Although it is only 400 kilometers from Fengcheng to Shancheng, the night bus has been moving slowly from east to west along the national highway with poor road conditions along the river, and passengers often get on and off on the way. When the bus arrived in the city of Yamashiro, it was already past seven o'clock the next morning.

Wang Fan has woken up from his sleep, and Zhen'er in his arms is still asleep.

Looking at the cityscape in the morning mist flowing outside the window, Wang Fan was a little excited. Originally, I planned to be admitted to a technical secondary school or technical school in this metropolis after graduating from junior high school, so that I could experience the bustle and bustle of the big city firsthand. Zhen'er's fall from the sky makes her dream come true now.

After getting off the train at the long-distance bus station, Wang Fan spent five yuan at a stall outside the station to buy a map of the mountain city. Although it was his first time in the big city, he was confident that as long as he had a map in hand, he would never lose himself in the vast sea of people in the city.

It is the morning rush hour, and the large and small vehicles on the road are like a slowly flowing river, and the people on the sidewalk are in a hurry.

Wang Fan found a restaurant that sold breakfast and sat down to eat, the mountain city is a famous stove in summer, and he sweats when he moves outside. But despite the air-conditioning in the restaurant, the restaurant with only a dozen seats was not yet full, and most of the people left in a hurry after getting breakfast at the door.

After breakfast, Wang Fan studied the map, and then left the restaurant to start the city tour. I wanted to take Zhen'er to experience the thrill of riding the subway for the first time, but when I walked to a subway entrance, it was crowded with people, men, women and children were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Wang Fan immediately dispelled the idea of taking the subway, if he took the subway at this time, Zhen'er would definitely be squeezed into a meatloaf.

Wang Fan had no choice but to study the map again, and decided to walk along a street to the commercial center of Shancheng, where he looked for a gold, silver, and jewelry store that could legally trade swords with him.

However, when he found a goldsmith decorated in gold and explained his intentions to the courteous waitress, the waiter told him: "Our kind of gold shop only buys gold and silver bracelets and gold bars, and your ancestral dagger should be sold in the antique market." ”

Wang Fan was very surprised, and at the same time regretted that he was too careless when checking his credit on the Internet, and did not study the business varieties of gold and silver jewelry stores. Fortunately, it's still early today, and there should be an antique market in a city as big as a mountain city.

So he politely asked, "May I ask where is the antique market in the mountain city?" ”

The waiter pointed out the gate with his hand and said, "You take the No. 1 subway to Guangwen Road Station, and the exit is the Guangwen Antique Market." ”

Meng Fa, the owner of Mengbaotang, was sitting leisurely in the reception room and office at this time, drinking tea and flipping through an ancient book.

Meng Fa looks to be in his early fifties and well-maintained, and it has been 20 years since he started his career in the antiques industry as a stall. Over the past 20 years, with his hard work and honest hospitality, his business has become bigger and bigger, and now his shop can be ranked among the top five in the Guangwen antique market regardless of its size and variety of products.

After the frenzy of the past few years, the antique industry has been at a low ebb in the past two years, and the Guangwen antique market has changed from the crowded scene in the past and has become deserted. However, Meng Fa is not in a hurry, after 20 years of ups and downs in the industry, his mentality has become very peaceful, he will make a single order if he has a business, and read books to pass the time when he has no business. After all, the wealth accumulated in twenty years is enough for him to eat and drink in this life.

Meng Fa was seeing the highlights, and the shopkeeper outside the door called out to him: "Uncle Meng, this little brother said that he has an ancestral sword and wants to shoot!" ”

Meng Fa hadn't heard such words for a long time, he immediately put down the book in his hand and looked up, only to see a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy standing next to the shopkeeper, he was dressed ordinarily, carrying a bag and holding a short sword in his hand, looking like he had come from afar.

Although the boy looked unkempt, Meng Fa found that the boy had a full vestibule, a straight nose, and eyes that stood at the door and watched his demeanor calmly.

Meng Fa stood up and stepped forward to greet with a smile, "Little brother, please come in!" Have a seat! ”

The boy walked into the house and sat opposite the owner of the same shop across an antique wood-carved coffee table.

Meng Fa took the short sword in the boy's hand, weighed it in his hand first, and then looked at it carefully inside and outside for a while, and asked with a smile: "What do you call the little brother?" ”

"My name is Wang Fan!" The boy replied that he had seen that the shop was large and that it sold swords and the like, so he walked in and asked.

Meng Fa put the short sword on the coffee table and said softly: "Wang Fan, how did you get this short sword?" ”

Wang Fan said with a serious expression: "Because my ancestor was a general of the Cuban State, this sword has been passed down since ancient times. Wang Fan didn't say the general, worried that if it was too big, others wouldn't believe it.

The shopkeeper's reaction was very calm, and he said with a smile: "It is said that my ancestor is also a Ba person, and this mountain city was the capital of Ba in ancient times, so many people in the mountain city are Ba people. Because of this, the most famous tourist attraction in the mountain city is Baguo City. However, I see that you are not from Shancheng, where do you live? ”

The shopkeeper's words made Wang Fan feel a little cordial, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: This dream city turned out to be his real hometown!

"My family now lives in Jinliu Township, Fengxian County." Wang Fan said confidently, then took out an empty wallet from his pocket, and took out a card from it, "This is my ID card, please take a look." ”

Wang Fan applied for an ID card last semester, which is also one of the bases for him to be able to confidently go to the big city this time, so that the boss in front of him can check his identity to show that he is a law-abiding citizen and does not have to hide his true identity.

Meng Fa looked at the ID card carefully and then returned it to Wang Fan, the expression on his face became serious, and said: "Wang Fan, you are only fifteen years old, and your home is in the countryside of Fengxian County, hundreds of kilometers away from the mountain city, if this sword is a treasure handed down by your ancestors, why would your parents let you come to the mountain city alone to find a buyer?" ”

Wang Fan looked directly into the eyes of the shopkeeper and said seriously: "My father passed away ten years ago, my mother is not in good health, and the family is in a hurry to use money, so I rushed to the mountain city to sell swords." ”

Meng Fa carefully observed the expression of the boy's speech, his eyes were calm and his tone was peaceful, he only stated a fact without the slightest hope of pity from the listener. Meng Fa has studied the I Ching for many years and read countless people, and he can always gain insight into the real world of others' hearts from the tone of their voices and facial expressions. After only a few minutes of communication, Meng Fa was already convinced that the boy in front of him was by no means an idle person.

Meng Faxiao's family was poor, and he knew what it meant for a boy from the countryside of Fengxian County to be sick without a father and mother, so he immediately decided to take the deal seriously.

He stood up and took out a magnifying glass from his desk, and used it to examine the patterns on the surface of the scabbard, especially the sapphire set on the hilt for two minutes.

When Meng Fa knew what to expect, he raised his head and smiled at the young man: "Wang Fan, you and your family must know the treasures handed down by your ancestors, what do you think of the value of this short sword?" ”

Wang Fan replied unhurriedly: "The hilt and scabbard of the short sword are made of gold, although judging from the color and hardness, it is not necessarily pure gold, but because it weighs at least one kilogram, even if it is based on the current market price of 18K gold, the value of the materials alone is more than 200,000, and that sapphire is also a real gemstone, according to its color and size, the market price is more than 50,000." So this short sword is worth at least 250,000 or more, but I only need 200,000, and the excess will be yours. ”

Wang Fan truthfully explained the psychological price obtained from the information found on the Internet.

Meng Fa couldn't help but "Haha! "Looks like you've done a lot of homework." After speaking, his expression became serious, "Wang Fan, because you are not yet an adult, I must tell you my true opinion." The dagger is at most a gold artifact rather than gold itself, so its value cannot be judged solely by the market price of gold gemstones. I just took a cursory look at it, and the carving on it is in line with the artistic characteristics of the Cuban state, and if it is really from the general of the country of Pakistan more than 2,000 years ago, then this short sword is a cultural relic of incalculable value. I am willing to accept it for 200,000 for the time being, but because of your special situation, I must give you and your family a month to consider whether to cancel the sale. If you regret it within a month, you can get back this short sword with 200,000 yuan, as long as you pay me 1% interest, which is 2,000 yuan. If you agree to my proposal, we can go through the formalities now. ”

Wang Fan was impressed by the boss in front of him, and his proposal was beyond his expectations. The bottom line in Wang Fan's heart was only 100,000, but he didn't expect that the boss not only did not bargain with the price he proposed, but also gave himself a month to regret it.

He replied without hesitation: "Thank you boss for your kindness, just do what you suggest!" ”

It took an hour to complete the transaction procedures, and through the bank ATM located not far from Mengbaotang, Meng Fa deposited the 190,000 yuan on his card into the three bank accounts required by the seller, and finally handed over 10,000 yuan in cash to Wang Fan.

Then the buyer and seller happily say goodbye to each other.