The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

At the dock, Shen Lian watched his family's carriage drive away, then found a deserted spot and traveled back to Shanghai.

It had only been a day since he left, but it felt like an eternity to Shen Lian. He looked around the rented room, sat down in a chair, took out a cigarette, and lit it. Was this what they meant by a lifetime passing by?

After finishing his cigarette, Shen Lian picked up a bag and went out. The streets outside were still bustling with traffic, and Shen Lian felt a little dazed for a moment.

He first went to a mobile phone store and bought a new phone, as his own phone had been soaked in water and was unusable. Shen Lian hailed a taxi and headed to the antique market. In the taxi, Shen Lian took out his phone and started looking things up.

Information is so readily available these days; a simple search brings up all sorts of information and videos. The price of silver ingots is incredibly chaotic, ranging from two or three hundred thousand to over a million. It's completely baffling to him.

Wang Shimin's paintings, however, exceeded his expectations, fetching tens of millions each. Zhu Da's paintings were even more expensive. This is going to be a windfall! It seems he can't just sell them casually; going through an auction house would be better.

Upon arriving at the Zhongzhou Antique City, Shen Lian didn't immediately go inside. Instead, he first went to a nearby shop and bought a pack of Da Zhong Jiu cigarettes, something he would never have dared to dream of before. Today, he bought a pack just to impress others.

Shen Lian had just torn open the cigarette pack when his phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was the manager of the real estate agency where he used to work calling.

"Hey, Shen Lian. You little rascal, where have you been! You didn't come to work yesterday afternoon, and you're still not here today. I tried calling you, but your phone is off. Do you want to quit?" An angry voice came from the phone.

"Yes! I quit!" Shen Lian replied calmly. This Wang Ziyu always bossed them around and looked down on Shen Lian and the other outsiders, relying on his local status.

I don't know where he gets his sense of superiority. He's just an employee. If he's so great, why doesn't he go home and collect rent? Unfortunately, his family is also working class, and their house was bought with a loan.

"Shen Lian, you..." "Alright, that's it! Don't call me again unless it's absolutely necessary." Shen Lian hung up before he could say anything.

He pulled out a Da Zhong Jiu cigarette and thought, "Hmm! I don't know if it's because it's expensive, but Shen Lian thinks the taste is really good. I'll smoke this from now on!"

Carrying his bag, Shen Lian slowly walked into the antique market. Unlike the street market, there weren't many people in the antique market. After looking around, Shen Lian entered a relatively large shop that specialized in coins and stamps.

"What kind of coins are you looking to buy, sir? We have all kinds of coins and commemorative coins here, from the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties to modern times. We also deal in all kinds of stamps, tickets, and certificates. If you can think of it, we have it here. Our shop is second to none in the entire city when it comes to coins and stamps..." the young salesperson enthusiastically introduced.

Shen Lian nodded. The shop was probably over 200 square meters. That was quite large for a shop selling coins and stamps. Various coins and certificates filled the glass counters.

Do you accept items here?

"Yes, of course! Sir, do you have money to sell?" Seeing Shen Lian nod, the young man quickly led him to the sofa at the back and poured him a glass of water.

Peng Laifu was video chatting with Xiaoli in the break room. He had only been with this girl for a month, and she was still very much in the early stages of their relationship. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Okay, sweetie! I'll take you out for seafood tonight. I have to go now, so I'll hang up!" Peng Laifu quickly ended the video call. "Come in!"

"Boss, someone's here to sell something!"

"Okay! I'll be right out!" Over the years, as he'd gotten older and gained weight, Peng Laifu had rarely gone out to work. Each of his shops had its own appraiser and assistants.

The chef at this shop happened to be busy today, so he's just filling in temporarily.

Shen Lian had just taken a couple of sips of water when he saw the store's salesperson walk over with a fat man in his forties or fifties.

"Hello sir! This is our boss. If you have anything you'd like to sell, you can show it to him."

Shen Lian glanced at the large, fat man in front of him, who looked like Maitreya Buddha, nodded, and then reached into his bag and took out a large silver ingot, placing it on the coffee table.

Peng Laifu raised his eyebrows, then put on a pair of white gloves, picked up the silver ingot, weighed it in his hand, and then examined it closely.

"I am the owner of this shop, my surname is Peng. May I ask your surname, sir?" Peng Laifu put down the silver ingot after only two minutes of looking at it.

"My surname is Shen."

"May I ask where Mr. Shen got this ingot?"

"Ahem, may I smoke?" Shen Lian asked without answering the question. Seeing the other party nod, he took out a Da Zhong Jiu cigarette and offered one to Boss Peng. The other party took it but didn't light it.

Shen Lian lit a cigarette and took a puff; "Where did it come from? Of course, it's a family heirloom."

"Mr. Shen, do your family agree to you selling this silver ingot?" Peng Laifu asked Shen Lian with a smile.

"How could I not know! It's just that the market is sluggish right now! Our family business is having cash flow problems, so we're preparing to sell a batch of old stuff to tide us over." Shen Lian exhaled a puff of smoke, scratched his head, and said helplessly.

Peng Laifu's eyes lit up, and he immediately picked up a cigarette and lit it. "Brother Shen, where are you from? Is your family involved in collecting too?"

"Hey, I'm from Shashi, Hunan Province. What do you mean by collecting things? My grandfather did it for decades, and his house was full of all sorts of old stuff. I have absolutely no interest in that," Shen Lian said, spouting nonsense.

"You just said you were going to sell a batch of antiques, right? I wonder if I could have a look?" Peng Laifu asked with a simple and honest expression.

"Hehe! Mr. Peng, it's not that I'm underestimating you. With your wealth, I probably can't afford that batch of items. I'm not planning to sell them privately either; I'm going to contact a few auction houses first."

“Brother Shen, although I don’t have much money, I’ve been in this business for decades and know quite a few big collectors. How about I introduce you to some?” Peng Laifu was a little anxious upon hearing this. Judging from the way this man surnamed Shen spoke, he probably had something good in his possession.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. I'm already planning to contact an auction house. After all, the price at an auction is higher, and it's safer. Let's talk about the silver ingot first!" Shen Lian waved his hand.

Seeing Shen Lian's resolute attitude, Peng Laifu had no choice but to give up!

“Brother Shen, this silver ingot bears the official seal of Linqing Customs from the third year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign. It’s in excellent condition. There are almost no signs of circulation, and it still has its original luster. This is the first time I’ve ever seen an ingot like this.”

“How about this, brother, I’ll give you 1.5 million. What do you think?” Peng Laifu said.

1.5 million? This price far exceeded Shen Lian's expectations; he had originally thought 300,000 to 500,000 would be more than enough. He hadn't expected Peng Laifu to be such a kind man. However, he had heard some things about the antique trade, so he certainly couldn't agree so easily.