Siheyuan: Living in the People's Community, with a Heart for the Red Star

The two of them stared at Lao Yang nervously, waiting for him to make the final decision. Lao Yang looked at the two people who were nervous, slammed the table, and frightened them, and said, "Okay, let's go with this price! I'll pay an extra 1 yuan for the packaging fee, and you must pack it well for me, without any bumps or scratches! And send it to me after it's packed."

After saying that, he immediately took out a check and wrote a check for 40 yuan and handed it to Manager Qi. Manager Qi felt like he was having the hiccups when he took the check for 40 yuan. His palms were sweating and beads of sweat were oozing from his forehead.

The shopkeeper quickly handed over a towel, and Manager Qi wiped it before carefully picking up the check to verify it. He put the two checks together and breathed a sigh of relief.

Old Yang then asked the shopkeeper, "Is there any store in Liulichang that sells a large number of ancient books, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, gold and stone gems, and the like?"

Seeing that Lao Yang was still interested in buying something, the shopkeeper recommended: "Of course there are some, such as Wencui Pavilion, Yibaozhai, Shudaolou, etc. They are all famous bookstores on this street, and they also store a lot of antiques, calligraphy and paintings. But the fine products are all hidden in the hands of individuals. The things in our store are just ordinary collections. Maybe all the things added together are not as valuable as one of their collections!"

Seeing that Old Yang was very interested, the shopkeeper recommended: "Mr. Yang, walk east from Rongbaozhai and you will find Cuizhenzhai, which is the largest antique and jade shop here. You can go there and take a look. You should be able to get something valuable!"

Old Yang looked at the two nervous people and stood up to say goodbye. He put the contract into his bag and said, "Then I'll trouble you to arrange for someone to deliver the antiques and calligraphy and paintings I bought to Guaijia Hutong as soon as possible. I'll take my leave today!"

The two men escorted Lao Yang out of the door and saw Lao Yang walking east. After Lao Yang left, the two men locked the door, picked up the check and contract from the counter, and went through the back door to the Industrial and Commercial Administration Bureau to report.

Today's event was too sudden and too exciting. The two of them, who were carrying a huge sum of money, did not dare to delay at all, and ran all the way to the Industrial and Commercial Administration Bureau. They found their direct supervisor and handed over the contract and money.

I waited in the bureau for more than an hour before I received the notice: Cooperate actively and complete it as soon as possible!

The two returned to the store with the approval documents and began to organize people to sort and pack. It took three full days to complete the packing, which was already very efficient.

After leaving Rongbaozhai, Lao Yang walked east for a hundred meters and saw Cuizhenzhai.

I walked slowly into Cuizhenzhai, and the decoration inside was completely different from Rongbaozhai. There was a row of glass counters at the entrance, with various jade carvings, pearls and agates on display. From small earrings to large living room ornaments, there was a dazzling array of items.

There were a few foreigners shopping inside, communicating with the two translators. They seemed to be buying some souvenirs to take back home, and were bargaining.

When a clerk saw Lao Yang coming in, he hurried over and took Lao Yang inside, away from the foreigners.

The clerk asked, "What kind of jade do you need? How about I recommend a few to you?"

Old Yang looked at the jade ornaments around him and asked, "Are these new or ancient jades?"

Seeing that Old Yang didn't understand, the clerk said, "Most of the jade here are quite old. There have been basically no new products in the past two years. The master craftsman in the store also returned to the countryside for various reasons, and there are no good works! There is only one carving master sent by the government, and these figures and statues of great men are newly carved."

Lao Yang nodded and asked, "What is the price of jade now?"

The clerk found out that Lao Yang was a novice, so he introduced directly: "The value of jade depends on its material, the craftsmanship of the craftsman, and the meaning of the jade. If you judge it just by the value of the jade, most of the jade is not worth much. A jade pendant is only about two yuan!"

Old Yang looked at the patient clerk and asked, "How many jades do we have in our store? How much are they worth?"

The clerk looked at Lao Yang warily and asked, "Comrade, what do you do for a living? What brings you to our store? If you are not buying jade, please leave!"

Old Yang looked at the clerk with a smile, took out his ID and handed it to him, explaining, "I have overseas channels here, and I can sell these antique jades overseas. I want to find our shopkeeper to cooperate. I don't know who in the store can make the decision and introduce me to someone!"

The other party took Lao Yang's ID and looked at it, then said to Lao Yang: "Since you are here to discuss business, I will go and inform the store manager for you. I can't guarantee whether it will succeed or not!"

After that, he turned around and went to the second floor. Not long after, the clerk came back and said to Lao Yang: "Comrade Yang, our store manager wants you to go upstairs for a chat!"

Old Yang got up and followed the clerk upstairs, where he met a 50-year-old man in an office. Looking at his thick glasses, gray hair, and stubble, he knew that he was a knowledgeable old man! At least he had enough knowledge in jade identification.

The clerk respectfully introduced the old man, "Mr. Li, this is Mr. Yang. He is the one who wants to cooperate with our store."

After saying that, he turned around and introduced Lao Yang: "Mr. Yang, this is our store manager, Mr. Li Maochang. He is also the president of the Kyoto Jade Association."

After the introduction, the clerk turned and left the office, closing the door behind him.

The two observed each other for a while. Manager Li said, "Interesting little guy, sit down and let's chat."

Listening to the other person's tone, it seems that he has discovered something different. After all, he is old and wise, and he is also an old man who often comes into contact with all kinds of people and is influenced by history and culture.

Old Yang took two steps and sat on the stool opposite the old man. Manager Li poured a glass of water for Old Yang and pushed it over, saying, "You walk like a dragon and a tiger, you have extraordinary aura, you are a rare talent! If it were in ancient times, you would have the fate of an emperor, but unfortunately there is no emperor now! Tell me, what are your thoughts today? As long as it is not difficult, I will do whatever you want, and make a good relationship with you!"

Seeing that the other party was acting mysterious like a charlatan, Lao Yang knew that he must have some knowledge of physiognomy and was trying to curry favor with him.

Old Yang was not polite and told the purpose of his visit today: "Since the old man is so polite, I will be frank. I came here today mainly to collect a batch of antique jades, especially those that are old and have historical allusions. How much is left besides the ones displayed downstairs? I plan to buy all the jades!"

Manager Li was also shocked by Lao Yang's tone. He had never seen anyone buy jade in this way. He bought all the jade right away. This is a one-pot, one-price problem!"

However, Manager Li was an experienced old man after all, so he quickly reacted. He said with a smile on his face, "I didn't expect that I would meet a noble person today. I have quite a lot of jade in my store. In addition to the ones on the front desk, there are still hundreds of pieces in stock. According to the price estimated during the joint venture, there are about 300 million in stock. The detailed price needs to be recalculated, but it's no more, no less! If you can come up with this 300 million, it's not impossible to sell it all to you. I'm old now, and I'm beginning to feel powerless. If I can sell it all at once, I can take the opportunity to retire and have a good rest. You've helped me a lot!"

Old Yang asked, "Grandpa, can you tell me if there are any top-quality jades like mutton-fat white jade or He's jade in here?"

Manager Li laughed out loud at Lao Yang's question, and then explained: "You are so bold, kid. Do you know how much a piece of top-quality mutton-fat jade is worth? And the Heshi Bi, that is just a legend, I have heard of it but never seen it. But in terms of the legendary value, it is a treasure of Zhenguo! The best here are the top-grade mutton-fat jade, Hetian jade, Nanyang jadeite, etc. The real treasures that can be put on the table will not be sold in the store, they are all privately collected. Don't be too greedy, kid, after all, this thing can't be eaten or drunk, it's just a thought, a toy!"

Old Yang nodded in admiration and said, "Grandpa, you are very insightful. But I still want to buy the things. Please arrange for a statistics. If the price is right, we will sign the contract and complete the transaction."

Seeing that Lao Yang really wanted to buy, Manager Li led him downstairs to find the public representative, and the three of them negotiated the specific details.

Finally, Lao Yang paid a deposit of 10 yuan and purchased 350 million yuan worth of jade products from the store. After the relevant statistics are completed, a detailed sales contract will be signed. Lao Yang left Cuizhenzhai with the receipt and prepared to drive to pick up Li Yuping after get off work.

Old Yang arrived at the headquarters of Xingbang Company at noon, when he was about to get off work, and parked his car on the side of the road waiting for Li Yuping to get off work.

Although Xingbang Company was founded by Lao Yang, he has never stepped into it since he left for Hong Kong. Looking at the headquarters building from a distance, I still feel a little emotional.

Just as everyone was rushing to the cafeteria for lunch at noon, Li Yuping left Xingbang Company with her small bag and went to Beihai Park with Lao Yang in her car, preparing for a sweet picnic for two.

The two found a spot outside Beihai Park and parked the car. They carried a table basket and a picnic cloth into Beihai Park, found a good spot on the grass by the lake, spread the table cloth, took out various cakes and food from the basket and laid them out. The two leaned against each other, admiring the lake scenery while talking sweetly.

Lao Yang took out a bottle of champagne, opened it, and drank and chatted with Li Yuping. The atmosphere was very harmonious, and it felt like there were only the two of them in the world.

There are people who usually go to Beihai Park for fun. Although serious workers and cadres will not come, some children and the elderly will still go to the park for a walk. People like Lao Yang who are having a picnic are not seen, so the behavior of the two attracted a lot of attention. Some radical students pointed at them from a distance and said that this is the decadent capitalist life and petty bourgeoisie. Of course, Lao Yang and Li Yuping would never care.

As time went on, a lot of people gathered around them from afar to watch them, and the two of them became a sight to behold.

Coincidentally, the children from the compound who came to Beihai to hang out discovered them, and the leader was Zhang Haiyang. Seeing a man and a woman picnicking in the park without restraint, he felt it necessary to teach them a lesson, and it was definitely not because of their food and wine!

Zhang Haiyang led his three younger brothers and walked towards the two people unsteadily. They shouted loudly from a distance: "Hey, who are you? Who told you to have a picnic here? Don't you know, is this a public resource?"

The eyes of several people kept sweeping over the cakes and food on display. Many of the cakes they had never seen, let alone eaten. The dishes were all meat dishes, especially the roast chicken with one leg missing, which looked very delicious!

Zhang Haiyang resisted the urge to rush over, raised his head and prepared to take away the food and drinks after accusing the two of them. When he saw Lao Yang's face, he was also stunned. This person's face was so familiar! It seemed that he had seen it somewhere. Thinking carefully, wasn't this the person who watched the fight between him and Zhong Yuemin before and was framed by Zhong Yuemin! How could he be here? Looking at the woman next to him, he immediately recognized that this was Li Yuping, the daughter of Li Shichang in the compound. It was said that she was a senior executive of Xingbang Company. It seemed that this person was not simple. This was a tough call!

Zhang Haiyang immediately changed his attitude and shouted to Li Yuping with a playful smile: "Sister Li is here, who did I think it was! It's okay, it's okay, I'll take them away now!"

Seeing Zhang Haiyang about to take his younger brother away, Lao Yang recognized him at a glance. This guy is Zhang Haiyang. It looked like he was going to cause trouble. He must have recognized one of them and changed his face immediately. This guy is also a talent. At least he knows who to mess with and who not to mess with. Otherwise, he would have done well in the end. So people still have to observe people's expressions and seek benefits and avoid harm!

Seeing the boy turning around to leave, Lao Yang called out to him, "Zhang Haiyang, right? Why are you running?"

Zhang Haiyang turned around, stared at Lao Yang and asked, "Do you know me?"

"What's so strange about knowing you? You and Zhong Yuemin are now considered famous gangsters! You don't think no one knows about your behavior, do you? It's just that the higher-ups don't want to pay attention to you. It's all just children playing house! Are there only four of you today?" Old Yang said with a smile.

Zhang Haiyang also realized that there were many of them, the children of the big courtyard, hanging out outside, but only a few of them were famous, so it was normal for others to know about them. So he was relieved and said, "Yes, there are only four of us today. Do you have any advice?"

Seeing that Zhang Haiyang had regained his rebellious character, Lao Yang nodded and said, "Since you're here, don't leave yet. Sit down and have something to eat together!"

Zhang Haiyang and the others felt a little embarrassed when they heard what Lao Yang said. Zhang Haiyang turned around to look at Li Yuping and asked, "Is Sister Li suitable?"

Li Yuping rolled her eyes at him and said, "Sit down. Your brother-in-law has already spoken. Looking at your eager eyes, I don't know how you will pass me on if I don't agree!"

Zhang Haiyang saw that Li Yuping agreed, so he immediately waved his hand and took his three younger brothers to find an empty seat on the picnic blanket and sat down. He complimented Li Yuping and said, "Sister Li is generous, how dare I! Everyone knows that Sister Li is the most loyal in the compound, and she takes good care of the younger brothers. If anyone dares to spread rumors about Sister Li, we won't punish him!"

Looking at the various cakes and dishes, several people were embarrassed and didn't know whether to eat or not.

Old Yang said to Zhang Haiyang with a smile: "Why, you are so wild usually, but now you become a woman? Eat whatever you want. In fact, I am quite optimistic about you, you are quite ruthless! If you go to the army to train for two years, you will be considered a man!"

When Lao Yang told them that they could eat whatever they wanted, they reached out and picked up their favorite cakes and started eating. Li Yuping took out a few pairs of chopsticks from the basket next to them and handed them to them. The four of them let go of their reservations and started eating with big mouthfuls.