22: Chapter 22 Qing Dynasty Hetian Jade

"Antique Street in the west of the city."

Jiang Chen's tone was relaxed. "Have you been there?"

Su Wanqing shook her head gently, her eyes filled with a hint of anticipation.

"No, I rarely go to places like that. I've always been quite curious."

"That's perfect. I'll take you for a stroll today to broaden your horizons."

Jiang Chen smiled and took her hand, and the two of them drove together to the Antique Street in the west of the city.

He didn't say much on the way, maintaining a relaxed and natural expression, as if he were just taking her for a casual walk to unwind.

At five minutes to four, the car parked steadily in a parking lot near the Antique Street.

Hand in hand, the two walked into the old street paved with bluestone slabs. The setting sun shone obliquely, the voices were not loud, and the atmosphere was leisurely.

Jiang Chen remained calm and composed as he entered from the south entrance, quietly counting the stalls with a steady gaze.

One, five, ten, twenty... thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven.

The target stall was exactly where it should be.

The stall owner was surnamed Wang. In front of him were three newly opened old cardboard boxes: gray, blue, and yellow.

It was completely consistent with the intelligence.

Jiang Chen led Su Wanqing slowly over, pretending to browse casually. His gaze swept over porcelains, copper pieces, old books, and wood carvings. He didn't look at the wooden box once throughout the process to avoid raising any suspicion.

He first picked up a sandalwood bracelet of ordinary quality, then a small copper incense burner—both were low-priced, inconspicuous small items.

Only then did he seemingly conveniently pull out that cracked, paint-peeling, dust-covered old wooden box from the pile of miscellaneous items in the corner of the yellow cardboard box.

His movements were light, slow, and natural, without pause or deliberation, just like picking up an inconsequential piece of junk.

Su Wanqing stood aside, assuming he simply liked these old objects, and accompanied him quietly without thinking much of it.

Jiang Chen looked up at the stall owner, his tone flat and natural.

"Boss, how much for this bracelet, the small incense burner, and this broken box together?"

Old Wang didn't even look up, waving his hand. "They're all just trinkets. One hundred and twenty for everything, take them."

Jiang Chen nodded and scanned the code to pay.

He casually stuffed the wooden box into the bag containing the bracelet and incense burner. On the surface, it was impossible to tell it was important. His movements were as natural as could be; even the stall owner didn't think there was anything special about the broken box.

The two didn't linger and turned to leave, keeping a low profile and remaining inconspicuous throughout.

After walking dozens of meters, they turned into a deserted narrow alley—secluded, without surveillance or passersby, safe and hidden.

Jiang Chen stopped, placed the bag on the stone steps, and took out the cracked old wooden box.

"Teacher Su, look at this."

Su Wanqing leaned over slightly, a bit curious. "An old box?"

"Yes, but it's not an ordinary box."

Jiang Chen's voice was low, steady, and serious.

"In the past, when people hid valuables, they were afraid of theft or robbery but didn't want to put them in obvious places. They would use the 'box-within-a-box' method—a small box inside a large one. The outer layer was deliberately made to look old and broken so people would think it was trash and not give it a second look."

As he spoke, he used his fingertips to catch the rusted latch and pried it with force.

The metal had long since weathered and become brittle. It took considerable effort for him to pry the latch completely open. The outer wooden boards even cracked slightly due to their age.

Upon opening the outer old wooden box, the inside was not loose cotton, but compacted, moldy, and hardened old burlap and wood shavings.

They tightly filled the entire box without a single gap. The small box was completely sealed in the middle, its outline invisible to the naked eye.

Jiang Chen could only pick at it bit by bit with his fingers, slowly brushing it away. Debris and moldy powder fell rustling down.

He applied slight pressure with his fingertips, picking until his pads were a bit red. It took nearly a minute to completely clear away the hardened filling.

Only then did a small corner of the inner black-lacquered, gold-leafed small square box reveal itself. It was wedged extremely tight, almost integrated with the outer box.

Jiang Chen pinched the corner and gently pulled outward, but the box remained motionless. It had clearly swollen from years of moisture and was stuck fast inside.

He could only slowly wiggle it and adjust the angle, moving it out bit by bit. His movements were cautious and laborious, for fear of damaging the contents inside.

Su Wanqing watched from the side with bated breath, even her breathing becoming light.

After a full ten seconds or so, that palm-sized inner box was finally extracted with difficulty and in its entirety by Jiang Chen.

Su Wanqing's eyes widened slightly, full of shock. "There... there really was another box inside? It was hidden so deep..."

"Yes, this is the most typical folk hiding method," Jiang Chen explained patiently. "The more broken the outer layer, the safer the inner layer. In the past, wealthy families fleeing disaster or hiding private wealth loved to do this."

He gently opened the inner black-lacquered box.

A layer of yellowed old velvet unfolded, and an oily, translucent, heavily patinated, and neatly carved Qing Dynasty Hetian Celadon Jade pendant lay quietly in the center.

The jade color was warm and the structure delicate; one could tell at a glance it was old jade.

Jade Pendant

Su Wanqing covered her mouth, her voice trembling slightly. "Is... is this real antique jade?"

"Yes."

Jiang Chen nodded, his tone objective and rigorous.

"A mid-Qing Dynasty Hetian Celadon Jade pendant, well-preserved with no cracks. According to the current antique market, its market value is around one hundred thousand."

Su Wanqing looked at the jade pendant and then at Jiang Chen, a stormy sea of shock already rising in her heart.

Buying three pieces of junk for one hundred and twenty, and it actually hid an antique worth one hundred thousand?

Making one hundred thousand just from going out for a trip?

Is this a joke?

Jiang Chen carefully put away the jade pendant, placed it back in the box, and put it in his bag.

"Teacher Su, this kind of 'leak' is very rare in the Antique Street. After all, those in the know have already screened through everything. It's just that I had a bit of good luck this time. We'll go directly to a regular antique recycling shop nearby to sell it. The process is formal and the price is transparent, so there won't be any risk."

Su Wanqing now believed him completely. She nodded gently, her heart still beating fast.

The two first walked into a fairly conspicuous antique shop with a prominent decor.

The owner was an old man with white hair. Seeing Jiang Chen's young age and youthful attire, he immediately pulled a long face.

He scanned it twice with a magnifying glass and spoke indifferently.

"The jade is real, but it's not very old and the quality is average. I can offer thirty thousand at most."

Su Wanqing's brow furrowed slightly. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Chen gently pressed her hand, shook his head, and directly put away the jade pendant.

"Thank you, but I'm not selling."

"Hey, you could at least counteroffer."

In the second shop, the owner was even slicker. He turned the jade pendant over and over, deliberately picking out flaws.

"There are inclusions here, and the structure is visible. It's hard to sell in this market. I'll give you forty thousand, and that's the limit! Young man, don't be too greedy. I advise you to take what you can get."

Jiang Chen's expression remained unchanged as he calmly took it back.

"The price is too low. I'll look elsewhere."

Su Wanqing felt a bit angry watching this and whispered to Jiang Chen.

"They clearly know it's a good item, but they're deliberately suppressing the price because you're young."

Jiang Chen comforted her in a low voice.

"It's normal; this industry is just like that. We'll try another one. No rush, good items aren't afraid of having no buyers."

The two walked into a third antique shop.

Guxin Pavilion!

The owner was a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed simply. The shop was clean and tidy, unlike the previous two which felt restless.

He looked up at Jiang Chen and said politely.

"Young man, are you looking for something or do you want to sell something?"

"I'd like to sell a Qing Dynasty Hetian Celadon Jade pendant. Please take a look, Boss."

The middle-aged owner nodded, put on white gloves, and took the jade pendant. He didn't deliberately find fault, nor did he look down on Jiang Chen.

Instead, he seriously and meticulously examined the jade quality, patina, carving, and holes, even using a flashlight to check the internal structure.

After finishing, he put down the jade pendant and spoke fairly and honestly.

"Good item. Definitely mid-Qing Dynasty, celadon jade, interlocking lotus pattern. The material is fine, oily, and without any damage or cracks.

"I won't play games with you. The fair trade price is one hundred thousand. If you're willing to sell, we'll do an on-site transfer; if not, you can keep looking."

A trace of relief, barely perceptible, flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes as he nodded.

"Okay, deal."

Su Wanqing's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. Her gaze toward the middle-aged owner held a bit more approval.

The whole process was clean and efficient.

In less than three minutes, one hundred thousand yuan was transferred directly to Jiang Chen's bank card.

As they walked out of the antique shop, the setting sun had already dyed half the sky red.

Su Wanqing finally couldn't help but speak, her voice still tinged with disbelief.

"Jiang Chen... how on earth did you know that was there?"

Jiang Chen didn't reveal his intelligence and only explained in the most reasonable and convincing way.

"I quite like antiques and have studied them for a long time. I'm relatively sensitive to the hiding methods, placement, and traces of old objects. I just happened to pass by today and noticed that the box wasn't right. It was a bit of luck plus some experience."

Su Wanqing looked at him with a complex expression.

Shock, admiration, reassurance, and an added layer of unfathomable idolization.

She suddenly realized that the young man she liked was far more steady, capable, and mysterious than she had imagined.

Su Wanqing found she could no longer quite see through Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen gently took her hand and smiled warmly.

"The money is in hand. Tonight, I'll treat Teacher Su to a big meal to celebrate."