14: Chapter 14 is so-so.

"Holy shit, it really is you, Zheng Jing?"

The man who had just backed out of the jewelry store exclaimed.

Hearing his nickname from his school days, Zheng Jing froze for a moment, then instinctively turned his head to look.

He hadn't looked closely before, but now, taking a careful look, he saw that the other man was disheveled, with his clothes and pants covered in dust.

Even his hair was a mess, making him look exceptionally slovenly.

After staring at him for a long time, Zheng Jing's mind was a blank.

Because he had absolutely no idea who the other person was!

"Who the hell is this? Do I know him?" Zheng Jing couldn't help but wonder to himself.

Seeing Zheng Jing looking conflicted and failing to recognize him, the man stepped forward, raised his hand, and slapped Zheng Jing heavily on the arm.

He raised his voice a few notches: "Damn, look at that stupid face of yours, you still haven't recognized your daddy? It's me, Brother Kui!"

With that familiar tone and the usual cheeky way of speaking, Zheng Jing finally recognized the person in front of him.

"Holy mother, it's you, Kuizi! Why do you look like this? Did you go begging for food?"

It turned out that this disheveled man in front of him was his childhood friend—Guo Kui!

The two had always been very close, and they both considered themselves to be the other's daddy!

However, it wasn't Zheng Jing's fault for not recognizing him immediately; it was really because the Guo Kui in Zheng Jing's memory was completely different from the one standing before him now!

In Zheng Jing's memory, even if he wasn't exactly polished and bright, he certainly wasn't this down-and-out and dusty!

So, for a moment, Zheng Jing's brain couldn't make the connection.

Seeing that Zheng Jing had finally recognized him, Guo Kui grabbed his wrist.

His tone carried a hint of reproach: "When the hell did you come back?

And now that you're back, you didn't even contact me. Do you even still consider me your brother?"

Faced with this barrage of profanity-laden questions from Guo Kui, Zheng Jing wasn't angry, but he was momentarily speechless due to embarrassment.

He couldn't blame Guo Kui for cursing; it was just that he had achieved nothing in all his years out in the world, living a destitute and down-and-out life, which had made him somewhat insecure.

Usually, it was Guo Kui who occasionally called or messaged him, while he himself had never taken the initiative to reach out!

Seeing Zheng Jing silent, Guo Kui sighed.

As a brother he had grown up with, Guo Kui naturally wouldn't make things awkward for him, so he didn't continue the interrogation.

He shook the two small glass bottles he was clutching towards Zheng Jing and said:

"Let's not talk about this for now. Come inside with me and wait for a bit while I finish up what I'm doing.

We'll find a place later to catch up properly. Don't you dare tell me you don't have time!"

"Alright!"

Zheng Jing nodded and followed Guo Kui back into the jewelry store.

When the jewelry store owner saw Zheng Jing return, accompanied by the travel-worn Guo Kui,

he immediately smiled and asked casually: "Do you two know each other?"

"Of course! This is my brother Zheng Jing, whom I've known since we were kids. What, Old Yang, do you know him too?"

Guo Kui replied boisterously, his tone sounding very familiar.

Only then did Zheng Jing realize that the owner of this jewelry store was surnamed Yang.

He explained to Guo Kui: "I just sold an old heirloom passed down in my family to Boss Yang here."

"I see." Guo Kui nodded upon hearing this: "Old Yang is an honest man.

He's always been fair in business; you won't get cheated trading with him."

"Thanks for the compliment, brother. I rely on you guys for my livelihood!" Old Yang said with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting towards Guo Kui.

Watching the tone of their conversation, Zheng Jing was very curious.

His brother looked so down-and-out, so why was Old Yang, the owner of such a large jewelry store, acting so polite towards him?

Zheng Jing couldn't help but ask: "Kuizi, is Boss Yang a relative of yours?"

Before Guo Kui could answer, Old Yang preemptively laughed and said: "That's not it.

But Kuizi is one of my regular customers; he comes by every few days."

After saying this, Old Yang looked at Guo Kui with a touch of teasing: "Kuizi, bring out the goods and let me see what good stuff you've scavenged recently."

"Hehe, you're right, Old Yang. My luck has been quite good lately..."

A look of pride appeared on Guo Kui's face as he raised his hand and placed the two small glass bottles on the counter.

Zheng Jing focused his gaze, and his breath hitched involuntarily.

Because what was inside Guo Kui's two glass bottles was nothing ordinary.

One glass bottle contained bright, shimmering, fine gold nuggets—not many, occupying only about one-tenth of the small glass bottle's space;

the other bottle was filled to the brim with white, distinct grains of silver, which were exceptionally eye-catching under the store lights.

Old Yang glanced down and praised: "Oh ho, your haul is quite good. Looks like you haven't been busy for nothing this time."

Guo Kui scratched the back of his head and said modestly: "Eh, just average, third in the world."

Old Yang rolled his eyes at him, took out a crucible and a torch, and busied himself with the gold bottle.

Zheng Jing stood to the side, looking at the dusty and disheveled Guo Kui and Old Yang, who was intently refining the gold, his heart filled with confusion.

But he didn't press for answers on the spot; instead, he chose to stand quietly to the side.

After about an hour, Old Yang signaled for Guo Kui to look at the scale, then looked up and said: "21 grams of gold, at today's price of 1024, that's 21,504 yuan;

135 grams of silver, at 12 per gram, that's 1,620 plus 21,504—I'll just round it up to 22,700 for you, does that work?"