As soon as he heard the low shout, Sū Chén stopped and looked back. "Need something?"
This was the assertive approach – if he had bolted, they would have definitely chased him. If he had been cornered and couldn't escape, that would have been trouble.
The person who asked looked at the one who had ordered from Sū Chén. This person looked at Sū Chén carefully for a few moments and then shook his head.
"No, nothing," the first person said.
Sū Chén ignored them and continued limping through the alley. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad he had been cautious and disguised himself beforehand, changing his appearance. Otherwise, he would have been recognized.
After passing through the alley and confirming no one was following, he quickened his pace and left the area, not daring to linger or conduct any more business. In total, he had sold eleven watches today, earning over a thousand yuan. It was such easy money!
However, it was fortunate that they were new models from Casio. If they had been the imitation versions made in the coastal regions, they wouldn't have fetched such a high price. Most people who could afford watches were not short of money. They surely visited large stores frequently and knew how much they could save and what unnecessary procedures they could avoid.
With over a thousand yuan in his pocket, Sū Chén felt his heart beating faster. A fortune!
Compared to Cáo Wéimín, though, this was pocket change. If Cáo Wéimín had really secured a few allocation permits, a single transaction would have netted him at least thirty to fifty thousand yuan. If he had been bolder, a few more such deals could have netted him hundreds of thousands.
This wasn't an exaggeration; official profiteers always made more than private speculators, but if caught, their very lives could be at stake.
That night, he didn't return to the dormitory to sleep. He slept right there. After all, the water and electricity were connected. He could return to school the next morning; it was close by.
He divided the thousand-plus yuan into two portions. One part he hid, and the other he kept with him before returning to school. These watches really made money, but it was thanks to Cáo Wéimín. If Cáo Wéimín hadn't given him this batch of goods, he wouldn't have earned so much.
Now Sū Chén felt he had the confidence to start dealing in antiques. Otherwise, in another two years, he’d truly be picking up scraps from Old Master Ma’s leftovers.
Unfortunately, his daytime classes were too demanding, leaving him no time to sneak out. He could only wait until after evening classes, quickly slip out, and continue selling watches discreetly while looking for opportunities to acquire furniture from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Now, with no one thinking of collecting, treasures were everywhere. There were many porcelain items and various vases from the Qing, Ming, and even Yuan dynasties that ordinary people used. Besides these items in the homes of a few collectors, they could even be found at small noodle stalls in Fuchengmen. This was because their families had been running stalls for generations, and by then, imperial items had long since flowed into the hands of the common people.
Sū Chén deliberately took a bus to Fuchengmen, to that noodle stall. As soon as the noodles were served, he picked them up and examined the writing on the back of the bowl, knowing that each era had its own markings on its porcelain wares. He looked and exclaimed, "Good heavens, it's from an official kiln!"
But the boss refused to sell. "I rely on these to live. If you buy them, what will I eat?" Sū Chén didn't buy it with money. Instead, he went and bought brand-new noodle bowls and exchanged them directly with the boss. Then, he tenderly carried the stack of porcelain bowls back to the Siheyuan.
Life was good in those days. Such items were completely ignored, with no market. Therefore, there were no fakes in this regard; at most, there was just a distinction between Qing and Republican era items.If he had more time, Sū Chén planned to go to the toll transport dock on the Tonghui River. Merchants traveling from all directions would bring a boatload of goods here to unload and sell. If one or two items remained unsold at the end, they would either be left behind or sold off cheaply. Consequently, many ancient objects were left behind in Tongzhou.
Alas, time was not abundant.
The weather gradually grew colder, and Sū Chén realized that three months had passed unconsciously since he arrived in the capital. Furthermore, he had completely sold off the watches Cáo Wéimín had left him, having scoured nearly every street and alley nearby. Besides the one he wore himself, he kept another specifically for Xuē Yú. The rest were all priced at 150 yuan.
For safety, he disguised himself every time. Even so, he was almost cornered by thugs twice and nearly caught by Lei Zi. Fortunately, he sensed the wrong timing and fled.
During this period, he had earned nearly twenty thousand yuan from the bag of watches Cáo Wéimín had left him. This was pure profit, achieved without any initial capital, aside from the fatigue.
He now felt sufficiently confident and had also acquired many good items. These included porcelain, furniture, and other antiques like jade.
"Prosperous times for antiques, chaotic times for gold." He couldn't buy gold now, so he could only buy these antiques and hoard as much as possible in his room.
He hadn't seen Cáo Wéimín for a while. He figured that man must be making a fortune somewhere.
Time ticked by into December. The temperature plummeted drastically. When he exhaled, he could feel the breath freezing in the air. Although he was dressed warmly, he was still freezing like a nobody in the classroom without air conditioning.
With 1981 approaching, time flew by. In just over ten chapters, he had already spent half a year in this world.
One day, while having lunch, Sū Chén had just gotten his food and sat down at a table when Xuē Yú also came over with her lunchbox and sat opposite him. Zhōu Wèi and the others, who had intended to sit with Sū Chén, quietly moved to a separate table upon seeing this.
"Teacher Xuē," Sū Chén greeted. "Are you going back this year?"
"Isn't it too early to decide whether to go back now?" Xuē Yú looked at him seriously. "You've been acting very secretive lately. I heard you don't sleep in the dormitory much at night."
Hearing this, Sū Chén knew Xuē Yú must have inquired about his situation. His expression turned serious. "I really haven't been sleeping in the dormitory much."
"And why is that?" Xuē Yú narrowed her eyes. "Where do you sleep at night? You haven't been up to anything bad, have you?"
"Teacher Xuē, what are you implying? Do I look like someone who does bad things?" Sū Chén feigned mystery and lowered his voice. "You'll find out about this shortly. There are too many people around now."
Xuē Yú became even more curious. "Alright, I'll want to hear what you've been busy with later. Better not try to gloss over it."
After they finished eating, they left the cafeteria and went outside.
Sū Chén looked around, seeing no one paying them attention, and said, "Teacher Xuē, close your eyes."
"What for?" Xuē Yú asked, puzzled.
"Just close them. Do you think I would harm you?" Sū Chén said earnestly.
Xuē Yú nodded. "Okay, I'll close my eyes then." Saying this, she actually closed her eyes.
Sū Chén took out the last watch he had kept from his pocket. "Teacher Xuē, extend your hand."
Xuē Yú extended her hand. A moment later, she felt her sleeve being pulled up but didn't know what Sū Chén was doing. Sū Chén put the watch on her wrist. "You can open your eyes now."
As soon as she opened her eyes, Xuē Yú saw a new model electronic watch on her wrist. She was instantly startled. "Where did this come from?"
"Didn't you ask me what I've been doing lately? I've been selling..." Sū Chén said with a smile.
Before he could finish, Xuē Yú panicked. "What did you go out and sell?"
"I..."
Sū Chén's words were again interrupted by Xuē Yú, her voice trembling. "You scoundrel, what exactly did you go out and sell? Did you sell blood?"
The economy was relatively underdeveloped at the time, but selling blood could bring a considerable income. Therefore, some people who were desperately short of money and had nothing to sell chose to sell their blood. However, blood management at that time was in a rather chaotic state. When hospitals needed blood, they would find donors through "blood brokers." But due to inadequate collection techniques and other factors, contracting an illness was a common occurrence. Thus, Xuē Yú suspected Sū Chén had been selling blood, and this suspicion was the most logical. She suddenly felt a pang in her heart, her eyes welled up, and tears began to flow. "Are you out of your mind? Is blood something you can just sell? All for a watch like this?" she cried angrily, reaching out to grab Sū Chén’s wrist and pull up his sleeve, looking for needle marks from selling blood.