See you tomorrow.
After the message saying “successor” was sent, her friend never replied again.
Su Qingyi didn’t mind. Once the courier picked up the items, she purchased the shipping receipt and sent it to the buyer. Not long after receiving the receipt, the buyer transferred the remaining balance.
Su Qingyi noticed an extra 50,000 yuan in the message.
She wanted to ask how the buyer could trust her so much.
However, the other party was clearly not someone she could joke with. They replied formally, “Balance received. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me (handshake).”
It wasn’t the boss himself on the other end either—just his assistant. Yet even as an assistant, he already had the leverage to negotiate with Qiao. Besides a few brief words during the price inquiry, he said nothing unnecessary.
Su Qingyi wisely refrained from further disturbance.
Because her bank card had spending restrictions on the day of the large transaction, she only withdrew four thousand yuan for her grandfather, planning to withdraw the remaining eighty thousand the next day to give to him all at once.
Her grandfather was stunned when he received the money.
He hadn’t expected the wooden carving, which had been sitting untouched for such a long time, to sell so easily—and for several times more than he had anticipated.
His eyes welled with tears of excitement.
Turning his back, he said, “My dear, you don’t need to give me the rest. Keep it for yourself. I have enough money already.”
Su Qingyi shook her head.
Holding her grandfather’s hand, she said, “I have money too. You don’t have to worry about me.”
But her grandfather was insistent.
He kept telling her she had it hard and urged her to keep the money.
Watching his frail figure, Su Qingyi felt a surge of mixed emotions.
He thought she suffered; she thought he suffered.
Perhaps that’s what family is.
Even when one’s own life is difficult, they wish the other’s to be smooth.
She hugged her grandfather’s slender frame and rested her face on his shoulder.
Her grandfather smiled softly, “My dear, you’ve truly become remarkable now.”
Su Qingyi smiled faintly, saying nothing.
Her “remarkableness” was entirely due to Mr. Lu’s reputation backing her up.
Most people who approached her came because of his name. Even if they didn’t know why her items were valuable, once the old man’s name was mentioned, they would naturally think they lacked the ability to see the value rather than doubting her capability.
No one dared bargain.
Some were even willing to pay several times the market price, just for her to accept.
If Mr. Lu had any clay statues made in his likeness, she would definitely buy one to keep on display.
*
When Wang Zhenfeng returned, it was already completely dark.
Su Yu was washing dishes in the kitchen. Seeing her return, she immediately began scolding her again. Wang Zhenfeng defended herself, explaining that her phone had died and shut off automatically, not deliberately ignoring the calls.
Su Yu’s tone softened a bit and asked if she had eaten. She told her she had saved some food for her.
Wang Zhenfeng nodded and, while waiting for Su Yu to heat the food, cautiously glanced toward the upstairs hallway and asked, “Has my cousin come back yet?”
“Oh, you’re quite the change today, even calling people ‘cousin’,” Su Yu said in surprise. “Your cousin came back just after noon and has been helping your grandfather at the woodcarving workshop all day…”
At this point, Su Yu almost started scolding her again but caught herself, knowing it was wrong. “What do you want to talk to your cousin about?”
“Nothing, I just wanted to ask,” Wang Zhenfeng said and headed toward her room.
Su Yu didn’t think much of it.
After everyone else had gone to sleep, Wang Zhenfeng sneaked upstairs. Su Yu and her grandfather were asleep, but the light was still on in Su Qingyi’s room.
She hesitated outside Su Qingyi’s door.
Just as she was thinking about how to explain using Su Qingyi’s photos without permission, Su Qingyi’s voice suddenly came from behind her: “What are you doing here?”
Wang Zhenfeng was startled.
She instinctively wanted to snap back but remembered her purpose and held herself back.
Su Qingyi, acting as if nothing had happened, stepped past her carrying a cup of water and walked inside.
Wang Zhenfeng rarely saw her wearing glasses and couldn’t help but look again. Her cousin was truly beautiful—even in such a casual, effortless state, she exuded a natural, intellectual elegance.
Her jet-black hair was casually pinned back with a wooden hairpin; her pale, serene face framed by gold-rimmed glasses; a loose Chinese-style shirt draped comfortably over her, paired with shorts revealing long legs casually crossed on a rattan chair—it all looked like a painting.
Su Qingyi rested her face on one hand, staring at the laptop in front of her while lazily moving the mouse. “What do you want?”
Hearing this, Wang Zhenfeng snapped back to reality and leaned forward. “Cousin, I want to talk to you about using your photos on my account.”
Su Qingyi looked up at her.
Seeing this, Wang Zhenfeng grew more nervous, her voice dropping unconsciously. “I just wanted to create an account to help my grandfather sell his things, but posting works alone didn’t get views. I wondered if others had better ideas.”
“Xiaolan said Jiang He is the best local social media influencer. Even the city government asks him for help filming things. I messaged him on my own account before, but he saw my profile and never replied. That’s when I thought to use your photos…”
She cautiously studied Su Qingyi’s expression but couldn’t read it, growing more guilty. “You know what happened after. He told us to come to the city center to meet him. We were too shy to go, but unexpectedly, he came to Datong himself.”
Su Qingyi still said nothing.
Wang Zhenfeng braced herself and continued, “I didn’t use your photos for anything bad. I just wanted to help my grandfather sell his things. I know you think I’m irresponsible, but I really’m not…”
Her voice grew quieter until it was almost inaudible.
Her eyes even began to redden from distress.
At that moment, Su Qingyi’s hand gently rested on her head.
“I know you’re not a bad kid.”
Wang Zhenfeng was taken aback.
Su Qingyi’s face showed no particular warmth, yet her words were soft enough.
“I’ve always known.”
So there was no need for her to explain so much.
Wang Zhenfeng’s eyes instantly filled with tears.
Not wanting Su Qingyi to notice, she quickly lowered her head. “I won’t use your photos anymore. Jiang He even lent us equipment and said he’d supervise our filming when we start properly. When we become popular, I won’t need you to give money to Mom anymore.”
Not only did Su Qingyi know this.
She also understood why Su Yu had received so much money.
“When I earn money, I won’t let Mom work so hard anymore.”
Su Qingyi softly responded and withdrew her hand from Wang Zhenfeng’s head. “Keep it up.”
Wang Zhenfeng pressed her lips and glanced at the computer screen in front of her. Trying to change the subject and get closer, she asked, “Do you want to open a woodcarving shop in the Western Market?”
Su Qingyi nodded.
Wang Zhenfeng hurriedly said, “You know the woodcarving business in the Old City is monopolized by Zhou Xu and his father, right? He won’t let you open a shop.”
“You know where I got this information?” Su Qingyi pulled back her hand from the table.
Wang Zhenfeng suddenly recalled the day at the temple when she saw her with Zhou Xu. “Zhou Xu gave it to you?”
Su Qingyi didn’t deny it.
Wang Zhenfeng continued, “Even if he lets you open it, he’ll find ways to take shares or shut you down. That’s what happened with Xiaolan’s dad’s business.”
At this point, Wang Zhenfeng was more knowledgeable than Su Qingyi, pulling up a chair to sit beside her. “Do you know how much Xiaolan’s dad invested? For such a small shop, it was over 500,000 yuan. The annual rent alone was more than 200,000.”
“The rent is that expensive?”
“Storefronts in the Western Market range from 10,000 to 30,000 yuan a month. At their peak, it even went up to 40,000 per month,” she said, sounding very experienced discussing what she knew. “But is that the point? The point is, if Zhou Xu and his son can’t get a share, they’ll definitely try to squeeze you out. How much money do you have to fight them?”
Su Qingyi thought for a moment, looking at the information on the screen. “Not necessarily. Zhou Xu has four shops in the Western Market plus a furniture and woodcarving factory. He’s spread himself thin; he may not have much cash flow. He only dares to fight Xiaolan’s dad because he knows their assets. If an unknown player comes, he might not be able to compete. If his funds dry up, he’ll collapse completely.”
So she didn’t think Zhou Xu was the real problem.
On the contrary, the business itself carried huge risks. She needed Zhou Xu as a guide to help her avoid some pitfalls.
“Then you really want to find a shop in the Western Market to sell your grandfather’s woodcarvings?” Wang Zhenfeng still wasn’t optimistic. “Grandpa doesn’t even have an apprentice now. He’s so old he can hardly make a few a year. Plus, the woodcarving market itself is either starving or drowning…”
“Enough worrying about me,” Su Qingyi glanced at the time on the screen. “Go to bed soon. It’s late, and you have to get up early to shoot short videos tomorrow, right?”
“Oh, right.” Wang Zhenfeng remembered her important plans for the next day, looked at the time, then stood up and left immediately.
**
The next day, before dawn, Su Qingyi went out to conduct a full day of market research in the Western Market.
Most of the shop tenants in the Western Market were outsiders, while most street vendors were locals. She hadn’t been there long before someone recognized her, so she quickly gathered a fairly complete understanding of the Western Market’s situation without much effort.
By the time she finished, it was almost four in the afternoon. Only then did she remember her “appointment” with Lu Jingchen. She calmly crossed the stone bridge and headed toward the antique shop.
She didn’t really expect him to be there.
But she waited in a roadside café until Jiang He and Fang Zhu came out, then sneaked quietly into the antique shop.
The shop was quiet.
As always, no one was there.
She called out “Jiang Jingye” but received no response, then went up the stairs behind the cashier to the second floor.
After a few steps, someone appeared at the stairwell.
Lu Jingchen stood above the railing on the second floor, quietly watching her.
His pale fingers idly toyed with a string of agarwood beads.
Su Qingyi unconsciously stopped.
Every time she saw him, time seemed to slow down invisibly, and the day’s fatigue vanished at once. She couldn’t help but smile at him.
He looked at her as usual.
After a brief gaze, he turned his eyes away and asked, “What is it? Something you need?”
His cool brows carried a clear warning to keep her at a distance.
Su Qingyi’s eyes followed his downward gaze to her foot on the step. She understood: he didn’t want her to take another step forward.
She obeyed, stepping back.
“Well…” She hesitated, troubled, then said, “Going to rent a room again?”