Chapter 383 – Trust Shop
Lu Xia shook her head and smiled at him. “No, we’re very satisfied. You did a great job with the renovation, and you didn’t damage the original structure much.”
Yan Hai finally relaxed upon hearing her praise and patted his chest. “Of course, I work with experienced craftsmen; they wouldn’t let any damage happen.”
Yan Hai was pleased to hear their satisfied remarks and breathed a sigh of relief. When he heard that Jiang Junmo wanted to dig up the backyard pond, he immediately agreed, even without asking for compensation.
In his words, they had already received a decent payment for their work, so this was his way of helping out.
Jiang Junmo didn’t insist further after hearing his willingness.
Later, Yan Hai learned that Lu Xia and Jiang Junmo planned to buy furniture and offered his assistance voluntarily.
Lu Xia was puzzled. What help did they need for buying furniture?
Seeing her confusion, Yan Hai smiled and asked, “What kind of furniture do you want to buy?”
Lu Xia replied directly, “Two beds, a desk, a sofa, a coffee table, and so on.”
“That’s quite a list!”
Yan Hai thought for a moment and said, “If you plan to buy so much, you might not find good options in the department stores. The best furniture is usually found in foreign trade shops where everything is imported from abroad. Even the beds there are more comfortable than domestic ones.”
Lu Xia’s interest was piqued when she heard this. Did he mean imported spring mattresses?
She was tempted for a moment but quickly reconsidered when she heard the next sentence.
“However, things there are quite expensive, and you’ll need foreign exchange certificates to make purchases.”
Lu Xia instantly gave up. Not only did she not have any foreign exchange certificates, but the imported items also sounded expensive.
No, it wasn’t worth it.
However, Jiang Junmo, who had noticed her momentary interest, wanted to offer a solution. He said, “If you really like them, we can go take a look. I can handle the foreign exchange certificates.”
Lu Xia shook her head, “No need, it’s not necessary. Imported items are expensive nowadays. Let’s wait until they become more affordable.”
Jiang Junmo wanted to say more, but seeing Lu Xia’s determination, he decided to go along with her wishes.
On the other hand, Yan Hai, who had been observing the situation, smiled and said, “Don’t be in a hurry, actually, besides foreign trade shops, there’s another place where you can buy furniture, and it’s quite affordable.”
Lu Xia was surprised. “Where?”
“It’s called a trust shop!”
“A trust shop?” Lu Xia was puzzled. The term sounded familiar.
However, Jiang Junmo, who had heard of it, understood. “Are you talking about a second-hand market? The one near the Liuli Factory?”
“Yes, exactly! You know about it too?”
Lu Xia looked at him, and Jiang Junmo nodded. “I’ve heard of it.”
Then, he furrowed his brow and said, “But everything there is second-hand, used by others. Maybe we should stick to buying new furniture.”
Lu Xia hesitated as well. She didn’t want to sleep on a bed that had been used by someone else.
Then Yan Hai said, “It’s not just used items there; they also have some antique pieces. I heard they had a set of rosewood furniture recently, but someone bought it at a high price. Still, it’s quite a bargain.”
“Really?” Lu Xia became interested.
Their small courtyard was a traditional courtyard house, and it would be nice to have some antique pieces inside. So, she immediately decided to go and take a look.
Jiang Junmo could only agree to her request.
Yan Hai didn’t leave either; he had acquaintances there and offered to accompany them. He promised to help them find good pieces and even negotiate prices.
Lu Xia and Jiang Junmo thanked him.
Without further ado, they didn’t waste any time and took a car to the Liuli Factory.
*
Chapter 384 – Antiques
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The trust shop and the place where Jiang Junmo worked part-time were not far apart; they were on the same street.
This area used to be a famous antique market in Beijing. However, as the government tightened regulations and prohibited individual sales, the trust shop was established as an officially sanctioned antique exchange market.
Upon entering the shop, they discovered that it was quite spacious, with two floors.
The first floor displayed various small items, including ceramics, pots, pans, as well as electronics such as televisions, radios, cameras, and more. It looked like a diverse second-hand market.
Lu Xia was somewhat surprised to find that there were quite a few antiques, even though she didn’t understand their value. She quietly asked Jiang Junmo, “Are these items valuable?”
Jiang Junmo glanced around and shook his head. “Most of them are from the Republican era. A few are from the Ming and Qing dynasties, but they are all everyday items, not official kiln ware, so they’re not worth much.”
Although their voices were low, Yan Hai, who was walking beside them, overheard and explained, “The items displayed here are what others have left behind. The people here are all experienced and can instantly tell whether something is valuable. The good ones are kept by the sellers themselves.”
Lu Xia finally understood. It seemed that picking up valuable items here was impossible.
She also noticed that there were quite a few people, including foreigners. This was the first time she had seen foreigners in this era.
They were speaking with limited proficiency in Chinese, asking about prices, and quickly making purchases when they heard an acceptable price.
Yan Hai explained, “Foreigners like these kinds of things, and they often come here to buy. It can be said that the reason this trust shop was opened in the first place was to sell to them.”
Then, he added in a low voice, “Dishes that cost a few yuan can be sold to them at ten times the price, making a good profit in foreign currency.”
Lu Xia nodded when she heard this, but she sighed inwardly. They might be making money now, but who knew what the situation would be like decades later?
They didn’t stay long in the shop. Lu Xia had no intention of buying pots, pans, or similar items there; those were things she would prefer to buy new.
On the second floor, Yan Hai directly took them to meet someone he knew.
The person was quite young, in his early twenties, and appeared to get along well with Yan Hai. His name was Hou Yong, but Yan Hai referred to him as Houzi (monkey).
When Hou Yong learned that they were interested in buying old furniture, he shook his head with regret.
“You’re too late; there was a nice set available yesterday, but it was sold as soon as the shop opened. What’s left is either individual pieces or items that are too old.”
Yan Hai also looked disappointed when he heard this, but since they were already there, they might as well take a look.
Hou Yong then led them around. The second floor was mainly filled with furniture, and although there was a wide variety, as he had mentioned earlier, most of the items left were either missing parts or extremely old.
Either the furniture was damaged or just plain ordinary, so there was no point in buying from there.
They did come across some imported foreign furniture, but it looked quite old, and Lu Xia wasn’t interested in purchasing it.
Noticing Lu Xia’s gaze towards the imported furniture, Hou Yong said, “If you’re only interested in antique pieces, there aren’t any left here now. But if you’re open to imported items, a recent batch just arrived. They’re quite large and haven’t been sold yet.”
He continued when he saw that Lu Xia had no immediate reaction, “They’re almost new, barely used. They look great. If you’re really interested, you can go take a look.”
Lu Xia decided that since they were already there, they might as well check it out. She looked at Jiang Junmo, who had an expression suggesting she was the one making the decision, and nodded. “Let’s go take a look.”
