Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

At this moment, a rich aroma of roasted sweet potatoes wafted towards him, like a sweet temptation, making Xu Damao subconsciously twitch his nose, trying to capture more of the mouth-watering taste.

This sweet scent permeates the air, adding a touch of warmth and beauty to the already expectant atmosphere.

Just as Xu Damao was immersed in this wonderful olfactory enjoyment, a shopkeeper sitting at the door noticed the wooden box in their hands. He immediately put on a friendly smile and asked softly, "Are you two here to sell things?"

Hearing this, Xu Damao came back to his senses, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a hint of a smile, and replied: "Hehe, brother, you are really smart! We are indeed here to sell things."

After saying this, he gently shook the wooden box in his hand, as if hinting to the other party about the secret hidden in it.

"Hey, do you need to guess? You are holding a beautiful wooden box tightly in your hand. You are most likely here to sell something! I just don't know what is in it, or whether it is some scam, eh!"

The middle-aged man who looked like a shopkeeper was thinking secretly in his mind while observing the person who came quietly.

"I wonder why you're here this time, brother? What rare items do you want to sell? I have to be frank with you. If you bring antiques or something like that, no matter whether the deal is concluded or not, we will charge you a fee."

The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes and said with a smile.

"Hey, brother, what's going on? Why do you have to collect the money even though the deal hasn't been concluded?"

Xu Damao's face was full of confusion, and he couldn't help but ask.

"Hey, brother, you don't know. These days, there are always people with ill intentions. They come to our store with so-called antiques, saying they want to sell them, but in fact, they just want to find an expert to check their eyes and determine whether they are genuine."

"So, this little money is considered as the cost of the appraisal."

"Otherwise, our store will be busy all day and night, but in the end we won't make a penny."

The shopkeeper shook his head helplessly and explained with a wry smile.

"Oh, I see. There are people who want to get appraisals for free. So there should be a certain amount of appraisal fee. So, may I ask, how exactly is the appraisal fee charged?"

Xu Damao nodded suddenly realizing and continued to ask.

"It's great that you can understand, little brother. As for the appraisal fee, it must be determined based on the value of the item itself. But no matter what, the upper limit will definitely not exceed five dollars."

"We are a regular store here, and I'm sure you know that, brother. We can't be compared with those vagrants out there setting up stalls at random.

Our prices are fair and reasonable. We treat everyone equally, whether they are children or the elderly. We never cheat. We are in long-term business and we value our reputation. After all, even if the monks can escape, the temples will still be there. "

As soon as the shopkeeper finished speaking, he raised his hand and gently patted the solid and thick blue brick wall beside him.

"My dear, I think the box you put in is an antique. Would it be convenient for you to take it out and let me have a look?"

"Hey, brother, this thing of mine can barely be considered an antique. I estimate that it only has a history of a few short decades. As for its specific value, I would like to ask you to help estimate it and give a suitable price?"

Xu Damao laughed dryly while carefully placing the box in his hand on the counter. Then he turned around, walked to the door, reached out to lift the curtain, took a quick glance outside the door, then slowly lowered the curtain and turned back.

He never thought that his unintentional action would frighten the shopkeeper so much that he jumped up from his seat.

"Brother, what do you mean by this? This is a famous ghost market, don't have any messy thoughts!"

Xu Damao was standing there like an iron tower, giving people an invisible sense of oppression. The shopkeeper's eyes fell on him, and there was a hint of threat in his words, but surprisingly, there was no fear in his eyes.

"Oh my, brother, you must have misunderstood! My bicycle is parked outside alone right now. You know, this ghost market is a place where all kinds of people are hidden. If it is accidentally taken away by some dishonest guy, I will suffer a heavy loss!" Xu Damao noticed that the shopkeeper was wary of him, and he immediately saw the reason and hurriedly explained.

"Oh? I see. It's not difficult to solve. Li Er!"

Following the shopkeeper's shout, a sturdy man quickly walked out from the back hall.

"Brother, what do you want to ask me?"

"This guest's bicycle is parked outside. Please go and take care of it. Don't lose it."

"Yes, brother."

"Haha, thank you for your help, boss. My bicycle is parked over there, brother. Thank you for your help." As Xu Damao said this, he lifted the curtain and pointed to where his bicycle was.

Li Er nodded silently, turned around and walked straight out the door without saying a word.

"My dear little brother, now that your worries are gone, let me see what rare things you brought us. However, I have to say something ugly first. Even if it is a fake or a counterfeit, we still charge a certain amount of appraisal fee!"

"Don't worry, big brother, just watch." Xu Damao waved his hand nonchalantly, with a relaxed look on his face.

The shopkeeper carefully opened the exquisite wooden box and only took a glance at it. His originally relaxed brows instantly frowned, but soon relaxed again.

"Haha, my dear brother, you really love to joke. This so-called 'small yellow croaker' is not an antique at all. Besides, our store doesn't charge a penny for appraisal fees for this kind of transaction."

While the shopkeeper was talking cheerfully, he reached out and took out the two golden little yellow croakers and a small and exquisite gold bean from the box, weighed them carefully in his hands, looked at them repeatedly several times, and finally nodded with satisfaction.