Northern Grave Robbery Notes

selling goods

Dragging my suitcases through the north gate into the market, the first thing l saw was the shed area, and boy, it was a weekend, so the phrase "packed like sardines would be an understatement.

Bodhi seeds, amber, miscellaneous porcelain, jade jewelry, bronze weapons, stone carvings, calligraphy and paintings, embroidery - there really was everything, and itwas an eye-opener for me, dazzling to see.

Of course, most of them were fakes, there were very few genuine items on the ground stalls under the sheds.

I chuckled to myself, thinking: "lf everything here is fake, then my items, which l'vecollected myself and are genuinely old, should sell out quickly."

Seeing an empty stall in the shed, l prepared to take out my items and set up shop.

"Hey, what are you doing?" A bald stall owner next to me stopped me.

"l'm setting up a stall," l said.

"Setting up a stall? ls this your stall to set up? Move along, move along, kid, get out of here."

I gritted my teeth and said, "l want to set up a stall. ls this your stall? l'll pay you, how much do you want?"

The bald man's eyes spun around, and he immediately said with a smile, "One hundred yuan. Give me one hundred yuan, and you can set up here.

"What! A hundred yuan!"

"Why so expensive!"

He looked at me sideways and said, "That's the price. lf you're not setting up, then move along quickly, don't block my business.

I had less than a hundred yuan left in my pocket. After some haggling, l gave him ninety.

Now, l only had three yuan left on me.

The bald man took the money and kept smiling

Unexpectedly, just as l had laid out half of my items, the loudspeakers of the antique market began to blare.

"Ladies and gentlemen, visitors and merchants, Panjiayuan Second-Hand Market has now reached closing time. Please take your belongings and leave the market in an orderly manner. We wish you a pleasant shopping experience and prosperous business.

As soon as the announcement was made, the stall owners around me began to pack up.

At that moment, l was stunned; l hadn't even finished setting up...

I said to the bald man angrily, "Give me my money back. The market is closing, and l haven't even started setting up.

"Ptui!" The bald man spat out and scolded me with a cold face, "Damn it, what do you mean you haven't set up? Your cloth is already spread out! That counts as setting up! There's no way l'm giving the money back!"

My eyes reddened with anger, and l was desperate. l grabbed his arm and wouldn't let go, demanding that he return my money.

"Go to hell, you little brat!" He kicked me hard in the stomach.

I was only 16 at the time, no match for him. The pain was so intense l couldn't even straighten up. The people around me dwindled as everyone packed up their stalls and left on their tricycles. The bald man who kicked me also left.

In the cold December of Beijing, although not as cold as Mohe, the nights were still freezing. The market security, accompanied by a large dog, saw that l was slow to pack up and kept urging me, saying that l would be fined if l was late. With the short days and long nights, by the time l dragged my suitcases out of the market, it was already dark.l was cold and hungry, with only three yuan on me.

After sitting on a roadside bench for half an hour, l found out that there was an internet café near Huaweigiao West, about two kilometers away.

Dragging my suitcases there, l discovered that the cheapest overnight rate at the internet café was ten yuan, which l couldn't afford. My plan to stay at the internet café fell through.

Unable to bear the severe cold outside, l took refuge in an ATM vestibule.

People came in to withdraw money from time to time, looking at me with strange eyes.

The floor was cold, and l couldn't sleep, so l put on the hood of my cotton jacket and curled up in a corner.

After two or three hours, in a daze, someone tapped me.

I looked up and saw a woman in her fifties with a small white dog, probably are sident of a nearby community in Jinsong.

"Young man, it's so cold, why are you sleeping here?"

"l just bought two baked sesame seed cakes, they're still warm. lf you don't mind, you can eat them. l'll leave them here for you," the lady shook her head and placed the plastic bag on the red iron box for the fire extinguisher.

The lady left the food and walked away. My stomach was growling with hunger, and eventually, l went to get the plastic bag.

The sesame seed cakes were dry and crispy, fragrant and crunchy

As l ate, l cried.

"Should l just give up?"

"lf l go back, won't people look down on our family even more?"

"No, it won't happen," l kept encouraging myself over and over, "Xiang Yunfeng, you can definitely become a wealthy person.

In the early morning, l returned to Panjiayuan. Since l had no money to pay for a stall.I could only keep walking around with my suitcase. Whenever l saw someone looking at porcelain, l would approach and ask, "Brother, do you want to take a look at my porcelain? lt's all old, and l'll sell it for a reasonable price.

Just then, the market's loudspeaker sounded again.

"Dear visitors, please be cautious of illegal vendors following you. Keep an eye on your belongings to avoid being deceived."

As soon as the announcement played, the person's expression changed, and they quickly walked away.

I asked several people, but they all thought l was a scammer or an illegal vendor.

Later, with a try-and-see attitude, l entered an antique shop and asked the shop owner if they bought porcelain.

The shop owner responded indifferently, "What do you have? Let's see it.

Feeling hopeful, l laid my suitcase flat and opened it.

"Hmm, these items aren't great. They are old, but how much do you want for this pair of vases?" The owner pointed to a pair of Western-style blue vases from the late QingDynasty in my suitcase.

Swallowing hard, l cautiously said, "They're from the late Qing period. Could you give... give a hundred for the pair?"

"What? A hundred!" The owner's eyes widened. "l'll give you at most one hundred and fifty. Take it or leave it?"

...One hundred and fifty for the pair?" My heart sank.

I had collected them from the mountainous area, enduring the cold and hunger on a two-thousand-kilometer train ride in hard seats, and it cost me a hundred just to get them!

Only a fifty yuan profit?

I was so angry that my face turned red, and l immediately started packing up. Seeing that l was about to leave, the owner quickly added, "Hey, don't rush. lf it really won't do, l'll add twenty more. How about one hundred and seventy?'

Holding back my anger, l believed my asking price was fair, but l felt insulted by the

offer.

"Keep your twenty yuan for yourself!'

When people are angry, they don't listen to reason, and as a young person, my temper was even shorter. l didn't care about anything and just pulled my suitcase out of the shop.

I hadn't given up yet. l planned to set up outside the market, but when l went out, lsaw city management confiscating goods, and several vendors selling fake items had their goods taken away.

I was so scared that l immediately abandoned the idea. But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining. Just when l was feeling utterly hopeless, l met an old man who said, "Young man, Panjiayuan is very crowded these days, and the stalls are expensive. You could try going to Baoguo Temple. l heard that the stalls there are free.

Hearing this good news, l was overjoyed and quickly dragged my suitcase to BaoguoTemple near Guang'anmen.

The free stalls at Baoguo Temple were my last chance.