From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

I held a cigarette between my fingers, taking one puff after another, but the frustration in my heart just wouldn't dissipate.

To be honest, I'm not afraid of a debt of 300,000 at all.

As long as I'm willing to work hard and endure hardship, I can eventually scrape together the money.

What I truly feared was never the money, but that unique family heirloom bracelet.

The pawnshop owner absconded overnight, most likely having already sold the bracelet privately, and it ended up in the shady black market.

Once it's resold and changed hands, getting it back is virtually impossible.

I put down my phone, leaned against the headboard of the hotel bed, and my brain raced as I sorted through the clues.

The fact that the pawnshop owner absconded beforehand suggests that someone tipped him off.

He must have moved all the valuables before he ran away. Su Qing's bracelet was quite valuable, so he couldn't have just sold it to a street stall.

The only way out is through the local black market and gray industry chain in Jiangzhou.

These black markets are virtually undetectable on the surface, yet they are deeply rooted in every corner of the city, specializing in the circulation of gold, jade, luxury watches, and antiques of dubious origin. Only those in the know can navigate them.

The Dongjie Old Goods Market is a deep, winding market where many shops are run by acquaintances who bring their own goods.

Nanxiang Antique City appears to be a legitimate business, but behind the scenes it buys all sorts of goods.

There's also the shantytown under the river estuary bridge, a melting pot of all sorts of people.

I need to visit each of these three places one by one.

Fang Heng, you'd better pray that the bracelet hasn't been transferred yet.

Because you don't know what a person might do after losing all their options.

The next morning, as soon as the sky began to lighten, I got up early.

I slurped up a bowl of hot noodles at a roadside stall downstairs to fill my stomach, and then took a bus straight to the East Street Old Goods Market.

I used to pass by this old alley every day when I was delivering food. It's a narrow alley with old shops lining both sides, specializing in secondhand goods. It's a very shady place.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the market was sparsely populated, and the shop owners were slowly tidying up their shelves, making the whole alley quiet.

I did my homework in advance, and last night I asked Su Qing to send me a picture of the bracelet.

If the item really did end up here, we'll definitely be able to find some clues.

I pretended to be an ordinary customer looking for vintage jewelry, and started asking around at each shop, beginning with the first one at the alley entrance.

I walked into the store, casually looked around in front of the glass display case, then took out my phone, showed them the photos, and handed them over.

"Boss, have you seen this style of bracelet recently?"

The boss squinted at the photo, then looked up at me and shook his head: "Never seen it before."

I didn't linger, thanked them, and left.

The same sales pitch was used at the second, third, and fourth stores, but in different ways.

Some people glanced at it and waved their hands, while others looked at it and shook their heads without even asking the price.

I walked from one end of the alley to the other, circling around twice, and all the shopkeepers said they had never seen it before.

Until I walked to the middle of the alley, I noticed an inconspicuous old shop.

The store has a faded, blackened wooden sign that reads "Old Zhou Jade".

I pushed open the door and walked into the store. Behind the counter, the middle-aged owner was looking down, slowly wiping a jade ornament.

He looked up at me, and I immediately took out my phone and handed it to him, asking, "Boss, can you take a look? Have you ever seen this kind of bracelet before?"

The boss stared at the photo for a good three or four seconds, his brow furrowing very slightly.

The movement was so subtle that most people wouldn't notice it.

But I've been delivering food for several years, so I can tell a thing or two about what kind of people they are and how they react.

A few seconds later, he pushed the phone back expressionlessly, his tone indifferent: "Never seen it before, my shop has never stocked this kind of product."

I didn't give up and continued to probe: "Have you heard that recently someone has been selling off old items that came out of pawnshops in bulk? I'm not here to cause trouble, I just want to get back my personal belongings, and the price is negotiable."

He paused again while wiping the ornament, then said, "I don't know. I just run a small, legitimate business; I don't deal in things of dubious origin."

After saying that, she ignored me and went about her work, clearly intending to see me out.

Seeing this, I didn't ask any more questions, turned around and walked out of the shop, and lit a cigarette at the alley entrance.

The boss's reaction was off; he had clearly seen something similar before, or at least knew something about it, but dared not say.

These seasoned veterans, without connections to introduce them, you can't get the truth out of them no matter how much you plead.

I immediately took out my phone and sent a message to Dao Ge: "Dao Ge, do you know Old Zhou Jade Shop on East Street? The owner's surname is Zhou."

After waiting for about ten minutes, Dao Ge replied: "That old man used to accept some items of dubious origin, but he's been much more discreet in the last two years. What? Does he have any leads?"

"His reaction was off when he saw the photo, but he's tight-lipped. Do you have anyone on your end who can talk to him?"

Dao Ge was silent for a moment, then replied, "I'll send a middleman over tonight to sound him out. Don't rush me."

I put my phone away, glanced at the sign for Lao Zhou Jade again, and then turned and left East Street.

He hadn't walked far when his phone suddenly rang in his pocket. The caller ID showed Su Qing.

I immediately pressed the answer button.

"Where are you?" came her clear and sweet voice from the other end of the phone.

"Just came from the antique market, what's up?"

She paused, then asked with a hint of curiosity, "What were you doing at the antique market?"

"What else could I be doing? It's all for your bracelet. I came here to try my luck and see if there are any clues that it's ended up on the black market."

"I see... So, have you found any clues?"

Although Lao Zhou's reaction just now seemed problematic, it was just my guess, so I didn't plan to tell him about it.

I paused for a moment before saying to her, "Not yet, but don't worry, I will definitely help you find the bracelet."

Su Qing chuckled softly on the other end of the phone: "You're the one who should be less anxious. The bracelet is very important to me, but it's already lost, so there's no use in worrying. I've already let it go."

Even though it was his thing that was lost, he ended up comforting me.

However, you could tell that she was in much better shape than yesterday.

This girl has always been like this; she may seem charming and willful, but she is actually insightful and open-minded, and never wallows in negative emotions or gets stuck in a rut.

Before I could answer, she asked again, "So what are you planning to do now?"

"First, find a place to rent long-term. We can't keep staying in hotels, which are expensive and inconvenient."

Su Qing immediately perked up and said cheerfully, "Then take me with you! I have nothing to do today, so I'll keep you company."

I chuckled helplessly, "Why aren't you looking for a job? What are you doing following me around all day?"

"If you're not in a hurry to make money and turn your life around, why should I be in a hurry to find a job?" she snorted confidently.

I chuckled at her words and reluctantly relented, "Alright, shall I come pick you up, or will you come to me?"

"Come pick me up from the neighborhood! Get on your electric scooter!"