In 1992, a small village owner became the richest man in the village by owning a car.

Chapter 73 The Return of a Certain Trafficker

On this day, when Yu Dawei was feeding the puppies, a black Santana pulled up in front of the neighbor's yard. A middle-aged fat man got out, with a pager on his waist and a cigarette in his mouth. When he saw Wang Erge from next door, he looked down on the "country bumpkin".

Yu Dawei watched the two enter the house. Before long, people from the village gradually learned about the incident and all went to Old Wang's house to join in the fun.

Some even went so far as to bring their entire families, insisting on getting to know this antique dealer, as if simply seeing him would allow them to establish a connection and achieve great success.

Yu Dawei put down the dog food bowl, turned around and went into the house. He told his wife what he had done, then took out all 18,000 yuan he had withdrawn from the savings account and hid it in two piles in his inner pocket.

He put on another layer of clothing before leaving the house and heading towards Old Wang's second brother's house next door.

After he bought this unfinished house in his previous life, he actually liked to go to Old Wang's second brother's house the most. There was an old lady in his house who was his thirteenth aunt and also Old Wang's second brother's biological mother.

Every time Yu Dawei visited, the old lady would take out some delicious food from the cupboard, such as canned goods, peanuts, or melon seeds. In short, she would treat him to good food and drinks.

Although he was given a second chance at life, Yu Dawei rarely went to the neighbor's house this time. However, he remembered the old lady's kindness and only hoped that his second brother, Old Wang, would know how to restrain himself and not really break off relations in the end, which would make things awkward for everyone. This was the last thing he wanted to see.

Many people were standing in Wang Lao Er's yard. All the chicks around were in their coops and dared not come out. The apricot tree in the garden had already borne green fruit, and there was a cherry tree next to it whose petals had long since fallen.

Many villagers stood outside the windows, curiously peering through the windows at the big boss inside, occasionally expressing their envy to their fellow villagers about how extravagant the boss looked.

Yu Dawei's arrival went unnoticed. Most of the people who came were nimble young men who had never heard of the old man Yu Laonian and the Wang family.

"Let me put it this way, Lao Wang, your white jade Guanyin is only of lower-middle class among the antiques I've collected." The middle-aged fat man sat in his chair, crossed his legs, and held a cigarette between two fingers of his right hand. "It's really nothing rare. I can always find one if I just take a stroll around the village."

“I can give you ten thousand yuan, not because I don’t have the money, but because this thing of yours is only worth that much. It has no historical significance.” The middle-aged fat man glanced at everyone in the room, looking down on them. “Your village has too little history and culture, and there are no nouveau riche in your village. Let me tell you, when I was in the south, some people in some villages were already driving cars.”

“I, Fatty Qian, have traveled all over the country for years and I’ve never misjudged anything. Old Wang, let me tell you the truth, if it weren’t for my respect for your father’s character, I wouldn’t even accept five thousand yuan, you know? Now, get out of here right now.”

The group of people in the room stared wide-eyed, especially the young people who were filled with longing for the outside world. In the south, even villages could afford cars. How rich must they be!
That shouldn't be the case. Isn't the North supposed to be an industrial base? It's only been open for a few years, so how come the South has changed so much?

Fatty Qian's words convinced those of them who had never been to a big city, and they were filled with admiration.

"Brother Qian, why don't you take another look?" After hearing what the other party said, Old Wang's second brother looked obviously anxious. "I heard my father say that when this white jade Guanyin was brought back from Yu Laonian's house, his old lady said that this white jade Guanyin was an old object passed down from the Song Dynasty."

The people in the room suddenly heard the big news and began to whisper among themselves.

"This white jade Guanyin statue is actually from Uncle Jiu's family? How come I've never heard of it before?"

"Uncle Jiu's family was at least once wealthy, right? Maybe he even dealt in antiques back in the day." "Are you stupid? The Yu family were landlords before, why would they need to deal in antiques?!"

The previously composed Fatty Qian, sitting on the chair, inwardly cried out, "This is bad!" He had been swindling many good things in the village using this method, but he never expected to run into someone who knew the contents of the items. Now it would be much harder to fool him.

Fatty Qian glanced discreetly at the white jade Guanyin statue on the kang (a heated brick bed). The statue was not only exquisitely carved but also remarkably well-preserved. When light shone on it, it reflected a soft halo of light. The texture was delicate and flawless. In addition, the golden boy and jade girl on the left and right sides were also depicted with lifelike detail. It was simply a priceless treasure.

The reason he spent so many days in other villages was to wear them down and make them anxious, so he could then take the opportunity to lower the price. (Author's note: "腾" (teng) means to dawdle or procrastinate.)
It seems I have no choice but to be more assertive.

They're all a bunch of bumpkins anyway, what could they possibly know!

Among the crowd at the outer door, Yu Dawei saw Qian Pangzi's expression clearly. He crossed his arms, instinctively protecting the money in his inner pocket, and continued to observe silently.

"Alright, alright, Lao Wang, that's enough. You just don't trust me." Fatty Qian stood up as if to leave, took a drag of his cigarette, and looked at the other man with disdain: "I examined this thing very carefully the first time I came here. If it were really good, I would have taken it right away. Why would I be leaving it here with you?!"

"I can tell you with absolute certainty that the shop that sold you that stuff definitely cheated your father, Wang Duoshui. Anyway, believe it or not. I'm putting it out there: ten thousand yuan, take it or leave it." After saying that, Fatty Qian took one last drag of his cigarette, threw the butt on the ground, rubbed it a few times with his black leather shoe, and turned to leave with a flourish.

The villagers nearby couldn't sit still any longer and began to persuade Old Wang's second brother.

"Hey second brother, ten thousand yuan isn't a small amount! How much do you want?"

"Exactly! This thing has been sitting in your house for so many years, it's just a dead object, what use is it! If you sell it now, you'll get ten thousand yuan, enough to buy a house in the city and live on!"

"Exactly! We can't afford a new house, but the old one is more than enough. We can take my thirteenth great-aunt with us and retire in the city!"

Some older people also tried to persuade Wang Lao Er.

"Second brother, you need to be more careful. Ten thousand yuan is more than enough! Others are not satisfied."

"It's just land. Isn't it good that he got an extra ten thousand yuan for no reason? You're not going to supply it, so what's the point of keeping it?"

Wang Lao Er was extremely conflicted. When his father left home for the last time, he repeatedly told him that this white jade Guanyin was an absolutely precious item! No amount of money was too much, and he should never sell it cheaply!

This is why, a few years ago, when Mr. Yu came to buy the white jade Guanyin, he asked for an exorbitant price.

In his opinion, the price he paid to Lao Nian was already more than fair in respect of their friendship.

(End of this chapter)