Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

The old man who had asked about the price of the Zen stool came back again, followed by two people, and greeted Xu Damao.

"The fish is sold out, so I close the stall and go home. I still have to go to work during the day!"

"You are really diligent, young man. Can I take another look at this table?"

"You can look at it as you like, old man, but the price is still the same."

"Haha, brother, the price you want is quite high. Let's see if it's worth that much first!"

A middle-aged man walked over behind the old man, laughing. He also followed the old man to the Zen bench and began to examine the Zen bench with a lantern in hand.

"Beautiful! This thing is really beautiful."

The old man stroked and examined it while muttering to himself.

The middle-aged man also checked with a frown, and occasionally stretched out his hand to touch the wooden board of the table.

"Young man, this is your thing. Tell me why you sold it for two thousand dollars."

The old man turned and said something to Xu Damao who had already packed his things.

Xu Damao didn't say anything like "I bought it for 2,000 yuan and would lose money if I didn't sell it for 2,000 yuan." He didn't tell any story either, but started to explain it seriously.

After all, the old man seemed to really like this Zen stool and wanted to buy it, so there was no need to play with those fancy things.

"Old man, let me tell you why it is so valuable."

"First of all, this is a Hainan Huanghuali Zen stool from the early Qing Dynasty. Manche means that the entire Zen stool is made of Hainan Huanghuali."

Xu Damao had just said a few words when the old man and the two people behind him changed their expressions slightly, knowing that they would not be able to take advantage of this opportunity today.

"Look at the ribs on the bottom and legs of this Zen stool. They are very smooth and have an arc. Only a master carpenter can complete them! And the dragon pattern on the crutch, what do you think of the carving, old man?"

"And the surface of this Zen stool."

As Xu Damao spoke, he placed his hands on the Zen stool and gestured.

"It's made of two pieces of Huanghuali wood. Grandpa, the big one is more than a foot wide, and the small one is more than 20 centimeters. To make such a big board, the Huanghuali must have grown for hundreds or even thousands of years!"

"Does the old man think that the price I gave is too high now?"

After Xu Damao finished drinking, he took a sip of jasmine tea to moisten his throat and waited for the old man to speak.

"Okay, you explained it very well. I didn't expect that you, at such a young age, know so much. We are like-minded. But the price is indeed a bit high. It didn't cost you much to get it, did it?"

"How I got this thing is none of your business. What do you think is a reasonable price for it? This large item has been handed down for hundreds of years and is extremely rare. There may only be one left."

Xu Damao asked back, and at the same time "gilded" the appearance of his own Zen stool.

"Little brother, you're right. I'll give you a reasonable price. Don't give me 2,000. I'll give you 1,500. I really like this thing. If you want to sell it, I can give you the money right now."

The old man mentioned a very high price, but it was still some distance from Xu Damao's expectations.

"No, no, the price is too low. This Zen stool is worth more than this. If you keep it at home, its value will increase day by day. Who knows, in a few decades, it could be worth millions."

"Besides, I'm not short of money. If this thing can't be sold for the price I offer, I'd rather keep it for myself."

Xu Damao patted the bicycle beside him as he spoke. Indeed, owning a bicycle these days is at least a small asset.

"Then tell me the price, my friend. If it's suitable, we will buy it. It's almost dawn, and this ghost market should be closed."

The old man looked up at the sky and saw wisps of purple air emerging from the east.

"Okay, old man, you're straightforward. I'll tell you my lowest price, eighteen hundred! If you agree, then we'll make the deal. If not, I'll keep it for myself."

Xu Damao also had a conflicted look on his face. He was not pretending. He really wanted to collect this thing.

"Okay, eighteen hundred is eighteen hundred, Huang Er, bring the money over here!"

The old man waved his hand, and a man with a canvas bag came over from behind.

The old man reached into his bag and took out a few stacks of big unity banknotes. After counting them, he handed them to Xu Damao.

Xu Damao was not polite and just stretched out his hands to take it. He walked to the bicycle, opened the wooden basin, and casually threw the money into the basket.

"It's not safe to leave it in here. Huang Er, give the bag to this little brother!"

The old man looked at Xu Damao's actions, frowned, and couldn't help but remind him.

"It's okay, old man. My basket is very sturdy and the weaving is very dense. It has two layers. Not to mention the money, even if a penny falls in it, it won't leak out."

Xu Damao waved his hand to indicate that it was no big deal.

"Little brother, I have to trouble you for a moment. This thing is too heavy. Please tie it to your car and give it a ride. It's not far, just near Chaoyangmen."

"okay!"

Huang Er carried the Zen stool with great effort and came to the bicycle. He frowned when he saw Xu Damao roughly tying the Zen stool to the large wooden basin with a hemp rope.

"Hey! Be careful, these are worth thousands of dollars."

"Don't worry, this thing is very strong. Even if the fish basin is rotten, there won't be a trace of it! Am I right, old man?"

"Huang Er, although you are young, you are an expert. What you said is right. Let's go ahead."

Xu Damao pushed the cart and followed behind. After walking for about seven or eight minutes, they came to an open area.

“It’s actually a car!”

Xu Damao was a little surprised and shouted in a low voice.

"Hey, how about you, kid? You've never ridden in a car before, right?"

“I haven’t sat on it.”

Xu Damao acted envious.

"Okay, Huang Er, put this Zen stool in the car."

Xu Damao untied the rope and helped Huang Er put the Zen stool on the cart, then watched the cart leave.

When Xu Damao saw the car driving away and there was no one around, he put the large wooden basin back into his personal space, got on his bicycle, and returned to the ghost market. He still needed to buy a bicycle!

After wandering around for a while, I finally found a stall selling bicycles. There was only one bicycle in front of the stall.

"Is the car for sale?"

"Sell!"

"Let me see."

"Brother, take a look. This is Fei Ge manganese steel. It's very strong. Look, it's almost the same as a brand new one!"

"Hey, this one of mine looks exactly like a new one after it was washed. You did a great job, wiping every steel bar clean! Where did you get this car?"

"Brother, you know the rules of the ghost market. You just buy and I sell. Let's not ask about other things."