General of the Heavens

Chapter 94 Big Gold Tooth [Seeking Recommendations]

"By the way, I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. This is my business card. Please contact me if you encounter any difficulties."

Especially Hu Bayi, our archaeological institute is lacking someone like you who understands feng shui. If there's an opportunity, you could come work for me...

"Director Ning, thank you so much for today. My brother and I will definitely repay you in the future. But I just got back from the army and have to go home..."

Seeing that they had gotten to know each other well enough, Ning Chen was about to extend an olive branch when Hu Bayi rejected his offer on the spot, and quite decisively at that.

"Oh, going home is a big deal. In that case, I won't bother you any longer. I'll take my leave now." Ning Chen didn't insist and left directly.

After Ning Chen left, Fatty Wang tugged at Hu Bayi, "Hey, Lao Hu, what's this feng shui he was talking about? Do you think I can learn it?"

Hu Bayi slapped Wang Pangzi on the shoulder: "Little Fatty! With your brain, you basically have no chance of learning feng shui. Also, don't have too much contact with him in the future."

Fatty Wang asked, puzzled, "Why?"

"I always felt there was something strange about this person. Also, I remember something my grandfather often told me when I was a child. Do you know what it was?"

"I don't know, what is it?"

Hu Bayi said solemnly, "He said that when I grow up, it's best to stay away from people with the surname Ning, otherwise it will bring bad luck."

Fatty Wang: "..."

If Ning Chen were here, upon hearing Hu Bayi's words, he would probably be so angry that he would spit out a mouthful of blood. That damned Hu Guohua, even in death, still managed to trick him!

Look at how he's raised his eldest grandson!

The three thousand yuan demobilization pay was gone in the blink of an eye, and Hu Bayi was now truly penniless. He grumbled at Fatty Wang and said, "Besides selling cassette tapes, what other ways do you make money?"

Fatty Wang complained, "What kind of work can make money? Didn't I already start doing it? That ten yuan I earned today is what I've made in the past few days. Now I don't even have money for food. Otherwise, would I be so thin...?"

"Don't even mention your ten yuan, it stinks! Damn it, did you stuff it up your ass? Aren't you worried you won't be able to get it out?"

"Get lost! You're the one who stuffed money up your ass! These are bell-bottoms; there's an inside pocket specifically for hiding money..."

"Oh, let me see if there's any left..."

Hu Bayi and Fatty Wang chatted and laughed all the way. Although they were dirt poor, it did not affect their happiness at seeing old friends.

Fatty Wang went all out, buying beer on credit and drinking all night with a case of beer by himself. In the end, Fatty Wang got so drunk that he fell asleep while holding Hu Bayi's feet.

The two woke up slowly the next day at noon. Hu Bayi knew he had to do something; if things continued like this, they might not even be able to eat.

Fatty Wang said, "I still have some cassette tapes here. How about we sell a few? A living person can't just starve to death, can they?"

"Don't even mention your old cassette tape. If you get reported again and arrested, where am I going to get three thousand yuan to pay your fine?"

Hu Bayi got furious as soon as he heard the cassette tape.

Finally, with no other option, Hu Bayi dragged Wang Pangzi along and wandered around Beijing to see if there was any way to make money.

Unbeknownst to them, the two had wandered into Panjiayuan. At that time, Panjiayuan had not yet developed into the antique world it would become; it was just a secondhand market.

However, there are a few antique shops here, but I don't know if they're genuine or not. Anyway, I've never heard of any great treasures coming out of here.

"Old Hu, how about I pawn the jade pendant? We can always redeem it when we make some money in the future."

Fatty Wang gritted his teeth and said.

Hu Bayi disagreed. This was Fatty's father's heirloom, and it couldn't be easily pawned. If all else failed, he could ask his family for money.

Unexpectedly, the two were discussing whether to sell the jade pendant, and the jade pendant was being held in Wang Pangzi's hand, which was seen by a man selling antiques at a nearby stall.

"Wow, this is good stuff!"

The man flashed a large gold tooth as soon as he spoke, and the man with the gold tooth quickly offered the two of them a Marlboro cigarette, an American brand, which was quite high-end.

Hu Bayi took a puff, held it in his mouth for a moment, and then exhaled two puffs of white smoke from his nose, thinking to himself that American products are really powerful.

Fatty Wang asked, "What do you mean?"

Big Gold Tooth didn't hold back: "This piece of jade has a unique shape and blood-red patterns. The characters on it look like scribbles, but they should actually be an ancient script. This piece of jade is at least 1,500 years old. How could it not be valuable?"

Wang Pangzi's eyes widened in amazement. Just as he was about to ask how much the jade could fetch, Hu Bayi pulled him behind him.

"I told you not to sell it, so don't even think about it." Hu Bayi raised his voice a little, as if he wasn't just talking to Fatty Wang.

Big Gold Tooth wasn't surprised at all.

The two sides were already familiar with each other, and it turned out that they were not strangers. Big Gold Tooth's family lived on Hainan Island, probably when the People's Liberation Army moved south.

However, Big Gold Tooth's father was not a cadre, but a folk tomb raider who was later conscripted by the Nationalist army.

Later, his legs were frostbitten on the Korean battlefield, leaving him with a lifelong disability. After the reform and opening up, his family moved from Hainan to Beijing, where they collected antiques and played with other items.

He just said it nicely. Hu Bayi thought to himself, "What tomb raider? He's just a grave robber. Others might not understand, but I was raised by my grandfather, and he told me a lot of these things."

Hu Bayi recalled the knowledge his grandfather had taught him and asked Big Gold Tooth, "Hey, your old man used to be a craftsman, did he ever come up with any giant zongzi?"

Upon hearing this, Big Gold Tooth looked at Hu Bayi with new respect, "Wow, I had no idea! Turns out, Master Hu is an expert in this field too!"

Hu Bayi listened to Da Jinya's flattery and said, "To be honest, I heard some things from the elders in my family when I was a child, so I know a little about these things."

"Leaving aside distant matters, I also know a little about geomancy and feng shui. Just yesterday, the director of an archaeological institute offered me a job."

Once the conversation started, Hu Bayi talked on and on. When Da Jinya heard that he was the director of an archaeological research institute, he was a little skeptical. How could a tomb raider be associated with such a person? Wasn't this just bragging?

Seeing that Big Gold Tooth didn't believe him, Hu Bayi took out his business card: "See, do you believe me now? He clearly told me to contact him anytime if I have any difficulties."

Big Gold Tooth immediately recognized Ning Chen's name. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't mistaken before asking incredulously, "What did Master Hu just say? Did you reject him?"

Hu Bayi nodded and said, "Yes."

Big Gold Tooth pointed at Hu Bayi with a pained expression: "Hey, Mr. Hu, with this connection, why don't you just agree already? Do you even know who he is?"

"I know him, he's the director of the archaeological research institute. How come Master Jin has heard of him too?" Hu Bayi didn't understand why Big Gold Tooth had such a big reaction.

"Oh dear! Mr. Hu, you're really silly. This Director Ning is not just the director of an archaeological research institute."

He's a master of antiques; he owns more than half the shops in Panjiayuan alone. Nobody in Beijing is richer than him.

Hu Bayi and Fatty Wang looked at each other in bewilderment…

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(End of this chapter)