336: professionals

Knock knock knock—

They had agreed on three o'clock in the afternoon, but at exactly 2:47 PM, there was a knock at the door.

Opening the door, it was, as expected, Zeng Daming.

"Hello."

"Ming Ge."

After greeting him, Ye Su quickly stepped aside: "Thank you for coming all this way. Please come in and have a seat."

"It's no trouble at all. I'm going to another friend's place later, so this was just on the way."

Zeng Daming was still his usual friendly self. After entering the room, he casually looked around, and his gaze fell upon the safe in the center of the living room:

"Is this the safe?"

"Yes."

Zeng Daming didn't waste any time, nor did he ask about the safe's origin. He immediately started turning the knobs on it: "As long as it can be turned."

"How is it, is this safe easy to open?"

"Easy, it's too easy."

As Zeng Daming spoke, he opened the toolbox he had brought, first taking out a stethoscope. After pressing it against the safe door, he began to turn the first dial.

Seeing Zeng Daming start his work, Ye Su stopped chatting, only asking: "Would you like Coke or mineral water?"

After Wan Yuanliang's last visit, where he wasn't even offered a drink, Ye Su had learned his lesson and bought a case of mineral water and a case of Coke to keep at home.

Whether he was alone or had guests, he wouldn't be without even a sip of water.

"Mineral water, room temperature is fine."

"Alright."

Ye Su walked to the kitchen, first took a can of Coke from the refrigerator, opened it, and then took a bottle of mineral water from the cupboard.

Returning to the living room, after placing the mineral water on the coffee table, Ye Su stood a little distance away, drinking his Coke and curiously watching Zeng Daming open the safe.

In the short time it took to get water from the kitchen, Ye Su noticed that Zeng Daming was already turning the second dial.

Rustle—

A sparse sound of gears turning, as Zeng Daming's hand movements became slower and slower, the sound also grew fainter.

And Zeng Daming, wearing the stethoscope with a serious expression, made Ye Su feel as if he was watching a doctor examine a patient.

Presumably, having heard that the dial was turned to the correct position, Zeng Daming stopped his movements, removed the stethoscope, and then took out a small box from his toolbox.

Opening it, it was full of various small tools.

Taking out two crooked probes and inserting them into the keyhole, Zeng Daming then used his sense of touch to continuously manipulate them inside the keyhole.

Click—

Ye Su was just about to move closer, wondering if he could secretly learn a trick, when he heard the sound of a bolt sliding from inside the safe, and the safe door opened a crack.

"Done."

Zeng Daming pulled out the two probes, and he didn't curiously open the safe door to see what was inside.

It hadn't even been two or three minutes, and the safe was open. Ye Su was greatly surprised:

"It's open already?"

"It's just a common mechanical safe. At most, it's a bit more troublesome than a door lock; it's very easy to open."

Ye Su gave a thumbs up: "That's why I say, for professional matters, you professional people are needed."

Zeng Daming modestly replied: "Professional? It's just a little hobby."

Ye Su didn't continue with the pleasantries: "How much will this trip cost?"

"What money?"

Zeng Daming waved his hand generously: "No need."

"That won't do. Last time at Brother Liang's place, you helped me open the box and I didn't pay you. If I don't pay you this time, I'll be too embarrassed to ask for your help again next time."

It wasn't that Ye Su was overly particular, needing to be so clear with Zeng Daming about such a small matter.

It was fine if he didn't take money once, it could be said they were becoming friends.

But repeatedly freeloading like this, that's not how friends behave.

"Alright then."

Seeing Ye Su's insistence, Zeng Daming didn't fuss over the small amount of money:

"Since you, Boss Ye, are so rich, I won't be polite. I'll charge you two hundred yuan for this trip."

After saying that, Zeng Daming picked up the mineral water on the coffee table, opened it, and gestured to Ye Su:

"I'm not like you; I won't settle up for this mineral water."

"Then wouldn't I be at a huge loss?"

"Hahahaha—"

After their joke, Ye Su didn't ask if two hundred yuan was enough and transferred the money to Zeng Daming.

After receiving the payment, the two chatted for a few more minutes, then Zeng Daming stood up to leave: "I have another appointment later, so I'll be going now. Next time you want to pick a lock, contact me."

Hearing Zeng Daming describe himself as 'picking locks,' Ye Su chuckled: "Alright, let's have dinner together sometime."

After seeing Zeng Daming out, Ye Su eagerly went to the safe and opened the half-ajar door.

What greeted his eyes were two wooden boxes, one large and one small, wrapped in plastic wrap.

First, he took out the smaller wooden box on top. Ye Su felt it was heavy, probably weighing twenty to thirty catties.

After tearing off the plastic wrap and opening it, Ye Su saw eight silver ingots placed haphazardly inside.

Unlike the shiny, silvery ingots in period dramas, the eight silver ingots in the box were a yellowish-black color with a hint of luster.

Now that he knew a bit about antiques, Ye Su understood that this layer of color was what collectors called "amber gold patina."

Picking up one of the silver ingots and weighing it, Ye Su estimated that this ingot was about three to four catties.

On the silver ingot, there was also an inscription: "Guangxu Twenty-fifth Year • September • Hubei Lijin • Official Money Bureau."

Flipping it to the bottom, he could see that the honeycomb structure was naturally dense, and coupled with the patina on the ingots, these eight silver ingots could be considered high-quality.

After inspecting all eight silver ingots one by one, ensuring there were no flaws, Ye Su was overjoyed:

"One silver ingot is 350,000 yuan. If I sell them all, 2.8 million yuan will be mine!"

Ye Su's only concern was whether Bowen Antique Shop could take all eight silver ingots.

If they couldn't afford them, Ye Su would have to find other buyers.

It seemed that now that he knew Li Mengyao and Yan Ran, Ye Su believed that within their circle of friends, there must be other capable antique collectors.

"I wonder what's in this big box?"

With a glimmer of hope, wanting to see if he could find some "hidden items," Ye Su pulled out the larger box.

As he took out the large box, Ye Su discovered that behind the two large boxes, there was also a palm-sized wooden box, also wrapped in plastic wrap.

"There are two more blind boxes to open!"

The contents of the small box seemed to be more valuable, so Ye Su first tore off the plastic wrap from the large wooden box, then eagerly opened the lid.

As soon as he opened the wooden box, a musty smell rushed out.

Ye Su quickly opened the lid completely to let the contents air out, and at the same time, glanced into the box.

"Tea cakes?"

Although he couldn't tell what kind of tea cakes were inside, just from the musty smell in the wooden box, Ye Su knew that whatever tea cakes were inside were useless.