4. Xia's Moment in the Spotlight

On his first day in Yangzhou, Xia Lin did not rush off to look for the phone. Instead, he rented a garret and settled in. The rent was dirt cheap, only one copper coin a day, which worked out to little more than the price of two steamed buns. As for the conditions, there was no point expecting much; at best, it offered some shelter from wind and rain. Still, the mistress of the house retained a lingering charm, though it seemed she may have been up to some shameful side trade, for although her husband was away doing business in another province, late at night there could still be heard certain indecent sounds.

Lying on the stuffy bed plank and swinging his feet idly, Xia Lin listened with Old Zhang at the wall. After a few moments, a high, piercing scream rang out, and the two of them could not help but burst into laughter at the same time.

"An old crone still flirting with the wildness of youth," Xia Lin said carelessly.

Those words left Old Zhang stunned. "One word off, and you’ve turned the whole line filthy. Dao Sheng, just how much are you hiding from your young master?"

"Remember this: from now on, you are to call me Young Master!"

Old Zhang did not mind at all. He gave a laugh and said, "Yes, yes, yes, Young Master. Hurry up and sleep. We still have plenty to do tomorrow."

"At daybreak tomorrow, we split up. You find a way to get some money, and I’ll go take a look at that antique shop."

Lying on the bed planks, Old Zhang suddenly asked, "Say, Dao Sheng. I never saw you pining over any family’s daughter before, so why have you suddenly started going on about the young lady of the Tang family?"

The question left Xia Lin unable to answer. Mostly because there were some things that simply could not be explained. It was not as though he had never seen beautiful girls before, but the odd thing was that the moment he saw that Tang family girl, he had felt a surge of emotion he could not control. Some things could only be understood and not spoken. In these past few days, whenever he had a spare moment and closed his eyes, all he saw was the elegance of that girl in green.

He was beyond saving.

He did not know when he fell asleep, but today Miss Tang appeared in his dream again. Together they ate hotpot and watched films, and in her bright eyes and dazzling smile there was a grace that could captivate any glance.

Yet wondrous moments were always brief. Just as he was about to kiss her, he opened his eyes and saw Zhang Zhongchun sitting by his bedside, putting on his shoes while muttering, "In a bit I’ll go search the morning market for our old enemy, and you go search for your treasure."

Xia Lin sat up as well. "Old Zhang, whether we can ride the east wind again all depends on this move. You’d best not fall back into greed, anger, and delusion. If you can endure, endure it."

After the two parted ways, Xia Lin arrived at the destination of his trip.

"Zhang's Antique Shop."

Using his hazy memory, Xia Lin found the antique shop that had once sent the original protagonist soaring to fame. It had to be here. Back then, he had described the scene as a ring of green willows surrounding the area, with a stone bridge spanning north and south before the door. Even the wording was right. He had once been mocked by a reader for that exact typo.

Now the scenery matched his description perfectly, and this street had only this one antique shop. It had to be the place.

He had arrived more than a month earlier than Ye Liangchen, so the item was surely still here.

"Where did this beggar crawl out from? Out, out!"

Before he even had a chance to speak after stepping inside, he heard the shop assistant inside brandishing a broom and driving him out. Xia Lin looked down at his clothes. Indeed, he did not look like someone who could afford antiques. The garments he had worn on the way here were already in tatters, and now that he had put on the shop’s old castoffs, he looked pitiful beyond words.

"Easy now." Xia Lin sidestepped the assistant and went straight up to the owner. "Sir, I’d like to ask you about an item."

The owner had been tallying accounts. Hearing Xia Lin’s voice, he did not even bother to look up, only laughed and said, "If you’ve got something good, take it out. As for anything else, I advise you not to waste your thoughts. Things here are not something you can afford."

Hearing this, Xia Lin gave a faint laugh and said nothing more. He merely put his hands behind his back and began strolling around the shop. He could not quite remember how Ye Liangchen had obtained the phone, so while he had the chance, he needed to think carefully.

"Why are you still standing here? Out, out!" The little assistant came at him again with the broom.

Xia Lin smiled at him, then simply took a seat on a chair and lifted his chin. "Are you the master of this place?"

That one sentence immediately flustered the servant, who kept glancing up at the owner. His expression turned fierce as well. "If you keep making trouble, don’t blame me for being rude."

"Have you been polite since I walked in?" Xia Lin said. "And you, shopkeeper, how do you know I can’t afford it? Is that your way of doing business?"

At that, the owner finally looked up. He smiled and said, "Very well, then. What item does this customer wish to see? My humble shop is the property of Wealthy Master Gao of Yangzhou. We deal in calligraphy, paintings, inkstones, and porcelain vases. A new shipment has just arrived today, and there is one inkstone with a slight flaw that can be taken for only fifty taels of silver. What would the young gentleman like?"

Hearing that price, Xia Lin could not help drawing a sharp breath inwardly. Still, since this was an antique shop, the price was not truly outrageous. In years past, Guo Jing had taken Huang Rong out to a restaurant and spent nineteen taels, seven mace, and four candareens. By comparison, this antique shop was rather conscientious.

Xia Lin pressed his lips together. He knew he could not afford it, and the owner knew he could not afford it too. The assistant beside him looked at him as though he were a joke.

But there was only this one chance. Next month, the item would be taken away by someone else. And Xia Lin knew that with his current state, earning fifty taels within a month was nothing short of a fool’s dream. He could scrub dishes until he smoked and still not manage it.

So he stood up. After a moment of silence, he said, "Shopkeeper, if I can help you sell half your stock within ten days, would you let me choose anything at all from the storeroom?"

The shopkeeper raised his head, narrowed his eyes at Xia Lin, and then burst out laughing. Everyone knew that the trade of antiques was never about volume. On the surface it looked like a shop, but in truth it was mostly about connections.

Their profit model was hardly rare. Someone would spend five hundred taels buying a vase and send it to the prefect of Yangzhou, saying, "Please, sir, take a look." Then the prefect’s steward would receive the vase, and they would buy it back for four hundred and fifty taels. One round trip, fifty taels in the pocket. That was where their money was made.

"Oh? You claim you have that kind of skill?"

At that moment, a young man in fine clothes walked in from outside, a folding fan dangling from his hand, looking every inch the pampered young master. His satin garments suited the customs of Suzhou and Hangzhou, though the flower worn on his head was enough to provoke a smile.

"Young Master."

The shopkeeper immediately straightened and said respectfully, "This brat is merely here to cause trouble. Please do not bother with him."

"I ask you, were your words just now true?" the young master asked, ignoring the shopkeeper entirely as he walked straight up to Xia Lin. "You can clear out half the stock in ten days? Is that true?"

Xia Lin was a little uneasy himself, but he felt there should be no problem, so he nodded firmly. "No problem. I’m ninety percent sure."

"Ninety percent sure? And if you fail?"

"Then you won’t lose anything." Xia Lin rose and smiled. "Give it a try. My method is rather interesting."

"Fine. But if you fail, this young master will break one of your legs."

He narrowed his eyes at the young master, his expression gradually growing serious, but the young master clearly did not care about his gaze. Thinking about it, that made sense enough. What status did he have? The only reason the other man was speaking to him at all was because it was amusing.

Xia Lin put on a smile, but inwardly he was saying, Just you wait, you little bastard. From this moment on, you’d better be burning incense and praying every day that your grandfather does not get up. The instant I do get up, just see whether I deal with you or not.

"All right, then it’s settled. But since the young master wants one of my legs, surely I can choose one item first, yes?"

"Very well, very well. Not bad for a down-and-out servant—there’s some courage in you yet. Shopkeeper Chen, bring the storeroom key. I want to see exactly what this boy has set his sights on."

At that moment, Xia Lin was still very excited. Of course he hoped to settle everything in one go. Once he got the phone, would he not be able to do whatever he pleased?

It was a gamble, so he gambled. No matter what, he could always think of a way afterward.

Following the young master in fine clothes to the storeroom behind the shop, Xia Lin was hit at once by a stale, musty odor. He searched all around inside, but could not find anything that looked remotely like a phone.

He remembered that this phone was a concept machine, though not the sort of concept phone unveiled at a product launch. It was the concept of a miraculous artifact. It could always remain charged, could connect to the modern internet without payment, and would always have data.

"Little Ai."

"Little Wei, little Wei."

"Hey, Siri."

At that moment, the young master outside stuck his head in. "What are you howling about?"

"A passphrase. The passphrase our school uses to determine a treasure, like ‘to seek the dragon, divide the gold, and watch the winding mountain ridges,’ more or less."

"Superstitious nonsense." The young master snorted and said disdainfully, "Hurry up. Don’t damage the treasure. Any random thing in here would be enough to buy your life."

Xia Lin also gave a contemptuous smile, then began searching everywhere. "Little Yi, little Yi."

"Always ahead~"

Ah! There was a response. It was Little Yi!

The voice was very faint, though, only just barely audible. Xia Lin did not dare call out again and could only follow the approximate direction of the sound. After all, if others discovered that there was a talking magic artifact here, the people of this age would most likely either offer it up to the emperor or burn it as a demonic object.

After searching for a while, he finally found the phone on a shelf displaying paperweights. At that instant, Xia Lin’s heart nearly burst from his chest. He reached out and touched it, and the unique tactile impact of modern manufacturing rushed straight into his hand.

In that instant, Xia Lin was nearly moved to tears. This was no longer just a cheat device. It was, in truth, a legendary treasure that constantly reminded him he was a modern man.