Chapter 30: Gold Everywhere in the Ghost Market

Jiang Ning walked to Su Chanzhi’s broken-down courtyard with mixed feelings.

Lu Dingquan had paid off her debt for her, two hundred yuan. While he should have some money, it wasn’t a small amount to just hand over.

Living expenses were one thing, but she couldn’t take advantage of him further. She had to pay him back later.

Hopefully, her current connection with Su Chanzhi would help her quickly accumulate her first pot of gold and start making real money.

She knocked on the door, but Su Chanzhi seemed to be out. There was no movement for a long time.

As far as she knew, they usually wouldn’t go out to collect goods in the morning or afternoon. Was she so unlucky? Was he out today?

She patiently knocked for a while longer. With a “creak,” the door inside finally opened.

A messy head of hair poked out, squinting with difficulty. It was Su Chanzhi.

Jiang Ning stood with her waist half-bent, pretending to be impatient and shouting: “You’re home? You wouldn’t open the door for so long, I thought you ran away with my goods!”

Su Chanzhi was woken up, his head throbbing. He stared at the person outside the courtyard door, his eyes gradually focusing, and a complex expression appeared on his face.

“It’s you.”

He came out in slippers, his clothes wrinkled, clearly having gone out last night and fallen asleep as soon as he got back, sleeping until now.

Jiang Ning entered the courtyard, acting as if it were her own home. She glanced at the courtyard, which was now clean and empty of goods, and asked: “Did all my goods sell? I was busy recently and didn’t have time to come over. You didn’t even say you’d send me the money. Tsk, you made me come here myself.”

“How much did it sell for?” She looked Su Chanzhi up and down, extending her palm. “It must be a hundred yuan or so, right? I need the money right now.”

She was acting like a big city boss again, but Su Chanzhi didn’t fall for it this time. He looked at her with suspicion and complexity in his eyes.

Meeting Jiang Ning’s confident gaze, he smiled, his voice hoarse from staying up late, tinged with a hint of something:

“Little sister… oh, no, sister, I have eyes but couldn’t see, I should have called you sister.”

“I’ve also been traveling around since I was young. You showed up and gave me a lesson.”

Jiang Ning raised her eyebrows in surprise: “It’s only right to call you sister, you’re younger than me. What do you mean by that? I don’t understand.”

Su Chanzhi chuckled wryly. In their line of work, everyone they knew would communicate with each other. Not long ago, he heard that an old goods street in the city had a boss who bought a Qianlong tea bowl lid, and it was rumored that the object had a story. Upon closer listening, he understood.

It turned out that the city girl from that day was playing him.

He had encountered all sorts of people in this line of work, and he didn’t doubt that Jiang Ning might have some eye for things and a little knowledge of the business. Plus, he had indeed misjudged her, thinking she was just a pretty girl and taking it lightly.

This business was all about a deal being a deal. He had made a mistake in his own judgment, and he wouldn’t go looking for trouble with the girl.

He just wanted to be more careful in the future.

Unexpectedly, she came back to him so soon.

Su Chanzhi saw her beautiful face and bright temperament, clearly a smart person. How could he have been so careless back then?

However, to be honest, being played by a beautiful girl didn’t make him feel that bad… cough.

He propped up his tired eyes and said: “Sister, don’t be humble. Consider it my eyes being blind that day, I offended you, alright?”

“I heard the tea bowl lid sold for a good price. I, Su Chanzhi, am worthy of you, right?”

Jiang Ning wasn’t surprised that he knew about it. She just didn’t know how it spread in their circle. Actually, selling it for seventy-five yuan wasn’t a huge profit, but since he said that, she naturally had to maintain her posture.

She smiled faintly with her bright eyes: “Little Su, you’re a straightforward person. I don’t want to hide it from you. Actually, it didn’t sell for much, just enough to cover the cost. Besides, didn’t I become a sucker in your hands?”

Su Chanzhi certainly remembered the jade Buddha incident. It was because of that that he knew Jiang Ning had done him a favor.

He thought for a moment and went back to his room to get the money.

“Sister, you also have an eye for things. Those goods of yours, a hundred yuan is really not enough. They sold for a total of thirty-two yuan and five cents. I won’t take my commission, you take it all. Consider it my thanks to you.”

His meaning was clear: he was begging Jiang Ning not to come and target him again.

Jiang Ning glanced at the money but didn’t rush to take it.

She carried her bag and walked towards his room. When Su Chanzhi came over to stop her, she asked calmly: “Little Su, what were you doing last night? You look like a zombie, those dark circles are scary. I didn’t even recognize you at first.”

Su Chanzhi had indeed been up all night and had just returned this morning. He had just closed his eyes when she knocked on the door and woke him up.

He wanted to stop her but didn’t want to put his hands on a girl. Seeing her go in, he sighed in despair: “Alright, I, I’ll get you a glass of water.”

Su Chanzhi went to pour water, and Jiang Ning stood in the hall, casually looking around.

His house looked dilapidated from the outside, but the inside was actually quite large, with things placed rather chaotically but with an underlying order.

After a quick glance, Jiang Ning saw several old objects, but the more valuable ones were definitely not on display.

“Sister, have you seen enough? There’s nothing worth looking at in my broken temple. Come, have some water, take the money, I won’t keep you.”

Jiang Ning blew on the hot air from the cup, carefully observing his belongings while casually saying: “You haven’t answered me yet.”

“Hey, I think this Pi Yao is good, attracting wealth and treasure, only in and not out, so good, I like it. Why don’t you let me…”

Su Chanzhi quickly protected the Pi Yao: “Sister, I’m just trying to make a living, it’s not easy! If you really want to find an opportunity to make money, go to the Ghost Market. There are many good things there, don’t bother me.”

Jiang Ning’s heart moved, her expression unchanged, she acted nonchalant:

“I’ve heard people talk about the Ghost Market, but I think it’s just that… eh, no, were you at the Ghost Market last night?”

Her voice was loud and carefree, Su Chanzhi frowned and quickly shushed her.

“Don’t shout. To tell you the truth, I just came back from there at four or five in the morning. I haven’t slept properly, and you came.”

She knocked on the door like a death knell, making his head ache.

Jiang Ning remembered the Ghost Market being mentioned in the original plot.

It seemed that if she hadn’t pressed Su Chanzhi today, she might have missed it for now. Now, it felt like she had just conquered a game NPC and discovered a hidden dungeon.

She asked with a hint of doubt: “Is it really that good? I feel like you’re trying to scam me.”

Su Chanzhi smiled knowingly: “Sister, would I dare scam you? When the night is deep and quiet, the Ghost Market opens its doors. Since you have such a good eye, I think you should really go to the Ghost Market. Maybe you’ll make a fortune tomorrow, don’t forget about me then.”

Jiang Ning could see that Su Chanzhi didn’t trust her completely yet. He was also very smart. The matter of cooperation would have to wait.

Now that he mentioned the Ghost Market, maybe he was just testing her true level.

After all, he had been scammed last time because he was unprepared and careless.

Now that they were somewhat familiar with each other, they still needed to test each other.

Jiang Ning also wanted to go and see for herself. Meeting Su Chanzhi’s gaze, she pretended to be proud and smiled slightly, while her mind was already figuring out the best time to go.

…

She got back from Su Chanzhi’s place after noon.

She asked about the specific opening time and location of the Ghost Market. It was in a dilapidated market on the outskirts of the city.

The location was very remote, and the opening times were even more mysterious. It would open for a few consecutive days every season, starting after midnight, and not everyone could go. Every few days, there would be a password, passed down by word of mouth within the circle. Only those who knew the password would be allowed in.

Su Chanzhi told her that the current password was “worm.”

She had to go soon, because the password might expire in a few days.

As for Su Chanzhi, he finally sent Jiang Ning away, with his own plans in mind.

Ghost Market, Ghost Market, it was hard to tell the real from the fake. Every year, many people went there hoping to strike it rich, but ended up losing everything.

Those with real skills would naturally be able to make a small fortune from a small investment, identifying good goods.

But there were many more people with half-baked knowledge who wanted to show off and take shortcuts, only to end up making fools of themselves.

Everyone said there was gold everywhere in the Ghost Market, ha.

Could anything that could be easily found be considered real gold?

Although Jiang Ning had scammed him once, Su Chanzhi felt that she was just a bit capable. She could scam him, but when it came to the ruthless Ghost Market, she might end up crying and going back.

Jiang Ning didn’t know that Su Chanzhi was already looking forward to her crying. After getting off the bus, she casually walked to the East Gate Square, planning to eat something before going back.

She found a stall selling steamed buns and porridge. She ordered a bowl of porridge and two buns, which cost only fifty cents in total.

While eating, she was planning her trip to the Ghost Market.

It opened at midnight, so she would have to go early and find a place to stay nearby.

But that area was so remote, the nearest place to stay would probably be far away. In the middle of the night, she wouldn’t dare to walk outside alone.

Then there was the money issue. She had fifty yuan from last time plus the eighty-two yuan Su Chanzhi gave her, a total of one hundred and thirty-two yuan.

Going to the famous Ghost Market with one hundred and thirty-two yuan to buy antiques…

Cough, she shouldn’t be too worried, right?

…

After lunch, Jiang Ning went home.

There were many street vendors at the East Gate Square, but they didn’t come out in the middle of the day. They usually got busy in the afternoon, around two or three o’clock.

She walked onto a pedestrian overpass and looked down. This small county town was also bustling with people, rushing about.

It was an ordinary day. Some people were working hard for a living, some were enjoying their stable jobs, some were enjoying their grandchildren, but the wheel of time was always moving forward on such ordinary days, until the day when the car sped up.

Jiang Ning leaned on the railing of the overpass, enjoying the breeze. Not far from her on the other side, a young man walked by.

Meng Yuanbin was carrying a gift box, containing cigarettes and ginseng.

Seeing Jiang Ning’s figure here, his eyes lit up, and he couldn’t wait to walk over.

“Jiang Ning, you’re here, are you waiting for me?”

Jiang Ning turned her head, looking at the suddenly appearing person with obvious surprise.

“…Waiting for you? Can you speak properly? How can you just say that?”

Why did she run into him? What bad luck.

Meng Yuanbin heard her tone wasn’t good, but he just smiled helplessly: “Alright, let’s say I wasn’t waiting for you, I was looking for you, okay?”

Jiang Ning: “…”

She looked to the other side and noticed that the street below the other side of the overpass was the street in front of the Cultural Theater. She understood.

Meng Yuanbin was probably busy with something nearby today, and she was careless for staying here.

She retracted her gaze, her tone cold: “Sorry, I’m not free. If you have anything, just go directly to my old Lu.”

Meng Yuanbin frowned slightly, carrying the gift box and following her.

He looked at her sideways, his tone serious: “Jiang Ning, can you stop and listen to me for a few minutes? You caused the trouble, you still expect me not to know? I’ve found out everything about what happened yesterday.”

Jiang Ning really stopped, looking at him seriously, and laughed: “Meng Zhiqing, don’t put a hat on me. I didn’t cause any trouble, and I’m not afraid of anyone knowing. You, on the other hand, are helping someone clean up the mess, and you’re putting the blame on me? Are you sick?”

She could tell from Meng Yuanbin’s appearance that Zhou Mansha’s situation was probably very bad now.

It was the middle of the afternoon, and he was still carrying a gift box. He probably went there at noon but was turned away.

Zhou Mansha’s case involved ideological and moral issues. Her father was the secretary, but he was also a secretary who cared about face, and the matter had already been exposed, so he couldn’t protect Zhou Mansha.

He could only let her lose her job for now and keep a low profile for a while. He would arrange something for her later.

But Zhou Mansha couldn’t swallow this.

She had lost face and become a laughingstock. Naturally, she made a fuss at home. Zhou Shuji couldn’t go there himself, so he asked Meng Yuanbin to find a way to get things moving and see if there was any room for maneuver.

Meng Yuanbin had been in a panic all day.

He frowned deeply, looking at Jiang Ning: “You admit it, don’t you?”

Jiang Ning: ?? Was this guy crazy?

Which sentence of hers admitted anything?

But Meng Yuanbin continued: “Jiang Ning, I can ignore all the things you’ve done in the past. But this time, you caused trouble for Sasha to get back at me, it’s really unbelievable. I can’t believe you’re really like this. You weren’t like this before.”

Jiang Ning and Zhou Mansha didn’t know each other. The only interaction they had was that day at the department store when she saw him with Zhou Mansha.

There was no reason for Jiang Ning to target Zhou Mansha and report her work issues.

Meng Yuanbin knew in his heart that the only possibility was because of him.

He looked at Jiang Ning with a very complex expression, full of pity, as if he was really disappointed in her.

Jiang Ning stood there, taking a deep breath to calm herself down before facing this absurd thought.

What kind of Qiong Yao drama was Meng Yuanbin playing here? Did he get the wrong script?

She had expected him to come find her after he knew it was her that day, but she didn’t expect him to be so brain-dead.

Facing Meng Yuanbin’s disgusting deep gaze, she began to speak:

“Meng Zhiqing, I think you’re really good at making things up, imagining things, and fabricating things out of thin air.”

“In the past, in the village, I was like many other girls, I had a crush on you, but that was based on the fact that there weren’t many eligible young men in our village. You, at best, are a pick of the litter, a dung beetle picked from a pile of manure! It’s not that you’re so outstanding, it’s just that you appeared at the right time and place, that’s all.”