Just then, Wang Guan heard an aged voice beside him. He quickly looked up to see an old man with short, silvery-white hair sitting on the public bench next to him.

This elder was clad in simple, ancient-looking clothing. His gaze was placid, yet carried an indescribable, elusive aura. When he spoke, a gentle smile touched his lips, making one feel instantly comfortable, as if bathed in spring warmth.

"Sure..."

For a moment, Wang Guan felt an inexplicable kinship with the old man and let his worries subside slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out and handed the coin over.

"This object is truly interesting."

The elder took the coin, examined it closely, toyed with it for a moment, and then handed it back to Wang Guan with a soft chuckle, "What do you make of it?"

"It's just a novelty coin, what else is there to say?"

Wang Guan blinked, placed the coin flat in his palm, and smiled faintly. "On the obverse, reading top to bottom, right to left, are the four seal script characters for 'Zhao Cai Jin Bao' (Bring in Wealth and Treasure)."

Saying that, Wang Guan flipped the coin over and continued, "On the reverse, both left and right, top and bottom, are auspicious cloud patterns. It’s no different from any ordinary craft coin."

It was as if he needed to emphasize this, to set his own mind at ease.

"'Zhao Cai Jin Bao.'"

Weighing the coin in his hand, Wang Guan chuckled, "It's a nice piece. Maybe a master blessed it; it could be worth quite a bit."

He was joking, of course. Whether blessed or not, a craft coin like this could usually be bought by the stringful for just a few dollars at temples or shops.

"Heh heh!"

The old man smiled and suddenly asked, "Then do you know what that Xianfeng Chongbao coin is worth?"

"Hm?"

Wang Guan paused, a little confused.

"I was watching from inside just now."

The elder said kindly, "After that vendor left, I saw you sitting here for half the day. Why? Did you know the value of that Xianfeng Chongbao?"

Wang Guan thought for a moment, then hesitated, "The Xianfeng Chongbao, denomination twenty, Bao Zhe mint, the character 'Dang' being paramount. If I remember correctly, it should sell for twenty or thirty thousand. The only uncertainty is its authenticity, but seeing the way that vendor flew off, it must be genuine."

"You really do know."

The old man smiled, his voice soft. "Don't you regret it? You kindly warned that man, helping him recover tens of thousands. And yet, he tried to fool you with this thing."

"How should I put it..."

Wang Guan stroked his chin. Sensing the elder's gaze, a thought stirred in his heart, and he decided to be candid. "I feel a little uneasy, perhaps, but not to the point of regret. After all, the item wasn't mine. Besides, before I warned him, I had no idea that the coin lodged in the crack would be worth so much."

That was the absolute truth. Even with eyes as sharp as Wang Guan’s, he had only seen the four characters on the obverse of the Xianfeng Chongbao. Without knowing the exact style of the coin, he couldn't possibly know its price.

Different varieties of Xianfeng Chongbao commanded vastly different prices.

Before the vendor had pried out the Xianfeng Chongbao, no one could have predicted it was something valuable. It might have just been a common Xianfeng copper coin.

"Your mindset is good."

The elder showed a hint of approval, then asked, "Then why the downcast expression?"

Logically, one shouldn't reveal everything to a complete stranger, but for some reason, Wang Guan felt an overwhelming urge to confide. He blurted out, "I lost my job, I'm feeling quite frustrated..."

"Oh!"

The elder seemed surprised, yet also as if he grasped something deeper. He said gently, "Were you perhaps treated unfairly?"

"...Sort of."

At this, Wang Guan snapped back to reality, managed an embarrassed smile, and said no more. After all, he knew the wisdom of only revealing three parts of the story to anyone he met.

"It's normal for young men to be restless and have unstable employment. But you can't rely on your parents forever."

The elder chuckled, not taking offense, and casually inquired, "What did you do before? You seem to know something about currency. Have you encountered antiques much?"

"I was an accountant at a pawn shop..."

Wang Guan quickly replied, sensing vaguely that he might have stumbled upon an opportunity for re-employment.

"A pawn shop... Not bad. If you are looking for work, you can go check out XXX tomorrow."

Suddenly, the elder stood up, gave an address, and walked away leisurely.

"Thank you, sir!" Wang Guan quickly rose to call out. He only sat back down after seeing the old man recede into the distance. At this moment, a sense of stability settled over him, and a faint smile touched his lips, though he wasn't overly ecstatic.

After all, the elder had only offered a job lead; whether it suited him or whether it materialized was still an open question.

"Perhaps this coin really did bring me good luck."

Flipping the coin in his hand, Wang Guan felt his mood lighten considerably.

Simultaneously, Wang Guan became certain that the brilliant, shimmering vision of golden threads emanating from the coin moments ago must have been a hallucination. Otherwise, if such a bizarre scene had occurred on a busy street, nearby pedestrians would have swarmed over in a massive crowd, rather than remaining so unconcerned.

Therefore, he surmised it was simply fatigue from walking too much that caused the illusion.

"Yeah, that's it. Men really aren't suited for shopping trips. I’m exhausted after only half a day. I’ll just go home and sleep," Wang Guan muttered softly to himself, slipping the coin into his pocket and heading towards the public bus stop near the street.

It was already mid-afternoon. After riding the bus for over an hour, he reached his destination near dusk.

As the sun set, the streetlights began to flicker on. The sky was dimming, and some lamps along the road were already lit. Streams of people leaving work, driving various vehicles, filled the city’s arteries and veins like a vast spiderweb.

At this point, Wang Guan dragged his weary body, his face etched with exhaustion, towards his humble abode.

It was a rental building in a forgotten corner of the city, though the transportation links were reasonably convenient. Wang Guan lived on the sixth floor, in a single room of about twenty to thirty square meters.

Including rent and utilities, it cost seven or eight hundred yuan a month—quite cheap. The reason for the low price was that the building was right next to a bustling market, with noisy open-air restaurants nearby. The environment, needless to say, lacked quiet moments from morning till night.

Fortunately, having lived in such places for the past two years, Wang Guan was accustomed to it. No matter how clamorous or noisy it became, he could still manage to sleep.

After grabbing dinner at a nearby fast-food joint, Wang Guan trudged up the six flights of stairs to his tiny den. The small room contained little more than a bed and some simple luggage tucked into a corner, making it feel rather sparse.

Upon entering, Wang Guan collapsed directly onto the mattress.

"Beep beep beep..."

Suddenly, his phone rang from his pocket. Wang Guan fumbled for it, saw the caller ID, gave a jolt, and quickly flipped over, pressing the answer key.

"Mom, it's me!"

Hearing the familiar voice in his ear, a feeling of warmth washed over Wang Guan, mixed with a slight undercurrent of anxiety.

"Good, I'm fine..."

"I know, I know, I already prepared the thick quilt, I won't be cold..."

"Work... work is fine. The manager even praised me a few days ago..."

The brief call ended after a few minutes. Wang Guan quietly stared at the now-dark screen of his phone, his emotions churning, unable to settle for a long time.

His parents' warm inquiries were comforting, but due to the reserved nature inherent in his countrymen, he felt too reserved to express his feelings openly. He could only silently wish his family good health and peace.

He had hidden the fact that he lost his job precisely because he feared worrying them. However, he knew he couldn't hide it forever. His family would find out sooner or later, so the immediate priority was to find another job.

"I'll go check tomorrow..."

The thought of the job the elder mentioned crossed his mind. Afterward, he took a quick cold shower, lay back down on the mattress, casually picked up a half-used book on porcelain appreciation, and began slowly flipping through the pages.

As he read, Wang Guan drifted off to sleep.