This is a cemetery located in Yanjiao, at the foot of Sanheling Mountain in Hebei Province, more than 50 kilometers away from Beijing, not a good feng shui, but better in seclusion. At this time, it is not a festival or a festival, and there are very few people who come, and it is very quiet. The sun poured evenly between the tranquil cemeteries, and the wind blew through the yellow-green trees on both sides, making a deep and serene sound. I bought two bouquets of chrysanthemums and walked slowly through the cemetery.

The follow-up trial of the big-eyed thief was handed over to Fang Zhen, and I returned to Beijing alone first, and I didn't go anywhere, so I came here first.

I walked to a corner of the cemetery, in the shade closest to the woods, where there were two unsightly stone square tombstones, which were the addresses of my house. These two tombstones are side by side, one of which I bought for my parents. When they threw themselves at Taiping Lake, the ashes were hastily stored in a simple urn, and it wasn't until seven or eight years ago that I bought a cemetery here and moved them. The other piece is my grandparents', and after the matter of the jade Buddha head in Tianmingtang was resolved, my grandfather Xu Yicheng rehabilitated Zhaoxue, so I moved him and my grandmother to be buried here, and placed next door to my parents, so that they could take care of each other in the underworld.

It's a pity that my grandfather's bones were annihilated, so I put his hand-copied "Su Ding Lu" into it and made it a tomb.

All my relatives in this world are all in this small cemetery. Every time I come to visit the grave, it is like a family reunion. For me, this life has been a luxury since I was a teenager and will never be enjoyed. Every time I come, I will stare at the photos and names on the tombstone for a long time, imagine the nagging of my parents, imagine my grandparents helping each other out, touching my head, and sometimes I can't help but cry when I think about it.

I gently rested the chrysanthemum in my hand in front of the grave platform, and wanted to lean over to pull out the weeds, but suddenly I was surprised to say "huh".

At this time, in front of the tombstone, I don't know who put two delicate small incense burners. I can see that this is a blue-glazed amphora three-legged furnace, not an antiquity, but it is in good condition, and it is a high-quality handicraft. There were also a few sticks of incense in the incense burner, eight in the one in front of my grandfather's tombstone, and six in front of my father's tombstone. Most of the incense has been burned, and the green smoke curls, exuding a slight sweet smell. Even if I don't understand incense, I know that this fragrance has an extraordinary texture. Look at the length of the incense ash, it has been burning for about ten minutes.

I frowned, got up and looked around, and saw two men standing at the end of the passage in the distance, looking this way. An official in his fifties, beside him is an old man with a white beard, holding a rattan cane, and his spirit is as strong as a pine. I am familiar with these two people, one is Liu Ju, and the other is Liu Yiming, the current head of Wumai and the head of the red letter door.

I didn't rush over, I squatted down to clean the weeds near the tombstone, wiped the stains on the tombstone, and knelt on the spot.

"Grandparents, Mom and Dad......" I said this, my nose was sour, I haven't used these four words for a long time, and I am unfamiliar, "The old courtier, who has three generations of grievances with our family, finally showed his tail." I must repay these blood feuds, and no one will try to stop them. Our Xu family has been going from the false to the true for hundreds of years, and there has never been a single bad seed, so I will not drop the chain for the ancestors and ancestors. Please bless me. ”

After I finished speaking, I leaned over and kowtowed a few times. I waited until the incense was almost burned, then I poured water on the two incense burners and extinguished them, picked them up and walked towards the two people of the Liu family.

"There is a rule in the cemetery that open fires are not allowed." I handed the stove to Bureau Liu with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Liu Ju smiled and took the incense burner: "The old man of our family wants to put incense on the old master, and he will do his best." I have already said hello to the cemetery management office, and they understand the old comrades. ”

"Hmph, don't you dare not understand." I said something in my heart. Liu Ju holds an important position in the government, and his hands and eyes are open to the sky, so it can be said that it is easy to let a small cemetery management office open a back door.

To be honest, I don't want people from the Five Veins to come. My grandfather and my parents both died because of the five veins, and I just hope that they will be in peace and that they will not be disturbed by these troublesome mundane things after they die. So I didn't tell my grandfather about Xu Yicheng's relocation and burial here—but with the power of Liu Ju, it's so easy to find out. I'm not surprised that they're here today.

Liu Yiming seemed to see through what I was thinking, he stepped forward with a rattan cane, and said with a flat eye: "Xiao Xu, don't blame me for being polite." The five veins are the same as the branches, and the head of Xu died unjustly for the sake of national righteousness; Professor Xu Heping kept secrets alone and endured them for many years. The two of them are people with great merit in the five veins, the eight sticks are respected, the six sticks are respectful, and the old man is courteous and affectionate, and he must personally put these incense sticks on the two of them. ”

Since Liu Yiming said so, I don't want to complain about anything, so I thanked the junior and bowed deeply to him. Liu Yiming smiled, turned the cane in his hand a few times, and said, "Very good, very good." Then he turned around and left-the people of the Liu family are all in this way, and they speak in an unfathomable and foggy manner, and they will never explain it to you.

I was standing in place, and Liu Ju suddenly grabbed my arm: "Xiao Xu, our master has a few words I want to talk to you." ”

"Then you can say no here?"

"The cemetery is damp, the old man should not stay longer, go to his house and talk about it."

Liu Ju is a person who usually looks very kind with a smile, but he is a person who plans and then acts. As long as he has a mouth, it must have counted all kinds of factors, and with full certainty, you will find that you can't refuse at all. Liu Yiming, as the president of the Chinese Antiquity Research Association, personally came to offer incense to my grandfather and my father, and I can't refuse this face.

So I followed the two members of the Liu family out of the cemetery and got into a Santana. This time, Liu Ju didn't make it mysterious, and the curtains were opened all the way, and the scenery was visible at will. But I've been wondering what Liu Yiming can do when he looks for me, and I don't have the heart to look outside, and I'm worried all the way.

The car drove for about half an hour and came to a red brick villa near Xiaotangshan. The exterior of this small villa is Soviet-style, but the interior decoration is antique. I followed the two of them into the villa and walked straight to the study. At the entrance to the study, the plaque on the top was inscribed with the words "Four Regrets", which made me stunned. Liu Ju saw my surprise and explained that this was newly written by Mr. Liu, and it had only been replaced for two days.

To my surprise, the furnishings in the study were simple. In addition to a tea table and a few round piers in the corner of the house, there is only a huge sour branch four-sided flat desk near the window, on which are placed the four treasures of the study and a bottle of white chrysanthemum, and a half-written word. Next to the desk stands a bamboo screen, on which is carved a couplet: "Things can be content, and people are always happy, and people are self-exalted without seeking quality." "These things seem simple, but they exude the air of antiquity. A big fat pear blossom fat cat is lying on the table and sleeping, and its fluffy tail sweeps over the pen from time to time, making the big wolf and white clouds on it shake for a while, adding a warm and leisurely atmosphere.

"Hehe, this little guy is too pampered to get rid of him." Liu Yiming smiled lovingly and waved a few times. The fat cat yawned, and there was no one around. Liu Yiming picked up the half of the words on the table again, shook his head and said, "The words are as you like." If the heart is not pure, this word cannot be written well. With that, he crumpled up the paper and threw it into the paper basket. Liu Ju quipped: "If this word flows to the market, it is worth 10,000 yuan, and if you rub it, the money for a few color TVs will be gone." Liu Yiming glared at him: "You are messing around outside, don't bring the spirit of a philistine here." ”

We each found a round pier to sit down. Liu Yiming put the rattan cane aside, closed his eyes for a while, and then opened his eyes and said to me: "Talk to your own family, get straight to the point." There is a way in heaven, and change is normal. Nowadays, the society is undergoing drastic changes, and the society is also brewing reform and transformation, which is the time to employ people. Xiao Xu, I hope you can come back and help. ”

Facing Liu Yiming's invitation, I shook my head: "I'm used to being idle, and I don't have any level, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you." ”

After the Buddha head case, the Xu family has officially returned in name, but I have no power and no power, and the original gold and stone business has long been divided by several other doors, and each has interests in it, which is intertwined. I'm not interested in competing with them, I still open my own shop, and the relationship with the five veins is like a separation, and the nature is similar to that of Guan Jiangkou Erlang God, and I don't listen to the tune.

"Hehe, can't you help, or don't you want to help?"

Liu Yiming narrowed his eyes, and his speed of speech was not slow or urgent.

I was a little embarrassed when I was told the central matter, and my hand subconsciously stretched forward, only then did I remember that since I entered the study, Liu Yiming didn't even pour a cup of tea, and I didn't even have a chance to pick up the cup and take a sip of tea to cover it up.

I actually have complaints about their old Liu family. The return of the Buddha head and our Xu family is the push behind the two Liu family people. For me, although the result was good, rehabilitating my grandfather, I also died several times along the way. And the Liu family sits firmly in Diaoyutai, but it is the biggest winner. The vitality of the Xuanzimen was greatly injured, the Huangzimen collapsed, and the Qingzimen was left with one arm and it was difficult to support it. I always felt like I was being shot by them, and it always made me feel guilty.

Of course, this kind of thing is tacitly obtained, and it is difficult to say. What's more, I have another reason to refuse.

"Old man Liu, it's not that I don't want to help, but I have something to do, and I don't want to be distracted until then."

"Old courtier?" Liu Yiming seems to have expected that I would mention this matter for a long time.

"Yes, I finally caught a clue this time, and I will never let it go. I swore at my grandfather's grave that I would catch that old thing with my own hands. I said word by word.

Liu Yiming and Liu Ju glanced at each other, and Liu Ju spoke: "Fang Zhen, the case of the big-eyed thief, has already reported to me. However, this is a sensitive time, so we need to take it easy. ”

"Sensitive times?"

"The old man said it just now. The society is brewing a transformation, which will involve all kinds of forces, and may even evolve into a major reshuffle in the antique world, how many people are watching. Therefore, at this time, do not act rashly and cause extraneous branches. ”

Hearing this, I laughed: "I was afraid that I would make a mess for the society." You can rest assured. I'm going to investigate in my personal name, and I won't cause trouble to the organization, and it has nothing to do with the five pulses, hehe. I had a smile on my face, but the sarcasm in my words was very obvious. Seeing my expression, Liu Yiming raised his palm and pressed it down: "Xiao Xu, when the family speaks, don't be so excited, calm down, be calm." ”

I couldn't hold back my anger anymore, and Huo Ran got up: "Two generations of my Xu family died because of him, and he also killed several of my friends, and the enmity between me and him is as deep as the sea." I don't care what happens to others, I'm not going to stop! ”

Liu Yiming let out a long sigh: "The old dynasty serves this person, as cunning as a fox, as ruthless as a wolf, and as frightened as a mouse, he has been fighting with our five veins for so long, and no one has ever been able to grab his true body." The stakes are high, and we must plan carefully, and we must not be brave in the flesh. When the reorganization of the society is stabilized, I promise you that I will devote the power of the five veins to help you find him, how about it? ”

"I'm sorry, Xu family's hatred, I don't want to fake others." I said with a cold face.

I don't believe Liu Yiming's promise, can it be that if the society is not reorganized for ten years, I will not take revenge for ten years? Besides, I'm afraid that the old courtier's age is now more than ninety, and he may become ancient at any time, in case I don't find him and he dies, what can I do? Liu Yiming This is obviously a delaying tactic, Wumai did not catch the fake, but came to persuade me to stop, as soon as I thought of this, my heart burned again.

"The true is eternal, the false cannot be long, and the sky has its own retribution." Liu Yiming continued to persuade. I immediately replied, "I can't wait for retribution, so I have to do it myself." ”

Liu Yiming glanced at me: "Xiao Xu, you are uncertain now, you are angry, you are so impetuous, how can you beat him?" ”

"The five-vein hidden dragon and crouching tiger, but there is no way to take the old court. Since I can turn over the Buddha's head case alone, I may not be able to deal with him. I said, half-sarcastically.

The atmosphere in the study suddenly became awkward. Liu Yiming didn't see annoyance, he raised his eyebrows, pointed at me with his finger, and seemed to be smiling: "What kind of mood and what thoughts a person has, antiquities are the most transparent." People can appreciate antiquities, antiquities can also appreciate people, your heart is not floating, let's find an antique to check it. ”

"Okay." I craned my neck, refusing to show weakness. I've never heard of people appraising antiques, and this is the first time I've ever appraised antiques. Although my level is still far behind Liu Yiming, I am not afraid.

Liu Yiming flicked his sleeves, pointed to an inkstone on the table and said: "The inkstone is fixed, unmoving, and has been known as a gentleman since ancient times." Let it show you. "I am a layman in the appraisal of calligraphy and painting, but the inkstone belongs to the category of gold and stone, which can be regarded as our white-character specialty. Liu Yiming's question is not embarrassing.

I picked up the inkstone and looked at it for a while, and I couldn't help but be secretly surprised.

This square inkstone is a crab shell Qingdong Lu Zhe inkstone. Its shape is different from that of an ordinary inkstone, and it is actually the shape of a miniature guqin. The inkstone ink pool is slightly concave, and the beginning and end are carved with the seven-string imprint and the mountain and the emblem, which is very exquisite, and looks exactly the same as the piano surface. On the back of the inkstone, the guard and the swallow's foot are cleverly used as the inkstone, so that the shape of the inkstone is integrated and natural. In the dragon pond at the bottom of the abdomen, I also saw a seal script inscription: "Deep and secluded, it is difficult to obtain this." The craftsman worked hard and made it into a yaqin. "The payment is...... Let go?

Lu Fangweng? Lu? My hand trembled slightly.

Lu Zhe is now Surabaya, Shandong, there is a ditch in the local area, and the soil in the ditch is very suitable for firing pottery inkstones. It is a pity that the craftsmanship of Zheyan has been lost since the Southern Song Dynasty, and the number of hand-me-downs is very small. Lu You's inscription plus Donglu Zheyan is a terrible object, and only Liu Yiming, the president of the Chinese Society for Ancient Studies and the head of the five veins of the bright-eyed plum blossom, can have this level of collection, right?

I put the inkstone in my hand and weighed it, it was moderately weight, and it was slippery to the touch, slightly moist. I held the inkstone with my fingers and tapped it gently, and it was very dense. I glanced at Liu Yiming, and the old man nodded slightly. I casually picked up a hosta cinnabar ink ingot on the table and slowly grinded it on the inkwell. I saw that the ink slowly melted in the pool, and with a slight movement, it spread out evenly. This has a name, called "ink lotus dew", which means that it is like the lotus leaves bearing the dew, and the emphasis is on the fact that it seems to be scattered but not dispersed, if it is condensed but not condensed.

As soon as I saw that Mohe Chenglu had come out, I naturally didn't need to inspect anything else, so I put down the inkstone and said to Liu Yiming: "It's a good thing." Liu Yiming said: "Don't be anxious, take a look." ”

When I saw his unfathomable appearance, I was suspicious, and then I turned around to look at it, but I couldn't see why, and my heart said that this was a fraud to me. Thinking of this, I put down the inkstone and said to Liu Yiming: "You are the head of the five veins, and I don't see anything wrong with the objects in your room." ”

Liu Yiming let out a long sigh, shook his head and said, "Xiao Xu, it's not like your style to be so rough, look at that inkstone." "I'll look at it again, and it's still "deep and secluded, and it's hard to get this." The craftsman worked hard to make it a Yaqin" 16 words. There is nothing difficult to understand about this inkstone, saying that the masonry goes deep into the mountains, knocks down the stone in the pit, and makes the piano inkstone, which is said to be hard to come by. Neither the font nor the engraving technique is unusual. I even vaguely remember that the two sentences "The craftsman works hard and makes it into a yaqin" should be drawn from Ji Kang's "Qin Fu".

"What's the problem?" I asked impatiently.

Liu Yiming had a faint look of disappointment on his face: "I was anxious and forgetful, and I was angry and neglected." You still say that you are not in a floating mood? I didn't even notice such an obvious problem. He paused and said softly, "Donglu Zheyan, when are you going to knock on the stone?" ”

I almost threw the inkstone on the ground with an "ahhh I realized that I had made a very stupid and very low-level mistake. Donglu Zhe inkstone is a Chengni inkstone, a pottery inkstone burned out of soil, and it is not a stone inkstone such as Duan inkstone and She inkstone, how can it be possible to talk about the hardships of quarrying in the inscription? Lu You's generation will never wear a crown, this inkstone is undoubtedly fake.

This was originally a matter of common sense, but I hurriedly examined it, and I was stunned to pass this brokenness.

Liu Yiming shook his head: "Even this inkstone can see that you are impetuous." How do you go about fighting the old court? ”

"What you put in the study, I thought it was a treasure, and I had a preconceived idea." I still want to be hard-mouthed. Liu Yiming's tone became stern: "What about my study?" What is true is true, what is false is false, and what does it have to do with people? Could it be that since I am the head of the five veins, I will never worry about fakes? If you distinguish things by people, you will already fall behind. ”

After saying this, Liu Yiming walked to the table, put the inkstone on his right palm, and then raised his left hand to rub it. I saw that his indifferent bearing was gone, replaced by a sadness peculiar to an old man, and his slightly trembling lower lip tugged at the wrinkles on his face, as if he was nostalgic for the past, infinitely sad. I didn't dare to interject for a moment.

Liu Yiming rubbed for a while, put the inkstone back on the table, and then turned to me and said, "This inkstone was identified by an old friend when I was in the prime of life. At that time, I was just worthy of attention, and I got carried away for a while, lost my mind, and made the same mistake as you, and misjudged this inkstone. As a result, one of my enemies chased after this omission, and the old man was almost infamous, and his friend was so tired that his family was ruined. Later, I tried my best to find this inkstone and take it with me, just to keep myself awake from time to time. You must know that our five veins are based on 'truth-seeking', but this 'truth' is the most difficult to find. It's easy for a while, it's really difficult for a lifetime, if you are not careful, a hundred years of fame is likely to be ruined. That's why I want you to be calm and calm, not only for yourself, but also for the five veins. ”

After listening to this set of tirades, I nodded busily. Liu Yiming saw that I didn't listen much, and sighed: "I don't think you should make any decisions today, go back first." I won't force you, when you figure it out, come back to me. ”

The conversation ended, Liu Yiming turned back to the house to rest, and Liu Ju sent me out the door and asked the driver to send me back first. Before leaving, he held my hand and said with a smile: "The old man rarely talks so much, and he is a little tired. You are so considerate of him. When I heard what he said, my heart moved. It seems that on this topic, Liu Ju and Liu Yiming do not seem to have the same views.

But Liu Ju's hint is too vague, and everyone in this family is not straightforward. I had the old pilgrimage in my heart, and I didn't bother to think about other irrelevant things, so I just answered casually.

"Promise me, don't act rashly yet." Liu Ju admonished again.

"Okay." I replied.

After leaving Xiaotangshan Villa, I went directly back to Liulichang's Si Confession Zhai, pushed the door, and saw Huang Yanyan in the house, sitting on the marching bed and stilting on his feet, watching TV dramas there.

She is the granddaughter of Huang Kewu of the Wumai Huangzimen, who helped me a lot when she was investigating the head case, and now she is my ...... Well, it's hard to describe our relationship, not a couple, but it's closer than a normal friend. This woman, a bit like a cat, I used to please, but she loved to ignore her; I shrank back, and she gave me some sweetness, which made me dizzy now.

A friend asked me, how did you know such a beautiful big girl as Huang Yanyan, so I told them the story of the Buddha's head, but they didn't believe it, saying that this story is quite tortuous, but the feelings in it are too lame. I said it wasn't made up, they said you were talking too lamely.

That's right, when people fall in love, they spend money before and under the moon, watch a movie and send a bouquet of flowers or something. I probably didn't have that string in my head by nature, and I didn't know these romantic moves, so I stayed in the small shop of Liulichang every day, even if I went out, I went to Panjiayuan to wander, and people's attitudes were ambiguous, which was understandable...... You see, today I went to visit the grave and asked her to help me look at the shop for a day. If this girl had been put aside, she would have slapped her big mouth a long time ago.

Huang Yanyan saw me enter the door, got up and turned off the TV with a "snap", and handed me a cup of tea. I took the cup and drank it down, wiped my mouth, and asked her how her business was today. Yanyan said that he didn't go out at all. I smiled and said normal, normal. Then sat on the camp bed with a butt and clung to her. Yanyan didn't hide, and continued to eat melon seeds.

I was hesitating to reach out and hook her shoulder to kiss her, when Yanyan suddenly asked, "I heard that you went to Old Man Liu's?" I thought to myself that these five veins are really worthy of the same qi, and I can't hide anything, so I told me about my conversation with Liu Yiming. After listening to this, Huang Yanyan pondered for a moment: "Although Old Man Liu is very scheming, what he said this time makes sense. ”

I was surprised: "You also think I shouldn't be rash?" "You must know that Huang Yanyan's grandfather Huang Kewu has been fighting with Liu Yiming, and the development of the Chinese Ancient Studies Association after the founding of the People's Republic of China is a history of the struggle between the yellow and the red. She usually sneers at the Liu family, and it is rare to have a good word.

Yanyan said: "Old man Liu didn't lie to you, the society has indeed been brewing about restructuring recently, and the family is stepping up activities and building momentum everywhere." ”

"How?"

"Mr. Liu wants to integrate the resources of the entire capital and unite the collection industry, antique stores, universities, museums, cultural relics bureaus and related scientific research institutions to stabilize the entire antique market."

"Good fellow," I exclaimed. That's a lot of work.

"If this thing is done, it will be a major reshuffle in the industry. People from several other sects are also busy with this. Although this restructuring is only an integration of the capital's resources, it has a major impact on the whole country. So I had to go on a business trip to Nanjing in a few days, where there were a few old-timers in the antique industry who had old memories with my grandfather, and my family sent me to fight for support. ”

"How long will it take?"

"It took more than half a month to come back." After Yanyan finished speaking, he stretched out his hand and touched my face, "I know you are in a hurry, but I really can't rest assured that you are going to investigate alone." You also know the dangers of the old pilgrimage. If you're not careful, you'll suffer a lot of damage – don't forget about medicine. ”

When I heard Yan Yan say this, the corners of my mouth twitched. The name medicine is really unforgettable. I thought he was his best friend, but I didn't expect him to be an undercover agent under Lao Chaofeng, and he almost killed us. This time, I clung to the clues of the old court, half because of the grievances of the Xu family, and the other half because of the betrayal of the medicine.

Yanyan saw that my expression was different, and knew that this name touched my sadness, so she gently grabbed my hand and persuaded softly: "So you be patient and wait for me to come back." I'm going to tell my grandfather, when the time comes, learn to mobilize resources and manpower, are you still afraid that you won't be able to catch him? ”

I let out an "um" and put away my worried expression: "Okay, I'll listen to you—but I can't listen in vain." I turned my face away and grinned and tried to kiss her on the lips. Unexpectedly, her figure shook and she quickly dodged away. I looked helpless, she was strong in martial arts, and I was not an opponent at all when it came to fighting. Huang Yanyan giggled, picked up the little red envelope and went out.

After the smoke was gone, I sat alone on the marching bed, lit a cigarette, and the smile on my face slowly converged in the smoke. Everyone advised me not to seek revenge on Lao Chaofeng, but this matter was not something that could be relieved by simply saying "you don't want to go".

For the next few days, I honestly stayed in the four confessions, and I didn't go anywhere, so I made a few phone calls. On the day that Yanyan was going on a business trip to Nanjing, I dropped her off at the train station. Yanyan said that it is not a parting of life and death, just send it to the ticket gate. I said how to show sincerity, insisted on buying a platform ticket, kept sending her into the carriage, helped her put her travel bag on the luggage rack, and then got off the train.

I didn't leave when I got off the train, and I kept standing on the platform and looking into the carriage. Yanyan said a few words to me through the glass, and put her hand to her ear and tilted her head, looking at the meaning of her mouth, probably saying that she would call my big brother in Nanjing. I smiled and nodded, making a reassuring gesture.

I stood there and watched the train slowly leave the station. When it disappeared into the distance, I pretended to take a few steps towards the underpass, pretending to crouch down to tie my shoelaces and take a closer look around. At this time, the people on the platform who were sending off customers were gone, and there were only a few small carts selling food left, and a few salespeople gathered together to chat. I saw that no one noticed me, so I walked behind a green pillar at the end of the platform and stared at the train on the other side.

This platform is two-way, and on the other side there happens to be a train that is about to depart, and the sign is going to Guangzhou. According to the regulations, the platform can only depart in one direction, and people can be released one train at a time. After the bus to Nanjing is departed, the ticket gate will be opened for the bus to Guangzhou. I looked up at my watch, and the time was almost up. Sure enough, soon there was a chaotic sound of footsteps from the underpass, and a large wave of passengers carrying large and small luggage poured onto the platform, all of them in high spirits, all planning to go south to pan for gold. The conductors stood in front of the train doors, ready to greet the passengers.

I threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it, deliberately following a passenger with a large canvas bag on his back. The conductor reached out to me for a ticket, and I shook the platform ticket in my hand, pointed to the passenger in front of me, and without saying a word, I got into the carriage. Once inside, I ducked to the sink and waited. When everyone at the station went down, as soon as the train started, I took the initiative to find the conductor and said to make up a sleeper.

The conductor asked me where I was going, and I looked out the window and replied without hesitation: "Go to Zhengzhou." ”

That's right, Zhengzhou.

I'm going to Zhengzhou.

The address of the old courtier given to me by the big-eyed thief is in Zhengzhou.

Whether it is Liu Yiming or Yanyan, they are all people in the five veins, and when considering things, they naturally have to start from the overall situation and learn to put interests first. But I really don't have any feelings for the five veins, I have the five veins, and the five veins are not kind to me. The hatred of the Xu family can be ignored by others, but I will never stop.

Of course, I have already promised Liu Ju and Yanyan not to touch the old court, and naturally speak - however, I did not promise not to investigate the peripheral clues.

Here's what I plan: to investigate in Zhengzhou without moving, as soon as I have gained, I will stop immediately, and it will not be too late to continue the investigation when the society is free. Before I left, I had already set up an ambush in the Four Confessions, closed the door, and said that I would go to another place to receive the goods. I've calculated, I will go to Zhengzhou for a week at most, I don't know, I don't know, I just need to return before Yanyan comes back.

The big-eyed thief lost his wind and was caught, maybe the old courteer will soon find out. If you miss such a clue because of a delay of a few days, you won't regret taking the medicine at that time.

I just lay on the sleeper and thought nonsense, and fell into a deep sleep. After about ten hours, the conductor woke me up and walked me to the station. I rubbed my eyes, looked out, and saw a huge stop sign standing on the platform outside the window, with the word "Zhengzhou" written in black letters on a white background.

I thought to myself, this is the enemy camp.

People who play antiques know that Henan is a big province of antiques, and Kaifeng, Luoyang, and Anyang are in full swing. The antiquities of these three places are gathered in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital. Since ancient times, Zhengzhou has been the crossing of seven counties and the thoroughfare of five roads, and is an important circulation and distribution center for cultural relics. If you want to get a share of the Henan cultural relics market, Zhengzhou is a hub that must be mastered. Therefore, all kinds of immortals have power here, and they are intricate, and the water is not shallower than the capital. It is said that Wumai went south several times and wanted to bring Zhengzhou under his command, but the result could only be exchanged for a result of listening to the tune and not listening to the announcement, which shows the danger of this place.

I got out of the bustling Zhengzhou station and ate a big bowl of Hu spicy soup at a street stall. This thing seems to be a careless stew, but in fact it tastes endless, a mouthful of spicy noodle soup slides into the stomach, as if the fingers have touched the electric door, the whole body is numb and crispy, especially comfortable. I drank this bowl of spicy soup with two oil cakes, and I felt that all the fatigue of the night was spicy out of my body, and my fighting spirit was high.

I came to Zhengzhou this time with the Liu family on my back, so the connections of the five veins could not be used, so I could only fight alone. As soon as I thought of this, I was not only afraid, but also had a pride in my chest. The old dynasty has a grudge with my Xu family for three generations, it's time for me to settle it, whether it's life or death, I will never look back.

"This letter came by coincidence, God helped Huang Zhong to work successfully, standing in Yuanmen Sanjun Xiao, and the big and small children listened to the root and seedlings...... "I couldn't help but sing a few words of "Dingjun Mountain", and then burped, and took out a small note and a map from my arms.

This little note was secretly copied by me when I was interrogating the big-eyed thief, and it was written the address left by the old court. Fang Zhen, that guy, probably guessed my thoughts, took the interrogation records very seriously, and didn't let me touch them. I used all my skills to get it from the little cop of the record.

I took the note and the map, followed the map all the way, reversed the bus a few times, and finally found an intersection on the crossroads. This area is the old town, with gray tile bungalows and laneways intertwined as far as the eye can see, and the construction of several buildings in the distance is under construction, but it will not change the overall style for a while. Between these bungalows, there is also a raised earthen bag, in the shape of a long strip, on which a thin layer of grass grows, which stands out particularly abruptly in this sea of houses.

I asked nearby, and only then did I know that this was the structural remains of the Shang Dynasty city wall, so I couldn't help but look twice. It really deserves to be Zhengzhou, and ancient ruins can be seen everywhere. Things from thousands of years ago are so grandly mixed with noisy residential areas, which seems to be very interesting.

The address on the note, at the end of a nearby alley, is a bungalow with an unattractive appearance, and the ruins of the Shang Dynasty city wall are behind the house, which looks like the back hill of this family. When I walked to the door, I saw a lock hanging from the door, a dark green mailbox hanging from the door, and next to it was a fresh milk crate with the house number written crookedly in chalk.

Instead of knocking on the door, I cautiously walked around and found a small shop at the entrance of the alley. The owner, a chubby aunt, began to ignore me, and when I paid for two No. 5 batteries and a roll of Lucky film, her attitude suddenly became enthusiastic. I took the opportunity to talk to her and ask about the family.

Cliché is a necessary skill for people who play antiques, commonly known as tongue rake, and with a swing of the tongue, you can rake out what you want to know from the other party. The fat aunt, an ordinary middle-aged woman, was not wary of me at all, and I found out the details of the family in three or two sentences.

The family's surname is Yan, the head of the family is Yan Shanchuan, a newspaper reporter, his daughter-in-law is a Chinese teacher in a middle school, and the family has a seven-year-old child. However, according to the fat aunt, Yan Shanchuan runs financial news, and his daughter-in-law is also very responsible, and she has never heard that this family has anything to do with antiques and cultural relics.

Of course, that doesn't mean much. If they really have anything to do with the old court, they won't let outsiders know. I said goodbye to my fat aunt, bought a cone at a nearby hardware store, and quietly pried open the mailbox of Yan Shanchuan's house while there was no one in the alley. There is only one copy of "Henan Daily" and one copy of "Zhengzhou Evening News" in the mailbox, and the newspapers are all from the same day, and there is no mark on them.

I put my things back, closed the mailbox, and quietly left the alley, and found a small hotel called Aimin nearby. Early the next morning, I bought a toy telescope at a stall and climbed up the ruins of the Shang Dynasty city wall. Here you can overlook Yan Shanchuan's house, and the movement in and out is clear at a glance.

I watched for three days in a row, and basically figured out the family's schedule. Yan Shanchuan, the head of the household, goes out at half past six every morning, and his daughter-in-law takes the children out at seven in the morning and does not come home at noon. At five o'clock in the evening, the child comes back from school by himself, takes the key and opens the door by himself. His wife came back at six o'clock with vegetables to cook, and Yan Shanchuan didn't come back until about seven o'clock. The postman who delivered the newspaper delivered it on time at two o'clock in the afternoon every day, and delivered two copies of the newspaper without postcards or letters, and opened the mailbox to pick it up when Yan Shanchuan's daughter-in-law came home in the evening.

This situation is very confusing to me.

The big-eyed thief bought a low-fake imitation Ming jade pot spring vase from Lao Chaofeng, and according to his confession, it cost a total of two hundred and fifty yuan, so the profit that Lao Chaofeng made from it should be about one hundred yuan. This margin is high, but it is not a large number in absolute terms. The old Chaofeng wants to rely on this channel to make money, and there must be at least ten or twenty pieces of goods every day in order to form a scale, like this stall that receives business, there is not even a business in three days, which is really unreasonable.

I thought to myself, could it be that there is a secret hidden in the house? Gotta find a way to get inside and have a look.

Yan Shanchuan's house is often empty, but it is not far from the street, and it is very noisy for people to come and go. Besides, the neighbor's aunt already knew me, so if I broke in rashly, if I was caught as a thief, it would be worth the loss. So I hit the idea on their children. Their child, Yan Xiaojun, is in the second grade of primary school, and every afternoon after school, he and his classmates stand in line to go home, and only when he reaches the street corner does he leave the team and take out the key to enter the house.

This is a good breakthrough. I got a reporter's hat and jacket, and I went to the toy store and bought a Transformer for two hundred dollars, or that combination King Kong, called Hercules. I waited at the mouth of the alley with a plastic box in my hand. When it was almost five o'clock, I saw a group of elementary school students standing in line to go home from a distance, and hurriedly greeted him, calling his name loudly: "Yan Xiaojun!" ”

As soon as I shouted, a small child in the group immediately turned his head. He looked at me and saw that he didn't know me at all, and he looked confused, but as soon as his eyes swept over the Transformers in my hand, he couldn't move.

The appeal of Transformers to children is as much as the temptation of calligraphers in the original "Orchid Pavilion Collection Preface". I deliberately held the Transformers in front of me and said with a smile on my face, "Xiaojun, have you forgotten?" Uncle and your father are in the same unit, and they have hugged you. Your dad bought you a Transformer, he's in trouble, let me send it to you first. ”

I deliberately said it out loud to my face, and his classmates gave them envious looks. Children are very sensitive, Yan Xiaojun didn't care about questioning my identity, and as soon as he took the Transformers, he couldn't let go of this hand. I laughed and said that I didn't thank Uncle Xu yet, but he quickly said thank you Uncle Xu, and didn't forget to glance back at the team proudly.

I naturally touched his head and said that your father will be back in a moment, and I will send you home and wait for him there. Yan Xiaojun was so dazed by the Transformers that he didn't suspect at all, and took out the key to let me into their house.

The entrance to Yan Shanchuan's house is a small living room with a plastic round table. It is divided into two rooms, one for adults and one for children, both of which are blocked by plum curtains. In the hall, a Panasonic 21-inch color TV sits on a chest of drawers, and a karaoke machine next to it. In the distance is a bookshelf, next to the bookshelf is a Yamaha electronic keyboard, and on the wall next to it is a wedding photo of the two, and there is a crack.

It seems that Yan Shanchuan's family background is not bad, but he can't see that this house has anything to do with antiques anyway. I glanced at the bookshelves, and there were a lot of books on them, ranging from magazines and reference books to stocks and fashion books, and the oldest ones were from the seventies and eighties.

I called Yan Xiaojun over and asked him what his parents usually do at home, and Yan Xiaojun said wrestling. When I heard this, I couldn't help but snort, this bear kid really said everything...... I asked if there was anything other than wrestling, and Xiaojun said quarrelsome. I patiently inspired the children, and said, "Think about it, have you ever received any letters, jars, vases, or whatever?"

Yan Xiaojun's eyes lit up and he said that my father had good things, which were hidden in the cardboard boxes under the bed in my room. I suppressed my excitement and asked him to take me to find it. The kid was also heartless, so he took me into his little bedroom and pouted and dragged out a large cardboard box from under the bed, which was still sealed with duct tape.

It is best to remove the tape with steam fumigation so that no traces are visible. But I saw that the time was almost six o'clock, and I was afraid that his daughter-in-law would come back, so I was in a hurry and turned the box upside down. Sure enough, there was no sealing under the carton, and the four folds were stacked together. I told Yan Xiaojun that you should go play Transformers, there is an uncle here. The kid actually ran out with a big grin, and it was estimated that he couldn't bear it anymore.

I opened the box and looked at it, and a mouthful of blood spurted out. It turned out to be a stack of Hong Kong's "***" magazine, on which naked women scratched their heads and posed. I can understand why Reporter Yan Da hid it here, but this is obviously not what I wanted, so I quickly put it back in the box and put it under the bed as it was.

When I returned to the hall, I heard a bicycle jingling outside, and when I looked out, Yan Xiaojun actually came back early with his mother carrying vegetables. I secretly screamed that it was not good, so I quickly dragged Yan Xiaojun over and pretended to teach him to play Transformers. When his mother pushed the door in, she was startled to find a strange man in the house. I put down the Transformers, stretched out my hand with a smile on my face, and said Hello sister-in-law, I am Yan Shanchuan's colleague, someone brought a set of toys to Xiaojun, and Brother Yan asked me to bring it back.

When encountering this situation, you must not leave in a hurry, and you will appear to be weak when you leave. When you meet on a narrow road, the brave wins, you have to take the initiative to talk endlessly, so that the other party has no time to think in his head, so that he has the opportunity to take the lead, as soon as I said this, she was stunned for a while, and she couldn't react for a while. I took advantage of the victory to chase after me, and then said: "Brother Yan showed me your photo, you yourself look much younger." This sentence first explained that the two of us had not met, and then took advantage of the situation to compliment and eliminate the hostility. Yan Shanchuan's daughter-in-law was dazed by my words, put the dishes aside, and said, "This old Yan, don't tell me, I'll go buy more vegetables." ”

"No need, sister-in-law, I have other things to do, I have to leave soon." I waved my hand, but my body didn't move. As soon as Yan Shanchuan's daughter-in-law heard that I was leaving, she hurriedly said that it was very hard for you to send things over, so you should stay and have a light meal. When she said this, it showed that most of her suspicions had been dispelled, and I only needed to express my intention to leave a little more resolutely, and she politely sent me out of the door, and this level was passed. Antique dealers have a bit of a talent for acting, and these methods are simply too easy to deal with ordinary people.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and was thinking about the best time to leave. Unexpectedly, there was a sudden knock outside the door, and she and I turned our heads to look at the same time, and saw a middle-aged man pushing the door and walking in, it was Yan Shanchuan.

This time Rao is my psychological quality, and I can't help but panic. God, you're too much of a bastard, usually the husband and wife are on time, why are you so inch today, and they all go home early.

When Yan Shanchuan saw that there was an extra man in the room, he immediately stopped vigilantly and glared at me. I knew that if I gave him time to think, I would be in a big trouble in less than two seconds. I was in a hurry, took out the eyes of antiques and glanced at him, and saw that his face was flushed and smelled of wine, and I immediately had a plan in my heart, and stepped forward and shouted: "Mountains and rivers!" Why hasn't your drinking ** disease changed, no wonder you can't go up! ”

When Yan Shanchuan heard this, his shoulders trembled, and a little shame actually appeared on his face, obviously I was thinking about it.

In fact, this is also very simple. There are a lot of wine bottles in the house, and the wedding photo is half broken, plus Yan Xiaojun said just now that his parents always quarrel, which shows that there are many contradictions in the family. A middle-aged reporter in a public institution still lives in such a small bungalow, and obviously does not mix well in the unit. Yan Shanchuan's unwillingness, if not the main cause of family conflicts, is also one of the important reasons. It was only six o'clock at this time, and Yan Shanchuan came back with a smell of alcohol, it must not be a dinner party, it was very likely that he was drinking alcohol.

Combining these clues, I played a little more, and I hit him right at once. I took the opportunity to walk up to him quickly, and my tone was half admonishing and half reprimanding: "Xiaojun is so big, sister-in-law is not easy, you are the pillar of the family, you have to fight for some anger." ”

"You are ......" Yan Shanchuan was a little confused. I interrupted him by saying, "Yes! I'm an outsider, but some things have to be said by outsiders! I put my mouth to his ear and said in a low voice, "My sister-in-law knows all the books under the bed." Yan Shanchuan's eyes bulged, and he suddenly became very nervous, and he explained that it was sent by the big bell. His daughter-in-law raised her eyebrows, and she could already hear that something was wrong. I let out a long sigh, pointed at his daughter-in-law and said, "Ah, you go and explain it to your sister-in-law yourself, I don't care!" ”

This sentence is the most ruthless, I deliberately don't find anything to know, as long as there is a conflict between the husband and wife, they will definitely automatically substitute for it. This trick of "leading the water to the east" really worked, and Yan Shanchuan's daughter-in-law's face became gloomy, and she couldn't think of some old grudges. Yan Shanchuan wanted to explain, but he didn't know where to start. I took advantage of this opportunity to push the door out in a rage, and deliberately slammed the door slammed shut.

After I went out, I didn't dare to look back, so I ran back to the Aimin Hotel. When I entered the room, I sat down on the sofa, and my back was already drenched in cold sweat. To be honest, I'm not doing it properly. I have no grudges with Lao Yan in the past, and I have no enmity in the near future, but I want him to bear this unwarranted disaster for me, but I have no choice, let's see if I can find an opportunity to compensate for it in the future.

I sat on the couch and gasped for breath, then got up and picked up the thermos and poured myself a cup of hot water, and my heart slowly regained my calm.

Today cannot be said to be completely fruitless. My intrusion was an accident, and judging from the instantaneous reactions of the three members of the Yan family, they should have nothing to do with antique counterfeiting or old courtiers.

Either the big-eyed thief deliberately gave the wrong address, or the old court was cunning, and as soon as he noticed something wrong, he immediately withdrew the liaison station here. Either way, it means that the line has lost its value. Liu Yiming and Yanyan are right, Lao Chaofeng is a person who is as cunning as a fox, as ruthless as a wolf, and as frightened as a mouse. Maybe it was the arrest of the big-eyed thief that alarmed him, so he immediately withdrew his hands and feet.

I thought of this and shook my head helplessly. I came here at the risk of being blamed by the five veins and smoke, only to return in vain. Being scolded is a trivial matter, but the key is that the old courtier suddenly shrank back into the darkness, hiding his figure, and then trying to grab his tail, I don't know when.

If the old court does not go to this thorn for a day, my Xu family will not be at peace for a day.

"Grandpa, Dad, what the hell am I going to do?" I looked at the ceiling and muttered. The ceiling is full of traces of water stains, which are not only like a mysterious bronze inscription, but also like the wrinkled vicissitudes of life on the face of grandfather Xu Yicheng. I wanted to see the answer, so I kept staring, staring, staring, my eyelids became heavy, and I slowly fell asleep......