The old house was renovated with a lot of money, and at first glance, it really had the feel of a villa.
It was just that the location was a bit remote, and the surroundings were all fields. At night, you could still hear various insects chirping.
I actually quite liked this feeling, as if I had returned to my hometown.
I remember when I was young, the room I lived in was next to a vegetable patch, and at night, the sound of various crickets would ring out. Countless nights I fell asleep listening to these cricket sounds.
Early in the morning, I got out of bed, opened the glass door, and walked onto the balcony. I could see a field of lush green chives.
These chives were planted by the nearby villagers. The villagers here are quite simple and honest. They had already gotten acquainted with Hong Yunpeng during this time.
Regarding our conspicuous house, Hong Yunpeng's explanation was that it was an old house left by his ancestors, and now we had all moved back in.
As for who the house originally belonged to, I don't think anyone remembers anymore.
After breathing in the fresh air for a moment, I changed my clothes and came downstairs. Fatty had already cooked the noodles.
"Master Xiang, you're awake?" Fatty pointed to the cabinet not far away and said, "Get three sets of bowls and chopsticks, and eat noodles."
I hadn't noticed it before, but only recently did I learn that Fatty's cooking skills are quite extraordinary.
He said that when he was in Yanjing, he had worked as an apprentice in a restaurant. He had originally planned to open a restaurant, but after getting involved with antiques, he gave up that idea.
I took the bowls and chopsticks over. As Fatty was dishing out the noodles, Hong Yunpeng walked in from the main door with a bunch of spring onions.
"Xiao Fei, how did you sleep last night?" Hong Yunpeng smiled and handed the spring onions to Fatty.
I nodded, "I slept very soundly."
"Are you going to the shop with us later, or are you going to find Wu Tingxiu?" Hong Yunpeng asked.
In the past few days since returning to Guangling, I had met with Wu Tingxiu several times. Each time, we discussed that map.
The content deciphered by Liu Zaixi had some terms whose meanings were completely incomprehensible.
Wu Tingxiu believed those terms should be place names and had already sent people to inquire about them. As for the map drawn on it, no one knew what place it represented.
To be frank, this was just a fragment and didn't contain much useful information.
The only useful piece of information was that there were a total of seven such maps, and we currently held only one of them.
The thought of the six other maps, whose whereabouts were unknown, made me feel a bit discouraged.
Originally, I planned to stay in Guangling for a few days and then go find "Old Chen," my father's former partner.
However, the address Yan Yuhe gave me was too far. Even though I was anxious, it wouldn't be a quick trip to that place.
Furthermore, it was already close to the end of the year, and going there now was even more inappropriate.
That place was in the Greater Khingan Range. Going to the Greater Khingan Range in the current climate, it would be no exaggeration to say it was doing something pointless.
Moreover, the place Yan Yuhe mentioned was only a general location, and it would likely take some time to find once I got there.
Therefore, I decided to set off after the New Year, when spring arrived.
After finishing the noodles, I went to the shop with Hong Yunpeng and the others.
Regardless, I was the owner of An Yuan Tang. It was understandable that I couldn't come to the shop before due to matters, but now that I was free, I had to come and see.
An Yuan Tang was still the same An Yuan Tang. All the decorations and furnishings remained unchanged. In the main hall, besides the handicraft area, there were also some appraised ordinary antiques, such as the Five Emperors' coins.
Passing through the hall, Fatty and I went to the rest room in the backyard. Sitting at the tea table, Fatty brewed a pot of water, and we drank tea and chatted.
"Master Xiang, I want to invite my master to come and stay with me for a while during the New Year," Fatty said, taking a sip of tea.
"Have you contacted him?" I asked.
Fatty smiled, "The old man called me a few days ago and said he had installed a landline at home and would chat with me whenever he had nothing to do."
I chuckled, "He can come to Guangling. You can take him around then."
"That's what I was thinking too," Fatty sighed. "Think about it, the old man is quite pitiable. He has no children and no one to accompany him. Now he only has me as his disciple, so I can't just ignore him."
Fatty, although usually carefree and oblivious, was actually a very responsible person.
That's one of the things I valued about him. Having such a friend, if something were to happen to me, I could confidently hand it over to him to handle.
Just as we were discussing how to arrange for the old man, Hong Yunpeng rushed in.
"What's wrong, Brother Hong?" I asked, seeing his demeanor.
He said with a helpless expression, "Alas... someone wants an appraisal."
Besides selling handicrafts and antiques, An Yuan Tang also helps people with appraisals and issues appraisal certificates from An Yuan Tang.
Normally, this appraisal service was handled by Hong Yunpeng finding experts who collaborated with An Yuan Tang.
However, when I was at the shop, it wasn't necessary to go through all that trouble.
After all, inviting experts for appraisals cost money.
"An appraisal is an appraisal, why do you look so unhappy?" Fatty asked.
Hong Yunpeng said, "It's not that I'm unwilling, but the person... I don't know how to put it. I'll bring the person over, and you'll know."
Fatty and I exchanged glances. What was Hong Yunpeng up to?
A moment later, Hong Yunpeng brought a man in his thirties into the rest room.
The man was wearing a light-colored, right-lapel, cross-collared robe, with a black sash around his waist. A waist knife about twenty centimeters long was tucked into it.
He wore a headscarf, cloth shoes, and his lapels had a dark fabric trim.
This attire immediately indicated that he was not of Han ethnicity.
"Do you want an appraisal?" I asked.
The man sized me up, nodded, and said something we couldn't understand.
After saying that, he seemed to realize something and said in very broken Mandarin, "Nee hao..."
After a few exchanges, I learned that his name was Li Zasi and he was of the Lahu ethnic group.
The Lahu people are one of the most ancient ethnic groups in China. They have their own language, belonging to the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family, and worship multiple gods, venerating "Esha."
I had only heard of this ethnic group, but had never interacted with them before.
By rights, there should be no Lahu people in Guangling.
It seemed he must have come from out of town.
"What do you want appraised?" I asked.
Li Zasi took out a photo and handed it to me, asking me to appraise the value of the item in the photo.
I took the photo and looked at it. The lighting in the photo was very poor, and the background was blurry. What was clearly visible was something in the center, resembling a rubbing. The text on it was obscured by dirt, making it impossible to see what was written.
After looking at the photo, I finally understood why Hong Yunpeng had that helpless expression.
With such an unclear photograph, who could appraise what was depicted on it?