Reborn Treasure Appraiser: I Really Didn’t Want to Be an Expert

Chapter 330 The Smell of Chinese Medicine

Dusk poured into North Street like molten copper, turning the traffic into a fiery river.

Sparrows darted across the high-voltage lines, carrying away the last rays of dawn.

A slender figure stepped out of the BMW, wearing a trench coat, her straight calves gleaming with oil. Her high heels slammed on the marble floor.

Zooming in, the vast parking lot is visible, with an iron sign on the building opposite: Xidan Shopping Mall.

Lin Sicheng turned the leather swivel chair around and stared at the interactive screen.

There are six square pieces arranged in two rows, one above the other, surrounding each other in a 360-degree circle.

Not only did they photograph people and cars, they even captured the pattern on Yu Jiyao's gold earrings in clear detail.

A slender figure entered the mall, followed by a young couple arm in arm, walking at a leisurely pace.

With a "whoosh," the red flag above the door was blown by the wind. The woman looked up and then whispered something in the man's ear.

But when the message reached the command vehicle, it read: "Target number three has appeared. Location: East entrance of the shopping mall. 07, take position!"

"Target number four has been spotted. Location: a three-story building, Wu Yutai Tea House. 05, take your positions!"

Number three is Yu Jiyao, number four is Yu Jichuan, and each of them has three teams of people taking turns to keep watch.

Lin Sicheng looked around, appearing completely unsophisticated.

This display of force was truly awe-inspiring.

After about five minutes, once it was confirmed that there were no unexpected issues, reports came through the walkie-talkie one after another: "03 normal, 05 normal, 07 normal!"

Yan Wenjing replied, "Received," and then looked at Lin Sicheng, "Teacher Lin, that's fine!"

Lin Sicheng nodded, looking relaxed.

He didn't think there would be any danger today. Of course, Yan Wenjing's elaborate setup wasn't just to protect him.

This group is too cunning; ordinary reconnaissance methods are basically useless. For example, the number Yu Jiyao and Yu Jichuan left for Lin Sicheng—a whole year's worth of call records show only one call made to Lin Sicheng.

Lin Sicheng suspected that the woman's bag contained at least three or four cell phones and seven or eight SIM cards.

To uncover more clues, we must use extraordinary measures.

As Lin Sicheng pondered this, he got out of the car and looked back. There was just an ordinary Iveco van parked at the Qinghai Building, diagonally opposite Xidan.

Lin Sicheng was wearing a jacket, jeans, a baseball cap, and sneakers. Just as he stepped out of the building's parking lot, a Mercedes-Benz with a Beijing license plate drove up at that opportune moment.

Zhao Da was driving, and a young man was sitting in the passenger seat. He looked and dressed very ordinary.

Having met him at the headquarters before, Lin Sicheng simply nodded. The car then turned around, drove through a shady alley, and arrived at the main entrance of Xidan.

When he got off the car, Lin Sicheng was dressed in a suit, looking sharp and capable.

Zhao Da stayed in the car, and the young man followed him out. Once on the first floor, he casually found a seat.

The neon lights surged, and the polished floor, like a smoothed coral reef, radiated a warm, lustrous white.

The colorful lights flashed, reflecting a river of light in his resolute pupils. The melodious sound of the piano drifted through his ears, carrying the song of fleeting years.

Lanterns and colorful decorations were put on, and the atmosphere was full of joy.

The crowds were huge and bustling.

Automatically shielding himself from the heat and noise, Lin Sicheng stepped onto the stairs. His steps were steady, his gaze casually sweeping over the area.

Suspecting that Ren Danhua's superior might show up, Yan Wenjing made extremely thorough preparations.

But it's not about catching anyone in particular, it's about keeping track of these people. Even if the person we're hoping for doesn't show up, we at least need to keep a close eye on these current ones.

Where do they live? What are their contact methods? Who do they mainly associate with? What is their activity range? ... Be prepared for anything, accumulate information little by little, and sooner or later you will be able to dig out the main leader.

Therefore, Yan Wenjing arranged for quite a few people this time, from the first floor to the third floor, at all exits and key locations.

Lin Sicheng certainly didn't know how many there were in total or who they were, nor would he ask, much less have the time to look it up.

I'd really like to find out if Yu Jiyao, or even Ren Danhua, had also arranged for someone to keep an eye on me.

Driven by an instinct for self-preservation in dangerous environments, it's as if some subconscious switch has been flipped, and images and faces appear in every direction as if imprinted in one's mind.

Huh, is this group 07? Weren't they with Yu Jiyao? How did they end up on the first floor again?
Tsk, something's off about this guy in the baseball cap. When we passed each other, he clearly made eye contact with the couple from 07.

And you, the guy with glasses at the elevator entrance, we don't even know each other, why are you looking around like that?

They didn't find the people keeping watch, but they did find several suspected special agents.

Of course, it's also possible that one suspects their neighbor of stealing an axe and sees everyone as an undercover agent.

Looking around aimlessly, Lin Sicheng arrived at the third floor.

The storefront has a retro feel, with a black plaque bearing three large gilded characters: Wu Yutai.

This is a genuine time-honored brand, founded during the Guangxu era, more than 120 years ago.

They have chain stores nationwide, and own their own tea mountains, tea factories, teahouses, and tea shops. They also have tea art schools that specialize in training tea masters.

Specializing in flower teas, their jasmine tea is particularly exceptional. In June, Wu Yutai was one of the first three flower tea making techniques to be successfully inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

The fact that the teahouse is located here shows a certain level of sophistication.

Steal a moment of leisure amidst the busyness, find tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle. Cease the pursuit of fame and fortune, for worldly affairs are endless.

After a moment's thought, Lin Sicheng lifted the beaded curtain.

An old-fashioned record player sits on the counter, and a poster of Zhou Xuan is pasted on the wall.

With her delicate features and retro cheongsam, she exudes a strong sense of the Republic of China era.

The trumpet-shaped speaker vibrated with a "buzzing" sound, which was somewhat "sharp," but the melody was generous and stirring.

"Rise up, you who do not want to be slaves..."

The greeter wore a light-colored dress with wide sleeves, two braids hanging down her chest, and had fair skin and a delicate face.

After giving my name, I kept going inside.

Deep within the flowers and trees, a winding path leads to a secluded spot.

The overhead lights emitted a cool, serene glow, and the patina that had settled on the blue brick floor stained the glass lattice doors a dark blue.

Passing around the screen, pine charcoal bursts open in the white-glazed stove, warming the clay pot, and the white smoke it exhales curls up onto the roof beams.

A linen mat sat on the coffee table, and Yu Jiyao leaned against it, neither sitting nor leaning in a proper way.

A boxwood fork pierces the scenting pile, breaking through the waxy layer of green tea. A bamboo sieve spins, and jasmine petals fall softly. The camellia petals blend together, and pale, white fingers gently stir.

"You're here!" As if she were an old acquaintance, she raised her eyelids, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly: "Sit down!"

His hands moved without stopping, the veins on the back of his hands slightly bulging, his movements gentle and rhythmic.

The cheongsam reached her knees, but the slit was very low. Her two legs were together, long and stretched out, like a mermaid.

Her breasts were high and firm, her waist slender and delicate, and further down, her body was round and full.

She smiled, her eyes sparkling, a hint of allure in her pupils.

Lin Sicheng took off his suit jacket, which the greeter took and hung on a hanger before leaving and gently closing the door.

He sat down opposite her and glanced at her again: This woman has studied this.

The fresh scenting of jasmine tea is how Wu Yutai successfully applied for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status.

It's not difficult, but it's extremely complicated. It involves working from dawn till dusk, with nine turns and one lift. You can't be this skilled without putting in the effort.

The dim lighting, the faint fragrance of flowers, the tranquil environment, and the woman's posture.

This includes her posture, her movements, her facial expression, even her coy and alluring gaze, and the subtle hint of seduction...

Subconsciously, Lin Sicheng recalled the famous socialite training class from his previous life.

At first, Yu Jiyao was quite proud, thinking that all men were the same, whether they were successful or young heroes.

But then she realized something was wrong: Lin Sicheng wasn't looking at her body, but at her hands.
No, he didn't just look at her body; he based his judgment on her tea-scenting movements. He sensed that he genuinely appreciated her tea-making skills.

But to be honest, how many of those she invited here for tea actually came to drink tea?
Other men looked at her with either amazement, lust, or even nakedness.

At the very least, even admiration would reveal a hint of hidden desire. But Lin Sicheng looked at her as if he felt nothing at all?
It's not that he has no emotions, but rather that his gaze doesn't resemble that of a normal man looking at an extremely beautiful and sexy woman.

Curiosity mixed with scrutiny and inquiry; it's not like looking at a person, but more like looking at an object.

Subconsciously, Yu Jiyao thought of those old experts and professors. Wasn't that the same look in their eyes when they appraised antiques?

He froze instinctively, and the wooden fork in his hand pierced the pile of flowers.

Lin Sicheng withdrew his gaze, his eyes clear: "Miss Yu, what's wrong?"

The rhythm was completely disrupted, and Yu Jiyao thought for a while: "Is it pretty?"

Lin Sicheng said insincerely, "It's beautiful!"

Yu Jiyao suddenly realized that he was referring to tea ceremony, not her as a person.

She continued to flip the petals, then piled up Xuan paper to seal them, with a heating plate underneath. The petals withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Flowering, separation, sieving, charcoal cultivation, and fragrance fixation.

The procedures were numerous and extremely tedious, but Lin Sicheng wasn't in a hurry at all. Yu Jiyao was even less in a hurry; seemingly showing off her tea ceremony skills, she was actually revealing every inch of her body in an extremely seductive manner.

However, at first, Lin Sicheng was somewhat intrigued. After all, it was rare to see a tea master with such standard and skillful movements.

But after less than three minutes, he lost interest. Although his gaze was still on Yu Jiyao's hands, his mind had already wandered off somewhere else.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a "whoosh".

The aroma wafted through the air, and a white jade teacup filled with tea was pushed towards us.

Lin Sicheng didn't move: "Miss Yu, the essential oil was misplaced, and there's too much of it!"

Yu Jiyao froze, staring straight at him.

No... Weren't you spacing out? How did you know I put in the wrong essential oil?

If it were to be naturally stored, it would take at least nine hours, so she used the quick storage method.

Jasmine tea naturally requires jasmine essential oil, but she used rose oil instead.

It wasn't a mistake; the jasmine flavor was too weak to mask the oily taste of the tea leaves.

Whether Lin Sicheng noticed something or not, just as Yu Jiyao was about to start over, Lin Sicheng shook his head: "I don't like the flavor of essential oils!"

As he spoke, he took a teacup and punctured the paper seal on the tea box.

Yu Jiyao held the wooden fork, wanting to help, but Lin Sicheng waved his hand and grabbed it directly with his bare hands.

When you pour boiling water over them, the tender green leaves swirl around.

Yu Jiyao was taken aback: "Manager Lin, this is raw tea, it's very bitter!"

Lin Sicheng blew on it and took a slurp: "Perfect for waking you up!"

Actually, he can drink any kind of tea. In Inner Mongolia, the aluminum kettles used by herders have such thick patina that they could be used as shields. Sometimes, when it's windy and you can't see, cow dung dust might drift in. But he can still drink three big bowls of milk tea made with Fu brick tea.

He wasn't a biochemical analyzer who could tell something was off about the essential oil with just a glance. But seeing a woman's fingers glistening with oil after she applied the essential oil, and the way she tossed the flower tea, always reminded him of some suggestive images.

Seeing that Lin Sicheng seemed lost in thought and showed no intention of discussing life with her, Yu Jiyao cautiously probed, "Manager Lin, do you know about tea ceremony?"

Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "It's like a parrot mimicking others; you're just showing off your limited skills before an expert!"

His tone didn't seem fake, and his expression was normal, so Yu Jiyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Sicheng glanced at his watch again. "Is President Yu not coming today?"

"I was here before!"

Knowing who he was asking about, Yu Jiyao told the truth, "But my second sister's car had some problems, and my eldest brother just arrived and then left again. They'll be a little late, but they should be here soon!"

they?

Lin Sicheng picked up his teacup: "Second Sister?"

Yu Jiyao smiled and blinked her peach blossom eyes: "Second Sister!"

The so-called second sister is probably Ren Danhua.

Since there's a second sister, is there also an eldest sister?

With a change of heart, Lin Sicheng slowly sipped his tea. Since she had already cast a flirtatious glance at a blind man, Yu Jiyao was too lazy to pretend anymore. She propped herself up on a soft pillow, knelt down, and brewed herself another cup of flower tea with the wrong essential oil.

"Why is Manager Lin alone? He didn't bring his apprentices, and General Manager Zhao isn't here either?"

“Boheng is in the car. He’s been wild since he was a child and doesn’t like this kind of thing!” Lin Sicheng put down his teacup. “President Zhao (Zhao Xiuxian) has business to do, so my senior brother accompanied him out of town!”

"Oh~" Yu Jiyao remained noncommittal. Perhaps feeling uncomfortable kneeling, she turned her upper body slightly to the side and spread her legs diagonally.

The coffee table is only 60 centimeters high; if you just hook your toes slightly, you can touch Lin Sicheng's knees.

With flowers being baked and tea being brewed, the temperature in the tea room was quite high, and the woman's forehead glistened with a slight sheen of sweat. As she slightly rose, the vest on her cheongsam slipped down, revealing her slender, fair arms.

With a twist of her slender waist, her long, shapely features became even longer, her rounded curves even more pronounced, and her fullness even more abundant.

Lin Sicheng remained unmoved, picked up the teapot, and brewed another cup.

Sure enough, he was blind.

But what's strange is that at twenty, a time of carefree abandon, one should be brimming with energy and boundless vitality, the kind of age where one would want to dig a hole at the slightest provocation. But this guy is the complete opposite, more composed than an old monk in deep meditation?
Yu Jiyao was somewhat discouraged: Why isn't this kid taking the bait?
With that posture and that formation, it was more serious than a negotiation, making it impossible to get any information out of them.

The key point is that he doesn't accept any offers, just like a eunuch.

I should have lit incense when I came in.

Just as he was cursing under his breath, he heard voices coming from outside the door.

Yu Jichuan?
Lin Sicheng's ears trembled slightly as he stood up.

Yu Jiyao secretly rolled her eyes and stood up as well.

But the two waited for quite a while, almost three minutes, before Yu Jichuan finally came in.

However, he wasn't alone; he was followed by another woman, who was slender and still retained her charm.

Ren Danhua.

The two entered the tea room, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

Why did Yu Jichuan speak on purpose, and why did he wait three or four minutes before coming in?

They assumed that something must have happened between the two, and that they needed time to clean up the mess.

But looking at him now, Lin Sicheng's clothes were neat and tidy, without a single wrinkle.

Yu Jiyao wasn't wearing much; her shoulders were exposed, and the hem was ruffled, almost revealing her upper thighs.

Sweat beaded on his forehead and his face was flushed, but this was purely due to heat, not because anything had happened.

Even with the fastest ventilation, it still takes more than an hour, so what's the point of just sitting there?

Yu Jiyao, what seductive skills do you have? Didn't you use even a little bit of them?
After a moment's thought, Ren Danhua unbuttoned her trench coat. Yu Jichuan, quick as a flash, took it and hung it on a hanger.

She has a better figure and more charm. With a slight upturn at the corner of her eye, her peach blossom eyes narrowed into two slits.

"Manager Lin, I'm sorry!"

A simple greeting, just two simple words. Ren Danhua knew that Lin Sicheng definitely understood what she meant.

It wasn't that they disrespected Lin Sicheng, were being secretive, or repeatedly testing him; it was because they were doing a business that could cost them their lives, and caution was the only way to ensure their safety.

"Mr. Ren, you flatter me!"

Lin Sicheng naturally understood, reached out and shook hands, their fingers intertwined, and he felt a warm and smooth sensation at their fingertips.

Perhaps she was in a hurry, or perhaps the air conditioning was on in the car, because the woman's palms were sweaty.

She was sweating, exuding a delicate and refined fragrance of cosmetics. A faint hint of Chinese medicine was also present among the scents.

It's not surprising that it smells like Chinese medicine; perhaps she's wearing a plaster, or more likely she's taking care of her health and has just finished drinking herbal soup.
But this one is not; it's not a plaster, much less a medicine for treating the body.

Lin Sicheng sniffed lightly: Cicada molts, bee honeycomb, black-tailed snake, Inula japonica, Uncaria rhynchophylla... Three Insects Calming the Wind Drink?

This prescription treats only one disease: intractable asthma, which Western medicine calls hormone-resistant asthma.

Phlegm and wind linger in the lungs, and can be triggered by touch, with sudden onset and cessation. Swallowing oxygen feels like ants crawling, and chest tightness feels like suffocation.

Western medicine has virtually no effective drugs, so we can only rely on traditional Chinese medicine to administer strong remedies to alleviate symptoms. Sanchong Dingfeng Yin is one such remedy.

People with this disease have cyanotic lips and nails, swollen eyelids, and when they inhale, their nostrils flutter like butterfly wings. When they exhale, bluish lines appear on the bridge of their nose, and they produce a whistling sound at the end, like the wind passing through a narrow gap.

Looking at Ren Danhua again: her cheekbones were flushed red, veins stood out between her brows, and her lips were pale as powder. Her breathing was light yet strong, and her voice was low yet calm. Her lungs were in excellent condition; at most, she only had some menstrual irregularities.

But that's secondary. The key point is, this tastes a bit familiar?

After trying hard to recall, Lin Sicheng's pupils couldn't help but shrink: He remembered.

The woman who bumped into Tang Nanyan while carrying her money box in Panjiayuan had that same smell about her.

It was stronger and more intense than what Ren Danhua exuded.

Previously, Lin Sicheng had harbored the idea of ​​following the clues and digging out the woman one day.

But he never imagined it would be so fast, so direct.

Because of the division of labor: in a tomb raiding gang, the leader is the one with the lowest profit margin, the least money, and the greatest risk.

Setting up the business only requires providing funds and remote control. The expert only needs to locate the burial site, assess the value, and the scout only needs to dig a hole, go down into the pit, open the coffin, and retrieve the goods. The middleman only needs to connect the various parties involved and facilitate the sale and resale of the stolen goods.

If you're making a pestle, you have to find a way to sell the ones that don't sell well, and you have to find a way to repair the ones that are damaged. After repairing them, you still have to find a way to get rid of them.

They are exposed the most, come into contact with the most outsiders, face the greatest risks, and earn the least money.

That woman was a classic "hawk." Look at her when she dealt with Ma Shan: single-handedly stormed her mortal enemy's lair, intercepted millions of dollars worth of pornography, and still managed to escape unscathed. That speaks volumes about her style.

Steady, accurate, ruthless, and precise.

Such a person might steal, rob, smuggle, or intercept, but she would never sell off leftover stock.

But ironically, she's a seller of leftover stock?

Lin Sicheng never imagined that he would finally be able to get close to that woman by relying on a wisp of Chinese medicine.

(End of this chapter)