Chapter 151 Investing in Modern Art

Liu Zhiye followed Yan Jiecheng into the house. The kitchen and living room were at the entrance, and the bedroom was on the right.

Looking around again, I found that the house was simply and practically furnished, with a few paintings and calligraphy hanging on the wall, adding a touch of elegance.

There is an antique eight-immortal table and several carved chairs placed in the south of the room. There is also a glass mirror hanging on the east wall, which is convenient for tidying up one's appearance before going out.

It seems that he learned this from Liu Zhiye. Ever since Liu Zhiye asked him to help tinker with antiques, artworks and other objects, Yan Jiecheng has gradually become more elegant.

Liu Zhiye nodded and said, "Haha, you have tidied it up very well. Now that you have a house and a permanent job, it's time to think about your lifelong affairs."

"Oh, my family is pushing me too hard!" Yan Jiecheng scratched his head and continued, "My dad said that there is a new young female teacher intern at their school. She is a student at a normal technical secondary school and is only 18 years old this year.

Both of her parents are returned overseas Chinese and middle school teachers. They come from a family of scholars and are also beautiful.

She doesn’t have a date yet, so she wants to ask someone to introduce one to us.”

Liu Zhiye was moved when he heard this, and asked curiously: "Oh! What's the name of this girl?"

Yan Jiecheng smiled and said, "Ran Qiuye, when I hear this name, I feel that she has culture and accomplishment."

When "Ran Qiuye" heard this, Liu Zhiye felt confused. Shouldn't Yan Jiecheng's target be Yu Li?

On second thought, it makes sense. Yu Li is still young now, and according to the original drama, it will take a few years for them to get married.

Yan Jiecheng's life has undergone earth-shaking changes due to Liu Zhiye's butterfly effect. Not only did he get a permanent job ahead of schedule, but he was also unexpectedly allocated housing.

And he himself is not bad looking, otherwise Yu Li in the play would not be optimistic about him. If he finds a partner to marry in advance, it becomes reasonable.

It was no accident that Third Uncle Yan Bugui was so smart and calculating that he set his sights on Teacher Ran Qiuye as his daughter-in-law.

"By the way, Brother Liu! I'm moving today. Let's set up two tables in the evening to celebrate. You must come!" Yan Jiecheng invited with a smile.

Liu Zhiye smiled and responded to Yan Jiecheng: "Brother! I'm sorry, I have to go back to the team this afternoon and can't attend your dinner tonight."

"However, your sister-in-law will attend on my behalf. We can get together again when we are free another day." Seeing Yan Jiecheng's disappointed expression, he continued.

Yan Jiecheng smiled happily when he heard this, "That's fine! Brother Liu, I'll wait for you when you're free."

He then continued, "By the way! Brother Liu, I wonder if you are interested in modern art?"

Liu Zhiye's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he immediately asked, "What do you mean?"

Seeing his interested look, Yan Jiecheng immediately perked up and said, "I have a classmate who works in a cultural relic store. He told me that the main store has a large collection of modern and Ming Dynasty paintings, which are of high quality and low price. For example, a painting by Qi Baishi only costs a few yuan."

When Liu Zhiye thought of this, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Oh!" He had previously focused on collecting antiques, but neglected to invest in works by modern and contemporary celebrities. He realized that this kind of investment would bring him extremely high returns in the future.

For example, the works of the top ten modern masters, Qi Baishi, Huang Binhong, Xu Beihong, Liu Haisu, Pan Tianshou, Li Kuchan, Zhang Daqian, Lin Fengmian, Fu Baoshi, Li Keran and others, are very expensive to collect, and their appreciation potential even exceeds that of some fine antiques.

Liu Zhiye suddenly realized that many principles are actually the same. He can not only buy those works of famous people who have already received great acclaim, but also look to some national treasure-level masters who will shine in the future, such as Gu Jingzhou, Chen Laotie, Cui Ruzhuo, Zeng Fanzhi, Jia Youfu and Chen Fuyao.

The works of these future masters will be potential stocks in the market and are worth investing in and collecting in advance.

It is a bit exaggerated to say that he is now so poor that he only has money left. However, judging from his private income, it is not impossible for him to become the richest man in the country in the next ten years.

If you don’t find a way to spend your money quickly, depreciation will be inevitable. In the current environment, too much money has become a burden, and the only way to spend it reasonably is through collecting.

Liu Zhiye was completely moved by the information provided by Yan Jiecheng. He sincerely said to Yan Jiecheng: "Brother, thank you for your information. I am very interested in this."

He then added cautiously: "Please ask your classmate to help me purchase the goods. The more the better. I will reward you handsomely after the task is completed." "But you must keep it a secret for me, okay?" He reminded him seriously again.

Yan Jiecheng was like a soldier, and immediately swore, "I promise you, old man, I will keep your secret."

Liu Zhiye patted his shoulder and said earnestly: "Okay! I'll leave this to you. You are the person I trust the most. Follow me and work hard. I will never treat you unfairly."

Yan Jiecheng was very excited when he heard this, and he patted his chest to show his loyalty. Judging from his performance, it can be estimated that in his heart, Liu Zhiye's status has surpassed that of his father Yan Bugui.

……

After Liu Zhiye returned to the East Cross Courtyard, he left Yu and Li to rest, and then drove Gan Ning to the Street Office to work.

On the way, Gan Ning asked curiously, "What did Xu Damao want to talk to you about? Why did you take so long?"

Liu Zhiye chuckled and responded, "Oh, Xu Damao helped me collect some old things and sent them over. Later, I ran into Yan Jiecheng and he said he had been allocated a house, so I went to take a look out of curiosity."

He went on to say, "He invited me to go to warm the pot in the evening. I don't have time, so you can go in my place. Bring a pair of thermoses and 10 yuan as a gift."

Gan Ning nodded and said softly, "Okay, I'll go!"

Liu Zhiye said to her with some guilt: "Xiao Ning, I'm not at home, please be careful and see a doctor if you feel unwell."

Gan Ning looked at him gently and responded, "Don't worry about me. My parents are at home and nothing will happen. When you were away these few days, my mom always slept with me. You have to take good care of yourself when you are out there."

Gan Ning suddenly remembered something, and she said, "Oh, Zhiye, I introduced another girl to Zhuzi. This girl is pretty good, and she's good-looking, but unfortunately she's a refugee, and she has a younger brother with her. Do you think this will work out?"

Liu Zhiye was a little unhappy when he heard that he was going to introduce a girl to Sha Zhu. The last incident left a deep impression on him. Sha Zhu's "unreliability" was really speechless. No wonder he remained single until he was in his thirties in the play.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Explain Sha Zhu's character to the girl. Don't let her get hurt."

Gan Ning couldn't help but laugh when she heard Sha Zhu's actions. What kind of person is this? He can ruin a good marriage with just a little wine.

"I saved it. This girl is from Cangzhou. She lost her parents and fled here with her seven-year-old brother. As long as she is willing, this can be done."

"As for her, she is not a pushover. She has kung fu skills, and two or three strong men can't get close to her. Who knows who will bully whom in the end!"

"The subdistrict office has taken in many people in similar situations, and I also have a mission to fulfill. I need to help them find a warm home. Oh! I am so worried!"

"Ah!" Liu Zhiye couldn't help but exclaimed after hearing the news. But soon, he said happily: "This is really perfect. Only a girl like this can control Zhuzi's unruly behavior."

Liu Zhiye frowned and asked, "By the way, Xiao Ning, I heard you say that the subdistrict office has taken in a lot of homeless people recently. Is that a lot of people?"

Gan Ning said gloomily, "There are men, women, young and old, and the number is increasing. The subdistrict office is very worried. It's okay for the able-bodied men and women. They can arrange temporary jobs for them to survive. But what about the elderly and children..."

Her words revealed deep worry. Seeing more and more men, women and children being taken to the shelter of the street office, she couldn't help but feel deeply worried about the lives of these innocent people.

Liu Zhiye couldn't help scratching his head when he heard this. This was not just a situation in a few street offices, and he guessed that it was not easy in other places either.

So, he said, "Do you have any measures?"

"Yes, men are arranged to work in local enterprises to support themselves, women consider marriage and finding a home, and the elderly are sent to nursing homes. But nursing homes can't accommodate so many people at once, so children can only be considered for adoption or sent to orphanages. But this is not so easy."

"Nowadays, every family has a lot of children, and we don't traditionally advocate adoption, so children are the most difficult problem to deal with."

Liu Zhiye comforted her, "You don't have to worry too much. When the time comes, we will find a solution."

(End of this chapter)