Vol 3 Book 3 Chapter 13 (1/2)
Book 3 Chapter 13 – Deputy Director
Original and most updated translations are from volare. Please don’t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.
Li Yiming turned around to look at his visitor. It was a man in his sixties, not too old by today’s standards, but he looked frail and weak. He made his way through the crowd with the aid of an a.s.sistant.
“Are you talking about this bracelet?” Li Yiming was alarmed by his sudden intrusion and waved the jade bracelet he had just bought. He clasped his fingers around Liu Meng’s hand and pulled her behind him. Liu Meng herself hid her hand with the storage ring behind her back.
“No, I’m talking about the one you’re wearing,” The old man smiled gently and limped toward Li Yiming. He was staring at Li Yiming’s storage bracelet.
“I can’t,” Li Yiming swiftly refused. He was even more unnerved by the fact that the old man was interested in his storage bracelet. He was ready to strike if something was ever to happen. With three levels in speed, he would be able to strike at the old man’s vitals before the latter could hit him.
The old man froze: he did not seem to have expected a refusal. His extended hand remained still in the air awkwardly, and then he began coughing violently. His chest heaved as he produced a low, empty cough, just like an old ventilator.
‘Swindling?’ As a precaution, Li Yiming took two steps back and put himself as far away from the old man, just enough so that he would not be accused of anything he did not commit. 1
The a.s.sistant quickly patted his back gently and threw an angry glance at Li Yiming. “My apologies, too sudden of a question.” The old man struggled to breathe normally and smiled sorrily at Li Yiming.
“This is Mr. Ye. He’s the deputy director of the Shangbei Historical Museum and the chairman of the National Antique Collector a.s.sociation,” said the helper.
‘The deputy-director of the Historical Museum? The chairman of the Antique Collector a.s.sociation?’ For those who had gathered around to watch, it was a shock that this old man had such an impressive background. Some already speculated that Li Yiming might have found a treasure by his act of good will while others, who had spent enough time in the district to recognize the old man, were coming forth to greet the old man.
Li Yiming was also shocked, and he felt a little awkward to be approached by the old man now. ‘Really? I just robbed the museum last night, and now the deputy-director finds me? This guy seems also pretty carefree, wandering the streets like that when the museum has just been robbed…’
What Li Yiming did not know, however, was that the old man, a famed antique collected in the country had stopped working at the museum since half a year ago. This was because he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and is currently undergoing chemotherapy, which has caused him to lose most of his h.o.a.ry hair. After receiving the bad news about this morning, director Ye knew that despite his best intentions, he could not be of any use. Therefore, the only thing he could do was to at least relieve his emotional stress by taking a stroll in a familiar place. He noticed Li Yiming’s purchasing of the broken jade bracelet to help Yang He and initially thought of Li Yiming as a rather admirable young man with a good heart. However, a few more glances later and his attention was drawn to the bracelet Li Yiming wore. He found it to be an object of a simple design with rustic carved patterns, but he could not tell with what material it was made, despite his lifetime of experience in antique appraisal. Then, he saw Liu Meng’s ring, and, once again, despite its modern design, he could tell that it was an ancient item from the tarnish of the silver. The intricate emblems carved onto the ring reminded him of something he saw in a book about ancient artifacts a long time ago. His interest had been piqued by these two young people, who were not as simple as they seemed. He wanted to try his best to at least have a look at the two objects.
“Well, it doesn’t matter that he’s the deputy-director. It’s my bracelet,” Li Yiming maintained his refusal: he would not let his guard down so easily in a domain, especially it was about his storage bracelet. Although the content of the item was only accessible by himself only through the focus link, Li Yiming simply did not want to take the risk.
The onlookers’ eyes lit up with curiosity when they heard Li Yiming’s refusal. They knew that Li Yiming was no ordinary young man after his display of seemingly meaningless benevolence, and now, with such a stiff att.i.tude even toward someone who was famous in the antique field… Thoughts and speculations ran wild once again for the kind of background Li Yiming must have possessed.
“Can I have a look at the ring on this miss’ hand then?” The old man asked again with an inscrutable countenance: if not the bracelet, then the ring.
“I’m sorry,” Li Yiming refused once again. The ring was no different from the bracelet.
“Young man, I mean no harm. It’s just that I’m a little curious after a lifetime spent working on artifacts. The two items you possess are truly one-of-a-kind,” The old man explained with a smile. ‘Well, I should blame myself for being too eager. If the bracelet and the ring really are treasures, I doubt that he would just let me play around with them, and I would do the same if I was in his shoes.’
“I’m sorry, but we really need to go,” Li Yiming’s voice softened after seeing the old man’s att.i.tude change, but he still did not want to risk their storage items.
“Don’t be in such a hurry, we are very sincere. This might not be the best place to talk, so how about we have a cup of tea together? Mr. Ye’s knowledge about antiques is recognized in the field, and who knows? It might even benefit you to have a talk with him.” The a.s.sistant was quick to move forward and stop Li Yiming as the latter made ready to leave. It was the first time he had seen the old man be this interested in an artifact ever since he had been diagnosed with cancer.
“Excuse me, my shop might not be big, but I could arrange a few seats for you here. How would that be?” A shop owner on the street was quick to intervene. He was a quick-thinker, and he started considering the proposal from the moment the old man revealed his ident.i.ty. The world of artifact appraisal was one of bragging, extraordinary tales and of curious audiences, and if one such great story was to originate from his shop, then without a doubt it would help his business greatly. Additionally, he would be doing a favor to the old man, which in itself was something that could become quite useful in the future. The shop owner ordered his clerks to bring a table and a few chairs out of the store and set them down right at the front. Of course, the reason for doing so was partly due to the fact that the store itself was not too big, since it was located in such an expensive district, but the other reason was that if Li Yiming and the old man were to enter the shop, then it would be a lot harder for the story to spread around. The shop owner hoped that the crowd would all become helpers for doing free publicity.
“Hey, young man, could you please stay a little while? I’m sure that you’re a kind-hearted person, and this won’t take much of your time, okay?” When the director’s a.s.sistant heard the shop owner’s proposal, he was afraid that Li Yiming would simply turn around and walk away, so he insisted in a low voice.
“Fine.” Li Yiming found it hard to refuse the request of an old man tortured by disease.
As they took their seats, the shop owner quickly brought tea to the table and even set up the shade roof at the front of the antique shop now turned tea house.
Suddenly, the crowd split up, and a few munic.i.p.al employees made their way through the people. It was hard for them to ignore the commotion, since the group of onlookers had grown significantly. Director Ye’s a.s.sistant quickly scuttled in their direction, and the munic.i.p.al security seemed to have recognized him. After a few words, the security staff nodded with a smile and started to disperse the crowd. Most left, since they were simply curious onlookers. Only a few people who were genuinely interested in antique collection stayed, and the security found no reason to chase them away as well. Two guards stayed around just in case anything bad was to happen, and the rest resumed their patrol.
The shop owner, who stood at the door, looked at them frustratingly. ‘Oh well, I should be satisfied with the few that stayed. They’ll be my main helpers for advertis.e.m.e.nt.’ He gritted his teeth and ordered a few more chairs to be moved to the front; he betted on the fact that the security would not intervene for the deputy director’s sake. He invited the onlookers to sit down as well, and his shop was officially converted into a tea shop.
“May I know your name, young man?” The old man seemed quite pleased and asked with a smile. Antique collectors are usually quite patient, and the old man’s earlier loss of composure was an unfortunate result of his rarely aroused natural curiosity and the burden of his disease.
“I’m Li Yiming, and this is Liu Meng.” Li Yiming usually paid reverence to elderly people, it was just that the special circ.u.mstances of the domain made him more prudent than usual.