The woman expertly lit a cigarette and took a slow drag. "Who introduced you?" she asked.
I smiled faintly and produced a cigarette of my own, lighting it. "May I ask your name?"
"Jiang Yue."
"I'm Xiang Fei, and this is my friend Fatty."
Jiang Yue nodded. "Do you know what era the stone tablet in the photo is from?"
"Before I answer that, I'd like to ask you a question," I said.
A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, then she smiled. "Go ahead."
"I'd like to know, where did you take this photo?"
She looked at me suspiciously. "You want to find that stone tablet?"
I nodded.
"What do you want with that stone tablet?"
"I'm just curious... I'm in the antique business, and I'm very interested in this stone tablet, so I'd like to see the actual object."
She slowly exhaled smoke, and after a moment, said, "I'd advise you not to go to that place."
"Why?"
Her eyes showed a hint of hesitation, and she smiled. "I'm sorry, but I can't say."
I frowned slightly, puzzled. What was so unspeakable about this stone tablet?
"Then why are you asking someone to appraise its age?" I inquired.
She smiled. "Mr. Xiang, isn't it? I think you're asking too many questions."
Seeing her reluctance to elaborate, I didn't press further. I smiled apologetically. "From the photo, this stone tablet should be from the Tang Dynasty. As for other details, I'd need to see the actual object to make a proper appraisal."
"Tang Dynasty?"
She nodded thoughtfully, finishing her last puff of smoke. She then stood up, went to the side to retrieve a woman's bag, and pulled out two hundred yuan. "This is the appraisal fee."
I paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. "Miss Jiang, please, you don't need to pay for the appraisal..."
I took out my notebook and wrote down my phone number. "This is my mobile number. If you ever need anything related to antiques in the future, feel free to call me. And if you change your mind and want to tell me about the stone tablet, you can call me then too."
With that, Fatty and I stood up and left.
Outside, Fatty asked, "Why didn't that woman tell us about the stone tablet?"
I shook my head. "I'm not sure. There must be some hidden reason..."
I glanced back at the old two-story building. "We'll come back again later."
"Come back again? What for?" Fatty asked.
"You'll know when the time comes. For now, let's go find Zhang Jiande."
Zhang Jiande's antique shop, if you could call it that, was more like a tea house.
Antique pieces were displayed inside, but they were all of little value. In the center sat a large tea table with an exquisite set of gongfu tea ware.
If there was one thing of value in his shop, I suspected it was that gongfu tea set.
Since I had called ahead, Zhang Jiande was waiting for us when we arrived.
He poured the tea and gestured for us to sit.
"Boss Xiang, how's it going?" Zhang Jiande asked.
I smiled. "We found the person, and we've clarified matters. I came to let you know, Mr. Zhang, that we might be returning to Guangling soon."
"So soon? Won't you stay a few more days?"
"No need. There's a lot to handle back there, and I don't want to trouble you further, Mr. Zhang."
"What trouble is that? As long as you're willing, Boss Xiang, I'd be happy to have you stay for half a year or even a year." Zhang Jiande smiled and offered Fatty and me a cigarette. "Boss Xiang, try this cigarette."
I took one. This cigarette was different from ordinary ones, with a very long filter. I lit it and took a puff. "It tastes good."
"This is a special supply cigarette gifted to me by a friend. I've prepared a few cartons for you, Boss Xiang. You can take them with you later."
"That's very kind of you."
"Boss Xiang, please don't be so polite with me. I'll have many things to trouble you with in the future."
I smiled and didn't say much more. Instead, I stood up and wandered over to the display cabinet. Picking up an inkstone, I played with it for a moment before deliberately letting it slip from my grasp. It fell to the floor with a "crack."
Zhang Jiande and Fatty both looked over at me.
"Oh dear! Look at my clumsy hands, I didn't hold it properly."
I quickly picked up the inkstone, which had broken in half on the floor, and placed it on the tea table, apologizing profusely. "Mr. Zhang, I'm truly sorry. My hand just slipped. Is this a She inkstone? At this quality, it should sell for at least sixty to seventy thousand yuan."
Zhang Jiande blinked, and before he could speak, I continued, "Mr. Zhang, how about this: I broke it, so consider it bought. We're friends, after all, so don't ask for too high a price."
As I spoke, I winked at Fatty. Fatty quickly understood and took out the fifty thousand yuan he had with him.
"I only brought fifty thousand yuan in cash, Mr. Zhang. Please count it."
Zhang Jiande reacted sharply, glancing at the money in the bag, and a wry smile spread across his face. "Boss Xiang, what is this..."
"One thing at a time. We're both businessmen. Friendship is friendship, business is business," I said earnestly.
Seeing this, he sighed. "Alright. Since Boss Xiang insists, I'll accept this money. I'll get some good tea for you later."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Zhang."
After spending over an hour at Zhang Jiande's antique shop, I used the excuse of needing to return to the hotel to pack my things, and then Fatty and I left.
We didn't rush back to the hotel. Instead, we went directly to where Jiang Yue lived.
Fatty and I sat at a noodle stall at the entrance of the alley, ordered two bowls of noodles, and as we ate, Fatty asked, "Boss Xiang, what are we doing here?"
"We're going to check out that woman," I said.
"Check out what?"
"Do you remember what she was doing when we went in to see her?"
Fatty frowned and thought for a moment. "Working on the computer."
"She was chatting with someone on the computer, the one you used before, MSN."
Fatty had taken me to a computer store earlier. He insisted on playing with MSN, and I didn't know what it was at the time. I only found out later from a newspaper that it was a chat tool.
"On her computer, I saw a few photos of stone tablets..."
"And then?" Fatty asked, confused.
"Judging by her tone, she also seemed to be acting on someone's behalf, investigating that stone tablet."
"You mean, we're waiting here for her to meet that person?"
I nodded. "You're not as stupid as you look."
"But what if she doesn't meet that person?"
As Fatty finished speaking, a figure emerged from the two-story building. I motioned with my chin. "Let's go."