8: Chapter 8 Making a Small Profit

"How do you feel?"

"Specifically, the difference between before and now."

The old lady thought carefully and replied in a slightly hoarse voice, "Before you came, my mind was still sharp, but everything else was failing. I couldn't see or hear clearly, I had no strength, and even breathing was a struggle. After you visited, I felt energized all of a sudden. Even my appetite improved. I've been feeling better and better these past few days, as if I'd taken some divine elixir."

Han Jingyang nodded slightly. "It's good that you feel better. Don't overthink things, and you'll definitely live to see Jingjing have children."

"Then you two better hurry up. Jingjing is a good girl in every way, except she's a bit of a chatterbox. You'll have to be patient with her..."

"Alright, I will."

Han Jingyang patiently chatted with the old lady for nearly half an hour before returning to the living room. He addressed Liu Jing's parents, "Uncle, Auntie, did Liu Jing explain everything to you?"

The couple nodded hurriedly.

Liu Jing chimed in casually, "Don't worry, Boss. I would never do something behind your back. I'll transfer the money to you now. By the way, to the business account or your personal one?"

"The business account."

"You'll have to pay a lot of taxes that way."

"Then I'll pay them. There's nothing to discuss. I'll sort out the receipts later."

"Yes, Boss."

It wasn't that Han Jingyang had an exceptionally high moral compass, but rather that when running a business, one must never leave things to chance.

If a business does poorly, at most it closes down.

But breaking the law leads to heavy fines at best, and a prison cell at worst.

Nowadays, if the authorities want to investigate financial crimes, they will definitely find something.

Once the three hundred thousand yuan arrived in the account, Han Jingyang didn't linger. He said goodbye to the old lady in the bedroom and drove away.

Back at home.

He moved the set of 'the analects' into the study.

The study was quite large. It was originally shared by the two siblings, but now it was Han Jingxin's exclusive space.

Since his sister was still at school, he didn't rush to arrange them but temporarily placed them on the bookshelf.

Just as he finished, his father, Han Bin, returned from work. "Home so early today? Didn't you go out with Xiaoqian?"

"We broke up."

"What?"

"We've split up."

"What happened? Did you bully her?"

"I'm lucky if she didn't bully me."

"What exactly happened?" His mother, Wang Yunzhi, heard the conversation and came out with her hands covered in flour. "Where is she? Why don't you apologize to her? You've been together for so long, how can you just break up? You've spent so much money..."

Han Jingyang waved his hand. "Apologize for what? I didn't do anything wrong. Making me apologize every day is exhausting. Besides, precisely because I've spent so much money, I need to cut my losses now. Otherwise, there'd be even more to spend later. Our ordinary family can't afford a canary like her. Let it be. I'll find you a better daughter-in-law later."

Wang Yunzhi fell silent.

Han Bin lit a cigarette. "That's fine too. You weren't the same kind of person as that girl anyway. It's for the best. A colleague's daughter just graduated; I'll ask around tomorrow and see if you two can meet and chat..."

"Don't, let me have some peace," Han Jingyang quickly pleaded. "The shop's business is at a critical stage, I can't be distracted."

"Right, speaking of business, how is it going? If it's not working out, sell it quickly. Business is like dating—you have to cut your losses and not keep going down a dead end."

"It's going well. I just made a small profit."

"How much?"

Han Jingyang casually uttered three words: "Three hundred thousand."

"What?"

"How much?"

The old couple was shocked.

Han Jingyang held up three fingers. "Three hundred thousand, total. After costs and taxes, there will be at least two hundred and eighty thousand left."

"That much?"

"Yeah," Han Jingyang said calmly. "I told you before I opened the shop that the antique trade is like this: you might not make a sale for three years, but one sale can sustain you for three years. And this is just the beginning."

"Just the beginning?"

"Yes."

"Wait, that tax..."

"Oh, the antique industry has a special tax. When there's no clear cost data, net profit isn't calculated. Instead, it's 3% of the total revenue. I earned three hundred thousand, so I only need to pay nine thousand."

"That little?"

"Yeah. If the antique is repatriated from abroad, it's even less—2%, which would be six thousand."

This was the main reason Han Jingyang was unwilling to evade taxes; the rates weren't that high.

Of course, for an antique shop, situations varied.

This deal of his had almost no cost, so this tax method was very cost-effective.

But some antiques were different. If he bought one for two hundred and eighty thousand and sold it for three hundred thousand, the gross profit would be twenty thousand. If he paid 3% of the total revenue, which is nine thousand, he'd be losing out. In that case, it would be better to pay the 20% income tax on the profit.

So in the antique trade, knowing how to pay taxes was also a skill. If you rushed in without knowing anything, you'd either lose money or get into trouble.

Times had changed.

Han Jingyang briefly explained the inner workings to his parents and spent some time chatting with his grandparents.

At seven o'clock, the family of five sat around the stone table in the courtyard for dinner.

Dinner was simple: millet porridge, steamed buns, and a large pot of pork and cabbage stew.

It was simple, rustic, and full of flavor.

While he was eating heartily, his phone rang. He looked and saw it was his university counselor, Zhou Yuanyuan. He picked up casually, "Sister Yuanyuan, what's up?"

"Zhou Yucheng just asked me for your phone number."

Hmm?

Han Jingyang raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Yucheng?

Didn't he give Zhou Yucheng his business card?

And there was the call history.

Why go the long way around to ask his university counselor for his number?

Could it be... that guy Zhou threw away his card and deleted his contact info?

No, even if you delete a contact, the call history remains.

Zhou Yucheng must have wiped him out completely.

Why would Zhou Yucheng do that?

Han Jingyang's mind raced, instantly guessing what might have happened. Although he didn't know the specifics, it must be related to that Bronze Statue of the Old Star of Longevity. It couldn't have been good news initially, but now things seemed to have taken a turn.

Thinking this, he asked Zhou Yuanyuan, "Did you give it to him?"

"Not yet. I said I had to look for it and told him to wait, then I called you to ask what was going on. After all, Zhou Yucheng isn't an official professor at the school."

"It's nothing."

"Give it to him? He seemed quite anxious."

"Give it to him. You still have to work at the school; don't go offending people."

"You're quite considerate of me," Zhou Yuanyuan huffed. "Don't you dare do anything illegal now that you've left school, or I'll deal with you at the next reunion."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't embarrass you for the world, Sister Yuanyuan."

"Smooth talker. Talk to you later."

Han Jingyang hung up, and his family was staring at him in unison.

Wang Yunzhi asked eagerly, "Is that the Zhou Yuanyuan who visited our house before?"

Han Jingyang quickly waved her off. "Don't get any ideas. She's my counselor, basically my teacher." Then he picked up his bowl and headed for his room. "You guys eat, I have something to take care of."

Back in his room, he placed his phone on the desk and took a few deep breaths before continuing his meal.

But his entire focus was on the phone.

If he wasn't mistaken, an opportunity to make a fortune was coming. He couldn't miss it, no matter what.

Moreover, this was his first time taking a job as a mystic. Whether he'd start with a bang or a dud depended on what happened next.