Upon hearing that Zhōu Yáng wanted to take a look, Huáng Jicheng of course readily agreed.
The two of them didn't linger to chat any further. After Zhōu Yáng bid farewell to Fāng Jié, he left with Huáng Jicheng.
"Little Zhōu, why are you renting a place to live?"
Huáng Jicheng asked as he drove, genuinely curious this time. After all, Zhōu Yáng had earned quite a lot of money from him, at least three to four million. It didn't make sense that he would be renting.
His curiosity stemmed from the fact that Huáng Jicheng didn't understand Zhōu Yáng very well.
"Old Huang, there are some things you don't quite understand. Actually, I don't have much money."
As soon as Zhōu Yáng said this, he felt it sounded a bit disingenuous, like he was bragging subtly. He quickly added,
"Didn't I tell you before? I work at Old Baldy Li's antique shop..."
This was the first time Zhōu Yáng had spoken about his own affairs with someone he wasn't very familiar with. Fortunately, it wasn't far to Huáng Jicheng's home.
They arrived before long.
"Oh, you're back again!"
As soon as Zhōu Yáng entered the house, Huáng Sīyǔ blurted out, making the situation rather awkward.
"Sīyǔ, that's no way to behave!"
"Hurry up and make some tea!"
Huáng Sīyǔ stuck out her tongue, made a cute face, and turned to leave. It was clear she was going to make tea.
"Little Zhōu, let's go upstairs!"
"All my collections are upstairs. You can take a look while you're here, but I must warn you, there's no appraisal fee!"
Huáng Jicheng said this half-jokingly, and Zhōu Yáng naturally didn't take it seriously. The so-called appraisal fee was a rule of the trade; whether an item was genuine or fake, you had to pay for an appraisal. It was like needing to consult a lawyer for legal advice, let alone in the antique business.
Zhōu Yáng wasn't really in the mood to look at antiques right now; he was eager to see the so-called Ancient Jade.
Huáng Jicheng's home was a duplex, similar to a villa but not quite. Despite being a duplex, the price was definitely not cheap, especially in Jinling City. Most importantly, the place was spacious and bright.
"Little Zhōu, this is Ancient Jade. Take a look!"
"This piece of Ancient Jade, I acquired it last month in Shaanxi by chance..."
Zhōu Yáng listened while examining the jade. However, he didn't understand jade at all.
What to do when you don't understand? The answer was simple: use his ability to see through it.
[Item Name: Hetian Ancient Jade! Rare Treasure!]
Below this were a lot of descriptions and the price of the Ancient Jade. Zhōu Yáng was surprised that the price wasn't very high; it was even much cheaper than he had imagined.
"Old Huang, I often hear people say gold has a price, but jade is priceless. So, this jade should be very valuable, right?"
Zhōu Yáng couldn't ask directly, so he phrased it this way.
Huáng Jicheng laughed twice and began to explain:
"Little Zhōu, what you said is correct, but not entirely. First, jade is divided into hard jade and soft jade.
"It also depends on the origin, type, color, and so on!"
"This piece of Ancient Jade is a type of soft jade. Hard jade mainly refers to jadeite, and the main source of jadeite is Myanmar, hence it's also called Burmese jade."
Huáng Jicheng continued speaking, and Zhōu Yáng listened attentively. He was so focused that he didn't even notice when Huáng Sīyǔ brought him tea.
Zhōu Yáng had always claimed to know nothing about jade, jadeite, and the like. He even thought jade and jadeite were the same thing, only learning today that there was a significant difference between them.
One could also understand it this way: jadeite is a type of jade, and jade is a general term. It's like porcelain is a type of antique, but antiques are not limited to porcelain. Once you understand this principle, you can understand the difference between jade and jadeite.
"Old Huang, how do you know so much? Can you teach me?"
Zhōu Yáng asked, having listened enough. The reason he was so interested was that he had thought of a new way to get rich: gambling on stones.
The term 'gambling on stones' is not unfamiliar in modern times. It's a way to become rich overnight, but it can also lead to ruin overnight.
However, Zhōu Yáng wasn't afraid because his left eye had mutated.
"Zhōu Yáng, take my advice. You should honestly continue researching antiques and don't dabble in things like jadeite."
"I don't actually know much. I've only heard some people talk about it. Moreover, my collecting antiques is just a hobby, not for making money."
"You have a good skill set; I think you're doing well now. There's no need to venture into areas you don't understand."
Huáng Jicheng's words were spoken with sincere concern. He thought highly of Zhōu Yáng.
He believed Zhōu Yáng had a solid foundation in antique knowledge. Although he didn't know Zhōu Yáng well, the fact that someone could find treasures amidst junk, and significant ones at that, multiple times was a skill in itself.
Since he possessed such a skill, there was no need to branch out into jadeite.
Zhōu Yáng understood Huáng Jicheng's meaning but couldn't explain.
"Old Huang, I naturally understand that. I'm just curious!"
"I won't get involved in those things. You mentioned raw stone, what is that?"
Huáng Jicheng had no choice but to explain the concept of raw stone to Zhōu Yáng again.
After a full half-hour of explanation, Zhōu Yáng gained a preliminary understanding of this trade. However, this field was very complex, and he didn't plan to enter it right now. His current priority was to find treasures amidst junk and make money.
Then, he wanted to buy his own house and car. After accomplishing these two things, he also wanted to open a shop.
An antique shop!
After all, he didn't know how to do much else. As the saying goes, one lives off the mountain where one lives, and one uses the water where one lives. Storytellers rely solely on their voice.
Besides working on screws in a factory, Zhōu Yáng only had some understanding of antiques.
Coupled with his golden finger, making a living in this field was a certainty.
Therefore, Zhōu Yáng's first goal was to open an antique shop and earn money.
"Zhōu Yáng, these are my collections from over the years. Please take a look!"
After the topic of jadeite concluded, Huáng Jicheng led Zhōu Yáng to his storage room.
The moment Zhōu Yáng entered the storage room, his eyes narrowed.
The storage room wasn't large, with rows of shelves and cabinets. These shelves and cabinets displayed various antiques, and in the middle was a table, also covered with antiques.
Roughly estimating, there were at least two to three hundred items here. As his gaze swept across, Zhōu Yáng discovered that most of the antiques were artworks, each with a small label underneath.
Huáng Sīyǔ watched from not too far away, disbelieving her grandfather's words. Zhōu Yáng was at most one or two years older than her. Could someone like him actually research antiques?
So, she observed from the side, perhaps out of curiosity.
Zhōu Yáng was unaware he was being watched. He was currently in a state of shock. The moment he picked up an antique, the small cauldron in his abdomen began to spin frantically.
As it spun, a suction force emerged, targeting the antique in his hand. It felt as if it were trying to devour the antique!