7: Chapter 7 Not Familiar

The middle-aged woman's words were very harsh, stopping just short of calling Zhou Yucheng a fraud.

Zhou Yucheng sighed inwardly, but maintained a smile on his face as he said, "I was indeed a bit rash, mainly because I was concerned about the old lady's condition."

"Well, Professor Liu Zhenxin from the Capital Union Hospital will be bringing her team to Quancheng for a meeting the day after tomorrow, and she'll be able to perform a consultation for my mother while she's here."

"So it's Professor Liu. Then there will certainly be no problem; the old lady will surely recover soon."

Zhou Yucheng said a few more polite words before leaving in a hurry, cursing himself for being muddle-headed as he left.

How could he have believed that kid's nonsense?

He had made a fool of himself for no reason.

Thinking of this, he even wanted to call Han Jingyang and give him a piece of his mind.

But after taking out his phone, he simply deleted Han Jingyang's number.

A little fraud like that wasn't worth wasting his breath on.

Teacher-student bond?

Sorry, we're not really acquainted.

...

Jiguang Zhai.

Han Jingyang was still eagerly waiting for Zhou Yucheng's reply.

But he waited until 5:30 PM without hearing anything.

He had intended to call and ask what was going on, but remembering the saying "Medicine doesn't knock on doors and the Dao isn't sent for free," he suppressed the urge to call and packed up the shop to close for the day.

But just as he finished, someone pushed the door open and entered: "Boss, do you buy old books?"

"What kind?"

"I don't really know, why don't you take a look? But they're definitely old; found them on a beam while renovating an old house."

The newcomer was in his forties, with dark skin and wearing mud-spattered camouflage fatigues, looking like a worker who had just finished his shift, carrying a bulging backpack.

The standard migrant worker's attire.

Han Jingyang originally wanted to refuse, but thinking of the Wealth Pouring In skill that had yet to manifest, he pointed to the coffee table: "Put them here, let me see."

"Alright," the man said, placing the backpack on the coffee table and pulling out over a dozen ancient books.

My goodness, packing ancient books like that is practically a crime.

Fortunately, these books weren't that old.

Han Jingyang grumbled inwardly and reached out to pick one up for a glance.

They were indeed ancient books.

Ancient books are hard to fake because the state of natural weathering or erosion from water, fire, insects, or ants is very difficult to replicate.

Furthermore, ancient books have many pages; aging them page by page is extremely costly, yet their prices aren't that high. Therefore, forging ancient books is a high-cost, high-risk, but low-profit venture.

If someone had the skill to age ancient books, wouldn't it be more profitable to age calligraphy and paintings?

Of course, there are some poorly aged ancient books circulating in the market, but those can only fool laypeople who know nothing; anyone with even a little knowledge wouldn't fall for it.

Han Jingyang was a proper archaeology graduate, so he naturally wouldn't misjudge them.

However, that wasn't the point.

The point was that the moment he picked up a volume of the ancient books, the Appraisal Technique immediately gave an appraisal prompt.

Interesting.

Can these ancient books also be used as Feng Shui props?

Han Jingyang put on gloves and used a toothpick to carefully pry open the pages. After a brief appraisal, he said to the man in camouflage, "These books are fine. How much do you want for them?"

"Whatever you think they're worth."

"This is a set of the 'the analects' printed by a place called Moxiang Tang during the Late Qing Dynasty. There are sixteen volumes in total, but it's incomplete. Also, the paper isn't good; it's the lowest quality bamboo paper. You see, the bamboo fibers aren't even broken down. The printing quality is mediocre, and the condition is poor, so I can only give you 1,200."

This was the standard market price.

Actually, there was no market for this kind of thing at all because almost no one would buy it.

A pile of ancient books with mediocre printing quality and unremarkable content might not even sell if left on the market for a hundred years.

1,200 was just a symbolic market price.

It's like songs written by some people; they're priced at five yuan in the app, but no one actually buys them.

Same logic.

The man in camouflage agreed without a second thought, even looking a bit impatient: "Fine, 1,200 it is. Give me the money."

Once he got the money, he turned and left, not even wanting the backpack back.

The man in camouflage was in such a hurry because he had already asked several antique shops; some didn't want them at all, and others only offered three to five hundred. Han Jingyang's 1,200 was the highest price.

If he didn't sell now, when would he?

Han Jingyang was equally excited.

He placed his hand on the pile of books.

"Ding: Appraisal item discovered. Appraise?"

"Yes/No."

"Yes."

"Name: Guangxu Era Bamboo Paper Printed 'the analects' (16 Volumes)."

"Grade: Seventh Grade."

"Attribute: Encouraging Learning +2."

"Skill: Reviewing the Old to Know the New."

Holy crap!

Another skill?

What a massive profit this time.

Buying a skill for 1,200—if that's not a massive profit, what is?

Although it wasn't a divine skill like Prolonging Life that could cure illnesses and save lives, it still looked pretty good.

Reviewing the Old to Know the New—it clearly seems useful for studying.

Hmm, I'll put it in my sister's bedroom later and see just how strong this skill is.

His sister was in her first year of high school and had average grades; she needed a skill like this.

If it worked, his business scope would expand significantly.

Medical care and education—these are two massive pies. Even a tiny bite from them would be enough to sustain his whole family for several lifetimes.

Han Jingyang was overjoyed. He packed up the large bag of ancient books and prepared to head home.

But just as he stepped out, Liu Jing called: "Boss, are you off work yet?"

"Just locked up. What's up?"

"What about the fan face?"

"It's in the shop."

"I've gathered the money, Boss. Hehe, how about you drop off the fan face on your way?"

"Is there any employee who orders their boss around like this?"

"Boss, with our relationship, there's no need for that kind of talk, right?"

"What relationship? Make yourself clear."

"You're my grandmother's savior."

"..." Han Jingyang gave a short laugh. "Wait for me at home."

Liu Jing's house was in the direction of his home, so it was somewhat on the way. He only needed to take a small detour, which wouldn't take much time.

When he arrived, Liu Jing's whole family was there. Even the old lady was reclining on the bed, her small eyes wide open: "I didn't see clearly the other day. Oh, he's so handsome. Jingjing is so lucky..."

My goodness, she still remembers the bit about him being Liu Jing's boyfriend.

Her memory is really good.

It also proves that the Prolonging Life skill is indeed very strong.

This way, he could accept Liu Jing's 300,000 with a clear conscience.

Thinking this, he chatted with the old lady for a bit with a smile. Then, he took out the fan face and gestured with it at the head of the bed in the bedroom for a while. After finding the spot where the white light's utility was highest, he made a mark and said to Liu Jing: "Get a frame tomorrow and mount it on the wall. It'll be easier to preserve and look good, but the position mustn't be off by even a bit. Got it?"

Liu Jing nodded vigorously.

Liu Jing's parents also nodded.

The old lady closed her eyes and nodded slightly after a moment: "Child, you truly are capable. You dragged me back from the gates of hell."

Han Jingyang sat beside the old lady, took her hand, and asked gently: "Grandma, my skills aren't fully developed and I wasn't very sure. Could you tell me what it felt like?"