Chapter 16: Family Heirloom

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After finishing their errands, Xu Yang and Zhao Yuxin lay in bed, basking in each other’s warmth.

Later, Zhao Yuxin picked up her phone and noticed that the class group chat was buzzing.

“Honey, Xueqian posted about our shopping in the group,” Zhao Yuxin said, placing her phone in front of Xu Yang.

“Well, if she wants to, let her,” Xu Yang said as he shook his head, not particularly concerned. Plus, He Xueqian had asked for his permission before posting.

Xu Yang had silenced the group chat’s notifications, so he didn’t check messages that didn’t mention him.

“Someone mentioned you and asked if you’ve struck it rich. Should you respond?” Zhao Yuxin giggled.

“I’ll take a look…” said Xu Yang. He glanced at Zhao Yuxin’s phone before picking up his own and composing a message.

Xu Yang: [I’ve made some money recently from investing in futures, so my wife and I decided to treat ourselves a bit. No need to make a fuss.]

Classmate A: [Wow, that’s quite the statement, not a bit stingy, are you?]

Classmate B: [You made that money from investing in futures? I thought you were a secret rich heir.] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Classmate C: [I always thought your family was just an ordinary one like Shen Chengma’s.]

Classmate D: [According to Xueqian, you guys bought a 380,000 yuan watch and clothes worth at least tens of thousands. Did you really make that much from futures?]

Classmate E: [The best-performing futures lately have been gold futures, and they’ve been hitting the daily limit for the past few days. Did you invest in gold futures?]

Xu Yang: [Yes, I invested in gold futures, and I got lucky. The day after I bought it, it hit the daily limit, so I’ve got some money now. Of course, I want to treat my wife well.]

Classmate A: [My goodness, your luck is incredible. It’s like you have a Midas touch.]

Classmate B: [Buying and hitting the daily limit the next day, that’s some unbelievable luck.]

Classmate C: [I had some gold futures too, but I sold them just before they hit the daily limit. I regret it so much.]

Classmate D: [I bought some today, but I’m not sure if it’ll keep rising.]

Classmate C: [I’m afraid to buy more, I might get shaken out by the volatility.]

Classmate F: [@Xu Yang, how much did you invest to afford a 380,000 yuan watch and clothes worth tens of thousands?]

Classmate G: [With that much profit, you must have invested quite a sum. Xu Yang, I doubt you have that much money on hand, even if your family is well-off, your parents wouldn’t just give you that much.]

Xu Yang: [I have a great wife and a generous father-in-law. My father-in-law gave my wife 2 million yuan, intended for our future house down payment. But after discussing it, we decided to invest in futures first. My family doesn’t have that much money, we had 1 million yuan together, so we invested 3 million yuan in total.]

Xu Yang portrayed the 1 million yuan as coming from his family. After all, nobody knew the truth, and it didn’t matter how they framed it.

Classmate A: [My goodness, 3 million yuan, all invested at once? Aren’t you worried about margin calls?]

Classmate B: [@Xu Yang, your courage is truly admirable.]

Classmate C: [@Xu Yang, you’ve already made 5 million now!]

Classmate D: [You really found yourself a great wife.]

Classmate E: [By the way, isn’t Zhao Yuxin worried you might lose all the money?]

Xu Yang: [One of the criteria for having a great wife is trust. Zhao Yuxin believes I won’t lose the money.]

Classmate A: [Having a virtuous wife ensures a prosperous home!]

Classmate B: [No doubt about it, Zhao Yuxin really trusts you.]

Classmate C: [@Xu Yang, this one move with gold futures has completely turned your life around.]

Classmate D: [Indeed, you’ve made several million in one go.]

Classmate E: [Why didn’t I think of investing in futures?]

Classmate C: [Sigh, I did invest, but I sold too soon. I’m filled with regret.]

Classmate F: [Stop regretting, maybe you weren’t meant to make that money. Blame it on fate.]

Classmate G: [The main thing is, you didn’t find a good wife like Xu Yang did.]

Classmate H: [Exactly, that’s the key. Like Xu Yang, who found Zhao Yuxin, everything else follows.]

Classmate K: [Enough chatting for now, I’m going to sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll work even harder to find a good wife like Xu Yang and turn my life around.]

Xu Yang glanced at the messages and didn’t reply further. He put down his phone and embraced Zhao Yuxin, drifting into slumber.

In the blink of an eye, it was Saturday. When Xu Yang woke up in the morning, he received a notification from the system.

BEEP!

You acquired the Master Appraiser skill!

Instantly, Xu Yang’s mind was flooded with knowledge about appraising, turning him into a master appraiser. His eyes sparkled with excitement.

Today, Xu Yang had planned to visit Antique Street to hunt for treasures. With the Master Appraiser skill, he could not only use the system’s information to find Wu Daozi’s Hundred of Beasts painting but also assess items at Antique Street to see if he could make some discoveries.

“Honey, I’m off to work now. I wish you luck finding a hidden gem at Antique Street this afternoon,” Zhao Yuxin said as she kissed Xu Yang goodbye.

After breakfast, Zhao Yuxin left for work, and Xu Yang stayed home, resting. In the afternoon, at around 2 o’clock, he called a cab and headed to Antique Street.

At the moment, at the antique store, Treasure Pavilion, on Antique Street, a middle-aged man sat in the shop with two young people, a man and a woman, enjoying a cup of tea.

The middle-aged man was Gao Chengwen, the owner of Treasure Pavilion. The two young people were Zhao Yulu and Chen Guanglei.

After having lunch, Zhao Yulu and Chen Guanglei came directly to Treasure Pavilion without wandering around Antique Street. The weather was scorching, so they decided to have tea in the shop first.

“Uncle, how’s business been lately?” Chen Guanglei asked.

“It’s been okay,” Gao Chengwen replied with a smile.

When Gao Chengwen said “okay,” it meant that business was good. In their line of work, something bought for a hundred yuan could be sold for a thousand or two thousand yuan or even tens of thousands.

Even though there weren’t many customers visiting the shop regularly, whenever someone did come in to buy something, the profit margin was significant.

After a brief chat, a young man in his late twenties walked into the shop.

“Boss, do you buy paintings?” the young man asked. He was dressed plainly and carried a backpack, looking somewhat travel-worn.

“We do, show it to us,” Gao Chengwen said, getting up to welcome the customer.

“Yulu, let’s take a look and learn something,” Chen Guanglei said, also getting up.

When buying a painting, it was necessary to provide some commentary and appraisal before offering a price. This was a good opportunity for them to learn.

“Sure,” Zhao Yulu agreed, following suit.

“Boss, take a look. This is my family heirloom,” the young man said, taking out a scroll from his backpack. It was clearly a painting.

Upon seeing the scroll, Gao Chengwen couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. He said, “My friend, everyone who brings something here to sell claims it’s a family heirloom. I haven’t seen a single genuine one. Some bring in chipped bowls and say they’re family heirlooms.”

Hearing that, both Chen Guanglei and Zhao Yulu chuckled. They didn’t say anything; it wasn’t the right time to speak.

The young man said, “Boss, this really is a family heirloom. If I didn’t urgently need money, I wouldn’t be selling it.”