The atmosphere suddenly grew strange. Elder Qian’s expression remained unchanged, Gao Dequan frowned, tinged with a hint of anger, while Yu Feibai’s eyes flickered with a barely perceptible disdain.

“What’s going on? Did I say something wrong?” Wang Guan felt inexplicably confused, completely at a loss.

After a long pause, sensing that the others seemed to have misunderstood something, Wang Guan scratched his head and quickly explained, “I didn’t spend much money buying this item. Elder Qian introduced me to this job, I still owe him a favor, how could I dare to take his money.”

This was absolutely Wang Guan’s true feeling. Everyone knew that a debt of gratitude, though invisible and intangible, was the hardest thing in the world to repay. Wang Guan was no fool; how could he not see that Elder Qian and the others had formidable backgrounds and were definitely not ordinary people?

Figures like them lacked nothing, making it even harder to repay any favor.

Even though Wang Guan didn't particularly need the job at Jigu Zhai right now, a favor owed was a favor owed and had to be repaid. Since this rare opportunity had presented itself, and Elder Qian liked the celadon bowl, what was the harm in giving it to him?

In any case, in Wang Guan’s mind, this celadon bowl was merely a piece of broken porcelain he had bought for three hundred yuan. Even if the bowl was now completely restored and worth millions, Wang Guan still felt it was entirely worthwhile to use such an item to repay Elder Qian’s kindness.

After all, with his current ability, if an object was lost, he could find another. Only after repaying a favor would he feel truly relaxed and at ease.

Wang Guan’s inner thoughts were completely displayed on his face, allowing others to fully perceive his sincerity. Elder Qian and Gao Dequan saw it, and with their experience, they too felt that this was not a pretense.

Elder Qian looked deeply at Wang Guan, his expression slowly softening, and he said faintly, “Wang Guan, I apologize, perhaps I misunderstood you. It’s just that there have been too many messy things lately, which have made this old man irritable.”

“I appreciate your good intentions. However, this celadon bowl is too precious; I cannot accept it.”

Elder Qian stood up and sighed, “Alas, getting old, my energy is not what it used to be. After sitting for a while, I feel a bit tired. You young people chat; I’ll return to my room to rest.”

“Elder Qian, allow me to help you!”

Gao Dequan stepped forward knowingly, supporting Elder Qian as they slowly walked toward the depths of the courtyard.

“Elder Qian, travel safely.”

Wang Guan and Yu Feibai quickly rose to see them off.

A short while later, Elder Qian and Gao Dequan reached the hall of an exquisite small building.

After sitting down, Elder Qian asked, “A’De, what kind of person is that Wang Guan? Have you looked into him clearly?”

“Ah…”

Gao Dequan was momentarily stunned, surprised, “Elder Qian, didn’t you introduce him to be in charge of the finances at Jigu Zhai?”

“What?”

Elder Qian was also startled, baffled, “When did I ever put him in charge of the finances? I’ve only met him once. I just thought his character seemed decent, so I introduced him to Jigu Zhai to help you watch the shop and do odd jobs.”

“How could…”

Gao Dequan was dumbfounded, murmuring, “But he said he used to be an accountant at a pawnshop, and that you arranged for him to come in, so I naturally assumed…”

At this moment, Elder Qian understood, and immediately sighed, “A’De, you’ve been with me for over ten years. If I entrust Jigu Zhai to your management, naturally I trust you. Why would I send someone to tie your hands?”

“Elder Qian, it’s all my fault; I misunderstood.”

When Gao Dequan heard this, he felt both ashamed and delighted, his expression filled with emotion.

Wang Guan’s arrival had kept him in a constant state of unease. Although he thought it was normal for Elder Qian to send someone to manage the accounts, he felt a degree of loss, believing Elder Qian didn't trust him.

Unexpectedly, it was all a misunderstanding; he had been worrying over nothing. Realizing it was a complete misunderstanding, Gao Dequan was overjoyed, and the gloom of the past few days instantly vanished.

“You,” Elder Qian said, seemingly chiding but actually comforting, “They often say one is not confused at forty, but you are over forty, how can you still like to overthink things?”

“Elder Qian, it’s not that I like to overthink, but that I have no choice but to,” Gao Dequan said with a wry smile. “Several hundred million in capital, along with large quantities of priceless antiques, are in my hands. That feeling is like walking on thin ice. Don’t laugh at me, but I often wake up suddenly at night, fearing that some mistake has occurred and I’ve failed your trust.”

“It seems that it is my fault,” Elder Qian frowned. “I originally trusted you, but I never intended to put such immense pressure on you. But there’s no other way; among the people around me, only you understand antiques. Besides you, I don't know who else I could entrust them to.”

“Elder Qian…”

Gao Dequan was deeply moved and proactively requested, “Why don’t you find a few reliable people for me to mentor? I can teach them hand-in-hand; even a pig could become capable under my guidance.”

“Heh heh, that’s hard to say. The antique trade sometimes requires not just interest, but also a bit of innate talent,” Elder Qian chuckled, musing, “What do you think of Wang Guan?”

“We’ve only just met; I don’t know him very well,” Gao Dequan considered for a moment, offering a fair assessment: “He seems like a novice, but his eye for pieces is extraordinary—it’s quite contradictory.”

“Indeed!”

Elder Qian nodded. “When you go back, you don't need him to handle the finances anymore. Keep him by your side and observe him carefully; see what his character is truly like.”

“What does Elder Qian mean?” Gao Dequan pondered thoughtfully.

“Haha, he offered me something worth several million yuan, saying it was to repay a favor. Doing something like that means either he has ulterior motives or he possesses exceptional virtue,” Elder Qian laughed. “Time reveals a person’s true nature; I’ll give him a chance to prove himself.”

“Don’t worry, Elder Qian, I know what to do.” Gao Dequan understood immediately.

Meanwhile, in the rear courtyard, Yu Feibai was constantly fiddling with his mobile phone. He would only occasionally glance over, his eyes lingering on the celadon bowl, never paying much attention to Wang Guan. To be honest, he had entered the collecting field purely out of interest.

However, due to his youth and inexperience, he was inevitably fooled and suffered several major losses.

Although his family background was excellent, money wasn't earned easily, and his elders naturally felt he was wasting his life. Fortunately, with Elder Qian’s support, his parents hadn't forbidden him from continuing, but they had dealt a crippling blow by cutting off his source of funds.

But Yu Feibai took it quite well. There were ways to collect even without money. Under Elder Qian’s guidance, he started working as a runner, leveraging his family connections to move fluidly among major collectors. It wasn't about the meager money earned from running errands; it was mainly the opportunity to encounter more antiques and learn knowledge.

After two years of perseverance, his family showed signs of softening, which greatly pleased Yu Feibai, making him feel that his hard work had finally paid off.

Thinking that all of this was due to Elder Qian’s guidance, Yu Feibai was extremely grateful. Knowing Elder Qian’s preferences, he had gone to great lengths to bring a few Jian ware tea bowls and a small Dragon Ball tea cake from a friend.

He hadn't anticipated that while the tea was excellent, the bowls turned out to be forgeries. .................. New book, urgently needs collections and recommendations. Thank you all for your generous support.