Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Treasures of Cheng'an

Since it was fake, why did Zhang Can still buy it? Even if the price was low, it was still a forgery, and Old Stone Studio was not the Red Ten Studio, not a charity.

Zhang Can smiled quietly and said, “Old Su, to be honest, I feel a bit guilty about what I did today, as if I’m deceiving that little girl. But…”

He paused, sighed, and continued, “But if I don’t take it, that thing in the little girl’s hands is worthless. Someday, she might lose it or play it away, and then it’ll be worth nothing at all. I even wanted to give her some money, but you all saw her father—what kind of person is he? If I gave the girl cash, it would just end up with her father. He’d spend it all in a single night, and the girl might not even get ten yuan to buy something to eat!”

Everyone was momentarily stunned. Zhang Can's words focused entirely on the little girl, never once mentioning the fake Jade Seal.

Seeing Old Su's confusion, Zhang Can handed him the feather shuttlecock he was holding, smiling, “Old Su, take a look at this.”

Old Su didn’t understand Zhang Can’s intention. He accepted the shuttlecock, examined it, and said, “Isn’t this just a feather shuttlecock? What’s so interesting about it?”

“Open it up. Take it apart and see,” Zhang Can smiled, refusing to explain further.

Old Su paused, and a tremor ran through his heart. Could Zhang Can have spotted something again? But he himself couldn’t see anything; the shuttlecock was wrapped in cloth, and there was no way to see through it.

Nevertheless, Old Su didn’t hesitate. He asked Su Xiu for a pair of scissors, carefully snipped open the cloth ball at the base, and after unwrapping it, discarded the feathers and shafts, revealing what lay inside.

It was a heavily corroded ancient coin, small and round with a square hole in the center, its color a bluish white. Yet its shape was peculiar, not perfectly round like most copper coins, but an irregular circle, almost rectangular.

Old Su stared at the coin, then quickly grabbed a magnifying glass and examined it closely. After a long look, he rummaged through a cabinet for a book, flipped to a page filled with ancient coin illustrations. The text was in traditional script, mostly unreadable to the staff.

Old Su compared the coin, then called out, “Little Chen, Little Chen…”

Little Chen was a university graduate hired specifically to operate testing instruments and verify antiques.

Su Xiu hurriedly said, “Uncle, Little Chen already resigned, don’t you remember?”

“Oh…” Old Su slapped his forehead. Yes, Little Chen had left a few days ago. He thought for a moment, then said to Zhang Qiang, “A Qiang, go next door and ask Little Li to come help test this coin.”

Zhu Senlin was startled by Old Su’s reaction, suddenly standing up and asking urgently, “Old Su, what’s the matter? Is this coin valuable?”

Old Su gave an awkward smile. “I can’t be entirely sure yet. We need Little Li to test the coin’s composition. But…”

He pondered, then pointed at Zhang Can and said to Zhu Senlin, “Old Zhu, maybe you should ask Zhang Can. I think he’s doing this for a reason.”

Zhu Senlin’s curiosity was piqued. Old Su didn’t say more, likely because he wasn’t certain, but Zhang Can had acted with confidence, probably at least eighty to ninety percent sure.

“My friend, tell us, what do you mean?” Zhu Senlin asked Zhang Can, grinning, thinking that a little extra profit was always welcome—even if he didn’t earn much, a loss of a thousand yuan was nothing.

Zhang Can smiled. The less certain Old Su was, the happier he felt, as it let him shine in front of Zhu Senlin. If things continued, Old Su’s reputation and momentum would be completely overtaken. Naturally, he wouldn’t hold back.

“Let me explain. Of course, it’s just my observation—I could be wrong, and we’ll need the test results to be sure. But I’m eighty to ninety percent confident.”

Zhang Can spoke in a deliberately thoughtful tone, “When that man was leaving, I saw his daughter—the little girl—playing with a shuttlecock. Its cloth ball caught my eye. Old Su and Old Zhu, you’re both familiar with ancient coins: since the Shang and Zhou eras, ancient coins have mostly been round with a square hole, so they could be strung together. That’s why coins are called ‘Square-Hole Brothers.’ But during the Yuan dynasty, specifically under Emperor Zhangzong of Jin, they minted unusual silver ingot coins, very different from the traditional copper coins. The Jin dynasty called these silver coins ‘Treasure Goods.’ They were long, board-shaped, oval at both ends with a waist in the middle, and honeycomb holes at the base. There were five denominations, from one to ten taels, with the most common being one and a half, two and a half, and five taels. These ‘Cheng’an Treasure Goods’ silver coins are extremely rare and valuable. When I saw the cloth ball at the base of the little girl’s shuttlecock, its shape was bizarre, very much like a ‘Cheng’an Treasure Goods’ coin. Then I weighed the shuttlecock and became even more convinced.”

Zhu Senlin nodded, “Oh,” unfamiliar with Cheng’an Treasure Goods and their value, but happy so long as it was valuable.

Old Su’s eyes narrowed, and he drew a sharp breath. He suspected the coin was indeed Cheng’an Treasure Goods. After careful comparison with the book, he was almost sure, but without chemical testing, he couldn’t confirm it. If it truly was a Cheng’an Treasure Goods silver coin—damn it, Zhang Can had struck gold again!

Why hadn’t he noticed the girl’s shuttlecock? Why wasn’t it him who discovered the treasure? Old Su was full of regret. He had hoped to knock Zhang Can down a peg and reclaim some pride, but instead, the more he tried, the more he lost face.

With Old Su’s experience and the book’s illustrations, he was almost certain, barring unexpected results, that the coin was a real Cheng’an Treasure Goods. Yet deep down, he hoped it was a fake. Not a forgery, just an error in judgment—it wasn’t brought in for sale, after all.

Zhu Senlin chuckled and waved his hand, “An old coin, whether silver or copper—even if pure silver, what’s it worth? Don’t be nervous. Let Little Li test it.”

Old Su shook his head, “Old Zhu, if this is really Cheng’an Treasure Goods, it’s not so simple. In 1994, five Cheng’an Treasure Goods of one and a half taels were unearthed in Acheng, Heilongjiang. One made it to the black market in Britain and was auctioned publicly at Baotong Auction House. The final price was a staggering one hundred and twenty thousand pounds!”

“What?”

Zhu Senlin leapt to his feet, shocked pale. One hundred and twenty thousand pounds—over twelve million yuan! That much cash was about what he owned now, his pocket fattened thanks to Zhang Can helping him earn seven or eight million recently. If this coin was real, it would be another of Zhang Can’s accomplishments!

In his anxiety, sweat poured from Zhu Senlin’s forehead, his chubby fingers wiping it away. If it was genuine, he’d gain six million. Zhang Can was truly a treasure. Why had he never noticed him before? He remembered seeing Zhang Can several times in the past but had never paid attention. Thankfully, now he’d cemented their relationship. In his whole life, this was the wisest decision he’d ever made!

In less than a month, Zhang Can had earned him more than his entire previous fortune. For Zhu Senlin, it was incredible.

Little Li arrived with A Qiang. He was familiar with the shop’s equipment; most antique stores at the market had such devices, and some of the strongest shops had even better ones.

Like the former Little Chen of Old Stone Studio, Little Li was a university graduate. He didn’t know much about antiques, but Old Su carefully scraped some powder from the coin with a knife and wrapped it in paper to hand to Little Li.

Then came the wait for the test results. As they waited, Zhang Can watched the scene, feeling as if his heart were bleeding. Last time, Old Su had had Little Chen test a piece, and he and Old Su had watched together.

But then he’d fallen into Old Su’s trap. If not for the unexpected acquisition of his black-and-white vision ability, he might now be a nameless corpse in the river, his parents forced into misery by loan sharks.

Everything—all of it—was because of Old Su. Zhang Can would never forgive him, and his revenge would never stop.

Half an hour later, Little Li brought out the computer’s printed results, reading the data on the paper as he spoke, “The molecular composition, content, and pH value confirm this is silver. The weathering suggests it was minted about eight hundred years ago.”

Old Su slapped his thigh in excitement. “Yes, it’s Cheng’an Treasure Goods!”

Zhu Senlin was ecstatic, standing up and laughing, “Good, tonight dinner’s on me! At Jin City Hotel—everyone gets a two-thousand yuan bonus, Old Su gets five thousand…”

He thought for a moment, pulled out his wallet, counted out five hundred, and handed it to Little Li, smiling, “Little Li, buy yourself some cigarettes—just a little token!”

Little Li didn’t refuse, pocketed the money, thanked them, and returned to his shop.

Zhang Qiang and the other three clerks were the happiest, getting two thousand yuan each for nothing. Before, they’d worked with Old Su for so long, never earning such generous rewards from Old Zhu, who was never so straightforward—dinner and bonuses all at once.

Su Xiu wasn’t pleased. Zhang Can had triumphed again, her uncle was unhappy, and everything seemed to revolve around Zhang Can. What was wrong with her uncle lately? Why did all the good things keep falling to Zhang Can?

Of course, Su Xiu didn’t object to Zhu Senlin giving bonuses. Girls needed money even more—a single dress could cost her entire month’s salary. Designer perfume, designer clothes, they were both a delight and a torment—she couldn’t afford them.

Old Su was excited, seeing Zhu Senlin smile at Zhang Can, and immediately recalled what Zhu Senlin had said: from now on, any money Zhang Can earned would be split half and half. Just now, with the Cheng’an Treasure Goods they’d found, both would net six million each!

Six million—how could Zhang Can get it so easily? Zhu Senlin earning six million didn’t bother Old Su; he was the boss, after all. But Zhang Can? Old Su couldn’t stand it. Zhang Can was a nobody he’d always looked down on, and now, with a casual grab, he had found a priceless treasure. When Old Su ran the shop, he’d hardly see anything truly valuable in a year, making only small profits. But what was happening with Zhang Can now? It was as if rare treasures were pouring out during this brief period!