Chapter 6: Resignation

"I'm craving your head off!"

"Believe it or not, this old lady will smother you to death!"

Zhou Yang was startled, but why did he secretly glance at her and still feel a little anticipation in his heart?

He just didn't know how long it would take to be smothered to death.

Regarding what Fang Jie said about splitting it evenly, if she was willing to give it to him, he wouldn't be foolish enough to refuse.

He had some conscience, but that didn't mean he was a saint. Why wouldn't he do something that clearly made money?

It was only right for him to sell these items and openly earn a profit from the difference.

Besides, what he said earlier was true. If Fang Jie were to sell these items, even if she knew they were genuine, she probably wouldn't get much money for them.

Zhou Yang had been at the Antique Shop for so long, he knew all the ins and outs of it too well.

Even if Zhou Yang himself took these items to an Antique Shop to sell now, the price wouldn't be too high. If you could sell an item for 70% of its value, it meant the Antique Shop was already quite generous.

Because if the price was higher than that, they wouldn't buy it, as it would disrupt the market, and there were operating costs involved.

So everyone had an unspoken rule: even if the other party knew the item was genuine, the maximum price offered wouldn't exceed 60%.

Merchants had to earn a 40% profit; this was basically the most they could expect.

Some were even greedier, like Li Tuzi; he'd be doing well to give you 50%.

If you didn't know the value of the item, then too bad, he could con you until you cried.

But you probably wouldn't, because you wouldn't even know you were conned.

"Alright, I'll take this back with me. I'll help you deal with it tomorrow; it's useless for you to keep it."

Zhou Yang agreed, then placed the snuff bottle into the box, and finally carried it upstairs.

Actually, he just placed it inside the cauldron.

Fang Jie's cooking was quite good, and dinner tonight was especially lavish. Fang Jie even brought out a few bottles of beer.

"Zhou Yang, how about I introduce you to a girlfriend!"

"Otherwise, you, a big young man, are cooped up like this every day, it's too uncomfortable. Peeking only satisfies the eyes, it doesn't solve the problem!"

Zhou Yang was a bit embarrassed by what Fang Jie said, mainly because his gaze had automatically locked onto Fang Jie's neckline again.

To be more precise, his gaze followed down from her neckline.

There was nothing he could do. Zhou Yang was already 25, had no girlfriend, no partner, and was still a pure, innocent virgin, so some things held a particularly strong attraction for him.

"Fang Jie, with my conditions, who would look at me!"

"No house, no car, still living in a rented room."

Fang Jie's lips moved twice, wanting to say something, but then she closed her mouth.

After a long while, she still couldn't hold back.

"Zhou Yang, do you mind someone older than you?"

Zhou Yang imagined it. Being a bit older wasn't a big deal. As the saying goes, 'a woman three years older brings a golden brick,' which was within an acceptable range.

So he nodded.

"Then do you mind someone who's been married? Or divorced, a widow..."

Zhou Yang felt something was off hearing this.

"Fang Jie, the person you're talking about wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"

Fang Jie's pretty face turned red, perhaps because of the alcohol. She also knew she had been too explicit.

"You little brat, what are you thinking?"

"I'm five years older than you. Don't be a toad wanting to eat swan meat. Finish your meal and get out of here."

Zhou Yang didn't know what he had said wrong, but he was inexplicably pushed out by Fang Jie.

Shrugging his shoulders, just as Zhou Yang was about to go back and take a shower, he ran into the girl who had moved in that afternoon in the hallway.

This girl had delicate features and was petite and cute. They exchanged glances, and then she gave Zhou Yang a faint smile.

Before Zhou Yang could even say hello, she turned and left.

He secretly sighed in regret, then returned to his room, took out the two items again to study them, and then felt that the two items had changed slightly.

First, some of the nicks and bumps on the box were gone. Zhou Yang remembered that the edges of the box had been somewhat damaged before.

There were also some areas where the paint had peeled off, but now all of these were gone. When he used his clairvoyant eyes to appraise it again, Zhou Yang's eyelids twitched twice, because the value of the box had changed.

The previous market transaction price given was 100,000, but now it had actually become 200,000. That meant that after the box was repaired in those damaged areas, its value increased.

But how was this repaired?

Suddenly, Zhou Yang realized something, then looked at the other item, the snuff bottle.

This snuff bottle also had some changes. The patterns on it had also shown wear and tear before, but now they were similarly repaired.

At this point, Zhou Yang finally realized where the problem lay: it was the cauldron inside his body.

Because the cauldron's level was too high, he had always been unable to appraise it, originally just treating it as a storage space.

He never expected it to have another function: it could repair antiques, which was incredibly powerful.

Zhou Yang was overjoyed and quickly summoned the small cauldron, then studied it intently under the light.

Zhou Yang temporarily named this cauldron the 'Mandarin Duck Cauldron.'

Of course, this cauldron would definitely not be called that name, but because the cauldron was divided into two in the middle, just like a mandarin duck hotpot, he casually gave it this name.

This cauldron had no changes for now, but Zhou Yang was certain that it was an absolute priceless treasure, capable of storing items and repairing antiques.

As for whether it had other functions, it was still too early to say.

Feeling that it was almost time, Zhou Yang began to prepare for his shower and sleep. Tomorrow, he would first have to quit his job.

He was a millionaire now; would he still work for 3,000 yuan?

As for what to do next, he first had to make money, and then think about doing other things. As for how to make money, he couldn't think of anything for now.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, for the first time in three months, Zhou Yang uncharacteristically bought breakfast.

Then he arrived at the Antique Shop. Li Tuzi had just opened. Zhou Yang, as usual, greeted him first.

"Uncle Li, I plan to resign. Could you please help me settle this month's salary?"

Li Tuzi suddenly looked up when he heard Zhou Yang, then stared at Zhou Yang, a faint hint of disdain appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Zhou Yang, it's not easy to find a job outside now, and I don't have any dirty or tiring work here. You should think carefully!"

Zhou Yang inwardly complained. He had been exhausted these past few days. How could he say there was no dirty or tiring work?

"Uncle Li, I've already thought it through. Our landlord introduced me to a factory job screwing screws, so please settle my salary!"

Zhou Yang calculated that today was the 16th. He had worked 15 days this month, meaning he should at least get 1,500 yuan.

Li Tuzi confirmed repeatedly that Zhou Yang was definitely not going to work anymore, and only then did he start calculating the salary.

Then a scene that left Zhou Yang speechless occurred. For such a small salary, Li Tuzi actually used an abacus and clacked away for a long time.

How melodramatic was that?

I don't believe it, can you really make 14 days out of 15 days of work?

"Zhou Yang, you worked a total of 14 days this month!"

Zhou Yang: ..................