87: It's very easy to open.

"Brother Liang."

"You're here. Sit down."

Seeing the man nod at him, Ye Su gestured back before coming over to the table to sit down and taking out the square box from the plastic bag.

"This box, you didn't buy this at the Guangchang Ceramic Jade Stone Craft Market, did you!"

Wan Yuanliang finally understood why he had felt familiar with the photo of the mechanical lock.

Wasn't this the antique box he had seen at the Guangchang Ceramic Jade Stone Craft Market a few days ago?

At the time, Wan Yuanliang had thought about how such a clumsy scam wouldn't fool anyone, yet here was Ye Su placing the box right in front of him.

Hearing Wan Yuanliang instantly identify the origin of the box, Ye Su looked very surprised: "How did you know?"

"It really is. I went there a few days ago and saw this box too."

At this moment, the man in the shop also walked over: "Is this the box that needs to be opened?"

"This is Zeng Daming," Wan Yuanliang introduced proactively. "He specializes in studying all kinds of lock-picking techniques. He even participated in the 'Lock King Championship' before. From ancient locks to modern ones, and even safes and security doors, he can open them all for you."

Wan Yuanliang then pointed at Ye Su: "This is Ye Su; he's the one looking for your help to open a Qing Dynasty lock."

"Hello." Ye Su stood up to greet him.

"No need to be so formal," Zeng Daming said, appearing to be the type who gets familiar quickly. "Also, don't listen to Brother Liang's nonsense. Lock-picking is purely a hobby of mine; I still can't open those overly complicated locks."

After speaking, Zeng Daming pulled out a chair and sat down, simultaneously placing the toolbox he had been holding onto the table.

"Is it this lock?"

Ye Su nodded: "Yes."

Zeng Daming didn't hesitate; after wiping his hands, he took the square box and began to study it.

Seeing Zeng Daming looking like a one-eyed dragon, aiming his phone's flashlight at the keyhole and peering inside, Wan Yuanliang asked: "How is it? Is this lock easy to open?"

"Easy to open, too easy to open. No need for two words, three minutes."

Wan Yuanliang was left speechless by the sudden impersonation: "If it's easy to open, then go ahead and open it."

"Watch closely, sir."

Zeng Daming placed the box on the table, opened the toolbox, took out two iron rods with two bends each, and carefully inserted them into the keyhole.

Zeng Daming relied on his sense of touch, using the two iron rods to probe. After hooking something, he pushed it in a bit, then repeated the previous operation.

Over and over again; after three times, the bent iron rods seemed to have reached the very back of the keyhole.

"Click—"

Zeng Daming gripped the two iron rods with both hands, and without any visible movement, a soft click came from inside the mechanical lock.

"Done."

Zeng Daming gave a pull, and the crossbolt on the lock was pulled out. The whole process indeed took less than three minutes.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"Stop the pleasantries, open it and let's see!" Wan Yuanliang seemed even more nervous than Ye Su.

A few days ago, he had gone to the antique market because Ye Su had repeatedly found treasures, which led Wan Bowen to make snide, sarcastic remarks at him, making him want to go there to see if he could find any treasures himself.

As a result, he had strolled around and hadn't gained anything.

Now that Ye Su had unearthed an antique box from the same place that he had seen first, Wan Yuanliang naturally wanted to know which of them had misjudged it.

"Alright."

Ye Su opened the box casually, as easily as opening a box of snacks.

"This is!"

As the box opened, what caught Wan Yuanliang's eyes was a jade ring with a smooth, rounded band, shaped like a saddle bridge, with a ring face the size of a thumb's nail.

The jade inlaid on the ring face gleamed after seeing the light of day again, with a pool of green seemingly flowing within it.

Wan Yuanliang stared at the jade ring in the box, dumbfounded, not even realizing his mouth was hanging open.

Zeng Daming also curiously leaned forward, watching Ye Su take out the jade ring and put it on his index finger to admire it.

"What kind of ring is this? It looks like it's very expensive."

"This is a saddle ring," Wan Yuanliang said, having recovered his senses, and began to explain to Zeng Daming.

"A saddle ring..." Zeng Daming said, half-understanding. "Since it was in such an old box, it must be an antique too, right? Can you tell what era it's from?"

"Saddle rings originated in the Qing Dynasty imperial court, evolving from jade thumb rings. Originally, they were carved from a single piece of jade, and at that time, they were called stirrup rings. Later, due to changes in aesthetic tastes and the fact that materials suitable for carving into an entire ring became increasingly scarce, they gradually evolved into this type of saddle ring, which features a finely carved band with jade inlaid. Judging from the style and craftsmanship, if this saddle ring is authentic, it should be a product of the Republican era."

In just a few words, Wan Yuanliang accurately deduced the period of this saddle ring, just as the information had stated.

After speaking, Wan Yuanliang observed Ye Su and found that he wasn't surprised at all by his conclusion.

"The item should be authentic, right?" Wan Yuanliang asked Ye Su proactively.

Ye Su laughed: "I definitely think it's authentic. You take a look and see if it's real."

As he spoke, Ye Su handed the ring to Wan Yuanliang.

Wan Yuanliang didn't decline; after taking the ring, he observed it carefully: "Material, craftsmanship, patina..."

Wan Yuanliang checked the details one by one, finally concluding: "It is indeed a product of the Republican era, not modern craftsmanship made to look old."

Hearing this, Zeng Daming stared with envious eyes: "Then that means it's very valuable?"

"Whether it's valuable or not depends on the jade on top."

Wan Yuanliang turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it back and forth around the jade: "Imperial green, glass-species! You really opened up a good item!"

After confirming the authenticity of the saddle ring and returning it to Ye Su, Wan Yuanliang began to console himself in his heart.

No one knew what was inside the box; Ye Su was just gambling when he opened this glass-species saddle ring, so he couldn't count it as his own misjudgment.

However, Wan Yuanliang also made up his mind that the old guy at home must absolutely not know about today's events.

Otherwise, he would seize the opportunity to nag him again, and then steer the topic to [When will you bring a girlfriend home].

"Three items, do you accept these here?" Ye Su said while putting the saddle ring back into the box.

Hearing that Ye Su was going to sell all three items to Wan Yuanliang, Zeng Daming asked first: "Can you sell this lock to me?"

Zeng Daming's question was directed at both Ye Su and Wan Yuanliang.

"It doesn't matter to me. Anyway, this lock is missing a key, so it won't be easy to sell even if I take it."

Since Wan Yuanliang had stated his position, Ye Su naturally went with the flow: "Of course you can."

"How much do you plan to offer?"

"Let's say eight thousand." Recalling the misunderstanding from last time, Ye Su hurriedly made a gesture: "Eight thousand."

"Deal."

Zeng Daming didn't understand antiques, but he had a rough idea of the prices for various locks and knew that the price Ye Su offered was very fair.

As for the missing key, it was not a problem at all for Zeng Daming; he could completely try to hand-craft a key himself.

"Let's add each other on WeChat, and I'll transfer the money for the lock to you."

"How much is your fee for helping to open the lock? Just deduct it from the money for the bronze lock."