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

Lin Ye was woken up by knocking on the door the next day.

thump.

dong dong.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was persistent, like a death knell.

Lin Ye groggily reached for his phone.

I opened my eyes and saw it was 8:42.

He rolled over, about to play dead, when there were two more knocks at the door.

dong dong.

Lin Ye sat up, his hair a mess from sleeping.

"Here it comes, here it comes."

He dragged his slippers to open the door.

Xiaoman was standing outside the door.

He wore a black hoodie, had short hair, was chewing on a mint, and was carrying a small black bag.

She looked energetic and didn't seem like someone who had trouble getting up early.

Lin Ye leaned against the door frame and watched her.

What time did you arrive?

"Six o'clock."

Lin Ye glanced down at his phone, then looked at her.

"You've been standing at the door for over two hours?"

"Um."

"Then why didn't you knock?"

"You're sleeping."

"So how do we knock now?"

"Miss Gu has sent a message."

Lin Ye remained silent for two seconds.

"You really do listen to her every word."

Xiaoman didn't answer.

She didn't go straight into the house; she glanced inside first.

bed.

window.

bathroom.

Wardrobe.

table.

Lin Ye was the last one to be looked at.

Lin Ye felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze.

"There's no one hiding in my house."

Xiaoman said, "I've seen it."

"You're actually investigating?"

"Um."

Lin Ye rubbed his face.

Xiaoman handed him her phone.

"Miss Gu wants you to see the documents."

Lin Ye took the phone.

Gu Wantang sent a few things, but they were very detailed.

Fang Mancang, 41 years old, is a native of Qingcheng.

In his early years, he followed his father in collecting antiques. Later, he opened a shop in Nanqiao Secondhand Market called Mancang Antiques.

Selling porcelain, woodenware, miscellaneous items, and small jade pieces.

No major criminal record.

There have been several penalties, all for minor issues such as incomplete fire safety measures and tax evasion.

Lin Ye turned down.

Su Tinglan.

Twenty-six years old.

Fang Mancang and Fang are indeed cousins.

The kinship, household registration information, and even old photos all match up.

I majored in folklore as an undergraduate, a rather niche research area; my thesis focused on local funeral customs. Later, I worked on compiling data for cultural tourism projects, outsourcing temporary exhibitions for museums, and writing articles for folklore-related public accounts.

My contract wasn't renewed at my most recent job because the project was canceled.

Seeing this information, Lin Ye felt a little relieved.

At least on the surface, she didn't just appear out of thin air.

Xiaoman looked at him.

"Are you happy?"

Lin Ye handed the phone back.

I wouldn't say I'm happy.

"Your lips are practically split open."

That's called a normal human expression.

Xiaoman put her phone away.

"Normal data does not mean the person is normal."

Lin Ye stopped putting on his socks.

He looked up at her.

"Could you please not say such blunt things so early in the morning?"

"cannot."

Why?

"Not familiar with them."

Lin Ye: "..."

Row.

The reasons are sound and irrefutable.

After washing up and changing into a clean T-shirt, he went downstairs to the security booth.

Uncle Zhao is wiping the table.

Seeing Xiaoman following behind Lin Ye, the rag-making stopped.

"Who is that little girl?"

Before Lin Ye could speak, Xiao Man spoke first:

"Jiang Man".

Uncle Zhao looked at her.

"I'm asking you what your relationship is with him."

Xiaoman paused for a moment.

"cousin."

Lin Ye nodded immediately.

"Yes, a distant cousin. Extremely distant, the kind of distant we're practically strangers."

Uncle Zhao threw the rag onto the table.

"When did you get a cousin?"

"I just found out yesterday," Lin Ye said. "I was quite surprised too."

Uncle Zhao stared at him.

His eyes clearly said: Keep making things up.

Lin Ye touched the tip of his nose.

Uncle Zhao didn't expose her, but just looked at Xiaoman.

"Little girl, why are you following him?"

Xiaoman said, "Watch him."

Uncle Zhao: "What are you looking at?"

Xiaoman: "Don't let him die."

The security booth was quiet.

Lin Ye closed his eyes.

"Your acting is too stiff."

Uncle Zhao chuckled.

"OK."

He turned to look at the forest.

"Your relative is more reliable than you."

Lin Ye was dissatisfied.

"Isn't your judgment a bit hasty?"

Uncle Zhao picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said nothing.

But silence speaks louder than words.

At noon, Gu Wantang sent another message.

"We can go to Mancang Antique Shop now."

"Just look at it, don't buy anything."

Lin Ye looked at the last four words and thought that Gu Wantang had been possessed by Lu Zhixia.

The next one came in very quickly.

"Let Xiaoman come along."

"If you sense something's wrong, leave."

Lin Ye replied: "Understood."

He thought for a moment and then sent a message to Su Tinglan.

"Is it convenient to go this afternoon?"

Su Tinglan didn't reply for about ten minutes.

"convenient."

"My cousin has already started cleaning the counter; it looks very formal."

Lin Ye smiled as he read the message.

Xiaoman looked over from the side.

"What did she say?"

"She said her cousin was wiping the counter."

"signal?"

Lin Ye looked up at her.

"Is it possible that she was simply wiping the counter?"

Xiaoman thought about it.

"That's possible."

"Do you not have a category called 'ordinary things' in your life?"

"few."

Lin Ye didn't want to ask anymore.

Around 2 PM, he took Xiaoman to Nanqiao.

Nanqiao Secondhand Market remains unchanged.

Narrow road, old signs, roadside stalls displaying a pile of things that look like antiques but are actually mostly junk.

A vendor squatted at the doorway, cracking sunflower seeds. In front of him were copper coins, a pipe, an old pocket watch, and several doorknobs that had been salvaged from somewhere.

As Lin Ye passed by, the stall owner immediately greeted him.

"Young man, come and take a look? These are antiques from the Qing Dynasty."

Lin Ye looked down at a ceramic mug that read "Welcome to use mobile payment".

"Mobile payment was already in use during the Qing Dynasty?"

The stall owner remained completely unfazed.

"It was used in the palace; it was ahead of its time."

Xiaoman stopped and glanced at the stall owner.

The stall owner was stunned by her gaze and stopped eating his sunflower seeds.

Lin Ye quickly walked forward.

"Little sister, let's go, don't delay someone's time travel."

Xiaoman followed.

"He's lying."

"How many people on this street don't lie?"

"Why isn't it being dealt with?"

Lin Ye lowered his voice.

"We're shopping today, not cracking down on organized crime."

Xiaoman responded with an "oh".

It's a bit of a disappointment to hear that.

A warehouse full of antiques sits at one end of the street.

The storefront isn't large, and the signboard is made of wood with four characters painted on it quite carefully.

The warehouse is full of antiques.

There was a small sign hanging next to it.

You can look at old items, chat with them, and even haggle over the price.

Don't touch things you don't understand.

Lin Ye stood at the door for two seconds.

"This boss is quite honest."

Xiaoman looked up at the signboard, then glanced at the shops on both sides.

"There are two security cameras at the entrance, one of which is broken."

Lin Ye: "How did you figure that out?"

"The line on the left is broken."

Lin Ye glanced in the direction she indicated.

There really was a line hanging down.

"Are your eyes high-definition?"

"I've been trained."

Lin Ye did not answer the call again.

As I pushed open the door, the brass bell on the door rang once.

Ding.

The store looks darker inside than from the outside.

A display cabinet stood against the wall, filled with porcelain shards, bronzes, small jade pieces, and old seals. Several wooden boxes were piled in the corner, and a few old paintings hung on the wall; their authenticity aside, the atmosphere was quite impressive.

The air smelled of tea.

It also has a braised chicken feet flavor.

The flavor appeared very abruptly.

Just as Lin Ye was about to find the source, he heard a noise coming from behind the counter.

"Here it comes!"

A fat man crawled out from behind the counter.

He was around forty years old, with a round face and a noticeable belly. He was wearing a brown short-sleeved shirt and holding half a chicken foot in his hand.

Despite being overweight, he is very agile.

As I walked around the counter, I didn't touch the porcelain vase next to me at all.

When he saw Lin Ye, his eyes immediately narrowed into a smile.

"Brother Lin, is that right?"

Lin Ye nodded.

"Boss Fang?"

"Stop calling me 'boss,' it's vulgar."

The fat man stuffed the chicken feet into the paper bag and pulled out a tissue to wipe his hands.

"Call me Brother Fang, or Brother Mancang, it's fine either way."

Lin Ye glanced at the bag of chicken feet.

"The name 'Mancang Ge' is quite fitting."

Fang Mancang wasn't embarrassed at all.

"When you're not full, you feel anxious."

Lin Ye was convinced.

I really want to say, "You're spouting rhymes all the time, are you preparing for graduate school?"

Su Tinglan came out from the inner room.

She wore a light gray shirt today, her long hair was casually tied up, and she wore light makeup. She looked more natural than she did on the high-speed train yesterday.

She smiled when she saw Lin Ye.

"You've arrived."

Lin Ye nodded.

Come and check out our special price!

Upon hearing this, Fang Mancang immediately responded.

"Brother Lin, once you're here, you're a friend. The antique business is a deep and murky place. I can't guarantee that others won't cheat you, but I can guarantee that I'll cheat less than others."

Lin Ye remained silent for two seconds.

"You're so honest."

Su Tinglan turned her head and smiled.

Fang Mancang was very serious.

"That's called telling the truth. What we fear most in this line of work is someone who comes up with a guarantee of authenticity. Guaranteed authenticity my ass! Even if the emperor used something for hundreds of years, he didn't give me a receipt."

Lin Ye couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

Rough words are not rough.

Fang Mancang looked at Xiaoman.

"Who is this?"

Lin Ye said, "My cousin, Jiang Man."

Fang Mancang immediately became enthusiastic.

"Hello, little sister. Would you like some tea? Or chicken feet? I just braised them; they're really flavorful."

Xiaoman glanced at him.

"I won't eat it."

"Afraid of spicy food?"

"I don't eat food from strangers."

Fang Mancang was stunned for a moment, then gave a thumbs up.

"Be careful! Good habits! When you're in the antique market, the first rule is not to eat or drink anything that doesn't belong to you, the second rule is not to touch anything that doesn't belong to you, and the third rule is not to listen to people who say that something was passed down from their ancestors."

Lin Ye looked at Su Tinglan.

"Your cousin is quite interesting."

Su Tinglan said with a smile, "He's usually even more talkative than this."

Fang Mancang became anxious.

"Tinglan, what you're saying is hurtful. I'm just being warm, not talkative."

Just then, the cell phone on the counter rang.

Fang Mancang glanced at the caller ID and visibly stiffened.

He pushed the bag of chicken feet into the drawer, cleared his throat, and answered the phone.

"Hey, honey."

The voice on the other end of the phone was quite loud.

Lin Ye couldn't hear exactly what was said, but he could tell that the tone was very menacing.

Fang Mancang's smile immediately turned into a docile one.

"I haven't eaten, I haven't eaten."

"I really didn't eat any."

"Why would I eat chicken feet? I'm minding the shop."

Lin Ye and Su Tinglan both looked at the drawer that wasn't closed properly.

The aroma of braised chicken feet is wafting out.

Xiaoman also took a look.

While making a phone call, Fang Mancang kicked the drawer inward with his toe.

"Okay, okay, I'll go buy groceries when I get home tonight."

"Put less chili, I understand."

"How could I possibly forget?"

The phone hangs up.

Fang Mancang breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Ye looked at him.

"Brother Mancang, you have a pretty high status in your family."

Fang Mancang wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead.

"A man can talk about history and current events outside, but he must obey orders at home. That's true wisdom."

Su Tinglan exposed him: "Last time he secretly ate braised pig's trotters, my sister-in-law found out and he wrote an 800-word guarantee."

Fang Mancang immediately glared at her.

"Why do you say everything!"

Lin Ye couldn't stop laughing.

The vague sense of wariness that had been building in the shop dissipated considerably after Fang Mancang's actions.

This fat guy is hilarious.

But Xiaoman never relaxed.

She stood near the door.

I don't touch anything, I don't drink tea, and I don't respond to conversations.

His eyes swept across the counter, the back door, the stairs, the curtain in the inner room, and Fang Mancang's hand.

Fang Mancang noticed it.

"Has Little Jiang been trained?"

Xiaoman looked at him.

"I've practiced it."

Fang Mancang's laughter paused for a moment.

He probably intended to make a joke, but Xiaoman was so straightforward that he didn't respond.

"That's good, that's good." Fang Mancang chuckled dryly. "It's safer for girls to learn some self-defense techniques."

Xiaoman said, "It's not just for self-defense."

Lin Ye interrupted immediately.

"She's quite meticulous."

Fang Mancang looked at Xiaoman, then at Lin Ye.

"I can tell."

Su Tinglan poured Lin Ye a cup of tea.

She didn't hand it to Xiaoman.

It was as if they had already realized that Xiaoman wouldn't answer.

"Try it," Su Tinglan said. "My cousin's tea is reliable, though, regardless of what else he sells."

Lin Ye took the cup and took a small sip.

The tea smells quite good.

It doesn't have any strange smell.

He put the cup down and looked at the things in the cabinet.

"Brother Mancang, what kind of things do you have in your shop that are suitable for beginners?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Mancang immediately perked up.

"If you're a beginner, don't even look at porcelain, it's too complicated. Don't look at jade either, there are too many pitfalls. And definitely don't touch calligraphy and paintings, nine out of ten will make you question your existence."

"Then what are you looking at?"

"Look at the cheaper ones."

Lin Ye: "..."

Fang Mancang opened the counter and took out a small wooden box.

Inside were a few old copper coins, two pieces of old ink, a small seal, and a palm-sized copper bell.

"For someone like you who's just starting out, you should only look at miscellaneous items. It's a small thing; you won't lose much money even if you do."

Lin Ye looked down.

These things are not very noticeable.

But he still took a few more glances out of habit.

Ever since those few times with Aoyama, he's developed a strange habit when looking at antiques.

I always feel that there is a story behind every inconspicuous thing.

Fang Mancang picked up the small seal.

"This is from the Republic of China era. It's not expensive. The material is average, but the characters are engraved reasonably well."

Just as Lin Ye was about to take it, Xiao Man reached out and blocked him.

"Put it on the table."

Fang Mancang was taken aback.

Lin Ye was also taken aback.

Xiaoman looked at the seal.

He doesn't accept things from strangers directly.

Lin Ye looked at her.

"When did I make this rule?"

Xiaoman said, "Now."

Fang Mancang slowly placed the seal on the table.

The smile was still on his face.

But Lin Ye noticed a quick flicker in his eyes.

I'm not angry.

It seemed more like an accident.

Su Tinglan also glanced at Xiaoman.

The atmosphere in the store paused for a moment.

very short.

It was so short that if Lin Ye hadn't become more sensitive during this period, he might have overlooked it.

He smiled and took the conversation back.

"My cousin is quite cautious. She watched too many martial arts movies when she was young, and always felt that the martial arts world was dangerous."

Fang Mancang immediately responded.

"Being cautious is good; caution can save your life. Brother Lin, your sister knows more than you do."

Lin Ye picked up the seal on the table and looked at it.

The items are ordinary.

I didn't feel anything special.

He put down the seal.

"How much is this?"

Fang Mancang counted a number.

"three hundred."

Lin Ye looked at him.

"Friendship price?"

Fang Mancang looked completely sincere.

"Friendship price: 320."

Lin Ye: "?"

Fang Mancang explained, "Friends should offer more support."

Su Tinglan's eyes crinkled with laughter.

Lin Ye put the seal back.

"Brother Mancang, your business model will be reported by friends sooner or later."

Fang Mancang chuckled and put the small seal back into the box.

"Brother Lin, to be honest with you, since this is your first time here, I won't try to persuade you to buy anything."

Lin Ye looked at him.

"That doesn't sound like something an antique shop owner would say."

"Whether it looks like the real thing or not doesn't matter; what matters is whether it lasts."

Fang Mancang pulled a tea egg from under the counter, peeled it, and then, as if remembering something, glanced at it.

After confirming that no one came out, he lowered his voice and took a bite.

"If you rip someone off badly on the first deal, they'll never come back."

Lin Ye nodded.

"So you're planning to scam people again with the second order?"

Fang Mancang choked for a moment.

Su Tinglan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Fang Mancang pointed to the forest.

"You have such a sharp tongue. Doing business with you puts a lot of pressure on my heart."

Lin Ye said, "We're in the same boat; my wallet is also under a lot of pressure."

Fang Mancang smiled and pushed the small wooden box aside, then took out a long, flat wooden box from under the counter.

This time, he didn't hand it directly to Lin Ye.

He put it on the table first.

Then I glanced at Xiaoman.

"Sister Jiang, I put it on the table, I didn't hand it to you."

Xiaoman didn't say anything.

My eyes fell on the wooden box.

Fang Mancang felt a tightness in his back from her gaze and chuckled dryly twice.

"Your sister is really suited for this line of work. Just stand by the counter and even the counterfeiters won't dare to make a sound."

Lin Ye looked down at the wooden box.

"What is this?"

"Don't be nervous, I won't sell it to you."

Fang Mancang opened the wooden box.

Inside lay a small copper bell.

The bronze bell was small, dark in color, and had some chips on the edges. Fine patterns were engraved on the bell, resembling water ripples or fish scales.

Lin Ye glanced at it but didn't touch it.

Xiaoman stood to the side, still not moving.

Su Tinglan's gaze lingered on the copper bell for a moment.

very short.

But Lin Ye saw it.

Fang Mancang stuffed a tea egg into his mouth and mumbled, "Someone left this here, it's not for sale. Don't you work at the cemetery? I'll just show you something unusual."

Lin Ye raised his eyes.

"Is working at a cemetery suitable for watching bells?"

"The usual routine," Fang Mancang said. "Sometimes bells are used to attract people, sometimes as gifts, and sometimes to ward off evil spirits. It depends on how you use them."

Lin Ye's heart stirred slightly.

He didn't touch the bell.

He just stared at the patterns on Ling's body for a couple more seconds.

I don't know if it was because of the lighting in the store, but those fine lines seemed to sway slightly.

Upon closer inspection, there was nothing there.

Fang Mancang closed the box lid.

"Just take a look. As a beginner, don't touch anything too mysterious on your first day."

Lin Ye smiled.

"Brother Mancang, your shop is more interesting than I imagined."

Fang Mancang patted his stomach.

"Of course. A warehouse full of antiques may not feature a particular item that is genuine, but the story behind it must be compelling."

Su Tinglan looked at Lin Ye.

"If you're free tomorrow, you can come again. My cousin's place has a lot of random stuff, it's a good place to practice your eyesight."

Before Lin Ye could speak, Xiao Man glanced at him first.

Lin Ye touched the tip of his nose.

"We'll see how things go tomorrow."

Fang Mancang immediately replied, "It's alright, it's fine whether you come or not. We're friends, no need to force anyone."

After he finished speaking, he added another sentence.

"But if you really come, I'll give you a friend's price."

Lin Ye looked at him.

"Your 'friendship price' is terrifying to me right now."

Su Tinglan smiled.

Xiaoman stood by the door, without smiling.

Her gaze shifted from Fang Mancang and Su Tinglan, then returned to the wooden box that had already been closed.

After leaving the warehouse full of antiques, Lin Ye walked towards the street corner.

Xiaoman followed half a step behind him.

Lin Ye glanced back at the signboard that was full of old artifacts.

A wooden signboard hung at one end of the street, swaying gently in the breeze.

He said in a low voice, "I might really have to come back tomorrow."