan?" He Yudong pretended to be surprised and said, "So expensive?"
The old man stroked his beard and said, "You get what you pay for. This is an authentic Tang Bohu painting. Five hundred yuan is already very cheap."
He Yudong laughed inwardly. This old man really knows how to ask for a lot. However, he is not short of money now, and five hundred yuan is nothing to him.
"Okay, five hundred yuan is five hundred yuan. I'll buy this painting." He Yudong said readily.
The old man was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly handed the calligraphy and painting to He Yudong, fearing that he would go back on his word.
He Yudong paid the money and left with the calligraphy and painting. He did not intend to collect the calligraphy and painting, but to use it to set up a trap and severely cheat the Jia family.
After leaving Pigeon City, He Yudong did not go back to the courtyard directly, but went to the scrap collection station. He hid the calligraphy and painting on his body, and then pretended to be a rag picker, searching everywhere in the scrap collection station.
"Hey, comrade, what are you looking for?" a worker came over and asked.
"I...I'm looking for some waste paper." He Yudong said stutteringly.
The worker looked He Yudong up and down. Seeing that he was dressed in rags and looked poor, he didn't think much about it and said, "The waste paper is all over there. Go find it yourself."
He Yudong thanked him, walked to the pile of waste paper, and pretended to search through it.
After a while, he "accidentally" dropped the calligraphy and painting from his body.
"Oh!" He Yudong exclaimed and quickly bent down to pick it up.
At this time, a sharp-eyed worker saw the calligraphy and painting on the ground and exclaimed: "This...isn't this the original work of Tang Bohu?"
The workers around gathered around and started talking.
"A genuine Tang Bohu work? Real or fake?"
“This calligraphy and painting does look quite old.”
"If it's really Tang Bohu's authentic work, it would be worth a lot of money!"
He Yudong pretended to be at a loss and said, "I... I don't know what this calligraphy is. I just picked it up from a pile of waste paper."
At this time, the manager of the scrap collection station also rushed over after hearing the news. He picked up the calligraphy and painting and looked at it carefully, then said excitedly: "This is indeed Tang Bohu's authentic work! It is priceless!"
The workers around were immediately excited and looked at He Yudong with envy.
He Yudong smiled secretly in his heart, his plan was successful!
The stationmaster walked up to He Yudong and said with a big smile on his face: "Comrade, you found this painting at our scrap collection station. According to regulations, it belongs to our scrap collection station."
He Yudong pretended to be aggrieved and said, "But...but I picked up this painting first."
The stationmaster smiled and said, "How about this? I'll give you 100 yuan and this painting will belong to our scrap collection station. What do you think?"
One hundred yuan? He Yudong sneered in his heart. This webmaster is really an old fox. He wants to get rid of him with one hundred yuan?
"No!" He Yudong said loudly, "This calligraphy and painting is an authentic work of Tang Bohu, it is priceless, and you want to buy it for just 100 yuan? No way!"
The stationmaster's face changed and he said, "Well...what do you want to do?"
He Yudong rolled his eyes and said, "How about this, I'll pay one thousand yuan to buy this calligraphy and painting."
The webmaster was stunned. One thousand yuan? Is this guy crazy?
The workers around also started talking about it.
"One thousand dollars? Where did this kid get so much money?"
"Isn't he a liar?"
"I don't think so. This guy looks silly, not like a liar."
The webmaster hesitated for a while, but finally agreed to He Yudong's request. Although one thousand yuan is not a small amount, it is still insignificant compared to the value of this calligraphy and painting.
He Yudong paid 1,000 yuan and left the scrap collection station with the calligraphy and painting. He did not go back to the courtyard directly, but went to...
He Yudong took a thousand yuan and calligraphy and paintings with him, but did not return to the courtyard. Instead, he went to the Qingfeng Steamed Bun Shop in the east of the city. He ordered two trays of steamed buns and a bowl of fried liver with garlic cloves, and his mouth was full of oil.
"System, identify this calligraphy and painting." He Yudong said to himself.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining Tang Yin's authentic painting "Fisherman Hidden in the Mountains and Rivers", which is worth five million."
Five million! He Yudong almost spit out the fried liver in his mouth. This was 1962, what was the concept of five million? He could buy a whole street in the courtyard!
However, He Yudong was not overwhelmed by this huge wealth. He knew that now was not the time to expose this calligraphy and painting. He still understood the principle that a man is innocent but guilty of possessing a treasure.
After eating and drinking, He Yudong wiped his mouth and left the bun shop. He walked straight to the entrance of a remote alley, looked around, and after making sure no one was following him, he slipped into an inconspicuous antique shop.
The store was dimly lit and filled with a stale, musty smell. An old man with a goatee was dozing off behind the counter, holding a long pipe in his hand.
"Ahem," He Yudong coughed twice, and the old man finally opened his sleepy eyes and slowly raised his head, "Young man, what do you want to buy?"
He Yudong took the calligraphy and painting out of his arms and gently placed it on the counter. "Can you take a look at it? How much is it worth?"
The old man narrowed his eyes, picked up the calligraphy and carefully examined it for a long time, then put it to his nose and sniffed it, then slowly said: "This is Tang Yin's original work, and it is well preserved. But, this thing must have come from an illegal place, right?"
He Yudong was shocked. This old man was indeed an expert. He could tell the origin of the calligraphy and painting at a glance. He smiled calmly and said, "You are joking. This is a treasure passed down from my ancestors."
The old man snorted, obviously not believing He Yudong's nonsense. "Young man, I have been in this business for most of my life. What have I not seen? If you really want to sell this thing, I can only give you fifteen hundred at most."
Fifteen thousand? He Yudong almost laughed out loud. This old man is really a fox. He wants to buy a painting worth five million with fifteen thousand?
"Grandpa, your price is too low, isn't it? This is Tang Yin's authentic work!" He Yudong pretended to be in pain.
"Fifteen thousand is not a small amount," the old man took a long puff of his cigarette. "Who would dare to accept such things these days? If they are found out, they will be in big trouble."
He Yudong rolled his eyes and came up with a plan. "How about this, old man? I don't want money. Please do me a favor. I will use this painting in exchange for your help in getting me an ID. How about that?"
The old man was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Young man, you are really brave! Getting an ID? That's illegal!"
"Old man, please don't play tricks on me," He Yudong lowered his voice, "You have been in this business for so long, this little thing shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"
The old man was silent for a while, as if he was weighing the pros and cons. After a while, he sighed and said, "Okay, for the sake of this painting, I will help you. However, after the matter is done, this painting will belong to me."
He Yudong was secretly delighted, but nodded calmly. "Deal!"
In the next few days, He Yudong stayed in the antique shop and never left. The old man really had some connections, and within a few days, he helped He Yudong get a new identity certificate.
On the new identity certificate, He Yudong's name was changed to "He Yuzhu" and his occupation was "steel mill chef".
With a new identity, He Yudong felt like a different person, full of strength. He said goodbye to the old man and left the antique shop.
Back at the courtyard, He Yudong found that the atmosphere was a little off. Jia Zhang was sitting in the yard crying and wailing, while Yi Zhonghai and the aunt tried to persuade her.
"Master, you have to make the decision for me! My daughter-in-law Qin Huairu is pregnant. This is the incense of our Jia family! But that idiot Zhuzi is unwilling to take responsibility!"
Yi Zhonghai frowned, looked at He Yudong, and said in a deep voice: "Zhu Zi, what is going on?"
He Yudong sneered. It seemed that the Jia family wanted to plot against him again. He pretended to be confused and said, "Uncle, what are you talking about? Why don't I understand?"
When Jia Zhang heard this, she was furious. "You are such a heartless person! You and Huairu did something bad in the room, and now you dare not admit it?"
He Yudong cursed in his heart, this Jia Zhang is really a shrew, she just opens her mouth. He was about to open his mouth to refute, but suddenly, the voice of the system sounded in his mind.
"Ding! Triggering the mission: Slap Jia Zhang in the face! Reward: Master the cooking skill!"
Proficient in cooking? He Yudong was delighted. He was worried about how to gain a foothold in the steel mill. Now, with proficient cooking skills, he can become the chef of the steel mill!
"Ms. Jia Zhang, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want," He Yudong said with a sneer, "When did I do anything with Qin Huairu in the room? Show me the evidence!"
Jia Zhang was shocked by He Yudong's sudden tough attitude, and she didn't know what to say for a moment. She was stunned for a moment before she reacted and pointed at He Yudong's nose and cursed: "You...you little beast! How dare you slander me?"
He Yudong sneered and said, "Slander you? I haven't even started yet! Jia Zhang, I tell you, if you dare to talk nonsense again, I will..." At this point, He Yudong deliberately paused, his eyes swept across the crowd, and finally landed on Qin Huairu's belly, "I will tell everyone whose child is in your belly!"
He Yudong took the calligraphy and paintings and did not return to the courtyard, but went straight to the largest antique shop in the city - "Zhenbaozhai".
The owner of Zhenbaozhai was a fat man in his fifties named Qian Baiwan. He had a pair of small eyes that looked very smart. He took the calligraphy and painting from He Yudong, put on a magnifying glass and looked at it carefully for a long time, smelled it, and even licked it with his tongue.
"Well... this painting..." Qian Baiwan dragged out the words in a pretentious manner, but his eyes glanced at He Yudong from time to time, trying to see something from his face.
He Yudong sneered in his heart. With such acting skills, he still wanted to show off in front of him? He pretended to be nervous, rubbing his hands and said, "Boss, this painting... is it real?"
Qian Baiwan put down the calligraphy and painting, took off the magnifying glass, and said slowly: "Little brother, this painting...how should I put it, it looks like an authentic work of Tang Bohu, but it seems that something is not right. There are too many fakes these days, and I can't be 100% sure."
When He Yudong heard this, he cursed in his heart that this fat guy was really an old fox, trying to lower the price! He pretended to be disappointed and said, "Ah? It's not true? Then... then it should be worth some money, right?"
Qian Baiwan rolled his eyes and said, "How about this, little brother? I see that you are also an honest person. I will give you... fifty yuan for this painting. What do you think?"
Fifty yuan? Are you sending away a beggar? He Yudong suppressed his anger and said, "Boss, you are too mean. This is a painting by Tang Bohu. You want to buy it for fifty yuan?"