I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

The next morning, Lin Ye woke up earlier than his alarm clock.

He lay on the hard bed in the dormitory, staring at the ceiling with his eyes open.

Only three words were on my mind.

Eight million.

These three words are too big and too tempting.

Lin Ye knew that what he was doing was wrong.

Old Ma is clearly not very reliable.

What experts dare not recognize? What genuine national treasures are controversial? What collection relies solely on discerning eyes?

These words sound like a mix of motivational platitudes from a flea market vendor and a short video treasure hunter.

But he couldn't control himself.

Because in the previous two instances, what the dead said was true.

The stamp album is genuine.

The snuff bottle is also genuine.

Now that it's the turn of the heart-turning bottle, he simply can't remain completely unmoved.

Lin Ye sat up and took out Lu Zhixia's business card to take a look.

The white card tucked inside the notebook is like a prescription that can calm one down.

He set three rules for himself in his mind.

First, observe, don't act impulsively.

Second, take a photo and ask Lu Zhixia.

Third, leave if the number exceeds five thousand.

After setting these three rules, Lin Ye felt a little more at ease.

Once people have rules, they are prone to the illusion that they are very rational.

When he finished washing up and went out, Uncle Zhao was sitting in the security booth drinking tea.

Uncle Zhao looked up at him.

"Where did you go today?"

Lin Ye slung his bag over his shoulder, his face calm.

"Conduct market research."

Uncle Zhao looked at him for two seconds.

"You learned about waste recycling the day before yesterday, old item appraisal yesterday, and market research today. Xiao Lin, you're quite the expert as a security guard."

Lin Ye nodded seriously.

Lifelong learning.

Uncle Zhao waved his hand.

"Go on, don't be so sleepy you can't stand up at night."

Lin Ye responded and left the cemetery.

Yunhu Residential Area is not far from Qingshan Cemetery.

You need to transfer to a bus and then walk for ten minutes.

The neighborhood looks quite old; the exterior walls are faded in color, and there are small signs at the entrances of the buildings advertising moving services, locksmith services, drain cleaning, and appliance recycling.

This place doesn't look like it could hide eight million at all.

But Lin Ye quickly found a reason for himself.

The stamp album doesn't seem like it can hold 6,800 stamps.

The snuff bottle didn't seem like it could hold 32,000.

Money, like a thief, is best at disguising itself.

Lin Ye found Unit 1 of Building 3 and stood downstairs to take a look.

Several cardboard boxes were piled up at the entrance of the building, and next to them was an old chair with a broken back.

Clearly, this place is indeed clearing out its belongings.

His heart started beating faster.

He gave himself one last mental pep talk.

Just look.

Don't act impulsively.

I'll leave if it exceeds 5,000.

Lin Ye had just reached the entrance of the building when he heard a man's voice coming from upstairs.

"Remove all of these; they take up space. When Dad was alive, he loved collecting these junk items, making the house look like a flea market."

Another woman's voice followed.

"Throw that big bottle away too, it's disgusting to look at. The colors are all over the place, it looks like the ones sold at the entrance of tourist attractions."

Lin Ye paused in his steps.

A large bottle.

Flashy and gaudy.

It's so frightening.

Right.

He immediately followed the sound upwards.

The door on the third floor was open.

The house was a mess, with cardboard boxes and old furniture scattered on the living room floor.

A man in his thirties was squatting next to a box, rummaging through things, while a woman next to him was holding a cell phone, seemingly contacting a moving company.

Lin Ye stood at the door and gently knocked on the door frame.

"Hello."

The man looked up at him.

Who are you looking for?

Lin Ye immediately put on that honest smile typical of recent college graduates.

"I saw a lot of old things downstairs and wanted to ask if you have any old items you want to get rid of. My elders in the family like these bottles and jars, and I usually help them find some."

The man's eyes lit up immediately.

That kind of brightness isn't the kind you see when you see a buyer.

It was because he saw a great victim willing to take over.

"You collect old things?"

Lin Ye quickly waved his hand.

"I'm not really buying, I'm just looking around. I'll buy some if the price is right."

The man stood up and brushed the dust off his hands.

"Then you've come at the right time. My dad used to collect a lot of things, bowls, bottles, pots, all sorts of random things. We're about to move, and we don't have room for them in the new house."

The woman added a comment from the side.

"If you really like it, you can take it all with you."

Lin Ye's heart tightened.

enthusiasm.

So enthusiastic.

Old Ma said last night that his son didn't know how to appreciate quality, and now it seems the other party really didn't.

But it's also possible that these things aren't good quality at all.

Lin Ye walked into the house, his gaze quickly landing on the corner of the living room.

There stood a large bottle.

The colors are very vibrant.

Red, blue, green, gold—they all came up at me.

At first glance, it does indeed look very imposing.

But that kind of aura wasn't the aura of an antique.

Instead, it's the attitude of "I'm very expensive, you'd better believe me."

Lin Ye's heart sank slightly.

This thing is not quite the national treasure he imagined.

But then he thought again, his imagination of national treasures might not be accurate.

After all, his knowledge of antiques mainly came from Lu Zhixia's two calm offers and the fabrications made up by the owners of the secondhand market.

The man followed his gaze.

"You've got your eye on this?"

Lin Ye did not admit it immediately.

He first glanced at the small bowls and wooden boxes beside him, pretending to be casual.

"Were these all collected by your father?"

The man sighed.

"Yes. When he was alive, he wouldn't listen to anyone's advice and kept saying that his property would appreciate in value. The family spent a lot of money on him, but we don't know if it's worth anything. Anyway, we asked a few people, and they all said it's hard to sell."

When Lin Ye heard the words "asked a few people," an alarm bell rang in his mind.

"Who did you ask?"

The man thought for a moment.

"There's a secondhand shop nearby, a scrap dealer, and a furniture recycler. They all say these things are too mixed up to be sold individually."

Lin Ye felt even more uneasy.

This isn't because no one has discovered the taste of treasure.

This is similar to how many people choose to avoid the edge of a ditch when passing by.

The woman said impatiently, "If you like it, just name your price. We need to clear out the house today, and we also need to install cabinets tomorrow."

The man quickly nodded.

"Yes. If you really like it, you can have everything in the house, so we don't have to go through all that trouble."

Lin Ye walked up to the bottle and took out his phone.

"Can I take some photos to show my elders at home?"

The man was very straightforward.

"Take pictures, take pictures as you like."

Lin Ye took a few pictures of the bottle.

front.

side.

bottom.

detail.

He sent the photo to Lu Zhixia.

"Teacher Lu, could you please take a look at this?"

After sending the message, Lu Zhixia did not reply immediately.

Lin Ye stared at the chat box for a few seconds.

There was no movement.

He knew he should wait.

He had just received a reminder from Lu Zhixia yesterday: don't think that just because you got a bargain once, you can get one every time.

He was now standing in front of a bottle that was said to be worth eight million, his palms burning and his head throbbing.

This situation is dangerous.

But the man spoke up from the side.

"Young man, do you want it? The people from the secondhand shop are coming over this afternoon. Although they're offering a low price, the advantage is that they can just take it away."

Lin Ye looked up.

How much would the secondhand shop offer?

The man hesitated for a moment.

"Three thousand."

Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat.

Three thousand.

This shows that the items are worthless in the eyes of secondhand shops.

But what if the people at the secondhand shop didn't make a good judgment either?

Isn't he making a fortune these past two days by taking advantage of others' misjudgments?

Once people have tasted the benefits of information asymmetry, they easily interpret all their doubts as others being blind.

Seeing that Lin Ye remained silent, the man continued, "However, my dad spent a lot of money on this bottle back then. If you really like it, you can take everything in this room with you for 28,000."

Lin Ye was almost choked by the price.

"Twenty-eight thousand?"

The man nodded.

"This whole room is yours. Take that big bottle, these bowls, the wooden box, and the paintings—take it all."

Lin Ye looked at him.

"The secondhand shop is offering 3,000, and you're offering 28,000?"

The man wasn't embarrassed at all.

"Flea markets offer buyback prices, while you pay based on your own preference. These are different."

Lin Ye fell silent.

This statement has the spirit of a flea market.

The same item is called junk when sold to peers, but is called passion when sold to laymen.

He glanced at his phone.

Lu Zhixia hasn't returned yet.

Lin Ye steadied his breathing.

"Five thousand."

The man's expression changed instantly.

"Young man, you chopped too hard! What happened to all this stuff in the room?"

Lin Ye also felt that he had cut too hard.

But that was the bottom line he set for himself last night.

I'll leave if it exceeds 5,000.

He said, "I don't know anything about it either. I just bought it to show my elders. If it's useless, I'll have to deal with it myself."

The man shook his head.

"Five thousand won't do, that's too low."

The woman beside her urged, "Stop dawdling, let's wait for the secondhand shop to come and pick it up this afternoon."

The man waved his hand.

He looked at Lin Ye as if assessing how much potential this young man had.

"Okay, 22,000. You can take it."

Lin Ye turned to leave.

The man immediately called out to him.

"Hey, don't rush. If you're really interested, I'm really interested in selling. Eighteen thousand is the lowest I can offer."

Lin Ye stopped in his tracks.

Eighteen thousand.

This number is right on the edge of what he can afford but would still feel the pinch.

His account balance was close to 40,000.

Spending 18,000 yuan won't break your bones.

But it will hurt a lot.

Lin Ye looked down at his phone.

Lu Zhixia still didn't reply.

The man added, "If you can decide now, I'll call a car for you. I won't keep you here this afternoon when the people from the secondhand shop arrive."

Lin Ye knew this was a call to expedite the order.

Standard script.

Create a sense of urgency.

But he just happens to fall for it.

Because he was genuinely afraid someone would come in the afternoon.

He was indeed afraid of missing out on eight million.

He stood at the door, torn between his inner turmoil and his own conscience.

Reason prevails.

My wallet is hurting.

Eight million said to wait a little longer.

Lin Ye closed his eyes.

He told himself that this was not an impulse.

This is a controllable risk.

Even if the items are fake, he still has a few boxes of miscellaneous items, which he can at least sell for some.

If the item is genuine, then it's a chance for a comeback on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace platform).

People are best at finding excuses for themselves before making a wrong decision.

He opened his eyes.

"18,000 is fine, but you need to call a car for me and help me move all my things downstairs."

The man's face lit up with joy.

"no problem."

When scanning the QR code to transfer money, Lin Ye's fingers finally started to tremble a little.

The moment the payment was successful, he felt as if a dull knife had cut into his heart.

This was the first time in his life that he had spent so much money at once.

Moreover, he spent the money on a bottle that he couldn't understand but that looked very deceptive.

The man quickly hailed a small truck.

The driver went upstairs and helped carry the bottles and several boxes of miscellaneous items down.

Lin Ye stood downstairs, watching the large bottle being wrapped in an old quilt and carried into the car. His feelings were as complicated as if he had just signed a contract that he himself couldn't understand.

The driver asked, "Where to?"

Of course, Lin Ye cannot be sent to a cemetery.

If Uncle Zhao saw that he spent 18,000 yuan to bring back a fancy big bottle, he might think that he was buying new ornaments for the cemetery.

He gave an address near Jiahe Auction House.

Find Lu Zhixia first.

Professional matters should be left to professionals.

Halfway there, Lu Zhixia finally replied.

"The photo is not clear."

"Where is it?"

Lin Ye looked at the screen and felt a slight sense of relief.

The photo is unclear.

At least it's not obviously fake.

He replied:

"I'll bring it over for you to see."

Lu Zhixia quickly replied with a question mark.

Lin Ye stared at the question mark, suddenly feeling a little guilty.

There's a clear sense of unease in that question mark.

Half an hour later, the small truck stopped downstairs at Jiahe Auction House.

Lin Ye asked the driver to help move the bottle to the side of the lobby on the first floor, and then went to the front desk to find someone.

When the receptionist saw him, her expression visibly paused for a moment.

They probably never expected that the person carrying black plastic bags yesterday would be carrying a truck today.

Lin Ye was a little embarrassed.

"I'm looking for Lu Zhixia."

The receptionist contacted the person quickly.

A few minutes later, Lu Zhixia came out.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw the large bottle next to the hall.

At that moment, Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat.

Because her gaze didn't seem like she was looking at a national treasure.

It's more like seeing a negative example of someone who has just been scammed and then willingly walks into someone else's trap.

Lu Zhixia approached and glanced down at the bottle.

Just one glance.

It really was just one glance.

She didn't even bring a magnifying glass.

Lin Ye still clung to a last glimmer of hope.

"How about this one?"

Lu Zhixia looked up at him.

"How much did you buy it for?"

Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat when he heard the question.

The first two times professionals asked this question, the results were always good news.

This time it should be the same...

Lu Zhixia looked at him.

Lin Ye coughed.

"Eighteen thousand."

The air in the hall fell silent for a moment.

Lu Zhixia remained silent for two seconds.

These two seconds are very short.

But it's cruel.

Then, she spoke calmly.

"Modern handicrafts".

Lin Ye froze.

"Would you like to take another look?"

Lu Zhixia pointed to the bottom of the bottle.

"See for yourself."

Lin Ye squatted down and carefully turned the bottle at a different angle.

There was a very small label on the bottom of the bottle.

The edges of the label are worn and easily overlooked if you don't look closely.

A line of text was clearly printed on it.

A certain arts and crafts factory in Jingdezhen.

There's even a customer service hotline.

Lin Ye stared at the phone number, feeling as if all his strength had been drained away.

He felt like he had been thoroughly mocked by that string of customer service numbers.