25: Chapter 25 Nostalgia

When Zhao Jian got up and went out, it was still dark outside.

He hadn't experienced waking up this early in so many days.

Antique Street wasn't like the Vegetable Market, which could operate all day. They only set up stalls from early morning until noon.

It was truly for the early birds.

He took a taxi to his destination.

He straightened his wrinkled suit.

You couldn't dress too nicely here, or you'd be mistaken for a fat sheep and fleeced mercilessly.

It would make bargaining difficult.

Stall number 39.

Zhao Jian glanced at the stall.

It was just a cloth spread on the ground, with various items laid out on it.

A portable radio, a bugle, a piece of red cloth of unknown purpose, and a kerosene lamp.

The goods were diverse and plentiful.

The stall owner was an old man. Seeing Zhao Jian stop in front of his stall, he greeted him enthusiastically: "Young man, feel free to look around. These are all old items, selling them off cheap."

"You have quite a variety here, sir. Let me take a look first."

Zhao Jian squatted on the ground, rummaging through the items seemingly at random.

He couldn't show too much intent, especially when pretending not to care, while trying to get the item he actually wanted as a throw-in.

These days, the elderly listen to novels and know that the throw-in is often the real treasure.

That would give the game away.

He rummaged through the items and picked out three.

They were a kerosene lamp, a red badge, and a 1-catty grain coupon.

"Sir, how much for these?"

The old man craned his neck to get a look, then said with a smile:

"I'll give you a discount on these three. Just give me eighty thousand to show your sincerity."

Zhao Jian quickly put the items down.

He thought to himself, 'As expected of Antique Street, the older they get, the better they are at joking.'

He stood up and said:

"Will you sell them for 200?"

The old man gathered the three items he had put down, as if making a firm decision: "Fine! I see we have a connection, so I'll sell them to you for 200 each!"

Six hundred for four hundred thousand wasn't expensive.

But Zhao Jian still wanted to negotiate further.

"Sir, I meant two hundred in total."

The old man put the three items back on the ground.

"Two hundred wouldn't even cover the cost of acquiring them."

"How about this, let's both compromise. 500! Let me at least make back my cost."

With two sentences, he got the old man to drop the price by a hundred!

"Fine, help me pack them in a plastic bag." Zhao Jian knew when to stop while he was ahead.

His goal was the silver coin inside the kerosene lamp.

After transferring the money to the old man, he picked up the packed bag and left.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, Zhao Jian didn't return to his rental apartment.

He found a quiet storefront that was currently being resold and dismantled the kerosene lamp in a spot without surveillance cameras.

First, he removed the lampshade—nothing.

Then he removed the wick and the base.

Finally, in the iron box that held the kerosene, he pried out a silver coin.

Zhao Jian stared at the silver coin covered in a bit of oil, knowing this was the treasure worth 400,000.

He gently wiped it with the tissue he carried with him.

With antiques, what makes them valuable are the marks left by the passage of time.

You couldn't wipe it too hard.

He wiped away the oil on the surface to ensure it wouldn't stain his clothes, then put it into his pocket.

He put the other three items away as well and walked quickly into an antique shop that bought and sold antiques.

Zhao Jian handed the four items to the shopkeeper.

After careful examination, the shopkeeper pointed to the silver coin and said:

"This one is valuable. I'll give you 400,000 for everything, no bargaining. If you're not satisfied, take it and ask elsewhere."

"Fine." After a moment of thought, Zhao Jian accepted.

Other places might not offer such an honest price.

Once the transaction was complete, 400,000 was added to his card.

His balance returned to 690,000.

Leaving Antique Street, Zhao Jian decided to visit Zhang Tao.

The hospital was very crowded. He carried a fruit basket into the ward, and the room that originally only had Zhang Tao now had two other patients.

At this moment, Zhang Tao was sleeping.

Her rosy, fair face was illuminated by a ray of sunlight, glowing brilliantly.

He couldn't bear to wake her.

Zhao Jian walked gently to the bedside and quietly tidied up the somewhat cluttered items.

Ten minutes later, Zhang Tao's mother returned with a takeout container and smiled when she saw Zhao Jian:

"Young man Zhao is here? Sit down, take a rest. My place is a mess all day long, excuse the clutter."

Zhao Jian quickly waved his hand and said: "It's fine, Auntie."

Hearing the voices, Zhang Tao woke up.

Upon opening her eyes, she saw a handsome man sitting beside her, looking at her with deep affection.

Her eyes instantly softened:

"Little brother, why are you here?"

"Not welcome?"

"Oh, of course not! You're welcome, you're very welcome."

...

Kyoto.

Also a hospital ward.

Su Wanyin kept watch by the hospital bed, filled with worry.

After the doctors' desperate rescue efforts, her mother finally turned the corner and passed the critical period.

On the other side of the bed sat her father, his face dark, accusing her angrily:

"Do you think it was easy raising you? What's wrong with spending a bit of your money? It's not like I lose every time; what can I do if my luck is bad!"

"Besides, your mother's illness is a bottomless pit. Wasn't I just trying to win some back to lighten your burden? Are you going to get angry at your own father?"

Su Wanyin bit her lip.

Finally, when her father called her an ungrateful wretch again, she exploded:

"You think it's hard for you, but is it easy for me? Do you know how much I've sacrificed to earn more money? Win some back? How much have you lost over the years? You've gambled away the money for Mom's treatment! Otherwise, she wouldn't be this sick!"

"Bullshit! Your mother wasn't sick when I was losing. She got sick from working herself to the bone to put you through college. You're the one who harmed her, not me!"

The two of them were arguing louder and louder.

Hearing them, a nurse hurried in and said: "Family members of the patient, please keep quiet. If you want to argue, go outside the hospital!"

Su Wanyin took a deep breath and apologized to the nurse repeatedly.

Her father also fell silent.

After a long while, her emotions calmed down slightly, and she spoke again:

"Before you got hooked on gambling, Mom told me there were over 200,000 in savings. When I was in college, I only asked for 3,000 yuan in tuition each year. Could our family really not afford that? Did Mom need to work herself to death for it?"

Upon hearing this, her father, Su Shengchang, flashed a look of panic in his eyes.

He acted like a rascal and said: "There was 200,000, but that was money I earned from work. Why should I spend it on you!"

"Then why are you using my money to gamble now!"

Su Shengchang was left speechless by the question.

He could only continue acting like a rascal: "I took it, so what? Either you transfer back to work in Kyoto and take care of your mom after work, or the money goes into my hands, and I'll use it however I want."

Su Wanyin couldn't transfer back to Kyoto; she had already inquired about it long ago.

Her current high income was compensation for voluntarily going to Xiong City.

She wouldn't get such good treatment if she came back.

Hearing this, Su Wanyin's eyes reddened, but she didn't cry.

She said expressionlessly: "I have already contacted a caregiver. Someone else will take care of Mom from now on."

"I will also deposit the medical expenses directly into the hospital's account."

"I will not give you any more money."

Hearing that there would be no more money to take, Su Shengchang really panicked.

He had finally waited until his daughter could make money, and he was just about to rely on this cash cow to achieve gambling freedom.

It had only been a few months, and the tree was already cut down?

"No way! Su Wanyin, if you dare not give me money, I'll discharge your mom from the hospital. If you don't believe me, just try it!"

Su Shengchang was certainly capable of doing it.

But he immediately regretted saying those words!