Song Bing went to inquire with Mao Dadan, but he couldn't find out who that owl was.
The five thousand yuan deposit for the banquet seemed to have gone down the drain. I originally wanted to pay for Song Bing myself, but he said, "I've already spoken to President Wu about this. She said it's a small amount of money, no need for Brother Xiang to worry."
Wu Tingxiu was indeed wealthy. Since she said so, I naturally didn't dwell on it, as it wasn't my money anyway.
Four days passed in the blink of an eye. Life in the small fishing village was quite leisurely. I don't know where Fatty got his information, but every day he could take us to a different place to eat.
And the food at these places was surprisingly delicious. Perhaps this is the unique ability of a foodie.
Finally, at the appointed time, Fatty and I returned to the Bailong Yuma Tea House. We were received by the same person as last time, who led us to a side room.
The side room was elaborately decorated. Besides the antique furniture, the most striking things were the potted plants, all of which were orchids. I didn't know the varieties, but they looked expensive.
A stick of sandalwood incense was lit in a socket in the room. The scent of sandalwood mixed with the fragrance of orchids, creating a very special aroma that made one feel refreshed and delighted.
Fatty and I sat at the tea table and waited for seven or eight minutes before we heard footsteps outside. Then, a man in a Zhongshan suit walked in.
When I saw this man, I was stunned. Our eyes met, and a hint of surprise showed in his gaze.
"You?"
We both blurted out almost simultaneously.
This person was none other than the owl I had shared a meal with a few days ago.
However, he looked like a completely different person now.
"Why are you here?" I asked instinctively.
He grinned, walked over, and said, "This is my home. Where else would I be?"
I was taken aback, "You are Ma Xiuyong?"
He smiled and nodded.
My mind was a bit slow to catch up. After a moment, I asked, "You are indeed Ma Xiuyong?"
"What? Don't I look like him?" Ma Xiuyong asked with a smile.
"No... I heard you are in your forties?" I asked.
He smiled and said, "To be precise, forty-nine. I'll be fifty after the New Year."
Fatty was also surprised and glanced at me, "Brother Xiang, do you know him?"
I gave a wry smile and said, "He's the owl I told you about."
"Ah?" Fatty blinked a couple of times in surprise.
Ma Xiuyong gestured for us to sit down and then poured us two cups of tea. "Mr. Xiang, right?"
I nodded. I had submitted my name when making the appointment, so it wasn't surprising that he knew my surname.
"You had an empty seat arrangement a few days ago, how did you find something good again?" Ma Xiuyong asked.
I stared at his unbelievably young face and said, "Are you really forty-nine?"
He smiled and said, "Absolutely genuine. Would you like me to show you my ID?"
"Mr. Ma, you don't look forty-nine at all," I said.
"If a person wants to stay young, they need to be open-minded and cheerful. Perhaps I'm just a carefree person, so I don't show my age," Ma Xiuyong said. "Mr. Xiang, you're not from around here, are you? Your accent suggests you're from Jiangdong?"
I nodded. "I do some antique business in Guangling."
"Guangling is a good place. I visited once when I was young," he said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. "Do you happen to know Bai Zhujing?"
"Mr. Bai is a renowned antique expert in our locality, of course I know him."
"Oh? He's now a renowned antique expert in Guangling? Wasn't his family selling fortune-telling at a stall?"
I almost spat out my tea.
Fortune-telling at a stall? This was the first time I had heard anyone describe the Bai family like that.
"Back then, the Bai family was quite famous locally for telling fortunes and practicing feng shui. I never expected the Bai family to enter the antique circle now. Things have truly changed," Ma Xiuyong sighed.
I put down my teacup and followed his lead. "Who can say for sure about things in this world? Just like that appraisal fair held in Guangbei some time ago, I went there out of admiration, but who knew it would be stopped halfway through."
"Appraisal fair?" Ma Xiuyong sneered. "It's just fooling oneself."
"Oh? Mr. Ma seems to have quite an opinion of the appraisal fair."
"The appraisal fair is no longer what it used to be. Nowadays, the four major families in Guangbei only care about profit and have lost all their principles."
Hearing this, my eyes darted, and I said, "The four major families are the calling card of Guangbei. How come Mr. Ma seems to not...?"
"Calling card? Guangbei has no calling card anymore. When the four major families founded the Guanggu Association, it was still somewhat decent. But in recent years, Guangbei has been flooded with fakes. Each family, in order to leverage the association's influence, has continuously expanded its own strength, completely ignoring the fakes in the market, and constantly thinking of developing nationally and internationally. It's simply wishful thinking."
Ma Xiuyong said indignantly, "They can't even manage their own territory properly, yet they covet other people's land. They should at least take a look at themselves."
"I heard that the Guanggu Association has also been cracking down on fakes in recent years," I bluffed. "Isn't there any effect?"
"Who told you that?" Ma Xiuyong said gruffly.
"A friend of mine sells ceramics in Guangbei. He told me," I replied.
Ma Xiuyong said, "The Guanggu Association today is nothing like it was at its inception. The ancestors put in so much effort, and now it has become like this. I feel ashamed for them."
I didn't expect him to have such strong opinions about the Guanggu Association. It was no wonder Yan Hongguang asked an outsider like me to come.
But what exactly is the relationship between Ma Xiuyong and the Guanggu Association?
I still couldn't figure it out, but it seemed that this person held a significant position in the Guangbei antique circle, otherwise, the four major families wouldn't be so wary of him.
"Mr. Ma, you seem to know a lot about the Guanggu Association?" I asked with a smile. "Could you tell me the stories behind it?"
Ma Xiuyong looked at me, took a sip of his tea, and said, "When we parted ways last time, I thought we would never meet again. But I didn't expect to be drinking tea together so soon. This can be considered fate. Since you're interested, I'll tell you."
I cupped my hands and said, "I am eager to hear the details."
He hesitated, seemingly unsure where to start. After refilling my and Fatty's tea, he took out a delicate small box, from which he retrieved a square piece of paper. Then, he took out another small box and poured some tobacco shreds from it.
He rolled the tobacco shreds with the paper, dabbed a bit of tea water on the edge to seal it, and then pulled out a box of matches, lit one, and took a puff.
Soon, I smelled a very fragrant tobacco scent, which made me want to try his hand-rolled cigarette.
He smiled and pushed the two small boxes towards me, "If you want to smoke, roll one yourself."
Seeing this, I naturally didn't hesitate. I mimicked his actions, rolled a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff.