I trade in both worlds

With a loud crack of whips, six carriages slowly set off on their return journey.

The wheels made a squeaking sound as they rolled over the frozen ground.

When the carriage drove into Xu Zhuang, it was still dark and the village was silent. Only the occasional crowing of chickens and barking of dogs broke the tranquility.

Xu Ziqi and Xu Ziqing became excited. They finally returned to this familiar yet strange place.

Arriving at Xu Xu's house, Xu Ziqi knocked on the door gently, "Knock knock knock".

The two dogs in the house seemed to sense the presence of a stranger and ran into the yard and began barking.

After being woken up, Xu Xu put on a thick cotton jacket, stood at the door and asked, "Who?"

"Xuxu, it's us, we're back." Xu Ziqing called softly, with a hint of lightness in her voice.

The gate of the courtyard creaked open, and Xu Xu looked at the six carriages and the dusty brother and sister at the door with surprise.

"Sister Qing, Brother Xu...you are finally back." Xu Xu was so excited that he was a little incoherent and quickly invited them into the house.

She looked at the six carriages at the door and asked hesitantly, "Did you bring all these back?"

Xu Ziqi smiled and explained: "We bought a lot of things in Beijing this time. I'll tell you later."

Xu Xu nodded and quickly stepped aside to make it easier for the escort to drive the carriage into the yard.

Xu Ziqi led the escorts to unload the goods into the utility room. The escorts moved quickly and unloaded all the goods in a short while.

After the escort left, Xu Xu brought hot tea, looked at the wood and the dazzling array of goods on the ground, and asked curiously: "You bought so many things, what did you buy?"

Xu Ziqing smiled, pulled a chair over and sat down, and began to introduce the gains of their trip to Beijing: "We bought a lot of good things this time. Look at these four lacquerwares. They are our favorites."

She pointed to four exquisite wooden boxes on the ground and said, "These are carved red osmanthus-patterned boxes. The delicate carvings are simply irresistible."

"This is a red carved chrysanthemum-petal shaped lidded box, which has a unique shape with layers of chrysanthemum petals. There is also this rhinoceros-carved rectangular yellow-ground mirror box, which has a yellow background and black patterns. The contrast is sharp and it is both practical and beautiful.

"Finally, this red lacquer box with golden lotus petals and floral patterns is even more exquisite, with the golden lotus and floral patterns on it shining brightly."

Xu Xu was stunned. She had never seen such exquisite lacquerware.

"In addition to lacquerware, we also bought some gemstones." Xu Ziqi took over the conversation.

He took out a small cloth bag from his arms and opened it carefully. Inside lay several colorful gems.

Xu Xu took a closer look and saw that some of the gems were crystal clear. He exclaimed, "These gems are so beautiful."

"There's more." Xu Ziqing smiled and pointed to several large wooden items on the ground. "We also bought some second-hand furniture. Look at this rosewood dressing table."

"There is also the Huanghuali bookshelf. In addition, we also bought some official leather boxes, treasure boxes, mirror boxes, incense boxes and other wooden items made of precious wood."

Xu Xu was stunned. She didn't expect the brother and sister would buy so many things.

She looked at the goods scattered all over the floor and sighed, "You guys really invested a lot this time."

When talking about money, Xu Ziqi and Xu Ziqing looked at each other.

Xu Ziqing suddenly said: "Xu Xu, there is something I want to tell you."

"What's the matter? Tell me." Xu Xu smiled and looked at her

Xu Ziqing pulled out a detailed list from his sleeve and handed it to Xu Xu: "Including the boxes, the total sales were 19,000 taels, which is better than expected."

Xu Xu took the details and looked through them carefully, with a hint of surprise in his eyes: "So many, so we made a lot of money this time."

"Yes, we each got 9,500 taels." Xu Ziqing pointed at the wood on the ground and said embarrassedly, "But I used that money to buy these things."

"Ah?" Xu Xu was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's okay, just use it. I don't lack money now."

Seeing this, Xu Ziqi patted Xu Xu on the shoulder and said, "Xu Xu, take a look at these things here. If you like anything, you can use it to pay off your debts, or we can pay you back when we have money."

Xu Xu shook his head and said with a smile, "No need, give it to me when you have money, there is no rush. You brought these goods back from the capital with great effort, I don't want them anymore."

"Okay, I'll pay you back next time I make money." Xu Ziqing responded readily.

"Okay." Xu Xu nodded readily in response.

Xu Ziqi and Xu Ziqing ate some cookies, sent a message to their parents, and went back to their rooms to take a shower and go to bed.

Xu Xu saw that it was getting late and it was too late to make breakfast, so he simply went out and bought breakfast.

The brother and sister slept until noon, and the sunlight had already filtered through the curtains, illuminating the room.

Xu Ziqi and Xu Ziqing woke up one after another, rubbed their sleepy eyes, and went to the utility room.

Xu Xu was sitting on the sofa sewing shoe soles. When he saw the two of them, he smiled and said, "You're finally awake. Lunch is already warm in the pot for you. Go and eat."

The three of them sat together at the dining table, enjoying a simple lunch.

Xu Xu sat beside them and watched them eat. He asked, "What are you going to do with the furniture you brought back this time?"

Xu Ziqing put down his chopsticks and looked at Xu Ziqi: "What do you think?"

Xu Ziqi pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Why not send it to the auction house to save time and effort."

Xu Ziqing shook his head and said, "Actually, I have an idea. I want to open a store of my own to display these furniture so that more people can understand traditional culture and what true luxury is."

Xu Ziqi was slightly stunned when he heard this, and then frowned. The antique business was too complicated. Neither of them knew much about antique furniture, let alone how to run an antique furniture store.

"Xiaoqing, this idea sounds good, but it's difficult to implement in practice." Xu Ziqi frowned and said earnestly, "The antique industry is too complicated. We don't understand it and it's easy to be fooled. In addition, it's impossible for the two of us to run the store ourselves, and it's not possible to hire someone. We don't understand it ourselves, and hiring a professional will make us fooled."

After he finished speaking, he paused and continued, "How can we sell furniture when we can't even tell the year, pattern, or origin?"

Xu Ziqing agreed with Xu Ziqi's ideas, but she thought these were minor problems.

"We can pay an expert to do the appraisal," she insisted, "and then make a booklet out of the appraisal results. This will increase the attractiveness of the product and prevent people from being deceived."

"Moreover, I want to let more people feel the charm of ancient culture through these furniture and let them be passed on."