Everyone expressed sympathy for the childhood of the Ma siblings, as in that past era of scarce material resources, anything incredible could happen.
To Ma Jinxuan, her elder brother Ma Xingping, who had taken care of her since childhood, was no different from a father; he had even shouldered a heavier burden than their father.
Ma Jinxuan was extremely worried about being separated from her brother this time. Fortunately, the matching heart lock remained intact, proving that Ma Xingping was still alive.
The closer they got to their destination, the more nervous Ma Jinxuan became.
As the only other female in the group besides Ma Jinxuan, Lin Zitong continuously comforted her.
Finally, the long wait ended, and the group arrived at their destination – the antique market at the Little East Gate of Chang'an!
Chang'an, a historical city and the capital of thirteen dynasties, had countless ancient tombs and relics buried beneath its soil. Digging a random hole might unearth the tomb of a prince or general.
It was said that when Chang'an was building its subway, the busiest people weren't the construction crews, but the archaeologists and the Cultural Relics Bureau, because any shovel strike could potentially unearth a princess's tomb.
If it was the tomb of a minor landlord, the Cultural Relics Bureau wouldn't even bother, simply letting the construction team pack the artifacts into woven bags and be done with it!
Some people jokingly said that every household in Chang'an had heirlooms, and any sufficiently large house could be a museum. Some even wrote online jokes saying that Chang'an people normally traded antiques for noodles.
Although these were jokes, they illustrated the abundance of antiques in Chang'an.
Precisely because of the numerous ancient tombs and countless antiques, Chang'an's antique streets were as numerous as ox hairs.
Examples included Beiyuanmen, Shuyuanmen, Xiangzimiaojie, and Baxian'an, among others.
However, the oldest among them was the Little East Gate antique market, where Yan Shouyi and his companions were currently located.
This antique market was said to have decades of history, and locals in Chang'an often liked to stroll through it, hoping to find some good treasures.
Even before reaching the street, Yan Shouyi could hear the vendors' calls, and the strong Sanqin accent struck him as quite amusing.
Chang'an people pronounced "I" as "e," "xia" as "ha," and "le" as "lie."
"When I go down!"
"I'll starve to death!"
Before Long Feicheng had taken a few steps, he had already mastered the accent.
Looking at the various antiques and curios displayed by the roadside, Long Feicheng couldn't help but feel a pang of excitement:
"Brother Yan, if we find some genuine antiques here, wouldn't we strike it rich?"
Before Yan Shouyi could reply, Wang Jizhang said, "Old Yan is a descendant of Lu Ban; he has extraordinary eyesight for the structure and material of objects. If Old Yan takes a look, we're sure to find genuine items."
Wang Jizhang was slightly older than Yan Shouyi, so he didn't call Yan Shouyi "Brother Yan" but "Old Yan."
However, his words were not flattery; descendants of Lu Ban were skilled in carpentry, and being a carpenter, keen eyesight was a fundamental quality. Coupled with Yan Shouyi's upbringing and knowledge imparted by his grandfather, he was confident in picking out genuine items from a pile of junk.
But Yan Shouyi said, "Let's take care of our main business first. When we have time, I'll accompany you for a browse."
"Right, right, the main business is important!" Weng Qianxiang nodded eagerly.
Ma Jinxuan said, "The family I'm going to visit dislikes crowds. Why don't you all browse here on your own? I'll go ahead and make contact."
"There's such a preference?" Yan Shouyi agreed without much thought, "Then we'll be here. Contact us anytime."
"Okay."
Eager to find the person she was looking for, Ma Jinxuan sped up after leaving the group and soon disappeared into the crowd.
Long Feicheng, Weng Qianxiang, and Old Jin rubbed their hands together, squinted, and looked at Yan Shouyi with sycophantic expressions:
"Brother Yan (Old Yan), can we go treasure hunting now?"
Yan Shouyi, unable to refuse them, finally said, "Alright, I'll accompany you for a browse."
The Little East Gate was indeed a place blessed with exceptional people and natural beauty. As Yan Shouyi browsed, almost every stall displayed a few genuine items.
But the stall owners were not fools; those few genuine items were the treasures of their stalls. They were either not for sale, or if they were, they quoted an astronomical price, the kind where anyone who bought would be swindled.
After browsing several stalls with similar results, Long Feicheng, who didn't understand, became a little anxious:
"Brother Yan, could it be that everything here is fake?"
"There are genuine items, but more fakes. Let's not rush, we'll pick slowly," Yan Shouyi reassured him.
Old Jin, however, was patient and quipped, "Finding antiques is like finding a wife. At first glance, they seem valuable, and you're delighted once you have them. But after examining them back home, you realize you've been duped, and it's too late to regret it. So, whether we buy or not is one thing; let's examine them first. It's not too late to make a move after confirming they're right!"
Everyone gave Old Jin a thumbs-up: "You truly speak from experience, Old Jin. Your understanding is profound, we admire you!"
Old Jin chuckled proudly, while only Lin Zitong shot an exasperated glare at the group of scoundrels.
She thought to herself, "If only Luo Ning were here!"
Now, these men gathered together were simply too brazen.
Lin Zitong noticed the taciturn Wei Changqing and thought he could admonish them from an elder's perspective. She said, "Second Uncle, look at them!"
Unexpectedly, Wei Changqing replied, "Old Jin makes a lot of sense."
"..."
Lin Zitong was utterly helpless. It seemed the saying "Men remain boys until death" was true; even Wei Changqing, who had been through so much, was still of the same ilk.
When it came to finding antiques, one had to choose slowly. Fearing that everyone would get bored, Yan Shouyi suggested they split up and browse individually.
At this point, Weng Qianxiang suddenly proposed a game.
Each person would take one thousand yuan and spend half an hour to find treasures they believed to be genuine. After half an hour, they would reconvene with Yan Shouyi, who would appraise their finds and estimate their value, to see who had found the most valuable treasure.
This proposal was supported by everyone, and even Wei Changqing expressed his desire to participate.
Yan Shouyi realized that Wei Changqing actually had a strong competitive spirit. For example, the last time in Qiantang, he lost over thirty thousand yuan playing Dou Dizhu with Long Feicheng and Han San...
Since everyone was interested, Yan Shouyi agreed.
The group dispersed and wandered among the various stalls, exhibiting great excitement, with eagerness written all over their faces.
The stall owners noticed their group and immediately shed their previous indifferent attitude, even standing up to greet them and make introductions.
The stall owners' faces seemed to bear a single message:
Here come the suckers!