CHAPTER 12: CHAPTER 12: SNATCHING FOOD FROM THE TIGER’S MOUTH

"Boss, are all the books you sold me yesterday here?"

Qi Yun couldn’t find the missing stamp after searching for a long time, so he had no choice but to ask the boss again.

The boss was busy soldering copper coils, and without turning his head, he replied, "They should all be there. The yard is a mess; if not, you might want to look again yourself."

Qi Yun sighed and turned to scan the yard.

Noticing he had already looked around the nearby area without finding anything.

Until he caught a glimpse of a makeshift doghouse in the corner, he saw a faint glimmer of light in his view.

His heart skipped a beat, and he jogged over.

He saw a small, skinny mongrel dog gnawing on a magazine.

This startled Qi Yun, and he quickly crouched down, ready to snatch the magazine.

But the mongrel was not so easily intimidated, baring its teeth and growling threateningly.

Looking as if it would bite if he dared to reach out.

Qi Yun quickly pulled back his hand, aware that these mongrel dogs typically aren’t vaccinated, and a bite could lead to rabies, which is no laughing matter.

He fumbled in his jacket pocket and was relieved to find he still had two roasted buns he bought before going out.

Successfully trading the buns for the magazine, now gnawed to bits.

"Please don’t be torn apart..."

Qi Yun’s heart was in his throat, silently hoping that the stamp was intact.

His hands trembled slightly as he flipped through, some pages were tattered and stained with the dog’s drool, emitting an unpleasant odor.

Upon reaching a certain page, his gaze froze, and he couldn’t help but exhale with relief.

Thank heavens! The stamp was untouched, lying calmly within the pages.

On the stamp’s surface, the vibrant portrayal of Mei Lanfang remained vivid.

Although Qi Yun wasn’t a philatelist, he could see that the stamp was well-preserved.

He picked up another magazine from the pile and cautiously placed the stamp inside, valued at least 80,000 yuan.

Finally, his anxiety was relieved.

"Thanks, boss, I’m heading out."

Qi Yun offered the boss another cigarette, bid him goodbye, and left in high spirits.

The most exhilarating description in life should be ’a scare without danger.’

After leaving the scrap station, he rode his e-bike straight to the antique market he visited yesterday.

It was not yet eleven o’clock, so most shops were still closed, including ’Qiuyue Pavilion.’

Qi Yun took out his phone and sent Shi Feng a message, "I’ve got some good stuff; interested?"

As soon as the message was sent, a voice call immediately came through.

"Buddy, what good stuff do you have this time?" Shi Feng’s voice was eager and excited as he asked.

"I’m at your shop’s entrance; come for a face-to-face chat."

"Alright, alright! Coming right away!"

Within ten minutes, Shi Feng arrived, wearing a down jacket and cotton slippers, running all the way.

His remaining few strands of hair stubbornly fluttered in the cold wind.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, buddy." He apologized to Qi Yun while opening the door, panting heavily.

He looked much like Qi Yun delivering food, just about to exceed the time limit.

It seems that the antique business isn’t going too well lately.

After entering the shop, Shi Feng invited Qi Yun to sit down and quickly began preparing tea.

"Buddy, what’s the good stuff? Show me."

Qi Yun opened the magazine and slowly slid it over to Shi Feng.

Shi Feng’s eyes immediately locked onto the stamp, his smile replaced by intense focus.

He didn’t even touch the stamp, opting for a magnifying glass to examine it closely.

After checking one side, he carefully used tweezers to flip and examine the other side.

Once he thoroughly inspected it, he excitedly said, "Buddy, where did you get this treasure?"

"The condition is exceptional! I feel it’s better than the one that went to auction!"

Qi Yun smiled and took a sip of tea, "Got it from collecting scrap."

Hearing this, Shi Feng awkwardly smiled, thinking Qi Yun was being secretive.

He hesitated for a moment and then switched to his negotiation mode with practiced ease.

Usual rhetoric about a sluggish market, poor liquidity, needing collectors with means...

Qi Yun quietly drank his tea without responding.

Having dealt with Shi Feng before, he knew the drill.

After Shi Feng finished his spiel without swaying Qi Yun, he calmly held up eight fingers.

"Eight... eighty thousand?"

"Buddy, you’re ruthless; I’ll admit the item is good, but it’s not worth that much."

"How about sixty thousand? I might end up losing money at that price..."

"..."

After rambling on for a while and seeing Qi Yun unmoved, Shi Feng finally understood. When doing business with Qi Yun, it’s a fixed price.

But Qi Yun’s fixed price offers just the right amount, leaving room for Shi Feng’s profit.

"Alright, eighty thousand it is. Buddy, I truly admire your discerning eye."

Shi Feng sighed, deciding that in future dealings with Qi Yun, he’d skip unnecessary chatter and save his breath for another day.

He stood up, retrieved a delicate collector’s box from behind the counter, and placed the stamp inside with care.

After signing the agreement, the transaction was complete.

With a cheerful expression, Shi Feng saw Qi Yun out.

...

Returning to his rented room, Qi Yun smoked two cigarettes in a row to calm his racing heartbeat.

What thrilled him more than the eighty thousand yuan was the feeling of almost losing but then regaining something precious.

He immediately repaid the money he owed to Lao Xu and Qiangzi.

He originally owed each of them twenty thousand but transferred 24,000 yuan to each, explaining that the extra was interest.

Lao Xu quietly accepted the money, but Qiangzi returned it.

He also sent a voice message: "Old Qi, I got drunk last night and talked nonsense. Don’t take it to heart. Use the money as needed; no rush."

Qi Yun chuckled and, shaking his head, transferred the money back to Qiangzi’s account directly.

After that, he paid off the remaining 8,000 yuan owed to Lao Feng, without adding extra.

Some favors are measured in money; others need deeds to repay.

He pulled out a notebook from under the bed and crossed out some names.

Except for leaving two thousand as an emergency fund, he repaid over twenty thousand to his debtors.

"Whew~ only 220,000 left!"

In just a few days, he made as much progress as he did in the past year.

Qi Yun’s eyes gleamed, feeling that his day of financial freedom was near!

"Ding-ding!"

Suddenly, the phone screen displayed a call from Lao Feng.

Qi Yun smiled knowingly, having guessed what words his old buddy was about to say.

"Qi Yun, where did you get all this money in the past few days? Really, you don’t need to rush to pay me back..."

Though he had anticipated Lao Feng’s words, hearing them still warmed his heart.

Having experienced ups and downs, he firmly believed in one thing.

You don’t need many friends in life; just having two or three genuine ones is enough.

"Lao Feng, I recently made some money selling a batch of apples. You can rest easy and accept it without worrying about me."

"..."

Just after hanging up, Wei Yong called quickly.

"Hey, Qi Yun, come over for lunch at my place." On the phone, Wei Yong warmly invited.

Qi Yun looked at the time; it was just past noon and couldn’t help but ask with amusement, "Something good happening?"

"Well, we’re planning to head home for the New Year tomorrow. My wife wants you to come over for a drink to thank you for your help last time."

Wei Yong added, "My sister-in-law is also here."