Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire
Chapter 291 - Chapter 291 Chapter 280 Antique Store

Chapter 291: Chapter 280 Antique Store Chapter 291: Chapter 280 Antique Store After a three-day train ride, she was quite exhausted despite having a sleeper berth, so Lu Jiaxin went straight home instead of visiting the antique shop.

Initially, she had only bought Sun Xun’s house, but in April, Lu Jiaxin had Master Qian buy the second and third courtyards as well, and had them refurbished.

Seeing Lu Jiaxin standing at the entrance, looking at the gate without moving, Master Qian said with a smile, “Now that the house has been bought, it wouldn’t do to keep using the side door. I restored the main gate to its original layout.”

The old gate had three doors, but the Sun Family, wary of drawing too much attention, had bricked it up and made a side door instead. Although it was an odd decision, one has to admit that Sun Xun’s grandfather was very clever; his descendants were spared from the turmoil.

Master Qian hired craftsmen to knock down the bricks from the old gate and seal up the side door that had been made. Knowing from Qian Xiaoxiao that Lu Jiaxin liked things with an antique feel, he even went out of his way to spend a lot on real wooden doors and added a fresh coat of paint. After the refurbishment, anyone standing at the entrance would know this was the home of a wealthy family.

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “This house isn’t mine, it belongs to Xue Mao.”

Master Qian thought Xue Mao was very lucky; finding someone in the middle of the night and now not only owning a sizable manor, but also having the chance to learn culinary skills from a great master. His own home wasn’t so bad either; with Xiaoxiao following Lu Jiaxin, their life was set.

Crossing the threshold, despite it being the same courtyard, felt entirely different. On her last visit, the house had been dilapidated and the courtyard cluttered, making it feel cramped. Now, the courtyard had been cleared and a date tree had even been planted in the corner of the right wall, with the house’s windows and doors looking freshly new and bright.

Lu Jiaxin then went to check on the second and third courtyards, both of which had been well restored: “Master Qian, you’ve worked hard.”

The father and son who had initially helped her with the house had, before its renovation, bought two rooms elsewhere. They weren’t as spacious as this one, but living in one’s own place was more reassuring.

Master Qian said with a smile, “I was just supervising them, it wasn’t hard at all.”

It was not work without reward; Lu Jiaxin had paid him for his efforts, and he hoped for more such opportunities! Even Old Man Sun was thankful to him for connecting him with a good project.

The next day, Lu Jiaxin visited her antique shop on Antique Street. The shop wasn’t large, just over twenty square meters, but it was filled with items. There were exquisite porcelain and jades, the simple elegance of bronze vessels and utensils, as well as calligraphy, paintings, and various knick-knacks.

When the group entered, Old Man Sun was speaking with a young man. Lu Jiaxin didn’t interrupt, instead browsing around the shop.

The young man pleaded, “Boss, this item has been passed down in our family for generations, I wouldn’t sell it unless it was to pay for my father’s medical treatment. Boss, five hundred yuan isn’t enough for my father’s medical expenses, please add a bit more!”

Hearing this, Lu Jiaxin couldn’t help but look up at the young man, who appeared quite pale and delicate, then lowered her gaze to the jade pendant in his hand.

Old Man Sun said, “Six hundred, that’s the highest I can go. If you don’t want to sell, so be it. I dare say no one else on this street will offer you a higher price.”

The young man still felt the price was too low, but after asking around three other places, the most anyone was willing to give was four hundred and eighty. Desperate for money, he had no choice but to sell.

Having received the cash, the young man disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Master Qian said with a smile, “Old Man Sun, this is Miss Lu, the owner.”

The moment she entered the antique shop, Lu Jiaxin had taken the measure of Shopkeeper Sun. The elderly man, dressed in a traditional long gown, clearly valued the formalities of the old school.

Shopkeeper Sun bowed deeply, showing respect with a traditional gesture, “Old Man Sun pays his respects to the owner.”

Lu Jiaxin hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, saying with a smile, “Shopkeeper Sun, this is a new era, such formalities are no longer necessary.”

Master Qian looked at the porcelain vase on the counter and said, “Boss, this vase is so pretty, you could take it home for arranging flowers.”

Lu Jiaxin caught sight of a gracefully charming beauty painted on the plum vase. She loved it at first glance, “Such a beautiful vase would be a waste just for flowers. When I buy a house in the future, I’ll place it in the living room for more people to appreciate our ancestors’ superb craftsmanship.”

Shopkeeper Sun lowered his voice and said, “Boss, I acquired another fine vase yesterday. It’s in my room. Come with me to the backyard, and I’ll show it to you.”

Leaving Qian Xiaoxiao to mind the shop, the others went to the backyard. When Master Qian had first rented the shop, he had also considered that Old Man Sun, with a child in tow, would find the living quarters behind the shop convenient for both grandfather and grandson.

Lu Jiaxin was so astonished by the vase Shopkeeper Sun brought over that her eyes nearly popped out. The vase was decorated with a scene of ‘Xiao He Chasing Han Xin Under the Moon’.

A porcelain vase with this motif had later sold for over seven figures at an auction. It was said that there were only three such vases, two of which had been lost. She hadn’t expected to come across one.

Seeing her expression, Shopkeeper Sun knew she recognized it, “Boss, this is a rare treasure, which is why I paid a high price for it.”

Master Qian asked, “How much?”

“Five thousand yuan.”

If Lu Jiaxin hadn’t been staring so intently at the vase, Master Qian would certainly have said that was too expensive, but now he only felt it was a job well done.

Master Qian said with a smile, “Boss, Old Man Sun has obtained such a fine piece, he should definitely receive a big red envelope.”

Lu Jiaxin replied with a smile, “I really like both vases, so I’ll definitely give a generous red envelope. Besides, for the antiques you previously acquired that all turned out to be genuine, I’ll give you an extra bonus.”

She was quite generous with her staff. For Master Sun, apart from his monthly salary of three hundred yuan, there were bonuses, and additional rewards for acquiring rare treasures.

Master Qian leaned in and asked, “Boss, do I get a share too?”

Lu Jiaxin immediately cashed out the reward, giving Master Sun one thousand two hundred yuan. One thousand was the bonus for the batch of items brought to Hong Kong being treasures, and two hundred for the two vases, one hundred each. As for Master Qian, she also gave a bonus of five hundred yuan.

Master Qian wasn’t dissatisfied, as it was Old Man Sun who had been the backbone of the antique shop, while he was responsible for driving away troublemakers.

Seeing her wallet contained greenbacks, Master Qian asked, “Boss, could I exchange these five hundred for greenbacks?”

Lu Jiaxin was curious, “What do you need greenbacks for?”

Every time she returned to the Mainland, she would exchange for greenbacks to carry with her. The Mainland now valued foreign currency, and having greenbacks made things more convenient. For example, drivers in the Forty-nine City liked to pick up foreigners because they paid in foreign currency.

Master Qian said with a smile, “Doesn’t everyone like greenbacks? But many old folks haven’t seen them before. I’ll exchange them and show them off a bit.”

Only having hundred-dollar notes, Lu Jiaxin gave him two, “The difference will be deducted from Xiaoxiao’s salary later.”

At present, one greenback could exchange for about three Hua currency, which was the official exchange rate given by the government. On the black market, two hundred greenbacks could exchange for more than six hundred. It wasn’t about the one hundred yuan shortfall, but that everything had to follow the rules.

“All right.”

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