Chapter Fifty-Seven: Su Xiu Loses Her Temper

Zhang Can rapped Zhang Hua lightly on the head without the slightest reservation, laughing as he scolded, “You silly girl, always making trouble. Alright, after breakfast I have to get to work. You two stay home and have fun. When you go into the city to shop, buy plenty of good food and some nice clothes!”

Zhang Hua hurriedly asked, “Second Brother, what about the job search?”

“What job search?” Zhang Can replied nonchalantly. “Just enjoy yourselves for now. In a few days, I’ll find you a school to attend, learn something useful. Later on, when I open my own shop, you and Xiao Qin will run it together. Only by being your own boss will you make real money. Working for others your whole life, you’ll always just be a worker.”

“Oh!” Zhang Hua, hearing her brother’s arrangements, relaxed. She had been worried—having come here with no experience, no skills, and no education, what job could she find? But seeing how capable her brother was, she realized that no one could compare to him. All her anxieties vanished.

During breakfast, Liu Xiaoqin still didn’t dare lift her head. Zhang Can hadn’t expected so many awkward moments to keep cropping up between the two of them—impossible to avoid, and not intentional at all. Precisely because it wasn’t deliberate, it was all the more embarrassing.

After breakfast, Zhang Can slipped out by himself. Since the car hadn’t been brought back, he had no choice but to walk. It was only a few minutes on foot from Tianxin Square to the Old Stone Studio, so there was no need to call a taxi.

Although Zhu Senlin didn’t set strict hours for him, Zhang Can wasn’t about to go overboard. He kept regular hours, clocking in at nine and out at five, reporting in during work hours, and only going out when business required.

The walk to Antique Street took only five minutes, and Zhang Can didn’t hurry. He arrived at the Old Stone Studio at ten minutes to nine. Zhang Qiang was the first to arrive, waiting at the door. Normally, Old Su was always the earliest, year in and year out. Only he and Zhu Senlin had keys to the shop. Zhu, as the boss, naturally didn’t come every day to open up. Old Su, on the other hand, was very responsible and never late.

But today, Old Su failed to arrive on time for the first time ever. Zhang Qiang, seeing Zhang Can, remarked in surprise, “Manager Zhang, Old Su is never late. What’s going on today? He always opens the shop by eight-thirty at the latest. Strange!”

They waited a while longer. The other two assistants arrived, then Su Xiu. After nine o’clock, there was still no sign of Old Su. Even Su Xiu was getting uneasy and pulled out her phone to call her uncle, but his phone was switched off—no way to reach him!

Naturally, Zhang Can said nothing. The five of them could only wait outside the shop, helpless. By nine-thirty, Old Su still hadn’t come, and his phone remained unreachable. No one wanted to call Zhu Senlin—the boss—about it; that would be tattling.

But before anyone could notify Zhu Senlin, he arrived himself!

Seeing everyone standing at the door, he asked in surprise, “What’s going on? Why aren’t you inside?”

Zhang Qiang replied awkwardly, “Boss, Old Su isn’t here... Maybe he’s ill, and we can’t reach him by phone…”

Zhu Senlin’s expression darkened. He took out his keys and opened the shop. Zhang Qiang and the other assistants hurried forward to help. By this time, it was already ten o’clock, more than an hour later than the neighboring shops.

Su Xiu, standing before Zhu Senlin, was flushed with embarrassment, unsure what mischief her uncle was up to. A man who had never been late was suddenly an hour behind schedule. Worse, he was in charge of the shop key—without him, no one could open up. And the boss, who hardly ever showed up in the mornings—if at all, usually after noon—had, by sheer misfortune, shown up right at ten, catching her uncle red-handed!

If Old Su were habitually late, it would be one thing. But he was always diligent, never slacking off, and the one time he slipped, he was caught!

Zhu Senlin frowned slightly. If Old Su was late for the first time, it surely meant something was wrong. His phone was off; perhaps there was an emergency. Not wanting to embarrass him, he covered for Old Su in front of the others: “Old Su lives alone in Jincheng—his wife and kids aren’t here. If he even catches a cold, no one’s there to look after him. Maybe something special came up. Let’s all get back to work as usual…”

With Old Su absent, his responsibilities fell to Zhang Can, who took his place at the desk. Zhang Qiang and the other assistants organized the warehouse, while Su Xiu worked on the accounts. However, Su Xiu was clearly displeased to see Zhang Can sitting in her uncle’s spot, though she dared not make a scene, since the boss was chatting amiably with Zhang Can. She muttered under her breath, “Despicable, ungrateful wretch!”

Zhu Senlin, unaware of any grievances between Zhang Can and Old Su, didn’t notice the tension between Su Xiu and Zhang Can. Zhang Can himself was well aware but pretended not to see; the more openly Su Xiu showed her hostility, the more secure he felt. The more natural he acted, the more Old Su would lower his guard, believing Zhang Can knew nothing of the trap set for him before.

Between ten and noon, after the shop opened, four customers came in: three with goods to sell, and one who was just browsing, not intending to buy.

All three sellers brought porcelain items. Two were obvious fakes to anyone with some expertise; the third was a convincing forgery, but every piece was exposed with a glance from Zhang Can’s discerning eye. For each item, Zhang Can looked once, then politely declined, “Sorry, sir, perhaps you’d like to try another shop.”

Compared to Old Su’s lengthy appraisals, Zhang Can was brisk. Old Su would examine objects with tools for ages, but Zhang Can made his judgment in less than ten seconds—sometimes with just a glance, not even bothering to touch the item.

This puzzled the sellers. Could someone really authenticate antiques with just a cursory look? It seemed reckless, but since their items were rejected, there was nothing to be done. After all, they knew full well their goods were fake. Zhang Can’s expression made it clear: he wasn’t interested.

The three left in disappointment, baffled that the shop’s appraiser was so young. In Jincheng’s antiques market, all the experts were over fifty or sixty—a rule of thumb, it seemed. Without age, there was no credibility or sharp eye.

Truth be told, as soon as these sellers walked into Old Stone Studio and saw Zhang Can, they were delighted. With such a young man appraising, surely a little flattery would fool him. But things turned out differently—Zhang Can saw right through them with a single glance, infuriating them. No matter how they argued, he refused to give them another chance.

Zhu Senlin, unusually, stayed in the shop with Zhang Can. During appraisals, he never intervened, letting Zhang Can make all the decisions.

Zhang Qiang and the others wanted to learn the craft, but since Zhang Can used no tools, there was nothing to pick up. Su Xiu was even more disgusted—if not for Zhu Senlin’s presence, she would have lost her temper outright.

At noon, instead of the usual boxed lunches provided by the shop at ten yuan per person, Zhang Can ordered a lavish meal costing five or six hundred yuan and paid without hesitation.

Zhu Senlin tried to pay but was refused. He didn’t mind; Zhang Can’s gesture made them true friends. Besides, with Zhang Can’s current assets, he could easily afford such meals every day. In fact, Zhang Can’s wealth was nearly equal to his own, and with his abilities, he was sure to surpass him in the future. Zhu Senlin understood this well. That’s why he’d never regarded Zhang Can as a subordinate, but as a friend and brother.

By noon, Old Su still hadn’t arrived, and his phone remained unreachable. Zhu Senlin was growing concerned and told Su Xiu to go check on him. If anything was wrong, she should call immediately.

Su Xiu, worried as well, agreed at once, eager to leave—she had no desire to eat the lunch Zhang Can had ordered.

After Su Xiu left, Zhang Can, Zhu Senlin, Zhang Qiang, and the others finished their meal. Just as they were done, Old Su returned with Su Xiu.

Seeing Zhu Senlin, Old Su’s face was full of embarrassment. Flushing, he explained, “Old Zhu, I... I drank too much last night, went to bed late, and was dead to the world this morning. If Xiu Xiu hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have woken up. I’m sorry... I forgot to charge my phone last night, too...”

“Forget it, it’s no big deal,” Zhu Senlin waved it off. “You’ve opened up early every day for years. Being late once isn’t the end of the world. Have you eaten?”

Old Su quickly shook his head. “The alcohol’s not out of my system yet. I’m still dizzy, can’t think of eating…”

Zhu Senlin thought for a moment, then said, “Why don’t you go home and rest for the day? No need to work. Take some time to recover. Zhang Can is here; everything will be fine.”

Old Su’s face tightened at the mention of Zhang Can taking over. He hurried to say, “No need, no need. I’ll be fine after some strong tea. I always recover quickly after drinking—no problem, I’ll work this afternoon.”

Zhang Can smiled gently and added, “Yes, Old Su is experienced. If he’s able to work, all the better—I can learn a few things from him.”

Su Xiu could hold back no longer and burst out, “Some people are truly shameless—there should be a limit! My uncle taught you for years, and this is how you repay him? Ungrateful wretch!”

“What’s going on?” Only now did Zhu Senlin sense something was off. He glanced at Su Xiu’s expression, then at the calm-faced Zhang Can, then at Old Su. A thought crossed his mind—was there some misunderstanding between them? Could it be that his decision to bring Zhang Can back as manager had sparked jealousy?

Zhang Can’s expression darkened slightly as he looked at Su Xiu, whose eyes blazed with hatred, sharp as knives. Old Su, however, didn’t seem as angry as Su Xiu imagined; instead, he looked awkward, but not resentful—something Su Xiu couldn’t comprehend.

Zhang Can said coolly, “Su Xiu, I’ll take it that you weren’t talking about me. I’ve always regarded Old Su as my teacher. But my position today was given by Boss Zhu. Who wouldn’t want to be promoted? Who would want to drift through life with no advancement?”