57: Chapter 57 Give it to me

The dog's gaze made Zhao Jian wish he could just reach down and pluck off both of its 'bells' right then and there!

But he couldn't rush it.

He tentatively reached out to pet the dog's head again.

He touched it.

The dog was enjoying it.

Taking advantage of the fact that everyone's attention in the court was on the young girl and the shuttlecock,

he successfully removed the copper bell and stuffed it with tissue paper to keep it from making any noise.

He hid it away.

Then, he called the Landlady.

“Sister Liu, I found the dog. It's at the badminton hall. Okay, I'll wait for you.”

When Liu Ying answered the phone, she was still going door-to-door in Building 7 to ask around.

Upon learning that her Little Yellow had run off to the badminton hall, she immediately rushed over.

While Zhao Jian was waiting,

the young girl practicing nearby grew tired and stopped to rest.

Wiping the fine sweat from her face, she walked toward Zhao Jian and asked,

“What is your dog's name? It's so well-behaved; it even helped me pick up the shuttlecocks.”

The girl had fair skin and an oval face.

She was the typical elegant beauty.

If he were really there to pick up girls, Zhao Jian would have definitely used this chance to invite her back to his place to see the dog do a backflip.

But he was there to make money.

Right now, he just wanted to get away.

“It's my friend's dog. I guess its name is Little Yellow.”

After saying that, Zhao Jian stood up and moved to a different spot.

He could see the girl wanted to interact with the dog. If he stayed in his original spot, it would be easy for them to have physical contact.

She was covered in too much sweat; if it rubbed off on him, it would get his clothes dirty.

Seeing him pull away, the girl felt a bit startled.

No way... Was she that ugly?

Usually, countless men would look for any excuse to get close to her, but today, someone actually seemed repulsed by her!

No, the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

Just as the girl was petting the dog's head, trying to find an excuse for some 'accidental' contact with Zhao Jian, the Landlady arrived.

Liu Ying entered the badminton hall and immediately saw Zhao Jian and the young girl standing not far in front of him.

She thought to herself, 'Well, well, so this is the "dog" you were talking about!'

As she got closer, she realized Little Yellow was looking very content while the girl petted its head.

The dog had its eyes closed, but its hearing was sharp.

It immediately caught the sound of its owner's footsteps. It opened its eyes and gave the girl a reluctant glance.

Then it wiggled its butt and ran over to Liu Ying's feet.

“You stinky Little Yellow, you actually dared to sneak out! Just wait until I get you home and show you what's what!”

Picking up the dog, Liu Ying gently pinched its neck as she scolded it.

The dog didn't understand her at all.

With the matter resolved, Zhao Jian wanted to slip away.

He didn't want to be caught having stolen the bell.

However, just as he was about to leave, the girl behind him asked, “Hey! What's your name? Let's be friends!”

Who wants to be friends with you?

Zhao Jian didn't turn around.

He waved his hand and said, “If fate allows, we'll meet again. I'll tell you the next time we run into each other.”

Being rejected made the girl so angry she felt like her chest was going to explode.

It wasn't that she actually wanted to get to know Zhao Jian.

It was that this man made her doubt her own charm, and she wanted to use 'making friends' as a way to verify the truth.

Was he truly uninterested, or was he playing hard to get?

She was very unsatisfied with the result of her verification.

He really wasn't interested in her!

Zhao Jian had no idea what the girl was thinking.

He said goodbye to Liu Ying and left the residential complex.

He headed toward the Antique Street.

It would be more appropriate to sell gold to a gold shop for recycling.

But he didn't trust those gold shops.

Mingyue Antique Shop was run by an acquaintance, so its reputation was guaranteed.

Besides, the bell had an ancient design; there was no telling if it might be an actual antique.

Copper-wrapped gold wasn't common in modern times either.

He wanted to get it appraised.

He soon arrived at the antique shop.

Zhao Jian was a regular, and the Shop Owner was already used to him bringing in treasures he had found from who-knows-where to sell.

He joked, “Little Brother, if it's another million-yuan antique today, I won't be able to afford it.”

“No, it's just a bell, copper-wrapped gold.”

He placed the bell on the counter.

The Shop Owner first examined the patterns and said, “It's an old piece from the Qianlong era, but it has no background and isn't rare. The only thing is that the copper-wrapped gold gives it a bit of a gimmick.”

“Let me test it.”

Saying that, he pulled out a set of water displacement equipment for measuring density.

Zhao Jian watched in a daze.

He didn't understand why a shop that resold antiques would have such a thing.

Even gold shops used spectrometers.

The Shop Owner didn't explain.

He recorded the data and then spent some time punching numbers into a calculator.

After a series of calculations that Zhao Jian couldn't fathom, he smiled and said,

“I'll add a little extra on top of the gold price. How does 9,000 yuan sound?”

The system's valuation was only 8,000, which was likely calculated based on the gold price.

The Shop Owner had added a bit for its value as an antique.

“That works.”

He had easily earned 9,000 yuan!

Just as he was about to leave,

he was blocked at the door by a bald Middle-aged Man.

Before Zhao Jian could even speak, the Middle-aged Man sneered first.

“It's a small world, isn't it? I didn't expect to run into a poor ghost like you here.”

He remembered now; it was Huang Xu.

He was out of the detention center already?

“How can a fired employee with a criminal record still call his boss a poor ghost? If I'm a poor ghost, what kind of ghost are you?”

Zhao Jian's retort reminded Huang Xu of his experience in the detention center.

His face darkened, and he said viciously,

“What do you have to be proud of? You're just borrowing money to act rich. I know the annual profits of the Vegetable Market better than you do. Zhao Jian, your debt is going to explode soon, isn't it?”

“If I were you, I'd hurry back to my hometown and hide, so your creditors don't come looking for your rental and spray paint on the door, dragging your Landlady into it.”

Hearing this, Zhao Jian let out a disdainful chuckle.

Then he stared at Huang Xu, picking at his scabs.

“You should worry about yourself instead. You just got out of the detention center with no money and no job. No legitimate place will take you; you can only work odd jobs.”

“You aren't here looking for work, are you? Give it up. You don't even have a clean criminal record; who wouldn't be afraid that you'd steal from them!”

The veins on Huang Xu's forehead bulged.

He wanted to throw a punch, but the last time he had tried to gang up on Zhao Jian, he had ended up being beaten to the ground.

The miserable state he was in back then was still vivid in his mind.

The thought of fighting was immediately extinguished.

Just as Huang Xu had nowhere to vent his anger and was anxious because he didn't know how to prove himself,

the copper bell in the Shop Owner's hand let out a crisp ring.

Seeing the copper bell, a brilliant idea formed in Huang Xu's mind.

He gave Zhao Jian a smug snort and then said to the Shop Owner,

“Nice copper bell. What's the price?”

He wanted to bait Zhao Jian into a bidding war with him!

Even if the Shop Owner didn't necessarily give him a commission afterward, asking for a job shouldn't be too much!

Making money from the antique shop was secondary; learning a trade was his true goal.

As long as he could master the skill of appraising treasures, he could go to the streets and find authentic items at low prices, rise to the peak of his life, and marry a Fair, Young, and Slim beauty!

“Fifteen thousand.” The Shop Owner's words interrupted Huang Xu's fantasy.

He pointed at the copper bell and stammered, “What kind of thing is this to be so expensive?”

Seeing his ignorant look, the Shop Owner briefly explained,

“This is an old item, copper-wrapped gold from the Qing Dynasty. The piece itself is worth ten thousand, and with the fact that it reflects the smelting and craftsmanship information of that time, it's worth fifteen thousand.”

Huang Xu didn't understand.

But that didn't hinder his plan.

“Good, good stuff. I'll buy it!”

He said he would buy it, but he didn't pull out any money.

Instead, he kept his eyes on Zhao Jian.

Under Huang Xu's excited and expectant gaze, Zhao Jian turned and walked over as he had hoped.

“Did you see that, you poor ghost? I can buy a fifteen-thousand-yuan treasure whenever I want, unlike you, a poor ghost who can only watch with envy.”

Zhao Jian thought to himself, 'What am I supposed to be envious of?'

But before he could speak, Huang Xu spoke again.