After work in the afternoon, the elderly woman came to the hospital again.
Remembering how she had caused a scene at the hospital earlier, she felt too embarrassed to go inside and could only wait by the entrance for Chen Fan.
When Chen Fan and Qin Shuran emerged from the hospital, the woman stepped forward to meet them.
Upon seeing her, Chen Fan handed her the muscle-building cream he had prepared and explained how to use it.
Tears welled up in the woman's eyes with emotion, and she gave Chen Fan five thousand yuan.
Chen Fan did not refuse, as he had purchased the medicinal ingredients with money, and this amount merely covered the cost of the materials.
To Chen Fan's surprise, Cui Jie also arrived at the hospital entrance with Xiao Ling'er.
She felt too ashamed to ask Chen Fan to come to her home again to treat Xiao Ling'er, so she requested that Chen Fan perform acupuncture for her daughter outside the hospital.
Chen Fan reluctantly agreed.
After the acupuncture session, Cui Jie left with Xiao Ling'er.
As they walked home, Qin Shuran seemed preoccupied.
Chen Fan asked, "What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"
"I might have to go home for a few days soon."
"Home?"
Qin Shuran nodded.
Chen Fan asked with some nervousness, "Will you come back to work after that?"
Seeing Chen Fan's anxious expression, Qin Shuran chuckled and replied, "Of course, I will. If I don't work, will you support me?"
Chen Fan really wanted to blurt out, "I'll support you!"
But he merely smiled faintly, sensing that Qin Shuran's family background was not ordinary, and without revealing his abilities, he was not in a position to say such a thing.
Seeing Chen Fan's silence, Qin Shuran felt a pang of disappointment.
However, she quickly regained her composure and said casually, "Can you accompany me to the antique street tomorrow morning?"
"The antique street? You like those things?"
Qin Shuran explained, "I'm going home in a few days to celebrate my grandfather's birthday. He enjoys antiques and calligraphy, so I want to buy him a gift."
"But I don't know anything about antiques."
"You have such good luck, bringing you along is like having a good luck charm."
Qin Shuran's words left Chen Fan speechless.
Despite this, he agreed. For some reason, knowing Qin Shuran was going home filled him with a sense of impending separation.
After dinner, upon returning to their residence, they found Liu Qianze standing by the door.
Seeing Chen Fan and Qin Shuran ascending the stairs, chatting and laughing, a cold glint flashed in Liu Qianze's eyes.
"Dr. Liu?" Qin Shuran called out, her brow furrowed slightly.
The coldness in Liu Qianze's expression vanished instantly. He smiled at Qin Shuran and said, "Shuran, weren't we supposed to have dinner together? I've been looking for good restaurants in Jiangcheng. I heard the sky restaurant at Wanhao Group is excellent, and it's the only Michelin three-star in the city. How about we go there this weekend?"
Qin Shuran pondered for a moment and agreed.
Liu Qianze's face lit up with excitement upon her agreement. They set the time for after work on the weekend, and then Liu Qianze turned to leave.
However, before departing, he shot Chen Fan a cold glare.
It seemed like a warning.
If it were before, Chen Fan might have been intimidated or wary of Liu Qianze's gaze.
But for the current Chen Fan, such a look was completely insignificant.
After a night's rest.
The next morning, Chen Fan and Qin Shuran had breakfast and drove to Jiangcheng's antique street.
It was evident that both of them were visiting the antique street for the first time and were unfamiliar with the area, so they wandered aimlessly.
"What kind of antiques are you looking for for your grandfather? I've heard of porcelain, jade, bronzeware, and calligraphy," Chen Fan asked Qin Shuran, scanning the antique shops on either side.
Qin Shuran had never been to such a place before and wasn't very knowledgeable about antiques. She shook her head, "I'm not sure either. Let's look at porcelain first. I often see my grandfather fiddling with the porcelain in his study."
As she spoke, Qin Shuran stopped in front of a shop called Zhenbao Pavilion.
The exterior of Zhenbao Pavilion was grandly decorated, with two stone lions guarding the entrance. Judging by the size of the establishment, it appeared to be the largest shop on the entire antique street.
"Hello, esteemed customers, what can I help you find? Our shop has all sorts of antiques, and they are all guaranteed authentic! We offer tenfold compensation for fakes!" a middle-aged man said as he hurried forward to greet Chen Fan and Qin Shuran.
Qin Shuran walked in first, "Do you have any porcelain?"
Upon hearing Qin Shuran's reply, the middle-aged man's smile widened. "Yes, yes, the porcelain at our Zhenbao Pavilion is the best in the entire antique street. I guarantee you'll find something you like."
With that, the middle-aged man led Qin Shuran and Chen Fan to the area where the porcelain was displayed.
Rows of shelves appeared before Chen Fan and Qin Shuran, laden with a dazzling array of porcelain.
Qin Shuran browsed the shelves, carefully examining the porcelain. She then asked the middle-aged man, "Which of these are older and more expensive?"
The middle-aged man smiled and pointed to a shelf made of huanghuali wood at the back. "Madam, these are our shop's most prized possessions. We have porcelain from the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, all of which are quite valuable. It depends on your budget."
Qin Shuran's eyes lit up. These pieces of porcelain were clearly superior to those on the outer shelves.
"Around a million yuan, perhaps," Qin Shuran mused.
She had left in a hurry and didn't have much money on her.
With a smile, the middle-aged man took a porcelain piece from the huanghuali wood shelf and presented it to Qin Shuran. "Madam, this is a Song Dynasty Ru ware blue-glazed inscribed vase, valued at 1.2 million yuan."
Qin Shuran carefully took the piece, examined it, and then handed it to Chen Fan, asking, "What do you think?"
The middle-aged man smiled and said, "You can rest assured about the items in our shop. We guarantee tenfold compensation for fakes. Furthermore, if you find a counterfeit item in our store, you can choose any item from our shop to take with you. We value integrity in the antique business. You can inquire; Zhenbao Pavilion has the best reputation on the entire antique street!"
However, Chen Fan, after examining the porcelain in his hand, said, "This is a fake."
Chen Fan's voice was not loud, but the other customers browsing for porcelain nearby heard him clearly, and their gazes turned towards him.
The middle-aged man's smile froze, and his brow furrowed. He looked at Chen Fan and said, "Young man, don't spout nonsense. Zhenbao Pavilion has been a reputable establishment for many years. How could we possibly have fakes? You need to provide evidence for your claims."
Chen Fan shook his phone. While Qin Shuran was examining the porcelain, he had been searching online for methods to authenticate porcelain.
The middle-aged man glanced at the content on Chen Fan's phone and couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Hahaha, young man, are you trying to make me laugh to death? You dare to declare our porcelain fake based on some half-baked appraisal methods you found online?"
At this, the onlookers who had gathered to watch also began to chuckle.
"Is this kid here to be funny? He dares to appraise Zhenbao Pavilion's porcelain using online methods? He's a total oddball."
"If online appraisal methods were effective, those counterfeiters would be furious."
"Young people nowadays, learning a little bit and then showing off. If those methods worked, would so many people still be getting scammed?"
Hearing the surrounding comments, the middle-aged man looked at Chen Fan with a mocking expression.