Chapter 1 My Life as a Corpse Fisherman

　　Although Uncle Mei and I were both setting up stalls and selling goods at this antique market for the first time, he saw the tricks of the trade more clearly than I did.

　　He lit a cigarette, took a slow puff, and asked me slowly:

　　"Rongsheng, do you know why none of these onlookers are buying?"

　　I was indeed puzzled and frowned, "It's really strange. This old gentleman has already authenticated them, saying that our bronzes are genuine, and he personally spent more than three thousand yuan to buy a mask. Why haven't the others reacted?"

　　Uncle Mei said in a low voice, "They're afraid that the old man is a shill! That he's putting on an act with us, praising fake products as genuine to trick them into being fooled."

　　I suddenly understood after hearing this. Thinking about it, the old gentleman's performance did seem a bit like a shill.

　　Although there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the antique market, it was too much of a coincidence that we would encounter an expert in bronze appraisal as soon as we set up our stall.

　　Thinking carefully, even I felt strange and asked Uncle Mei in a low voice, "Uncle, do you think that old gentleman might have been specially arranged by Jiang Yongguang to promote us?"

　　Uncle Mei shook his head and said, "I can't say for sure."

　　Later, I asked Jiang Yongguang, and he said that he didn't know the old gentleman. It seems that there are coincidences everywhere in life, and sometimes fate is truly wonderful.

　　However, the onlookers in the antique market are all very shrewd, and it's not easy to earn their money.

　　Although the old gentleman talked until his lips were dry, explaining the oral formulas and the Taofan method for a long time, all the onlookers still suspected that he was a shill, so in the end, no one supported us.

　　But I wasn't in a hurry. Uncle Mei and I came here not to sell goods, but to catch a big fish.

　　If these onlookers snapped up all the bronzes, it would ruin our plan.

　　A morning passed in the blink of an eye. Several customers visited the stall during this time, but they just looked around and didn't offer to buy any treasures.

　　As for Shopkeeper Wang's accomplices, there was no sign of them.

　　I was a little impatient and asked Uncle Mei in a low voice, "Uncle, do you think Shopkeeper Wang's rats might have already retreated?"

　　Uncle Mei shook his head firmly and said, "Impossible. If he doesn't get the ancient Shu jade slip, he won't be able to explain himself to Master Gao. If he loses Master Gao, his livelihood will be ruined. He will never return empty-handed. Be patient and wait..."

　　I nodded after hearing this and got up to buy two lunch boxes and two cans of beer from outside, and Uncle Mei and I had a hearty meal.

　　Because we earned more than three thousand yuan from that old gentleman, Uncle Mei and I ate a more sumptuous lunch than usual. I specially asked for two extra spoonfuls of meat dishes for Uncle Mei to nourish his body.

　　After all, Uncle Mei hadn't eaten much these past few days while arranging Aunt Mei's funeral.

　　After eating and drinking our fill, Uncle Mei lay on the stall in the sun and soon began to snore loudly.

　　He hadn't closed his eyes much these past few days, so a little bit of wine was just right for him to take a nap.

　　I continued to watch the stall, chatting with the customers who came up to inquire from time to time.

　　It was also unlucky, but apart from the old gentleman who bought a bronze mask, we didn't sell a single treasure from our stall from morning to afternoon.

　　As the sun gradually set, I saw a tricycle wobbling over from not far away. The person riding the bike was wearing glasses and had white hair. It was the old gentleman who had bought the bronze mask in the morning.

　　Seeing that our stall was still there and none of the bronzes were missing, the old gentleman's face lit up with joy. He quickly rode the bike over and said excitedly, "Great, the treasures are all here!"

　　As he spoke, he took out a bulging satchel from his waist, opened it carefully, and saw that it was full of hundred-yuan bills!

　　Seeing this scene, I was directly dumbfounded, thinking to myself—"Is this old gentleman going to buy all of these fakes!"

　　Sure enough, the old gentleman said bluntly, "Young man, after I got home, I took out all the cash I had on hand and borrowed some from friends, totaling eighty thousand yuan. You're an honest person, and I trust you. Let me buy all of these goods in one fell swoop."

　　The so-called "buy all in one fell swoop" is a term in the antique business, referring to buying all the goods, good or bad.

　　Because antiques are often a mixture of genuine and fake, there will inevitably be genuine and fake items in a batch of goods. "Buying all in one fell swoop" means that the buyer has to pay for both the genuine goods and the fakes, which often involves a certain amount of gambling.

　　Looking at the hundred-yuan bills in the old gentleman's satchel, I almost drooled.

　　Eighty thousand yuan in cash! This was simply an astronomical figure for me at that time!

　　With this money, I could directly buy a two-bedroom apartment in the nearby county town with full payment.

　　The old gentleman probably saw that my eyes were shining, and he quickly urged, "How about it? Young man, if you accept this price, we'll make the deal immediately, with payment and delivery at the same time."

　　To be honest, I really wanted to make the deal, after all, it would be a waste not to earn such a large sum of money.

　　But on second thought, I hesitated again.

　　First, this batch of goods was used for fishing, so I definitely couldn't let this old gentleman buy them all in one fell swoop. If he bought them all, I would lose my bait.

　　Second, this batch of goods are all fakes. Although the forgery techniques can be so realistic as to be indistinguishable from the real thing, fakes are still fakes after all.

　　This old gentleman is upright and a true gentleman. He treats me with sincerity, but I am using inferior goods to deceive him and sell him fakes, which is not right.

　　It can be seen that this eighty thousand yuan was not easy for him to come by. He not only took out his own savings but also borrowed money from friends. If he lost it all, I'm afraid he would be ruined in his later years or even die depressed.

　　I had already scammed him for three thousand yuan, and I really couldn't bear to be so ruthless again.

　　Thinking of this, I hardened my heart and said with pain, "I'm sorry, I can't do this business."

　　When the old gentleman heard this, a look of disappointment appeared on his face. He thought that I didn't like his offer and shook his head and sighed, "That's right, I was wishful thinking. These treasures are priceless, and eighty thousand yuan is indeed too little..."

　　But he still didn't give up and said, "Although I can't buy them all in one fell swoop, can you let me pick a few more? This eighty thousand yuan should at least be enough for me to buy a few more bronzes, right?"

　　Seeing that this old gentleman was determined to throw eighty thousand yuan at me, I felt both ashamed and helpless.

　　If I insisted on not selling, it would inevitably arouse suspicion, but if I sold them, I would be letting the old gentleman down.

　　Just as I was struggling, another voice suddenly rang out beside the stall:

　　"Hmph, old man, they think the price you're offering is too low and don't want to sell to you. Why are you still pestering them? If you don't have money, don't come and stir things up!"

　　Following the voice, I saw two young men suddenly appear behind the old gentleman. These two men had fierce faces and burly figures. The clothes they wore were not shabby, but they gave people a dirty feeling.

　　Especially the strange earthy smell on their bodies, it almost made people feel like they had just crawled out of the ground.

　　As soon as I smelled this smell, my heart stirred!

　　Tomb raiders!

　　These two dirty men are 100% tomb raiders who dig holes!

　　They are Shopkeeper Wang's men!

　　The fish, is hooked!