Chapter 3

New Customer

Nan Shi slumped in his chair, pondering from all angles. In the end, he decided to open up a game session for some respite. As for tonight’s affairs—by five o’clock this afternoon, he would close shop and head home!

He had no intention whatsoever of doing business with ghosts!

Avoidance might be shameful, but it was effective!

As the sun gradually ascended to its zenith, the pedestrian street also slowly became bustling with activity. There were always customers who had finished their meals or tourists still browsing, drawn inside by the exquisite array of trinkets displayed in the showcase. Nan Shi found himself without time even to play games anymore.

Although most visitors merely looked around, when working in the service industry, every customer is considered god until they’ve paid—this principle remains unchanged.

However, among these patrons, there were distinctions to be made. When two young women carrying designer handbags entered the store, Nan Shi swiftly sidestepped over to them. “What can I show you today?”

His smile was gentle yet appropriate, his demeanor refined and elegant. His speech neither rushed nor languid, paired with his silk-lined long robe, truly exuded an air that could captivate hearts—a quality not easily dismissed.

The two girls scanned the store’s cabinets briefly before pointing at an item Nan Shi had stocked just yesterday. “Could we try on those lotus bracelet sets?”

“Certainly.” Nan Shi leaned slightly forward, opened the counter, and retrieved an entire velvet tray containing the bracelets, placing it right in front of them.

With a gesturing motion, he indicated for them to help themselves freely.

What they were drawn to was Nan Shi’s designed Bodhi Root bracelet, composed of fifteen beads carved into lotus flowers. The skin of the Bodhi roots had not been completely peeled off; instead, some parts were left intact, forming one after another lotus flower with an outer red hue and inner white core. At the bottom end of the bracelet hung a string of pale blue tassels, with each tassel adorned by a pure white lotus seedpod crafted from a Bodhi root. This design meticulously captured the essence of “red blossoms, white stems, azure leaves”—a sentiment derived from the ancient Daoist saying ‘Red blossoms, white stems, azure leaves—three teachings originally as one,’ which described the relationship between three great Daoist founders.

As for why materials from Buddhism, such as Bodhi roots, were used to embody a Daoist concept, Nan Shi advised against overthinking it, stating that if something looked good, that was enough justification.

After all, genuine Bodhi roots were inexpensive, durable, and visually appealing.

The two young women tried on the bracelets. Observing their reaction without changing his expression, Nan Shi praised them subtly, “From the beginning, I thought once made, these would look beautiful… indeed, they do.”

Buoyed by this compliment and convinced of the bracelets’ attractiveness, the girls inquired about the price. Upon hearing it was only 300 yuan per piece, they promptly pulled out their phones to make payment without hesitation, then departed the shop amidst laughter and chatter.

Nan Shi nodded slightly, watching them exit through the doorway. As he listened to the pleasant chime signaling “Alipay has received six hundred yuan,” he inwardly gave himself a thumbs-up, feeling utterly content.

In business, one cannot be too concerned with maintaining face; otherwise, they won’t make money. With just this single transaction, he had recouped the cost of that entire dozen of Bodhi bead bracelets. Everything from here on out was pure profit.

He certainly wasn’t some rich second-generation scion. This two-story shop, covering a total of one hundred square meters, was only possible by mortgaging his family home to secure the capital for rent. The annual lease alone cost six hundred thousand yuan. If not for his ruthless approach, bankruptcy would have come swiftly at his door.

The blame lay solely on his youthful naivety back then. Having accumulated a bit of savings, he’d fallen prey to online “chicken soup” stories—those tales of opening a store, leisurely selling goods day after day, enjoying a happy retirement while raking in gold by the gram each day.

At the time, Nan Shi had thought it all sounded perfect. They say in the antique trade, either you don’t open shop, or if you do, you’ll prosper for three years straight. Coincidentally, an antiques store owner on this pedestrian street was ready to retire and sell off their stock. After careful consideration, Nan Shi decided to take over everything lock, stock, and barrel—including the antiques themselves.

Little did he know that instead of securing a comfortable retirement, he’d become a classic example of someone who’d taken the bait hook, line, and sinker. Without working tirelessly, he risked becoming what they call a “negative second-gen”—not only bankrupt financially but also ruined reputation-wise.

As for those antiques he’d purchased at such great expense along with the store?

Most were outright fakes, while even the genuine items belonged to utterly worthless categories—for instance, five-emperor coins so cheap you could buy two for merely one yuan.

The antiques trade had unwritten rules: sellers would not say whether items were genuine or fake, leaving it entirely up to the buyer’s discernment to judge. If one purchased a counterfeit at the price of an authentic item, they could only accept their loss as part of learning the ropes.

Nan Shi had entered this profession not long ago but was already aware of these rules, forced to tacitly comply with them.

Indeed, when he took over the shop, the previous owner never claimed all his goods were genuine.

Along the way, Nan Shi managed to sell two batches of merchandise. Both buyers appeared to be meticulous middle-aged men who seemed quite particular about quality. Nan Shi couldn’t bring himself to tell them outright that these were genuine items, nor did he dare declare them fakes and risk ruining his livelihood. All he could do was smile without uttering a word.

Unexpectedly, both transactions went through smoothly. Whether the buyers failed to notice anything amiss or chose to suffer in silence like Nan Shi remains unknown. They certainly didn’t come back demanding refunds or causing trouble. In fact, perhaps out of sympathy for Nan Shi, they might have even spread word online on his behalf—yet from then on, not a single customer came to purchase legitimate antiques from him again.

With no other choice, Nan Shi couldn’t afford to sit idly by waiting for death. After surveying the street, he noticed that the most profitable businesses were various old-established food stalls and restaurants. These places relied on secret recipes passed down through generations—a skill set beyond Nan Shi’s reach. Next were the tea milkshake shops, which required franchise fees—an obstacle insurmountable for Nan Shi due to his lack of funds. With neither option viable, he found himself stymied once more.

In the end, he could only choose to sell miscellaneous small items from the middle range—jewelry pieces and such. The cost of goods purchased from Yiwu was low, and fortunately, his shop’s decoration was quite good; at first glance, it appeared very high-end. Surprisingly, sales were decent, just enough for him to scrape by with a meal.

Nan Shi smiled as he reached this point in his thoughts. Noticing that the flow of people had begun to decrease, he took the opportunity to order some takeout food. Alongside this, he removed the last strand of Bodhi root bracelet from around his wrist and swapped out the ancient jade pendant at his chest—for this set of three strands, he had personally designed them, commissioning someone else to make only these few pieces.

The ancient jade on his hand emitted a lustrous glow, clearly indicating its quality upon sight. However, it was somewhat heavy, causing Nan Shi to frequently adjust his clothing whenever the weight became bothersome.

He casually stuffed the ancient jade into the display counter. Selling it was out of the question; after all, this piece of ancient jade had been given to him by his shixiong (senior brother). If he were to sell it, his shixiong would undoubtedly lose his temper, and who knew what kind of torment he’d face later? But placing it in the display counter as a signboard to catch customers’ attention wasn’t a bad idea.

Before long, the takeout arrived. As Nan Shi lowered his head to eat, a middle-aged man suddenly entered the store. Dressed in casual attire, he seemed to be in his forties or fifties—but Nan Shi couldn’t be certain. After all, the man’s face looked remarkably youthful, appearing more like someone between thirty and forty years old.

His face was plump with few wrinkles, especially notable were his full and prominent eye sockets below his eyes. Combined with his ruddy complexion, it made him appear even more spirited and energetic overall.

At first glance, Nan Shi felt this person must be blessed with both sons and daughters, and recently might even have good fortune approaching.

However, his shixiong had warned him not to read fortunes for living beings at present. It was fine to take a blind guess on one’s own, but he should keep tight-lipped about it; otherwise, if karma came knocking, he’d bear the consequences himself.

As soon as the older brother entered, he called out, “Boss!”

Pointing to the counter by the entrance, he asked, “Can you remove the jade pendant from there so I can take a look?”

Nan Shi set down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, then displayed a business-like smile. “My apologies, but that item is non-saleable.”

“I see…” Seeing a hint of surprise flicker across Nan Shi’s face, the older brother realized he hadn’t anticipated the shop owner would be so young. He continued, “I liked it upon sight. Are you truly unwilling to sell, Boss? The price is negotiable!”

Approaching, Nan Shi explained with a smile still fixed on his face, “This was gifted to me by an elder, making it unsuitable for sale. Please understand.”

…So these ancient jades are truly that appealing? A customer arrived within half an hour just because of its presence? Better put it away later to avoid trouble.

“So that’s how it is.” Upon hearing this explanation, the older brother didn’t give up his attempt. He continued, “May I ask, if you were to sell this jade pendant, what would be its approximate price?”

He believed that if a shop owner refused to sell their goods, it was usually because they hadn’t been offered enough money.

“It truly isn’t for sale; it’s not about the money,” Nan Shi shook his head. “Even if I went bankrupt, I wouldn’t easily part with it. I’m afraid my elders might come in dreams at midnight and beat me half-dead.”

They really would come in dreams at midnight and beat him half-dead! Perhaps not even needing to enter through a dream! This wasn’t said as a joke!

Upon hearing this, the older brother realized that this item was indeed not going to be sold. “In that case, never mind. Do you have any similar ones? Could you bring them out so I can take a look?”

Nan Shi did indeed have similar jade pendants in his store, all genuine items—he had had them appraised by experts. He turned around to open a locked cabinet, asking while searching, “Who is it for? How old are they?”

“For my daughter, she hasn’t been born yet! Next month!” As the older brother spoke of his unborn child, joy spread across his face. “It’ll be a sturdy girl! The doctor said he’d never seen such a robust one before!”

Nan Shi found the requested jade pendant and pulled it out. Upon hearing this, he paused briefly before also removing a pair of dragon-phoenix jade ornaments set in a blue jewelry box, which he placed on the counter. As soon as the older brother saw these, his eyes lit up, and he quickly picked out the dragon-phoenix set. “These look beautiful!”

He then glanced at the single Khotan Jade-made safety lock and said, “This one is also quite good… It’s somewhat difficult to choose.”

Nan Shi instinctively replied, “A single one isn’t enough.”

The older brother had full eyebrows with a soft yet forceful appearance. According to physiognomy books, such features indicated someone blessed with both sons and daughters. However, Nan Shi didn’t know his client’s birth time, so he couldn’t rely solely on facial features; thus, he dared not make any definitive assertions.

The older brother was taken aback. “Hm? What do you mean by that?”

In an instant, Nan Shi wanted to slap himself across the face but managed to suppress the urge. With stiffened resolve, he hastily concocted an explanation on the spot: “… You see, this dragon-phoenix auspicious charm—the phoenix has come, surely the dragon won’t be far behind, right? If next year another son arrives, it will complete the character ‘good.’ Wouldn’t that be ideal?”

Upon hearing this, the corners of the older brother’s eyes twitched slightly, making his eyebrows appear even fuller than before. He repeated several times, “Indeed, indeed,” until finally breaking into a radiant smile, unable to contain his amusement. “Just as the shopkeeper says—but I must admit, ideally, I’d prefer another daughter. Daughters are wonderful! So attentive and caring! If we get a rascal of a son instead, well, I might have to postpone my retirement for a few more years!”

“This situation is different,” Nan Shi countered. “Once a son grows up, there’s no need to worry about him anymore. But if I were to have a daughter, I fear even when I close my eyes in death, I’d still fret over whether she would suffer mistreatment without her father around.”

The older brother thought for a moment, then nodded firmly. “This makes sense! My daughter hasn’t even been born yet, but I was already thinking—how could I bear it if she were to marry someday? After raising her for several decades, in the blink of an eye she’d become someone else’s… To be honest with you, there were nearly a few nights where I couldn’t sleep from sheer dejection! Forget it; let’s have another boy instead! That way, when I’m gone later on, he can take care of his sister!”

Upon hearing this, Nan Shi knew this transaction was sealed. The older brother spoke candidly, and Nan Shi hadn’t inflated the price either. This pair of dragon-phoenix matched set was made of ice-species jade, and he had quoted a price of forty-eight thousand yuan. The older brother found this number unlucky and directly offered fifty thousand yuan instead. With a swift swipe of his card, he paid promptly before leaving with the items in hand.

After seeing off the customer, Nan Shi massaged his shoulders wearily. With this sale, he mused, I’ll finally catch a break this month.

His gaze fell upon the ancient jade piece displayed behind the counter. He quickly took it out and stuffed it into his pocket, lest it draw unwanted attention again.

Come to think of it, that ancient jade truly seemed miraculous. Ever since removing it, not a single serious client had visited throughout the afternoon. Those who entered the shop were mostly young men and women looking to purchase trinkets and baubles. Most browsed without buying anything at all. Nan Shi wondered if there might be some feng shui effect at play here. Perhaps he should replace it with another jade ornament later?

Without delay, Nan Shi placed the Khotan Jade safety lock he had just handled onto the counter. Then, with a casual motion, he grabbed a feather duster and swept away the dust from the antiques on the display rack, hoping to make them look more appealing for sale. By the time he finished his tasks, the clock had struck five o’clock. Startled, he hastily prepared to close up shop.

It was five o’clock—the moment when day and night exchanged places, clarity and obscurity intertwined. This was the witching hour; any further delay would be too late!

Nan Shi hung the old lock used to secure the door, turned around to leave, only to find himself face-to-face with a hunched elderly man dressed in traditional Tang attire.

The lingering rays of the setting sun draped a golden-red cloak over the old man, making it difficult for Nan Shi to clearly discern his features.

The elder lifted his head, glanced at the horizontal plaque above the doorway, then looked back at Nan Shi and said, “Is this Mr. Nan himself? …I’m fortunate I ventured out early today; Mr. Nan seems to have closed rather soon!”

A gust of wind swept down the main street, swiftly slipping beneath Nan Shi’s collar. Despite the sun still warming his body, he felt a chilling penetration to the bone.

Smiling warmly, the old man fixed his gaze steadily upon Nan Shi. “Or perhaps… does Mr. Nan not wish to conduct business with someone like me?”