CHAPTER 1169: CHAPTER 1168: MEMBERS OF THE YAN FAMILY APPEAR (PART 2)

The driver chuckled: "It’s not that they’re not open, it’s just their custom, right? They work on the first day of the month, not on the fifteenth; they work at the beginning of the year, not at the end. Now it’s November, soon it’ll be December and New Year, so many shops are definitely closing already."

So there’s such a custom.

Ye Ning finally understood, and suddenly a hint of disappointment flashed through her heart: "I’m not really looking for anything else, just looking for someone to appraise a treasure."

"Appraise a treasure?"

"Yes, I came across something, and I heard there used to be a family named Yan here, who were particularly skilled at appraising treasures. I just wanted them to help me identify it."

"Named Yan?"

The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror with surprise: "Are you talking about the Yan Family from De’an Li?"

De’an Li?!!

The driver actually knew!!

Upon hearing this, Ye Ning’s heart skipped a beat: "Yes, yes, do you know where that place is? Is their family still around?"

"They’ve been gone for ages, that was decades ago. During the Cultural Revolution, someone reported them for practicing witchcraft, then their home was raided, and the Yan Family was dragged off for public denunciation. Who knows where they are now?"

As the driver spoke, he also sighed, as if lamenting those innocently lost in the chaos.

Ye Ning fell silent, and her mood instantly turned sour...

Before coming here, she actually thought about it; the Yan Family was probably no more. But when she truly heard the news, she found she still couldn’t accept it. The feeling was as if the hope she had just glimpsed disappeared in an instant.

The Yan Family can’t be found, the Yan Family members have vanished, so where should she find that deceased old lady? To salvage the situation?

For a moment, Ye Ning’s face fell to its lowest point...

The driver in front noticed her expression and thought it was because she was sad that the Yan Family wasn’t around to appraise her treasure. So after a few minutes, he spoke again: "Young lady, don’t be sad. Even though the Yan Family isn’t around, you can find others. I’ve heard he has a disciple who has a good reputation too."

"A disciple?"

"Yes, don’t you know? Over by Chiz Street, there’s a teahouse called Huaman Building, which he runs. Every day, countless people come for him. You can go have a look."

"..."

She really didn’t know the Yan Family could take in disciples?

She decided not to go to the flower market and head to this place called Huaman Building instead.

Ten minutes later, outside a teahouse hung with red lanterns at the end of Chiz Street, Ye Ning finally got out of the car and saw this legendary first building for treasure appraising in Bazhong.

"Looks like today is a flower-viewing day. See how lively the teahouse is," as she was nearing getting out of the car and paying the fare. The driver, seeing the teahouse bustling with people, commented.

Flower-viewing?

Ye Ning didn’t understand: "What’s flower-viewing?"

The driver smiled: "I don’t really get it either, but I heard it’s a custom of the teahouse. On certain occasions, they appraise treasures for customers for free. If it’s fake, they compensate tenfold, but once identified, the person has to sign a three-year contract to only have their treasures appraised by him. So, this is called flower-viewing."

What a clever business!

Ye Ning was amazed; she actually understood this appraisal path better than anyone, like Phoenix Blue Ink, who charged guests 5% of the item’s value for a regular appraisal. And those who came to her, their items weren’t cheap, often worth hundreds of thousands or even millions.