Siheyuan's Journey Through the Ages

Chapter 106 The Performance of Unworthy Descendants

"I'm sorry, sir. We are mainly engaged in the sale and recycling of gold jewelry. I'm afraid our store doesn't do business like ruby ​​necklaces. How about you leave your contact information and I'll contact you after reporting to the headquarters, okay?"

This was the answer Ma Qing got in a well-known store in his previous life. Come to think of it, the main business of these chain stores is gold. They might not even be able to identify rubies. Never mind. Let's not make things difficult for him.

"How long will it take to contact the headquarters? Do you know any jewelry store in this area that will recycle this?" Ma Qing asked.

The store manager thought about it for a while. Maybe he wanted to establish a good relationship with the future wealthy customer, or for other reasons, he finally said: "Turn right at the intersection. There is a Zhao's Jewelry Store. It is a long-established comprehensive jewelry store. You can give it a try. Of course, this is just my personal suggestion to meet the needs of customers."

Look at the way he speaks, so professional and humane, he is worthy of being a store manager.

Ma Qing listened to the advice, but he was still cautious. He went to other famous shops in his previous life to try his luck, but to no avail.

Ma Qing had no choice but to come to Zhao’s Jewelry Store, but he always felt like something was wrong. Is the reputation of Zhao’s Jewelry Store so good?

A jewellery store with simple decoration opened on this bustling commercial street. The store is not small, and the sign at the door is particularly eye-catching with golden characters against a dark background.

Before Ma Qing walked into the quaintly decorated jewelry store, he specifically told Huang Hongtu: "I'm going in to sell something now. If I don't come out in half an hour, go find Lawyer Liang and bring him here. This is his business card. You can read it, right?"

Huang Hongtu took the business card handed over by Ma Qing and said, "I don't know all the characters, but I can probably understand the words on your business card."

Ma Qing nodded, turned and walked into the jewelry store. A faint scent of sandalwood hit him in the face, making him feel peaceful instantly.

The lighting in the store is very soft, and there are not many people in the store. The display windows are basically made of solid wood, inlaid with large pieces of glass, giving it a flavor that is both ancient and modern, combining Chinese and Western elements. The gold jewelry in the windows is much more exquisite than those on the market, and it seems to be more upscale than those chain gold shops.

There weren't many customers in the store, but it seemed that the level of the customers was much higher than in other stores. There were men in suits and beauties in cheongsams choosing jewelry, and there were even a few foreigners in there.

Ma Qing nodded, it seemed that he had come to the right place.

A clerk came over and said, "Good afternoon, sir. Welcome to Zhao's Jewelry Store."

"Yeah, that's good. I have something I want to sell. Can you guys take it?"

"Of course, I wonder what kind of goods you want to sell, sir."

Ma Qing coughed to attract the attention of the people in the store, then took out her ruby ​​necklace and showed it to the clerk.

It seemed that the clerk was knowledgeable. He quickly moved aside, raised his hand, and escorted Ma Qing into the reception room of the jewelry store. He served her tea, apologized, and went out to look for someone.

Soon, the clerk and an old man in his fifties came in. The old man was wearing a long gown and hair wax, and looked smart and capable. The clerk introduced him, "Sir, this is Master Zhao, our store's appraiser."

The old man took over the conversation, "My name is Zhao Jichang, and I specialize in identifying jewelry and jade. Can I borrow some of my items for you to take a look?"

Ma Qing heard the old man's flowery words and handed over the necklace. The old man took Ma Qing's necklace and looked at it carefully for a long time. He observed it carefully with a magnifying glass and asked, "Where did you get this thing?" "It's an heirloom. My grandfather bought it from a White Russian nobleman when he went to Guandong." Ma Qing felt that if he said it a few more times, he would believe it.

"It is indeed a Russian-style gemstone necklace, with traces of jewelry making in the late period of Catherine the Great." The old man said confidently.

Ma Qing immediately flattered him, "You have a really sharp eye. You understand this better than me, your master. You are very professional." Ma Qing gave a thumbs up and gave a thumbs up.

"Such a good thing, sir, are you sure you want to sell it?"

"Alas, my family has fallen into poverty. I have just arrived in Hong Kong, and I have to make some money to start a new life. I feel guilty about my ancestors." Ma Qing acted like an unfilial descendant who was ashamed to sell off his family property.

The old man sighed in a fake way, "Then please wait a moment, sir. I'll go ask the person in charge to come over, and you two can discuss the specific transaction matters, okay?"

Ma Qing thought, for a jewelry store like yours, bureaucracy is quite prevalent. Even for such a matter, you have to go through such complicated procedures. "Of course, no problem. Call someone."

The old man and the clerk went out again, leaving Ma Qing alone to continue waiting.

Qian Kun has been very upset recently. As the son-in-law of the only daughter of the Zhao family, although he has no worries about food and clothing, he is restricted in spending money. Recently, his little baby has been complaining that she can't even afford to buy clothes with him. Damn it, is it necessary to buy so many clothes? If her dumplings were not big and round, he would have kicked her away long ago.

Besides, my luck has not been good recently. Nothing has gone well with mahjong, pai gow or poker. My own little treasury is almost empty. Damn it, I have to work in this jewelry store every day. I really don't want to go to this crappy job for a single day. Playing mahjong and rolling glutinous rice balls is no better than sitting here. It's all because of my money.

Qian Kun sat aimlessly in his office chair, looking up at the sky. Just as he was daydreaming, there was a knock on the office door.

"Come in." Qian Kun greeted in a lifeless tone.

Old man Zhao pushed the door open and came in. Looking at Qian Kun who was sitting crookedly on the office chair, he sighed inwardly. As a distant relative of the Zhao family, he was extremely dissatisfied with the son-in-law of the Zhao family. Except for a good name and good looks, he was completely useless. He was a scum among scum. He didn't know what the young lady liked about him.

(Isn't this nonsense? Of course it's because of lust. What else could it be? Once women have spending power, they will spend freely.)
"Son-in-law, there is a customer outside who has a ruby ​​necklace to sell. I've seen it. It's a top-notch item, authentic court jewelry from the Tsarist period. You can make a fortune if you can negotiate the deal." Old man Zhao was still very enthusiastic. After all, he had worked for the Zhao family for so many years and had long been PUA-ed by the idea of ​​"shared prosperity together".

When Qian Kun heard that he could make a lot of money, he immediately became excited, "Make a lot of money, how much can I make, tell me."

Old man Zhao held up two fingers and said, "2, at least 2 US dollars."

Qian Kun was immediately filled with energy. "Tell me what's going on."

Old man Zhao had no choice but to tell the whole story again: "I think this seller must have fled to Hong Kong. He has no money left, so he came to sell his ancestral property. The price can be lowered. I think 2 US dollars, which is about 12 Hong Kong dollars, should be enough to buy this item. If this guy doesn't understand the exchange rate, he can get it for 10 Hong Kong dollars." Old man Zhao is not a good guy either. He has done many dirty things within the rules.

"What, it costs 10 Hong Kong dollars? Is that a joke? What are you thinking about giving so much money to a country bumpkin who fled to Hong Kong?" Qian Kun was not happy when he heard this. He thought that Old Zhao was joking with him.

(End of this chapter)