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

Chapter 345 Substitute
The woman came out of the inner room, carrying the box.

She placed it on the table and then looked at Lin Sicheng with a smile: "Which one would you like, sir?"

Lin Sicheng casually pointed: "This one, and this one too!"

The woman glanced at them casually and said, "These two are top-notch. Each one is worth 60,000, but I'll give you a discount. You can have them for 100,000!"

Lin Sicheng glanced at the woman, then at the two cricket gourds.

Although he didn't know who the woman was calling or how much money she was asking for, he had eyes and could see for himself.

Even if it's a very realistic imitation, a piece like this would cost at most 20,000 to 30,000 yuan.

This woman doubled her opinion the moment she opened her mouth?
"Sister, this is a fake!"

"I know, if it's genuine, I'd charge 100,000 for just one piece!"

"I am quite anxious, but I'm anxious because the real thing can't be repaired, not these few fakes of yours!" Lin Sicheng sighed. "Two pieces for 60,000, take it or leave it!"

"Sixty thousand..."

Before he could even utter the words "Not for sale," Lin Sicheng turned around. The woman paused, then grabbed his sleeve, "Sixty thousand it is!"

He was only there to investigate clues, and since he was sure he could get the money back, Lin Sicheng didn't want to argue with her. He took out his bank card and asked, "How do I pay?"

The woman took out a card reader: "You can pay here!"

The woman had probably never handled such a large sum before, and it took her a long time to process it. After a few beeps, the POS machine dispensed a receipt.

Lin Sicheng glanced at it: Sea Pig Pavilion?
The shop, called "sea pig" or "Guinea pig," is also located in Shilihe, just two streets away from here.

Lin Sicheng didn't know why the seller of the cricket gourds was using a pet store's account, so he secretly memorized it.

Looking at the amount on the receipt, the woman beamed: How long has it been since I've seen such a generous and decisive customer?
Business is usually good, but even at its best, it only brings in ten to twenty thousand...

"Please come again, guests!"

"we'll see!"

Lin Sicheng nodded, then pointed to the two items he had brought: "If the boss who supplies you comes back, you can call anytime, and we can discuss the wages. But I'm from out of town, so I can only stay for a couple of days at most."

How could Qi Hao possibly return in two days?

Could this person be deliberately taking the bridge?

The woman rolled her eyes: "Guest, I'll tell you the truth, and you might not believe me: besides his place, there's nowhere else in the capital that can repair your gourd..."

"is it?"

Lin Sicheng smiled and held out his hand, "It's just that the materials weren't complete and I couldn't find the right tools, otherwise I could have fixed it myself!"

At first, the woman scoffed: Anyone can say pretty words.
Besides, Qi Hao is truly skilled; otherwise, the owner of Tingqiushan Hall wouldn't have recommended his customers to come here.

He just doesn't like to be in the public eye, so not many people know him...

But when she saw Lin Sicheng's hands, she was suddenly stunned: there were calluses on the edges of his palms, spots on the base of his thumb, and especially on the pads of his fingers, which were covered with countless black dots, as if they were pierced by countless thorns.

Is this guy a tomb raider?
No, the only signs of tomb raiding are soil stains and rust... This is a tomb raider with a shattered head.

Suddenly, the woman believed most of it.

"Okay, I'll have him call you as soon as he gets back..."

Lin Sicheng neither agreed nor disagreed, but nodded.

After packing up the box, the three of them left the store. The woman stood at the door, watching Lin Sicheng's retreating figure.

After he turned the corner, the woman went back into her shop, took out her phone, and scrolled through her contacts. After a while, she found a number and dialed it.

The woman chuckled as the call connected: "Mr. Sun, thank you for today, it's a great day to make a sale."

"Were there three people, two men and one woman, with a tall guy who looked like a bodyguard?"

"Yes, he brought two cricket gourds, saying he wanted to repair them. But the person I know went out of town and can't repair them, so he bought two, saying he'd wait for someone to come back before repairing them... I just wanted to ask, if he wants them repaired, how much would be a reasonable price?"

"That's hard to say, because those two are top-tier items, most likely from the palace. As for the price, it depends on how much they've been repaired..."

The woman was startled: No wonder the man had been so dismissive when she said "the imitation is quite good."

"Thank you for the advice, Mr. Sun. I'll treat you to dinner another day!"

After hanging up the phone, the woman's mind started racing: he could give 50,000 for two counterfeit items, so what if he could repair two genuine pieces?
You damned Qi Hao, where have you been all this time when you should have been making big money?
In a flash, the woman tried calling Qi Song again, but the phone, which had been able to go through before, was now switched off.
She tried two more groups, but still couldn't get through. The woman gritted her teeth, hurling insults and profanities at Qi Song and Qi Hao's mother.

As she was cursing, she suddenly remembered what the man had said before he left: "It's just that I didn't have all the materials and couldn't find the right tools, otherwise I could have fixed it myself..."

Yes: Qi Hao may not be here, but the tools and materials are. What's wrong with selling him some?
The woman's eyes lit up, and she pulled down the roller shutter.

……

As he turned the corner, Lin Sicheng answered the cell phone handed to him by the special agent:
"Captain Yu, send someone to keep an eye on that woman from earlier, and investigate 'Bitao Sea Pig Restaurant' again!"

"Okay!" Yu Guang replied, then sighed, "I just found Qi Song's phone number and was about to locate him when the signal disappeared!"

Isn't this normal?
It's been over two hours since "Xiangguoyuan" was arrested. If I hadn't come to this store, Qi Song probably wouldn't even know that his brother got into trouble.
This shows that this person's vigilance was far inferior to Wang Chun's...

Lin Sicheng pondered for a moment: "Captain Yu, Wang Chun is probably going to run away. If necessary, we should arrest him."

Yu Guang pondered for a moment: If we grab him, it will be a lose-lose situation.

Finding the stolen goods is only one aspect. If those two traitors are not brought to justice, whether it's him and Sun Liancheng, the chief captain, or even the bureau leaders, they will regret it for the rest of their lives.

"She can't escape!"

"I know..." Lin Sicheng was still a little worried, "but this woman is too cunning, and she has too many tricks up her sleeve, making her impossible to guard against!"

"Don't worry, Teacher Lin!"

Three teams, nine groups, the woman's residence was surrounded like an iron barrel, where could she run to?
……

In the sloping roof attic, light seeped in through the latticework and fell on the yellowish bamboo blinds.

Water vapor floats in the light, ethereal and lingering.

The humidity was a bit high, so the woman turned off the humidifier and tapped the sofa armrests repeatedly.

All of Ren Danhua's, Yu Jichuan's, and Yu Jiyao's phones were switched off.

These three must have guessed what I wanted them to do.

But the money in the account hasn't been touched?
It seems that Danhua has learned a lot from me over the years, at least she knows herself: as long as money is involved, she has to take the blame whether she wants to or not.

It doesn't matter, it's just a casual move anyway. If it succeeds, great; if it fails, there's no loss.

She's fifty-six years old this year, and she's earned more money than she could spend in three lifetimes. Her children have all been sent abroad, so she should have retired long ago.

Why did they have to live under someone else's roof, endure humiliation, and carefully cultivate Ren Danhua and Qi Song, all for this very day?
Having accomplished his task, he left without a trace, concealing his merit and fame...

The phone vibrated, and the woman sat up straight.

It's a number I've never seen before, but the seventh digit is 2 and the tenth digit is 9.

Qi Song.

She answered the phone, and the voice on the other end sounded slightly flustered: "Big sister, something's happened..."

"Don't be impatient, speak slowly!"

Qi Song let out a heavy sigh: "Qi Hao is gone, and Erlv (in camouflage) is gone too..."

"When?"

"Just today, he called me this morning, saying that the security bureau and fire department were inspecting the cold storage. In the afternoon, he suddenly stopped answering the phone..."

"Have you sent someone to ask?"

"I asked, and they said the North Water Company wouldn't allow the reservoir to be opened, so a disturbance broke out on site, and the Safety Bureau subdued several of the troublemakers..."

"Not the police?" "No, it was the security bureau and the fire department. They arrested them on the spot. The police station came afterward... I asked someone to check the surveillance footage to see if Qi Hao and Erlv were the ones arrested, but the logistics center wouldn't let me. I also tried to find out through connections, but after going around in circles, I couldn't even find out where they were being held..."

"You won't even take the money?"

"It's not a matter of whether or not they want money, but that they can't find out the answer."

It seems something really did happen.

She didn't have much of an impression of Erlv, but Qi Hao had been with her for several years, and she knew his personality very well: the young man was ruthless, but not impulsive, and at most he would just watch the excitement.

Besides, it was the North Water Company that caused the trouble, what does it have to do with him?
The woman's eyelids twitched involuntarily: Even if something happened, why was it the security bureau and the fire department that arrested people, instead of the police?
Could it be that these people checking the database are actually police officers in disguise?

"Big sister, could it be Ren Danhua who did it?"

"impossible!"

Ren Danhua lacks this decisiveness, has no capable subordinates, and certainly doesn't have this connection.

The most crucial point is: how come they couldn't even get information from insiders?
Unless, of course, the person was not arrested by the department in the jurisdiction.

Throwing a stone to test the waters, the stone didn't splash any water, but the lake itself started to churn.
The woman's mind raced: "Send people to keep watch outside the shops: the gourd shop, the pet shop, and the basement control room—anywhere Qi Hao frequents. Have people keep an eye on them and see if any laymen ask him any questions."

Qi Song was startled: "Big sister, what if the police are setting a trap?"

"Don't worry, it won't be that quick: even if Qi Hao falls, he won't confess so quickly, and the police won't find out his background so quickly either. They'll just have to cast a wide net and catch a lot of fish. Even if they do find out, they'll definitely find out about his public businesses first..."

The police don't have that many skilled personnel; they all act like experts. We should send people to keep an eye on them. If someone enters the store and asks a lot of questions but doesn't buy anything, it's most likely the police. That means we've been caught…”

Qi Song's heart skipped a few beats.

A few days ago, my older sister said she felt something was wrong, saying that this police inspection seemed to be aimed at them. Qi Song didn't quite believe it at the time.

Inspections happen every year. Last year at the end of the year and this spring, the scale of the inspections was much larger than this time, but in the end, nothing happened.
Later, his older sister reminded him to keep a low profile during this period, to delegate all matters to Yu Jichuan, and to blame Yu Jichuan if he failed. He still didn't take it seriously.

The eldest sister put in so much effort to train these three scapegoats. Isn't it a waste to throw them out as scapegoats at the slightest sign of trouble?
Only when the moment arrived did he realize how farsighted his older sister had been: money is a bastard, you can always earn more. But if you lose a person, you lose your life…

Qi Song gritted his teeth: "But why Qi Hao?"

Qi Hao is his own younger brother. There are only two men in the family. They can't both be executed, can they?

Whether it's tomb raiding or selling goods, Qi Hao basically doesn't get involved. Besides, he already has the skills and his own businesses, and more than one.

Overt, covert, and even partially overt.

At most, when he's too busy, he can manage the warehouse and keep an eye on things.

So, the younger brother hadn't done much wrong and knew very little about the situation. Why did the police arrest him?

The woman remained silent, because she didn't know either.

If the police have been monitoring this for a long time, why not arrest Ren Danhua, whose case is more conclusive and who clearly intends to flee?
She received most of the problematic goods, sold them, and managed the accounts.

Regardless of where the money ultimately went or what it was used for—whether it was used to pay the people who went down into the pit, to buy tools, vehicles, and equipment for tomb raiding, or even transferred overseas—every single penny would inevitably pass through Ren Danhua's hands.

She's more like a pot than I am.

If the police only recently started targeting her, why didn't they arrest the bait she sent out? Like Steel Bar, Six, and Dog Leg?

The incident happened so suddenly that it's impossible to analyze what went wrong in a short time.

But the woman at least knew that something must have happened, otherwise the police wouldn't have been able to find the cold storage.

It's not like Danhua turned herself in, is it?
The woman shook her head decisively as soon as the thought crossed her mind: Impossible.

Ren Danhua knew very well that once she confessed, she would never be able to get out of jail for the rest of her life. Not to mention turning herself in, even if she were caught, she would definitely grit her teeth and refuse to confess.

Besides, if she really confessed, the police would arrest her first...

In an instant, the woman considered countless possibilities. Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes: "Qi Song, change the number, change the location!"

"Big sister, which one should we switch to?"

"Let's go to Ruyi City!"

After a slight pause, a glint of light flashed in the woman's eyes. "Go to the jade shop first. On the shelf against the east wall, there's a Buddha statue made of Qilian jade. There's a key inside the Buddha's belly. After getting the key, go to the basement. The address is F-26."

Once inside, behind the largest piece of material is a safe. The combination is Qi Hao's birthday. Inside are our passports and ID cards, cash, and gold bars… Wait there for my call.”

Are they running away?

Qi Song's heart tightened, and before he could even open his mouth, the woman sighed, "We're not leaving now, but hiding first and waiting to see how things develop!"

Qi Song breathed a sigh of relief: "Big sister, what about Qi Hao?"

"Wait for my news!"

"What about the goods in the basement?"

"Wait a little longer, it's not time to burn it yet!"

The woman explained everything carefully, and Qi Song was in a state of confusion, only able to say "uh-huh" repeatedly. Only after hanging up did he realize that when the woman mentioned the passport, she hadn't said "I," but rather "we."

This "we" definitely refers to the eldest sister, him, and the younger brother.

This shows that the eldest sister had already prepared an escape route.

Qi Song breathed a sigh of relief.

……

After hanging up the phone, the woman pinched her brow and lowered her head in thought.

After a long while, she got up, drew the curtains, and then stretched out her foot to step on the base of the recliner.

With a soft "whoosh," the display shelf split in two, revealing a doorway.

The door slid open silently, revealing a small room inside.

A bed, a lamp, a few books. And a woman reading a book.

The woman looked up, and in that instant, Wang Chun felt as if she were looking in a mirror.

They have the same facial features, the same height, the same build, and the same hairstyle.

Even the exact same sound.

The woman put down the magazine in her hand: "Are you leaving?"

Wang Chun nodded: "I'm leaving!"

"Have a safe trip..." Before she could finish speaking, the woman coughed.

Wang Chun patted her on the back, "I'm sorry you had to go through all this!"

After coughing for a long time, the woman finally caught her breath and said, "I'm not wronged... It's worth it to exchange my life for millions!"

Wang Chun smiled. "Maybe I won't have to die!"

"Don't worry, I won't betray you!" The woman shook her head. "I'm so sick, I don't want to live anymore!"

Wang Chun remained silent, then let out a long sigh.

After a long while, she held the woman's hand and said, "Sister, take care!"

"Okay, take care!" The woman smiled. "Take good care of Tinghai and Xiaomei for me!"

"do not worry!"

The two hugged, then separated. The woman left the room, closed the stainless steel door, and then closed the display shelf.

Wang Chun lifted the carpet in the small room and then uncovered a wooden board.

The entrance to the dark cave was just wide enough for one person to descend, and a vertical ladder led straight down, with no end in sight...

(End of this chapter)