"So, after discussing it with my brother, we decided to do the selling ourselves," Sixth Brother said, sporting an honest, simple smile. "It’s fate that we met you two. Look around casually, and whatever catches your eye, everything is marked down by 20%."

Actually, there was a paradox in that statement. Since these items weren't marked with fixed prices, the price was entirely up to Sixth Brother’s discretion; a 20% discount or a 90% discount seemed to make little difference.

Yu Feibai let out a slight scoff and drawled, "You mentioned earlier that you collected these things from the countryside?"

"That’s right," Sixth Brother nodded, sighing dramatically. "You two are smart people; you must know how hard it is for us to collect these items. Especially in the remote, poor villages where cars and motorcycles can’t even get in. We have to go on foot sometimes, walking for a full two days and a night just to reach the place..."

Seeing Sixth Brother’s unshaven face and world-weary look, it genuinely seemed like he had suffered quite a bit.

Unfortunately, Yu Feibai had heard stories like this countless times and remained utterly unmoved, his expression turning somewhat cold. He stated blandly, "I think these things of yours weren't collected from the countryside; rather, they look like they came from Singapore."

"Singapore?"

Sixth Brother and the slender youth froze, not understanding why Yu Feibai would suddenly bring up Singapore.

"They won't understand this kind of jargon," Wang Guan whispered, naturally knowing that "Singapore" was a homophonic stand-in for xīn jiǎ pò (new, fake, broken). Yu Feibai was satirizing that everything in the suitcase were nothing but cheap, broken fakes.

At the same time, Wang Guan shot a look, signaling Yu Feibai to stop talking, lest they lose face. After all, in this unfamiliar place, it was better to avoid trouble than to seek it out.

Afterward, Wang Guan set down his teacup and smiled pleasantly, "Sixth Brother, coming through wind and rain to support your family, you truly have it hard. However, we can’t quite make out the value of these items. Perhaps you should put them away."

Leaving a way out, Wang Guan tried to phrase his rejection as gently as possible, assuming Sixth Brother would take the hint. Yet, Wang Guan overlooked that the man wasn't a connoisseur of their circle; his subtle refusal was essentially talking to a brick wall.

"How can you not make out the value?"

At this moment, the slender youth opposite them grew anxious. He reached out and picked up an off-white ornament, whispering, "Look closely, this is ivory..."

"Ivory?"

Yu Feibai next to him let out a cold laugh, sneering, "Made from a composite of artificial resin and talcum powder, then cast in a mold. As for this kind of ivory, however much you want, I can give you that much."

"What..."

In an instant, the slender youth was stunned, and then his face slowly darkened. Beside him, the usually cheerful Sixth Brother's smile vanished, and the atmosphere instantly became rigid.

"Gentlemen, don't misunderstand. He was fooled by fake ivory before, so he suspects anything similar is fake," Wang Guan interjected smoothly, attempting to smooth things over, smiling, "In fact, these things look quite nice, it’s just that none of them are what we are looking for."

This was more palatable. Sixth Brother’s expression slowly softened, and he understood the implied meaning in Wang Guan’s words. He immediately fell silent, closed the lid of the suitcase, and prepared to leave.

"Wait!"

Just then, Wang Guan seemed to feel a little guilty. He actually pulled out five hundred-yuan notes and laid them in front of Sixth Brother.

Sixth Brother blinked, then seemed to understand, immediately frowning. With a touch of anger in his deep voice, he said, "Brother, we are just trying to make a living; we aren't thugs."

The slender youth quickly nodded, his expression also somewhat nervous. After all, the leadership had recently changed, and the saying went that a new official makes three immediate demands. Their usual petty hustles might be overlooked, but if they ran afoul of the new rules, they wouldn't know how they might end up.

"Heh heh, Sixth Brother, you misunderstand," Wang Guan chuckled. "You were right just now—meeting is fate, and even if a deal doesn't work out, friendship remains. We can still be friends."

"Sixth Brother," the slender youth looked tempted. Five hundred yuan wasn't a fortune, but it was enough for them to live comfortably for a few days.

"Idiot, why would you take money that could burn your fingers?" Sixth Brother glared fiercely. He still retained some sense; he knew taking the money would confirm the nature of their transaction, easily inviting trouble.

Wang Guan seemed to grasp Sixth Brother's concern and suddenly smiled, "Actually, I took a liking to a small trinket in the box and plan to pay to take it off your hands."

This was clearly an offer to save face. The slender youth glanced at Sixth Brother, then boldly asked, "What trinket?"

"Anything," Wang Guan smiled nonchalantly. "Everything in the box is good stuff; any single item will do."

"Sixth Brother," the slender youth looked toward Sixth Brother again. This was a transaction both parties willingly agreed to, a perfectly reasonable excuse—even if the police showed up, they couldn't pin anything on them.

At the same time, the last shred of doubt in Sixth Brother’s eyes vanished. He waved his hand, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and open the box so the guest can pick something!"

"Yeah!"

The slender youth eagerly reopened the box and placed it before Wang Guan.

Wang Guan glanced casually, then picked up a dull, unremarkable string of gray beads. Without looking at it again, he tossed it onto the table and smiled, "This one."

Sixth Brother and the slender youth focused their gaze and realized the bracelet was something they had picked up at a street stall for a few yuan. This made them even more convinced that Wang Guan was deliberately giving them money to avert trouble.

Although the two were indeed not affiliated with the underground, there was no reason to refuse money being handed to them. Moreover, this transaction was voluntary; they weren't intentionally swindling anyone, so there were no future repercussions. To refuse a gift dropped from the sky would be foolishness.

"Brother, I'm definitely making you my friend."

At that, Sixth Brother’s smile returned. He casually slipped the five hundred yuan into his inner pocket, picked up the suitcase, and left with the slender youth.

"We made a profit."

"I didn't expect him to be such a simpleton..."

"Don't yell! Let’s go find the next mark!"

As soon as the two were halfway down the stairs, excited chatter in various local dialects drifted up. Even though Wang Guan and Yu Feibai couldn't understand the words, they could certainly feel the joy in their tone.

"Wang Guan, they're just a couple of low-level crooks; was it necessary to humor them like that?" Yu Feibai frowned. "If you hadn't stopped me, I could have made one phone call and ensured they spent several years eating prison rice for free."

"Young man, don't be so hot-headed. When you’re out on the road, taking a step back means gaining a wider horizon," before Wang Guan could speak, a gravelly old voice sounded. An elderly man, dressed in a Zhongshan-style leisure suit, wearing cloth shoes, and holding two antique walnuts in his hand, walked over slowly, a kind smile on his face, praising, "For example, the way the young gentleman handled the situation just now was handled perfectly..."

............................. Thanks to the book friend "Bored Idle Person" for the reward. It’s the hundredth chapter, and I should naturally be quite happy. But when I opened the backend, I suddenly noticed the collection count had only increased by a few dozen since this morning. My heart is cooling; I hope everyone can offer more support. C