Reborn in the 1980s: Recapture My Devoted Husband-Chapter 619 - 600: Great Luck

"Oh, Han, Wan, don’t worry, you can have it whenever you need it. It’s even better later, once we sign the contract on our side, it will be produced quickly here. By then, you can directly purchase it here, saving some money. That would be even better."

"Oh yeah, that’s great" Saving money is always a good thing.

To express her gratitude, Lin Wan specially treated the two of them to a feast at noon. A nearby spicy chicken place. It was their first time there, and it was quite good indeed. Jason and Mei exclaimed that they found another good spot!

In the afternoon, Jason and Mei had to return to the factory, so they couldn’t accompany the two of them.

As they said goodbye, Mei reminded, "Wan, the antiques in your country are really exquisite. If you two are interested, you can take a stroll nearby. There’s an antique street over there."

"Alright. Mei. Jason. Bye-bye"

"Bye-bye, call us when you have time."

"Okay"

After parting ways, Lin Wan, carrying her small bag, held Han Yi’s hand and said, "How about we take a stroll?"

Lin Wan pointed to the spot Mei mentioned, looking at the place that seemed quite cool and shady.

"Not going to the department store anymore?"

Lin Wan shook her head, "It’s too hot, we ran for so long yesterday, I’m tired, and last night..." Lin Wan finished speaking and rolled her eyes at Han Yi with dissatisfaction.

Han Yi laughed lightly and let out two chuckles, pulling her towards the place she mentioned. At this time, there was a traffic light booth at the big crossroads, and the traffic lights were still manually controlled. The two crossed the street, walking and stopping, taking ten minutes to reach a small alley. Exiting from an alley, they suddenly found a broad view; it turned out to be a large market. This was a famous antique market, with both sides of the street filled with many antiques and old goods.

The couple stood aside, looking at the entrance to this market with surprise, as it was not quite as Lin Wan had imagined, with its ancient plaque and the Chinese-style traditional architecture of pavilions and terraces. It was indeed rare, and Lin Wan fell in love with the place. The buildings within the market felt like stepping into ancient times. If not for people wearing modern clothes, she would have thought she’d traveled back in time.

Lin Wan didn’t understand these things, nor did Han Yi. They were just here for the novelty, to have a look.

The various sounds from inside the market reached their ears—bargaining, surprise, frustration, despair...

They walked a bit, seeing many items that seemed valuable in modern times, but she couldn’t discern the real from the fake. Oh, what a missed opportunity to get rich.

"What’s to sigh about? We aren’t all-knowing, we don’t know everything. Antiques are a whole profession; if you get in and succeed, that’s good, but if not, you could lose everything. We don’t understand, just have a look, don’t always think about making money. If you like something, you can buy a couple of pieces to take home. We don’t care about authenticity; as long as it looks good, it’s fine," Han Yi said with a chuckle, seeing the little woman looking regretful.

"Hmm, let’s buy a brush pot, we can put it in the study, the study’s shelf needs some decorations."

As they talked, they looked at the stalls along the road and found a pretty brush pot, asking, "How much is this, Grandpa?"

"Three hundred."

Han Yi frowned, looking at a brush pot that wasn’t remarkable and was covered in dust, "What about this one?"

"One hundred."

"This one doesn’t look so great either, Grandpa, can you make it cheaper?" Lin Wan suggested.

"Girl, this may not look great, but once you clean it, you’ll know its value. See, this is made of huanghuali wood, with engraved kui patterns, a brush pot from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Take a closer look, this is a huanghuali sunflower-style brush pot from the late Ming and early Qing. It’s the most valuable item on my stall. Selling it to you for three hundred isn’t expensive. Such things need to be kept for a few years before they can appreciate in value; if it weren’t for my son being a disappointment, who would sell these good things... These are all heirlooms from my ancestors. Everything on my stall is top-notch. If you like them, buy them all; I guarantee you’ll make a fortune in a few years." (He says: My grandma was the daughter of a landlord. My grandma’s mom brought along many fine things as her dowry. At that time, when they were so poor they couldn’t afford food, my grandpa sold all the valuable things from my grandma’s hat. He regrets it now, as they would be very valuable today.)

Lin Wan and Han Yi felt that this old man was quite good at bragging. But the two items did look pretty nice. They could give one to Grandpa when they get back.

"Grandpa, don’t exaggerate so much, we as a couple don’t understand these things at all. How about this, we’ll take both for three hundred, okay?"

The old man’s eyes widened, and he snorted, "Who’s exaggerating? I’ve got really good things here. Not a penny less."

Lin Wan saw that the old man spoke quite stubbornly, also thought it was a bit expensive, glanced at Han Yi, only to see Han Yi sigh lightly, smiled, and pulled Lin Wan away.

"Let’s go see other places," he comforted as they walked.

"Hmm."

The old man saw the two leaving, his eyes glaring as he scoffed, saying, "Really not buying... huh, two fools" before continuing to huddle on his stall.

They continued to browse for a while, spending fifty yuan to buy two jade bracelets, planning to give one to Grandma and one to their maternal grandma when they return.

They didn’t know if they were being scammed, but they looked of good quality anyway.

As they walked deeper in, they found the stalls inside were all displaying stones. Han Yi knew this was a stone gambling place.

The high-priced stones on both sides could cost tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, while the cheaper ones were those displayed outside the shops, costing only a few dozen to a few hundred to buy one.

Lin Wan found the people around them especially interesting, with some using magnifying glasses and flashlights, carefully examining these rough stones. There were indeed many outsiders visiting here, mostly amateurs hoping to find a bargain or relying on luck just like this small couple. Lin Wan curiously squatted down at a stall, pushing and picking the stones on the ground like selecting melons, and finally chose a strange-looking stone, "Ai Yi, should we buy one to try?"

Han Yi smiled, "Sure, let’s buy one to play with, but not here, let’s go."

With that said, Han Yi took Lin Wan to another stall with fewer people.

He carefully picked out two not-so-special stones at that stall and asked the owner, "Old man, how much for these two stones?"

An elderly man with white hair and beard was sitting leisurely on a stool in front of the stall, wearing traditional Tang suit in traditional Chinese style architecture. Lin Wan looked at this old man who seemed to have an otherworldly aura, like a hermit from a novel rather than a businessman.

"Young man, have you chosen?" the slow-speaking elderly man asked when he heard Han Yi’s question.

"Yes, how much?"

"Two hundred each, totaling four hundred. Would you like to have the stone cut?"

"Yes." Han Yi glanced at Lin Wan. Lin Wan hurriedly added. After all, her husband rarely showed such interest, so she couldn’t let him regret it. Six hundred is six hundred, gone it is. At worst, sell a few more pieces of clothing.

"Lao Liu, come over here." The elderly man called out to a middle-aged man passing by.

Seeing the old man call him, it was clear something was up, he quickly smiled and said, "Mr. Qian, you’re making a sale again!" Lin Wan glanced at the man in front of her, and she had a good feeling about him. Frankly, the man wasn’t handsome, belonging to the kind that wouldn’t catch eyes on the street, but this man called Lao Liu with his honest smile won Lin Wan’s favor almost instinctively. This was a person who easily generated goodwill in others, Lin Wan thought to herself.

"Hmm, take these two people to get their stones cut," the elderly said to Lao Liu in front of him.

"Sure thing!" Lao Liu looked at the stones in Han Yi’s hand and smiled, knowing at a glance the two were amateurs. Yet he didn’t show any disdain, "Please, this way!" leading them toward the stone-cutting area set up at the back. The stone sellers are different from the stone cutters. Han Yi held the stones, paid the old man, and directly followed Lao Liu to the back.

Soon, they arrived at the stone-cutting place—just in time to witness a stone being cut. In her past and present lives, this was Lin Wan’s first direct involvement with such a high-risk venture as stone gambling, and now she had the chance to witness what she’d often seen on TV; naturally, she didn’t want to miss it.

"Hey big brother, can we watch others having stones cut before it’s our turn?" Han Yi asked Lao Liu in front of them, also full of curiosity.

Lao Liu was stunned for a moment, then quickly replied, "Of course, you can come find me on the other side when you’re done watching." Lao Liu pointed to the right.

"Thank you."

After they parted ways, they headed straight for the stone-cutting machine surrounded by many people. Standing in the middle was a very sweaty man, quite fair-skinned, probably in his thirties, seemingly nervously watching the elder carefully grind the stone in front of him.

Some people nearby were also making fun, "Old Li, can you succeed this time?" said a sharp-featured man.

"If you don’t see green this time, you’ll be bankrupt." Without waiting for the sweaty man to respond, the ugly man gloated.

As soon as the words were spoken, sharp-eyed onlookers exclaimed, "Hey, it’s green."

The words "it’s green" turned the face of the ugly man engaged in the great activity of sarcasm from blue to white to purple in one breath, making Lin Wan want to laugh. But due to the tense atmosphere, she ultimately couldn’t laugh.