Chapter 1: Down-and-Out Youth

The midsummer sun shrouds the ancient spring city, and the hot July gives way to the antique market in the center of the city, and there is a rolling heat wave, although the Daming Lake in the north and the Baotu Spring in the west take away some of the heat, but it is still difficult to resist the summer heat. But even so, people don't want to waste this rare weekend at home, and going out has become the most popular and economical option nowadays.

In particular, the antique, beautiful scenery, and adjacent to the most famous scenic spots of Quancheng, the Quancheng antique market of Daming Lake and Baotu Spring has become the best choice for tourists.

The 2,000 years is the last year for China to enter the new century, and the rapid development of the country's economy has also made everyone's wallets swell rapidly. Therefore, there are more and more wealthy people, and the number of people who like to collect has naturally increased.

There is a saying that 'gold in troubled times, antiques in prosperous times', ancient and modern.

Correspondingly, there are naturally more people who usually like to visit the antique city to pick up leaks. In addition, today is the weekend, and after a week of tiring, most people choose to go out for a walk and relax on the weekend. Therefore, places like the antique market are even more lively today.

For today's big day, of course, Liu Dong will not let go, so he took the wood carving knick-knacks he had prepared for more than a week early and occupied a stall on the street outside the antique city.

It's not that he doesn't want to go to the antique city where the location is better, there are more people, and the price can be sold at a more expensive price, but the booth fee of 1,000 yuan a month makes him have to dispel his thoughts of some luxury.

Here, there are many small traders in a similar situation to him, so the bustle of Cheng dù on the street outside the antique market is not inferior to that in the antique city. However, Liu Dong knew in his heart that it was generally difficult to sell the things placed here at a high price. Unless you meet the kind of foreigner who doesn't know anything, or the kind of rich boy who doesn't treat money as money, of course, this situation is very rare.

"Young man, you carved all these things yourself?"

Just when Liu Dong was sitting on a small horse, holding a copy of "Jade Carving Techniques" published by the People's Education Publishing House, he was reading with relish, when suddenly an old voice sounded in his ears, interrupting his train of thought.

Putting down the book, Liu Dong looked up and saw an old man wearing a white half-sleeved shirt and black-framed glasses on his thin cheeks, about sixty years old, appearing in front of him.

"Well, yes! These are carved by myself!" For the older people, Liu Dong has a respect in his heart, and the person in front of him has an elegant atmosphere, coupled with the pen he pinned in his jacket pocket, Liu Dong guessed in his heart that the person in front of him is probably an old teacher who has just retired.

"It's rare, it's not easy to have this carving at a young age!" the old man approved.

"The old gentleman also knows how to carve?" asked Liu Dong with a smile.

Hearing his words, the color of memory in the old man's eyes flashed away, and then he waved his hand and replied with a smile: "I studied for a while when I was young, but then I gave up because of some things, so I don't understand!" After a pause, the old man pointed his hand and asked, "How much is this 'Songhe Yannian'?"

Looking down, Liu Dong couldn't help but smile and said, "Old man, you still don't understand." Of all the wood carvings I have, this 'Pine Crane Longevity' takes the longest time, and the material is also the best red pine. Seeing that you are my first customer today, I will not charge you more, you can take 300 yuan. ”

After listening to what he said, the old man didn't answer, but squatted down and took the wood carving, which was carved with two cranes of different shapes and a vigorous pine branch shaped like a dragon, with a height of no more than one foot, and played with it in his hand for a while, before he nodded slowly, "It's good, but the price is a little high, two hundred and six!"

"Cheng, old man, I see that you are also a knowledgeable person, plus you are my first business today, two hundred and six is two hundred and six. Come on, I'll wrap it up for you!" Liu Dong thought for a while and then happily agreed.

The cost of this wood carving is more than a dozen yuan spent when buying this piece of pine wood, and the rest is profit. Of course, this is also the result of Liu Dong's accumulation of woodcarving skills over the years, otherwise it would not be sold at this price.

After watching the old man leave with the red delicate packaging box, Liu Dong also pocketed more than 200 yuan in his hand. Although I didn't make a lot of money this time, it was off to a good start.

Then, as the sun gradually rose, the flow of people on the road became more and more. More than an hour passed, Liu Dong also sold a few wood carvings, but they were all gadgets of 100 yuan, and he didn't make much money.

Seeing that there were not many of the more than 20 wood carvings left, Liu Dong took out more than a dozen from the wooden box on his left side and put them out again. Then, after looking at the increasingly noisy surrounding environment, Liu Dong, who could not read quietly, simply took out his carving knife from the wooden box, and then took out a piece of about eight or nine centimeters, carved half, and vaguely saw that it was a semi-finished wood carving of an inverted Buddha statue, and carved it one after another. Soon a thick layer of wood chips accumulates on the ground.

"Wow, husband, what a lovely wood carving, Little Swallow, Ziwei, Golden Lock, Er Kang, I want it! Buy it for me!" At this moment, a woman's voice that was enough to make people get goosebumps all over the place woke up Liu Dong, who was immersed in carving.

Putting down the work in his hand and looking up, Liu Dong couldn't help but light up his eyes, not because of how beautiful the woman in front of him was, but because of the man who was standing beside him at the moment, who was a little short and fat, wearing several huge gold rings on his hands, a gold chain around his neck, wearing red short sleeves on his upper body, and a pair of floral half-cut pants on his lower body.

Of course, Liu Dong has nothing to do with this person, but this person is an out-and-out fat sheep to him.

Years of experience in wandering outside the home have made Liu Dong understand that especially this kind of nouveau riche who has money in his pocket and a female companion by his side, as long as there is no big accident, then he will be able to earn this month's money this time.

"Okay, baby, as long as you like, I'll buy you anything!" After the man finished speaking with a show off on his face, as if demonstrating, his left hand hugged the woman next to him, and his thick mouth kissed the woman's face with fat and powder.

Now, although this kind of street kiss is rare in China, Liu Dong is not too strange, although this woman is indeed very beautiful, but the fox look is not the type that Liu Dong likes. So after a few glances at the beginning, he focused all his attention on the nouveau riche in front of him who could really bring him profits.

"How much do these wood carvings cost?" we want them all!" the man said to Liu Dong with some arrogance.

"Thank you for your patronage, five thousand yuan, sir!" Liu Dong stood up and replied with a mercenary smile on his face.

"Five thousand? What about you robbing money? Just a few broken things carved from wood are worth five thousand yuan? Are you wronged by me?" the man looked stunned after hearing this, and then said with some anger.

"I'm really wronged when you're wronged!" Although Liu Dong thought so in his heart, he couldn't say so: "Sir, I don't want you to pay for a penny, I am an authentic handmade wood carving, a craft handed down from the ancestors, in today's words, this is intangible cultural heritage." Besides, these wood carvings of mine are all made of fine mahogany, but the cost is only five or six hundred yuan! If you are too expensive, then, do you see the stall in the east? All of them are machine-carved, twenty yuan each, you might as well go there and buy them!"

Since he walked out of the village and came to Quancheng, Liu Dong has been mixing in the antique city for three years.

In terms of dealing with people, although it is not as shrewd as those old oilmen in the antique city who have worked hard here for half their lives, they have also experienced the ability to see people, recognize people, and figure out the psychology of customers.

Just like now, if it's just this man who wants to buy these wood carvings, then he will definitely reduce the price immediately without saying a word, but with the woman next to him who is obviously a junior or other not bright characters, then Liu Dong will not lose a penny even if he bites to death.

Liu Dong knows very well in his heart that for this kind of nouveau riche, especially when he is surrounded by the woman he likes, the last thing that cannot be damaged is his own face.

"Husband, buy it for me, I just want this!" Hearing Liu Dong's words, the woman's eyes lit up, she hugged the man's arm, hugged her into her arms, and her bulging chest was rubbed together, and then she was coquettish with a coquettish face.

For her, relying on this man is to live a rich life without worrying about money. Buying things is always what she likes, and as for the price, it has never been her consideration. Even, many times, the more expensive things are and the more they spend, the happier they are.

Sure enough, as Liu Dong expected, with the coquettishness of the women around him, the originally hesitant look on the man's face disappeared immediately.

"Five thousand is five thousand, Lao Tzu has money, let me put up these wood carvings!"

"Okay, wait a minute!" Seeing that the big business was done, Liu Dong couldn't help but smile on his face. In addition to the time and energy for carving, the cost of wood is only a few dollars, so the five thousand yuan is almost pure earning!

Looking at the new version of the fiery red 100-yuan bills that had just been issued and put into his pocket, Liu Dong decided in his heart that he would carve more wood carvings like this that kept up with the times, and he would have to carve more after he went back.

In fact, these character sculptures were inspired by him after seeing the most popular Qiong Yao drama "Huanzhu Gege" in recent years. This was somewhat unexpected by Liu Dong.