The Little Life of a Big Landlord

I bought a lot of things at the market, and the car was so full that there was almost no room for anyone to sit. In the end, I had no choice but to rearrange the car.

Remove the burlap sacks from the back of the cart, take out some of the firewood and straw, and place it on the back of the cart. Then place the baskets containing piglets and puppies, and the cardboard boxes containing chicks, ducklings, and geese on top, and tie them with rope.

The four women sat in the middle of the car, while Yang Ming drove in the front.

"Hey! Bro, are you selling your car?" Just as everyone paid the parking fee and was about to leave, a middle-aged man in a white T-shirt came up to them with a smile.

"You want to buy my car?" Yang Ming asked, somewhat surprised.

"Ten thousand yuan! How about it? It's hard to find such a retro car these days!" the middle-aged man said. Actually, there was something he didn't say: even if you drove a car like this to Beijing, it wouldn't be out of place. It's made of rosewood, the whole car is made of rosewood, it's worth nearly ten million yuan.

"Sorry, we're not selling this car!" Sun Fangfang quickly said.

"Are you not satisfied with the price? Name your price, and I won't haggle. I'm from the Beijing Film Academy, and we have a movie that needs a car like this as a prop. Your car is an authentic Republic of China style, and it can be kept as a collectible after it's made into a prop."

"You're joking, aren't you? Why would you collect something so ugly?" Sun Fangfang's eyes revealed a sly glint.

"..." The middle-aged man saw Sun Fangfang's smile and knew that he wouldn't be able to buy this precious car at a cheap price today. Regardless of whether this woman knew anything about woodwork, she was definitely a shrewd person! He quickly smiled and said, "Look at what you're saying. We filmmakers all like to indulge in a bit of culture. Some collect calligraphy and paintings, some collect porcelain, and I like to collect antique cars..."

"You're from Tangxiang, right?" Sun Fangfang asked with a smile.

The middle-aged man was stunned, then laughed awkwardly: "So you know your stuff, young lady? You even know the jargon. Let's not talk about anything else, how much are you planning to sell this car for?"

In the world of antiques, the experts who go to the countryside to buy antiques from the villagers are called "going to the countryside" in the trade. Back when the landlords were confiscated and the land was distributed to the poor, many valuable items were scattered among the people. The experts in the antique world love to go to the countryside to buy antiques. The key is that the villagers don't know the definition of antiques. Sometimes a piece of broken wood thrown in the yard might be made of rosewood or mahogany. The experts buy it for a few dollars and can resell it for tens of thousands of dollars.

"This car isn't mine; it belongs to my godbrother. I can't make the decision, and we don't really know its value. If you're really interested, you can give us your contact number, and we'll contact you later. If we're going to sell it, we'll consider yours first..." Sun Fangfang said.

You can't make the decision? Then why did you interrupt just now?

"You're a straightforward woman, that's settled..." The middle-aged man pulled a business card out of his pocket and turned to leave.

"Tao Yangdong..." Sun Fangfang took the business card, glanced at it, and handed it directly to Yang Ming. "That bastard, he's practically an uncle, and he actually calls me 'big sister'..."

"They were just being polite. Once, an old man asked me for directions and even called me 'big sister'!" said Aunt Liu.

"How did you figure out he was lying?" Wei Qingqing asked Sun Fangfang.

"I didn't recognize him. I was just testing him. I was trying to make sure his aunt's family was in the antique business, and his uncle often went down to the countryside..." Sun Fangfang said.

"Let's go, let's hurry back. It's already noon, Zhang Yang might have arrived by now." Yang Ming glanced at Tao Yangdong's business card, then stuffed it into his pocket and said.

So Yang Ming drove back the way he came.

At 12:30 pm, the group finally returned to Zhengjia Village. The car stopped in front of the gate. In addition to Yang Ming's truck, a minivan was also parked in front of Yang Ming's house.

"It must be Zhang Yang!" Sun Fangfang recognized the license plate number on the van, got out of the car, and said.

"The door's locked! Is he waiting in the car?" Yang Ming jumped out of the car and untied the cargo as he spoke.

"Tch! You underestimate him. He must have climbed over into the yard. He's probably enjoying himself inside right now!" Wei Qingqing stretched and slid off the car, saying.

"Qingqing, Fangfang, Yangming, my daughter and I are going home now..." At this moment, Aunt Liu got out of the car with her daughter in her arms and said.

"Why are you leaving? We have guests at noon, go help us cook..." Wei Qingqing stepped forward and took Liu Sao's hand, saying.

Hearing Wei Qingqing say this, Aunt Liu didn't know how to refuse.

"Yes, Aunt Liu, I bought the fish according to Bao'er's taste. If Bao'er doesn't come, all my efforts will have been wasted," Yang Ming said.

"Sister Liu, that guest today is my husband. You wouldn't refuse to meet him, would you?" Sun Fangfang added.

So, under the enthusiastic invitation of the three men, and with her daughter looking on longingly, Mrs. Liu gave in...

Wei Qingqing took out her key and opened the gate. Just then, the middle door of the house opened, and Zhang Yang walked out, holding a large peach in one hand and a slice of watermelon in the other. His mouth was stuffed full, a black watermelon seed stuck to the corner of his mouth, and juice was dripping down his chin. He mumbled, "Where have you been? Why did it take you so long to come back? I waited outside for three hours, and I got sunburned. I had no choice but to climb over the wall myself. And let me tell you, you have so many good things in your house, I don't even know which one to eat..."

Zhang Yang's words made Yang Ming and the others roll their eyes. "You're still sunburnt? Just look at your pretty face, I can tell how well you're doing."

"How embarrassing! Couldn't you have just swallowed it? We have guests!" Sun Fangfang rolled her eyes at her husband and scolded him.

"Oh my, where did this beautiful young lady come from?" Yang Ming's eyes lit up when he saw Liu Sao and her daughter.

"What 'little sister'? Call her Aunt Liu! Aunt Liu is thirty, four years older than you! This little cutie is Zheng Bao'er, Aunt Liu's daughter, she's ten years old this year..." Sun Fangfang took two steps forward, grabbed Zhang Yang's arm, pulled him in front of Aunt Liu, and introduced them to each other.

"Hello, Aunt Liu!" Zhang Yang greeted with a beaming smile, extending his hand to shake hands with Aunt Liu. Aunt Liu was a widow; how could she casually shake hands with a strange man? If word got out, she would be utterly disgraced in the village. Of course, that wasn't the main reason. The key was that the man's smile was too sinister, like the wolf in sheep's clothing, making her heart pound. She blushed with embarrassment, neither extending her hand nor uttering a sound.

"You've got some nerve, showing your wolfish nature right in front of your wife..." Yang Ming whispered in Wei Qingqing's ear.

"So that means you won't show your wolf form in front of your wife?" Wei Qingqing's tone was a little unfriendly as she glanced at her husband.

"...I didn't say anything..." Yang Ming quickly dodged and unloaded the things he bought at the market from the car.

"Get out of here! You get all puffy-eyed just because you haven't seen a pretty woman before..." Sun Fangfang scolded, slapping his hand away. She then smiled at Aunt Liu, "Aunt Liu, don't take him seriously, he's just like that..." She pulled him aside, asking, "Has my son missed me?"

"I've been thinking about it, and I'm thinking of drinking two more bottles of milk every day..." Zhang Yang said.

"You call that thinking? Your son is just as heartless as you!" Sun Fangfang rolled her eyes.

"Hey! Brother Qian, what have you been doing? Pigs and dogs everywhere, hehe, and poultry too! Your carriage is quite unique!" Zhang Yang quickly hid and joined Yang Ming.

"We're off to the market, don't just stand there, help carry it into the yard, you're a strong laborer..." Yang Ming said.

"Okay!" Zhang Yang, with his sharp eyes, immediately spotted the four clips. "I'll help you carry this inside..." He picked them up and started walking into the yard.

"Bring some fish and shrimp inside, soak them in a basin, and we'll stew them later." Yang Ming handed several large bags of fish and shrimp to Zhang Yang.

"Why buy fish and shrimp? Let's eat the fish and shrimp I caught this noon. I brought a small jar and threw it into the stream over your field. We'll go there in a bit."

"Xiao jar" is a local dialect term referring to a small fishing tool named for its resemblance to a jar. It is typically made of cold cloth used for window screens and is cylindrical in shape, with a rope attached to one end. The jar has several holes, with the smaller holes recessed inwards. A piece of steamed bun is thrown into the jar, and in areas with abundant fish, it is thrown into the water. The rope is then tied to the shore. Fish and shrimp, drawn by the bun, will crawl into the jar and find it impossible to escape. After a few hours, the jar will be filled with a considerable number of fish and shrimp.

Easy to get in but hard to get out, this is one of the origins of the name "Little Jar".

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