Northern Grave Robbery Notes

Fan Shen

At that time, Baoguo Temple still had street stalls, and there were quite a few of them, mainly selling coins and porcelain shards. lt is said that the famous Beijing "Pianbai" (a type of porcelain shard) originated from Baoguo Temple.

There's a place for everything, and what l brought was exactly porcelain and copper coins, which matched the market perfectly. My spirits were instantly lifted, and my confidence surged. l truly couldn't believe that no one would want genuine old items!

I was lucky enough to find a spot right in front of a stall, and with the last three yuanI had, l bought two chicken sausages.

Eating the chicken sausages, l thought to myself: "Whether l starve or freeze to deathin Beijing, or live a life of luxury, it all depends on today.

Unexpectedly, just after l set up my stall, it hadn't even been ten minutes before alarge crowd gathered around my small stand.

"Boss, how much are you selling these Song dynasty coins and Qing dynasty coins for?"

'Boss, can l take a look at that small famille rose salt jar?"

I was swamped with customers in no time.

"Boss, how much for that pair of Western blue vases? Just give me your lowest price and if it's right, l'll take them."

In the midst of the chaos, l blurted out, "A pair of Western blue vases, at least eight hundred."

"Deal, wrap it up, l'll take it. How should l pay you?" The customer immediately nodded for me to pack them.

"Hold on, don't rush, l'll offer eight hundred and thirty for that pair of vases,suddenly another person offered a higher price.

"Ma Lao San, isn't what you're doing against the rules?" the first customer said coldly

"Heh, rules? You haven't paid yet, have you? The young boss can sell to whoever he wants!"

"You're talking to me about rules? Boss Song, old items are getting rarer by the day and besides, these dowry vases don't need to worry about sales. Just put them in a box in your shop, how much could you sell them for? Don't you have an idea in your mind, Boss Song?"

Boss Song slapped his thigh in realization.

"Damn! Ma Lao Liu, what's it to you how much l sell for! How much l sell for is none of your business!"

Seeing that the two were about to come to blows, l hurriedly stepped in to mediate.

"Don't fight, there are other items here too. Take a look at this small famille rose salt jar, it's quite nice. lt's missing its lid, but the painting is exquisite."

Boss Song looked at the salt jar in my hands and asked loudly, "Young man, you said you'd sell it to me for eight hundred just now, so who do you want to sell it to now?

thought to myself, "How come the items that no one wanted at Panjiayuan are no win such high demand here?"

After pondering for a moment, l looked at him and said, "Brother, l said eight hundred for the pair of vases earlier, so l'll sell them to you for eight hundred. l can't go back on my word."

"Ha ha.

"Good!" The man laughed heartily, patting his beer belly, looking at Ma Lao Liu with as mug face.

He quickly glanced over the other items on my stall.

"Alright, young man, you're straightforward, so l'll also give you a straightforward deal.

"!'ll take everything you have here.

"One shot, all gone!"

"Ah?" l was taken aback for a moment, not quite understanding how this Beijing boss could be so generous.

"Alright, stop selling, pack up your stall, and follow Boss Song to the shop to get your money," the lady at the neighboring stall said to me enviously.

"Oh, oh, okay," l quickly packed up my stall.

Following the pot-bellied Boss Song into his shop, he told me to leave my suitcase behind, saying he would include the price of the suitcase in the payment.

In the end, for the porcelain, copper coins, and the suitcase, the pot-bellied boss gaveme 4,700 yuan in cash! That was equivalent to a year's savings for an ordinary workerat the time!

That's how awesome it was; the big boss made a sweeping purchase, taking everything in one fell swoop, even buying the rolling suitcase.

Leaving Baoguo Temple empty-handed, l felt the thick stack of hundred-yuan bills inside my clothes and my face was about to split with a grin.

Standing on the Guang'anmen Bridge, with a fortune in hand, l shouted at the top of my lungs: "Heaven does not let down those who have a will! l, Xiang Yunfeng, may not be good at studying, but l was born to do business! To hell with my uncle's farmstay! i'm going to be the most badass antique dealer in the country!" At that moment, passersby looked at me with strange glances.

Now, fifteen or sixteen years later, every time l think back to that scene, l can't help but laugh. l feel like l was such a fool.

That trip netted me a profit of over four thousand yuan!

With money in my pocket, l wasn't anxious anymore. Having money meant l could finally fill my stomach.

Being a village kid, l had a big appetite. l ate two bowls of knife-cut noodles and ordered a cold dish, eating until l was full.

After the meal, picking my teeth with a toothpick, l started planning in my mind,"Hmm, this works. After paying back my uncle, l'll still have some left. This money should be enough to serve as capital for the next trip. l won't have to pay my uncle back next time. lf l collect more items and make four thousand each trip, what if l runten trips? Wouldn't that be forty thousand?"

In the evening, l arrived at the West Station and was persuaded by a middle-aged woman to stay at a small hotel for sixty yuan a night.

After checking in, the landlady sneakily said, "Young man, do you want me to find you a little sister?"

Realizing what she meant, l hastily waved my hands and said, "No need, no need, l don't want a little sister."

The landlady was persistent, and in the end, l had no choice but to give her an extra twenty yuan to stop her from bothering me.

As the old saying goes, when you're away from home, don't show off your wealth.

The memory is vivid; the landlady at the inn was staring intently at the stack of red banknotes I had.

That night, l was very tired and fell asleep in a daze. For safety, l had specifically placed the plastic bag with the money under my pillow.

Unexpectedly, when l woke up, the money was gone.

The over four thousand yuan l had worked so hard to earn had disappeared.

"Where's my money! My money!" At that time, my face turned pale with fright, and lfrantically searched through the bedsheets and under the pillow.

But there was nothing left, just the deflated black plastic bag.

I was terrified and hurried to find the landlady, demanding that she check the surveillance and saying that my money was lost and that l wanted to call the police.

As you can imagine, the money was never recovered.

To this day, I have a distaste for those small hotels near train stations.

More than a decade has passed, and l guess that little hotel is long gone. Hate? l wouldn't say that anymore.

If the money hadn't been lost, l might now be a small antique shop owner, perhaps married with children, and my life's trajectory could have been completely different.

But nobody gets a second chance to start over.

If the money hadn't been lost, l wouldn't be known in the circles, and the nick name"Shen Yan Feng" wouldn't exist in the underworld.

The police made a simple report and subtly told me that there was little hope of getting the money back.

With empty hands and a sense of utter despair, l didn't dare to return to Mohe, to go home. l knew l would be laughed at if l went back, ridiculed by my peers, looked down upon by my uncle's family. l found it too humiliating!

If l said l had earned four thousand yuan, no one in the village would believe me!

Standing on the pedestrian overpass outside the West Station, there was a moment when l really wanted to jump off. l thought about just dying and getting it over with.

No father, no mother, no one to care for me, l was just an unloved wild child, better off dead and reincarnated.

The immaturity of a young mind can be terrifying when it harbors such thoughts.

I was ready to jump off the bridge, and even if l hadn't died from the fall, l probably would have been run over by the passing trucks.

My legs were already hanging over the edge.