The boss was utterly bewildered by the question.
It took him a moment to react, then he cursed with a laugh, "Young man, you're trying to take all my capital!"
"If I sell it to you, how will I eat and drink?"
"You're so young, why aren't you doing something proper?"
It was unheard of for someone to buy a pancake stall; no one had ever made such a request.
The quality of a pancake depended entirely on skill. Even if one bought the stall, it would be useless without the know-how.
"I mainly saw that you're free and unfettered, which is better than working a job."
Seeing the boss's reluctance, Li Chonglou pulled over a stool, sat down, and started chatting with the boss while munching on a pancake, "Do you take apprentices, then?"
"With only one hand, you can be an apprentice, but I won't give you a salary, only food," the boss said, pointing at Li Chonglou's injured right hand, half-jokingly.
"It's a deal. I don't want money, I just want something," Li Chonglou replied with a smile.
He never lied. What he wanted was, of course, the Shi Qiang pan.
But the boss interpreted it as him being interested in his skill.
Seeing that Li Chonglou wasn't joking, the boss became serious, "Are you serious?"
"My work is hard. I start at five in the afternoon and work until midnight. Can you handle it?"
"Of course, I'm serious."
After finishing the pancake, Li Chonglou asked the boss for his phone number, "After my hand heals, I'll come to report to you."
"Make sure to keep the apprenticeship position for me."
With the boss's repeated assurances, he finally left reluctantly.
Having seen the Shi Qiang pan, he was determined to get it!
No matter the cost.
He had initially planned to buy the stall outright, to settle the matter quickly.
But the boss had refused.
He couldn't directly ask to buy the pan either. Although the boss was an amateur, he couldn't be sure that in this age of advanced information, he wouldn't be shrewd.
This item was a standard cultural relic, and its sale was prohibited.
Once discovered, it would be illegal.
Li Chonglou had no intention of profiting from it, but he absolutely could not let such a national treasure be left out in the open to be carelessly destroyed.
Furthermore, trying to buy the pan specifically might lead to the boss refusing to sell it, no matter the price.
He had seen this kind of thing many times.
Some people, who knew nothing about antiques, had very greedy hearts. If someone wanted to buy something ordinary, they would refuse to sell it, no matter how much was offered.
They would be hoping to get rich from it.
If he accidentally ignited this idea in the boss, it would be more loss than gain.
In his helplessness, he could only propose becoming an apprentice to proceed cautiously.
Fortunately, since this item had been in the boss's possession for so long without anyone taking it, he didn't need to worry about immediate risk.
His mother had just undergone surgery, and his hand was still injured. He was willing but unable to act.
It was just right that his senior sister would be back in a few days, and his hand should also be healed by then. He would discuss it with her.
He would specifically stake out the pancake stall and find a way to obtain the Shi Qiang pan.
For now, he had to return to the hospital.
The injury on his hand was too much of a hindrance; he couldn't do many things until it healed.
Let alone earn money.
Fortunately, his trip to the banquet was not in vain. Lu Weishen had wanted to suppress him with a string of Xi Ma, but he had failed and ended up harming himself.
Sitting in the taxi, Li Chonglou took out the Western Zhou agate from his pocket, a smile playing on his lips.
This string of Xi Ma was of good quality, worth at least two hundred thousand yuan.
When he later transferred it to Lu Yunxu and put it on the C-auction, he wondered what Lu Weishen's expression would be.
Thinking of this, Li Chonglou couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
However, while he was amused, now that he suspected the previous assassination attempt was related to Lu Weishen, he couldn't ignore it and had to find out the truth.
If it was indeed him, he could never give him a second chance.
Upon returning to the hospital, Zheng Xiumei had already woken up. Her expression was still filled with anxiety. Seeing Li Chonglou enter the room, she struggled to get up.
Li Chonglou stopped her, and she asked weakly, "Son, is that person alright?"
In her memory, her son had been willing to kill someone for her.
Having lived an honest life all her years, she had never witnessed such a scene. If he had really killed someone, what would happen in the rest of his life?
Seemingly asking about someone else, she was actually concerned about her own son.
How could Li Chonglou not understand?
He immediately patted his mother's hand to comfort her, "Mom, don't worry, he ran away, and the police will catch him."
"Your son is not a fool. Even if he had killed someone, it would have been self-defense. He would never put himself in an unlawful situation!"
These words came from the bottom of his heart.
The prison sentence in his previous life had brought him a lifetime of pain, and he would never let himself be imprisoned again in this life.
"Good, good..."
Zheng Xiumei was filled with relief and, in turn, comforted him, "Mom doesn't know what you're doing, but your words are enough."
"As long as you don't break the law, go ahead boldly, Mom isn't afraid of those bandits!"
Li Chonglou's heart was burning, and he nodded repeatedly.
His mother had never experienced any major storms in her life. Although she seemed fragile and ordinary, she actually saw things clearly.
To reduce his psychological burden, even while seriously ill, she wanted to shoulder it for him.
Women are inherently soft, but as mothers, they are strong.
At first, he had only thought it was meaningless complaining, but now he suddenly understood that this was the great nature of women.
"You know, don't just stay in the hospital watching me. Run around with Yuxin more. Mom wants to hold a grandchild now." Zheng Xiumei brushed over the topic lightly and changed the subject.
After experiencing a near-death illness, her mindset had already changed.
As long as she was alive, nothing else mattered.
Her only wish now was to see her son have a chubby grandson and to help raise him in her lifetime.
Other than that, she had no other desires.
"I'll discuss having a child with Yuxin later, Mom. This can't be rushed." Li Chonglou felt a tingling on his scalp and quickly found an excuse to leave, "Oh right, Brother Xu is waiting for me for something. You rest, and I'll come to see you again later."
With that, he left the ward under his mother's reproachful gaze.
Xu Lie, standing outside the door, had his arms crossed over his chest, his expressionless.
His imposing aura was intimidating, and people passing by him instinctively kept their distance, fearing they might offend this cold, stern figure.
"Brother Xu, I've got some leads," Li Chonglou called Xu Lie aside and said in a low voice, "When I attended the banquet today, I sensed that Lu Weishen might be connected to the assassination attempt during the car accident that day."
"My hand is inconvenient, and I'm not good at investigating. This task is only suitable for you."
"What do you need me to do?" Xu Lie's eyes lit up.
Compared to guarding Zheng Xiumei's hospital room, investigating was clearly more interesting to him and better utilized his own worth.
As for Zheng Xiumei's safety, in fact, after the assassination attempt, there were already several plainclothes officers outside.
Li Chonglou was aware of this, which was why he entrusted the matter to him.
"Investigate Lu Weishen's entire lineage!" Li Chonglou's eyes flashed with brilliance, "However, given Lu Weishen's status, this matter might not have been arranged by him personally."
"Therefore, his close relationships need to be investigated thoroughly, especially those who also know the prison guard Zhang Daocheng."
"Understood. I'll be in touch!" Xu Lie left briskly.
With Xu Lie on the case, Li Chonglou felt much more at ease.
Back in his own room, he eagerly circulated the sheepskin scroll cultivation technique, hoping to heal his hand injury as soon as possible.
A day and a night passed. Apart from phone calls from Lu Yunxu and Wu Hao, nothing else happened.
Jiang Yuxin only sent a WeChat message, saying nothing, but Li Chonglou could tell that the trip to Xuanrong Group seemed to have not gone smoothly.
The wound on his hand was also healing rapidly.
It wasn't until past three o'clock in the afternoon on the 25th that Xu Lie finally returned to the hospital.
His tiger-like eyes were filled with righteous indignation, "Chonglou, I found out."
"It's just as you predicted!"