Chapter Eighty-Two: The Foul Stone in the Pigsty

Chapter Eighty-Two: The Stinking Stones in the Pigsty

Zhang Can glanced at Zhu Senlin. Zhu Senlin spread his hands and chuckled, “You’re in charge of the shop. Don’t ask me—just tell me if you need anything done!”

Zhang Can smiled wryly and then said to A-Qiang, “A-Qiang, bring out that jade seal we bought for a thousand last time!”

Zhang Qiang quickly responded, heading to the storeroom shelves where they kept inexpensive items. Anything valuable would be locked up, with the key now in Zhang Hua’s care—previously, Old Su had it.

Zhang Qiang fetched the seal and handed it to Zhang Can, who then passed it to the old woman, asking, “Granny, please take a look. Is this the seal?”

The old woman took it, examined it closely, and nodded urgently. “Yes, yes, this is the one. No mistake!” As she spoke, she teared up again and pulled out a cloth bundle wrapped in a handkerchief from her coat. She carefully unwrapped it, revealing a stack of bills: six or seven of a hundred yuan each, then a thick pile of tens, fives, ones, and even some coins.

She placed the package of money on the coffee table in front of Zhang Can, nervously saying, “Young man, this is twelve hundred yuan. I counted it at home. Please, count it yourself to be sure!”

Zhang Can felt a pang of sorrow. He pushed the money back to her and sincerely said, “Granny, please take your money back. I’m returning the seal to you, and I’d like to compensate you further. Let me—” He reached into his pocket for his wallet. There wasn’t much inside, just about two thousand yuan. It seemed too little, but since there was nothing urgent, he thought to escort the old woman home, see her situation, and find a chance to help more. After all, he still felt guilty about the valuable antique he’d gotten from the little girl, Xiang Lin. It was one thing to spot bargains among seasoned street dealers—everyone knew the game—but with this girl, it had felt a bit like cheating. Of course, if her gambling father hadn’t been present at the time, Zhang Can would have paid more.

The old woman was taken aback and immediately waved her hands, “No, no, that won’t do! I’m already so grateful you’re returning the seal. How could I possibly take your money? Absolutely not!”

Seeing her plain honesty, Zhang Can realized that simply giving her money would make her suspicious. He thought a moment and said, “Granny, let’s not talk about this now. Since we’re free, we’ll drive you and your granddaughter home. You mentioned you had some antiques at home? Since this is our line of work, let us take a look. If you want to sell, we’ll agree on a good price. If not, that’s fine too—no obligation. How about it?”

The old woman hesitated, holding the seal tightly, but finally nodded. “Alright. I do have a few things left at home, all hidden away—my late husband left them. I’d wanted to save them for my granddaughter’s dowry, or for my grandson to marry someday. My husband used to deal in antiques and jade, but during those ten years of persecution, the house was raided—most of our things were destroyed. What remains is what he managed to hide away. Later, things got better, but my son was no good—he stole and sold most of what was left, then gambled it all away. Sigh… Since you’ve returned my husband’s seal, I’ll take you to see what’s left. If you see anything you like, we can talk.”

Zhang Can stood and called to Zhu Senlin, “Old Zhu, get your Benz!”

“No problem! I’ll be your driver. Wait here while I fetch the car,” Zhu replied cheerfully, dashing off with no trace of a boss’s airs.

“Granny, Xiao Lin, let’s go,” Zhang Can said, ushering the old woman and the little girl Xiang Lin outside, where the three waited by the roadside.

In less than two minutes, Zhu Senlin arrived in the brand-new Benz, parking beside them. Zhang Can opened the back door to help the old woman in, but she hesitated—was a car this luxurious really for her? Without a second thought, Zhang Can gently assisted her inside, then lifted little Xiang Lin in as well and closed the door. Zhu Senlin waved with a grin, “All aboard—let’s go!”

“Old Zhu, stop at the bank first—I have something to do,” Zhang Can instructed.

Zhu Senlin knew exactly what Zhang Can intended: to compensate the old woman’s family a little. He had no objection. As long as Zhang Can was making money for the shop, he could handle things as he saw fit—after all, Zhang Can’s compassion was a blessing. He was ruthless only to those who had wronged him, but otherwise drew clear lines between gratitude and grudges. Zhu Senlin liked that about him, especially after getting to know him. Zhang Can was capable, and though there were surely others who could earn more, Zhang Can’s abilities were impressive enough.

At the bank, Zhang Can got out, saying, “I’ll be quick—just a moment!”

With the balance in his account, Zhang Can was a VIP among VIPs—no need to queue; he went straight to the private room. He’d planned to withdraw a hundred thousand but changed his mind and took out two hundred thousand, just in case. Giving too much at once could cause trouble, but now that he knew the address, he could visit them from time to time and help discreetly. After all, the head of the household was still that gambler—the old woman’s son, Xiang Lin’s father.

When he returned from the bank, he carried a plastic bag, contents indistinguishable, and said nothing.

Zhu Senlin asked for the old woman’s address and drove them there. He’d assumed she lived in the city, but it turned out to be at the fringe, once rural, now annexed by the city’s expansion.

Her home was at the edge of the old district outside North City, the poorest area in Jin City, since all new development headed southeast and west.

Leaving the city, the road narrowed and aged, but traffic thinned too. Near her house, it was practically countryside—a two-story tiled house, accessible only by a three-meter-wide lane, but with a hundred-square-meter yard in front, perfect for parking.

The old woman was dizzy upon stepping out of the car, so Zhang Can quickly helped her down. Xiang Lin was fine—lively, she skipped around the yard playing shuttlecock.

After regaining her composure, the old woman went inside to fetch chairs for Zhang Can and Zhu Senlin, apologizing, “The house is too messy—there’s no space inside. It’s better to sit out here in the yard.”

“No need for formalities, Granny—make yourself at home,” Zhang Can said, waving a hand.

The old woman brought out a few bottles and jars for them to examine. “These are what my husband managed to save. The rest were smashed, and some my useless son stole and pawned. My son’s no good—my daughter-in-law divorced him, so now it’s just us three: grandmother, grandson, and granddaughter. My son gambles away from home for long stretches, and when he does come back, he either pawns things or asks me for money. I’m just an old woman—how much can I have?”

Her voice choked with emotion as she continued, “When my husband was alive, we had enough to get by in the city. Later, he moved us all out here. After he passed, I could only keep a few pigs and scrape by. The grandchildren’s schooling costs money—it’s been hard…”

Seeing her cry, Xiang Lin snuggled up to her, unable to hold back her own tears. Zhang Can stroked Xiang Lin’s head gently. “Don’t be sad, Granny. Things will get better. Xiang Lin is so smart—she’ll definitely get into a good university in the future.”

The old woman wiped her eyes, “Both my grandchildren are clever, but with a family like this… Even if they get into a good school, how could we afford tuition?”

Zhang Can reassured her, “Don’t worry, Granny. I’ll buy these antiques for at least two hundred thousand. Take the money and save it for their education. If you ever face difficulties, come to the shop and find me. I’ll help as much as I can.”

The old woman shook her head, “Young man, I know you mean well, but my husband always said these things weren’t worth much—certainly not two hundred thousand. Still, thank you.”

Shaking her head, she went back inside to boil water for tea, while Xiang Lin followed to help in the kitchen.

Zhu Senlin, moved, whispered, “How much did you withdraw? Just give it all to them. We’ve already made a fortune off them. But…” He glanced at the house, lowering his voice, “I agree we should help, but I worry it won’t last. Her son might just steal it and gamble it away.”

Zhang Can shook his head and sighed, “What else can we do? We can only do our best. Life is never perfect. At least this way, our conscience is clear.”

The yard was spacious. Zhang Can wandered to the trees at the edge, then behind the house to the pigsty to relieve himself. Four pigs—three large, one small—snorted about inside, rooting for food.

Standing by the latrine’s edge, Zhang Can looked around. The countryside was peaceful, with only the birds in the trees for company—a quiet so different from the city, reminiscent of his own hometown.

After finishing, he washed his hands in the field behind the house. As he turned to return to the yard, his gaze fell by chance on a row of seven or eight stones propping up the pigsty wall. His mind jolted; he instinctively switched to his black-and-white vision for a few seconds and was stunned!

Of the seven or eight stones at the pigsty door, four contained jadeite. Two held top-grade, glassy jadeite of considerable size—one with a core as big as a large bowl, the other slightly smaller. The other two stones contained lesser quality, but still decent, clear jadeite—enough to fetch tens of thousands once processed. As for the two glassy pieces, their current market value was immense: enough to produce six or seven top-quality bangles, dozens of ring stones, and still have fragments left for pendants. Once crafted, they could easily be worth over a hundred million. Even just the raw material for those two glassy jadeites would conservatively fetch twenty to thirty million.