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

Chapter 5 Getting into trouble

Dusk streamed through the branches of the old locust tree, tinting the flagstones golden. The sound of bells drifted in from afar, and the evening breeze, wrapped in the sweet fragrance of zongzi, wafted into my nostrils.

Jiang Yanwan got off the bus and saw a tricycle selling zonggao: the old man has a banquet in the evening, so it’s just him and Lin Mingzhi left, so they just have to make do with it.

Subconsciously, she thought of Lin Sicheng again: The bastard hasn't come back for more than two months, I wonder if he has lost weight?

Is six hundred yuan too little? Is it enough to last a month?

If I had known earlier, I should have asked Gu Ming to bring more.

As she was thinking, the old man rode his tricycle to her and Jiang Yanwan cut two pounds of meat.

Carrying the zongzi cake, he entered the community. There was a beep behind him. A half-worn Accord stopped at the door and Lin Mingzhi stuck his head out.

Jiang Yanwan looked at her watch: 6:10?

The funeral home closes at six o'clock. It's more than 20 kilometers away from home, and it used to take Lin Mingzhi at least half an hour to drive there.
"Why is it so early today?"

"Leaving early!"

"What?"

"Your precious son is home."

Jiang Yanwan's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"What my dad said, how could it be false? He said that Lin Sicheng called him, so he canceled all the dinner plans for the evening."

"You bastard, you finally have some conscience?" After cursing, Jiang Yanwan happily sat in the passenger seat, "Drive faster!"

"It's just a few steps, how many minutes can it speed up?"

After replying, and seeing that there were few people on the road, Lin Mingzhi stepped on the accelerator.

……

The corridor was narrow, and the terrazzo reflected the dazzling light. Jiang Yanwan took three steps at a time with her long legs.

Lin Mingzhi followed behind, staring at his wife's high heels worriedly: If she sprains it, she will have to lie down for at least half a month.

In a flash, the two of them reached the third floor. Jiang Yanwan took out the key and looked back again.

His eyes were slightly cold, with a hint of warning, and Lin Mingzhi understood immediately: "Don't worry, I promise not to say anything about him today."

Jiang Yanwan didn't move, her eyes still cold.

Lin Mingzhi thought about it and sighed helplessly: "I promise not to mention the matter of postgraduate study, and I won't let Dad mention it either. Okay!"

"Can you still control your father? But if you dare to support me today, I will never let you go..."

Lin Mingzhi raised his hands in surrender: "Okay, okay!"

With a snort, Jiang Yanwan opened the security door.

The range hood was on in the kitchen, mixed with the sound of a knife cutting vegetables, and the unique aroma of pickled meat wafted into my nostrils.

Jiang Yanwan breathed a sigh of relief: It must be my father-in-law cooking.

With only one son for three generations, the eldest grandson was his lifeblood. But everything turned out to be the opposite, and his father-in-law's overly strict and meticulous management aroused Lin Sicheng's rebellious psychology.

Unfortunately, the grandfather and grandson's personalities were like cut from the same mold, both stubborn. Over time, a gap arose between them.

But it seems that my father-in-law is in a good mood today. I will ask Lin Mingzhi to persuade him later. Try not to mention things like whether he will be admitted to graduate school or how to arrange a job after graduation. Let's coax the bastard back home first.

As she was thinking, she changed her slippers, passed the living room, and was stunned again.

My father-in-law sat on the sofa, staring at a bottle of wine in his hand, his eyes unfocused, as if he was in a daze.

There is a wine box at the feet, and the word "Moutai" is particularly conspicuous.

"dad!"

Lin Changqing came back to his senses: "Are you back?"

"Yeah!" She put down her bag and glanced towards the kitchen.

Through the frosted glass, two blurry figures surrounded the kitchen counter.

"Who's in the kitchen, Lin Sicheng and Gu Ming?"

"Yes!" The old man put down the bottle, "Cheng Wa wouldn't let me in, saying he wanted to show us his skills!"

"What? He showed off his skills, but whether he can eat them or not is still a question..."

Before he could finish his words, Lin Mingzhi was elbowed in the stomach.

Jiang Yanwan glared at him: No matter what bowl he brings out today, you have to smell it and say it smells good.

Lin Mingzhi understood immediately, hummed, and slid open the kitchen partition.

Gu Ming was clumsily chopping the garlic sprouts while Lin Sicheng was stirring the wok. With a "whoosh", a puff of fire came out, and with a whoosh, another puff of fire came out.

It was a bit noisy and no one noticed that there was someone standing outside the kitchen.

Smelling the fragrant aroma and looking at her son's thin profile, Jiang Yanwan's eyes became hot and she reached out for the man's waist.

Lin Mingzhi was in a state of amazement, thinking that his son actually had this skill. Suddenly, he felt something was wrong and with lightning speed, he grabbed his wife's hand and asked, "What are you doing?"

"He's already learned how to cook. You can see how much he's suffered. It's all your fault..."

Of course, the one who should be blamed the most is the father-in-law, but after all, Lin Mingzhi is a son, a husband, and a father. Who else should he pinch if not him?
"Jiang Yanwan, aren't you ridiculous? He went to university, not a technical school!" Lin Mingzhi sneered, "Why don't you first ask who he learned from and how he became so skilled?"

Huh?
Tears welled up in her eyes, but were taken back by Jiang Yanwan: You bastard, are you in a relationship?

Otherwise, who taught him?

Hearing the voice, Lin Sicheng turned his head and was stunned for a moment.

Dad was still the same, heartless and carefree. Mom was only in her early forties, but already there were faint wrinkles around her eyes. Her eyes were filled with mist, as if she was about to cry.

Lin Sicheng thought back to his past life: it took several years after graduating from university to unravel the knot in his heart, allowing him to return home more often. But within two years, his grandfather passed away, his parents began aging, and he began his life as a migrant worker in Beijing. Since then, his career has grown, his money has increased, and his fame has grown, but the time he spends with his parents has dwindled. Sometimes, they might not even see each other once a year.

Now think about it: Is it worth it?

Lin Sicheng couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat, and grinned, "Dad, Mom!"

Jiang Yanwan sniffed: "Let me do it!"

"Mom, it's ready. All that's left is the lamb. Five more minutes!"

Looking at the cooked dishes on the stove, Jiang Yanwan's tears, which had just been held back, began to swirl in her eyes again.

Lin Mingzhi had a bad feeling and took two steps back.

"Why are you hiding? Why aren't you serving the food?"

"Oh~"

……

There are meat and vegetables, chicken and fish. The main dish is hand-pulled lamb, which is particularly fresh.

Lin Sicheng opened the glass, and the clear liquid slid down the side of the glass, pulling out pearly silver threads. The aroma of the wine gradually spread, a rich and fragrant aroma.

After pouring it, he placed a glass in front of each person.

The eight eyes of the four people, young and old, fluttered.

It was amazing enough that he could cook such a table of dishes. The key was Lin Sicheng’s expression: pious, serious, grateful, nervous, and even a little uneasy?

The old man took the wine glass and smiled gently: "Are you in trouble?"

"without!"

Although the grandson was stubborn, he never lied to him. The old man smiled again and asked, "Are you dating someone?"

Lin Sicheng shook his head: "Grandpa, no!"

The old man nodded and tried to use a joking tone: "This wine is not cheap, it costs more than a month's salary of your father. Are you rich?"

Lin Mingzhi and Jiang Yanwan were both stunned: they thought that the box of wine was bought by the old man.

A box costs three thousand, and Lin Sicheng’s monthly living expenses are only six hundred. Where does he get the money?
It can't be that he took some crooked path?
"I didn't have classes this afternoon, so I went to Xiaodongmen with Gu Ming to look for my grandfather. He wasn't there, so I just wandered around..."

Lin Sicheng briefly recounted what had happened. The old man remained calm, but the couple stared with wide eyes.

Lin Sicheng spent thirty to buy a book, and then sold it for ten thousand?
The question is, the son’s tone and expression are like he made ten dollars?
More importantly, what he meant was that there would be no need to give him living expenses in the future, as he could support himself with this.

Lin Sicheng, are you kidding me? Even your grandfather wouldn't dare refuse his pension. He could save up a fortune just by picking up bargains.

Thinking about his son's performance in school, Lin Mingzhi frowned, as if he had eaten something: A blind man is peeling a sheep's penis, and you are just talking nonsense!
He looked around and reached into his trouser pocket: "Come, take a look, if you like, I'll give it to you... If you really want to make money from this in the future, I definitely won't care!"

Jiang Yanwan curled her lips: If you want to be in charge, you have to have the final say, right?
Even if she said it, it wouldn't count, because the old man had already paved the way for Lin Sicheng ten years later...

Lin Sicheng put down his chopsticks: a glass bottle the size of an egg, with a painting of a pond, reeds, and a pair of mandarin ducks inside.

The colors are good, but the painting is just average.

Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "The snuff bottles painted by the Beijing School are very neatly done."

"Say half and leave the other half, make it clear!"

"There's only form, but no meaning!" Lin Sicheng thought for a moment, "The master must have drawn the base outside the bottle, and the apprentice copied it inside."

"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand!" Lin Mingzhi turned the bottle and said, "See? That's Liu Shouben, the head of the Jing School!"

After looking at the inscription on the other side, Lin Sicheng almost laughed out loud: If Master Liu had this kind of craftsmanship, he would have been scolded to death long ago.

"It definitely wasn't painted by Liu Shouben, including the base painting on the outside of the bottle. At most, it was painted by his apprentice, who gave the inside painting to his lesser apprentices to practice with!"

"What do you say?"

Lin Mingzhi was about to argue, but when he saw the old man's eyes light up, his words got stuck in his throat.

What Lin Sicheng said is... right?
"No... Dad, I've been doing this for so long, and you didn't even remind me?"

"You think this thing you bought for a few hundred yuan is a genuine Liu Shouben piece?"

The old man poured himself another glass slowly, but his eyes were shining.

Jiang Yanwan's face flushed as she took out a jade pendant from her neck: "Come, help mom take a look at this jade."

Lin Mingzhi took a quick look and felt his heart skip a beat: "Don't make a fuss, how can he appreciate jade?"

"you shut up!"

Jiang Yanwan glared at him: "Son, look at you!"

Lin Sicheng didn't understand what was going on, but he was still examining it intently. "It's a machine-carved piece, the craftsmanship is okay, but the jade isn't good. It's just ordinary Afghan jade, the kind you can buy two kilograms for a hundred yuan!"

Jiang Yanwan was stunned for a moment, then narrowed her eyes: "Is it machine-carved? Not hand-carved?"

"There's not a single trace of tooling on it. It must be machine-engraved!" Lin Sicheng nodded. "It looks like it was made in Nanyang, and it's been soaked in acid and engine oil... How about letting Grandpa take a look?"

The old man's face flushed, his eyes were frighteningly bright, but he shook his head like a wave drum: "I won't look!"

Jiang Yanwan was stunned for a moment. How could she not know what was going on?

Lin Sicheng didn't lie: he really could. Even someone as steady as the old man couldn't control his expression.

Lin Mingzhi was even more miserable, with his mouth open, looking frightened.

But why am I so angry?

She gritted her teeth and said, "Lin Mingzhi, I remember when you gave me the jade, you said it was top-quality Hetian ancient jade. Did you spend a full eight thousand yuan on it?"

Lin Sicheng's heart skipped a beat: Oh no, is my dad blind?
Hey, that’s not right. Is that a resentful look?
Haha, I spoke too quickly and got into trouble...

(End of this chapter)