The moment the box was opened, Wang Zhuo realized he had made a grave error in judgment; the true depth of the old man’s pedigree was far beyond what a mere youth like him could possibly fathom.

He had initially assumed Qin Jingzhong collected jade pieces, given the old man's known hobby, but seeing the contents of the box revealed that jade was merely one facet of his wide-ranging interests.

“Brother Wang Zhuo,” Qin Siqing whispered quietly, “Grandpa is being rare generous today, letting you pick two items. This is treatment no one has ever received. Shall I pick two valuable ones for you, okay?”

Though Qin Jingzhong was aged, his hearing remained sharp. Hearing this, he snorted, “Xiao Yue, no turning your elbow outwards.”

Qin Siqing stuck out her tongue and retreated to the side, secretly pointing toward several scroll paintings inside the box for Wang Zhuo.

Wang Zhuo casually picked up one scroll. With Zhen Jin’s assistance, he carefully unfurled it. Upon seeing the signature, he immediately rolled it back up and returned it to its place.

It was an authentic piece by a master named Zhang Shimeqian, explicitly painted to commemorate the old man’s birthday. While Wang Zhuo’s jade pendant was worth several hundred thousand, it paled in comparison to this painting by a distance that couldn't be measured in mere tens of thousands.

Looking up, the old man was smiling proudly. With just this one painting, Vast Desert and Long River, he had already awed countless juniors. Who says the elderly cannot play at being the sleeping dragon?

Besides this painting, the others were also works by renowned masters, though none possessed the fame of the master Zhang Shimeqian. Wang Zhuo only recognized them slightly. Beyond the paintings, there were other items: some were quite valuable, others held greater sentimental value, and still others fell into the category of cultural relics, possessing excellent collecting worth.

Wang Zhuo ultimately selected only one item: a Mauser C96 pistol—a real gun that had killed Japanese invaders. The bolt had been removed; Old Master Qin explained that he had voluntarily turned it in during the Rectification Movement, which was the only way he could legally keep the weapon.

Wang Zhuo knew that this gun alone could fetch tens of thousands in the collector’s market. Unfortunately, it belonged only to an unnamed comrade-in-arms of Qin Jingzhong. If a famous figure had used it, its value would have soared manifold. Frankly, in exchanging this gun for the jade pendant, Qin Jingzhong hadn't taken advantage of Wang Zhuo.

No matter how precious the jade pendant was, in the eyes of the old man, it held less significance than this gun.

“Not picking another piece?” Qin Jingzhong asked generously.

Wang Zhuo grinned widely, “I certainly had my eye on that Vast Desert and Long River painting, but I wouldn't dare ask for it.”

“Consider yourself sensible, young man.” Qin Jingzhong had Qin Siqing take the box away, then snorted, “Later, I’ll have Qin Xue write a few characters for you; consider that the second item.”

Wang Zhuo smiled until his face couldn't close, agreeing happily. Qin Xue was a Central Alternate Committee member—only about a hundred in the entire nation. One step further, and he’d be a Provincial Party Secretary or a full Central Committee member, a true regional magnate! Receiving a few characters written by him would be an enormous honor.

Seeing Wang Zhuo beaming uncontrollably, Qin Jingzhong good-naturedly jabbed him with a finger and said, “Alright, enough smiling. Tell me about your main business.”

“Ah,” Wang Zhuo replied, taking his DV player from his bag, powering it on, and handing it to Qin Jingzhong, “Old Master, take a look at this first.”

“How can you watch on such a small screen? Hook it up to the TV,” Qin Jingzhong waved his hand, pointing to the television nearby.

Wang Zhuo swiftly connected the DV player to the television. Qin Siqing, having finished putting the box away, returned. Along with Zhen Jin, the four of them watched the short video recording together.

“Good heavens, this rough jade material is quite large.”

Qin Jingzhong praised it. Wang Zhuo quickly fast-forwarded with the remote until the footage showed the rough stone being stripped bare.

Zhen Jin chuckled, “Why are there streaks? It looks a bit like a zebra.”

Qin Siqing slapped her hand down, “No, it looks more like a huge watermelon rind. This jade could be carved into a watermelon.”

Qin Jingzhong’s brow furrowed, and he stared intently at the screen. Wang Zhuo let the recording run a while longer until the rough material, cracked in two, was completely exposed and laid out on the table. Then, the recording ended.

After watching the footage, Qin Jingzhong spoke slowly, “You intend to create a replica of Empress Dowager Cixi’s Jade Watermelon, don’t you?”

Wang Zhuo nodded. Qin Jingzhong let out a long sigh and smiled slightly, “Then I really might be able to provide you with something useful.”

Qin Siqing quickly asked, “Grandpa, what can you help with?”

Qin Jingzhong slowly took a sip of tea before speaking, “I once knew an old eunuch from the palace; he described to me what the Jade Watermelon looked like.”

This was huge news. Wang Zhuo was instantly overjoyed. Currently, there were very few valuable clues regarding the Jade Watermelon; even information on the size, shape, and texture of the pair of watermelons was hard to find. CCTV had done a special report years ago, but even in their forty-minute piece, they couldn't clarify anything substantial. The only relevant image was a child's simple line drawing of a watermelon. Being able to hear Qin Jingzhong’s retelling was extraordinary.

“That pair of watermelons was this big,” Qin Jingzhong gestured with his hands, “They had leaves on them, and insects…”

As Qin Jingzhong gestured and spoke, Wang Zhuo simply recorded it with his phone. This was an unexpected bonus; the haul from this trip was massive.

...

They chatted until the afternoon. Qin Jingzhong wanted Wang Zhuo to stay for dinner. Wang Zhuo, visiting the Mayor’s residence for the first time, dared not presume too much and eventually declined politely before leaving.

The factory back at Shengshi Dynasty was waiting for Wang Zhuo’s news. When the phone call came, there was an immediate uproar. In just half a day out, Wang Zhuo had not only secured a channel through a certain military region for a safe location but also obtained some vital clues about the Jade Watermelon. Now, everyone could begin work without being completely in the dark.

That evening, Qin Xue, returning exhausted from a business trip in Beijing, entered his study and was surprised to find that the jade fish pendant from his bookshelf was gone, replaced instead by a much smaller pendant.

The only people who could enter this study while he was away were the Old Master, his wife, his son (who was studying abroad), and his daughter. His wife had traveled with him, and his son was abroad. This action must have been committed by one of the elder or younger members left at home.

He walked over casually, picked up the pendant, and his expression instantly tightened. He stood motionless for a long time, lips tightly pressed.

Moments later, he detached the pendant, held it in his hand, and walked toward his daughter’s room.

Since her parents had returned from their trip today, Qin Siqing was staying overnight at home instead of returning to school. When Qin Xue entered her room, the young girl was lying on her bed, kicking both legs up in the air, busy browsing the internet on her laptop.

As the door opened, Qin Siqing quickly hit a series of shortcut keys (Ctrl+W) to close the webpage