Chapter 16: What era is it now? Are we still making fake traditional products?
"Brother!"

When Xiao Shen heard Zhang Yang talk about his master's abilities, he changed his address without thinking.

The expression on her face clearly said:
Dividing gold and determining the location of the acupoint? I want to learn!

"Don't change your mind now, wait until you see the master tomorrow."

Zhang Yang waved his hand gently.

He didn't understand why Xiao Shen insisted on becoming his disciple.

Are replica antiques so attractive?
The little girl seemed to really think that aging antiques was a great thing, and wanted to uncover the mystery of the "Tukeng Duan", thinking that this was a very fulfilling thing.

But in fact, this line of work is very dangerous.

Look at how many times Zhang Yang has been arrested?

However, considering that the other party was his "benefactor", Zhang Yang also figured it out.

As long as she is happy.

It just so happened that Zhang Yang was also planning to meet his cheap master and ask him if he had confessed all the bad things he had done.

Don't plant any landmines secretly, or you will end up hurting yourself.

"Okay! Where are you going now, brother? I'll take you there."

"No, the place I want to go is very close to here, I can just walk there."

Zhang Yang politely rejected the other party's kindness.

"OK then."

Xiao Shen shrugged helplessly and waved across the street.

Soon, a Benz with a Chinese D license plate drove over. The driver in a suit got out and enthusiastically helped Xiao Shen open the door.

"Goodbye, Senior Brother!"

Xiao Shen rolled down the window and waved to Zhang Yang.

"Goodbye."

Zhang Yang looked at the figure running away and felt a little sympathy for Xiao Shen.

At such a young age, he can't even open a car door.

But he looks quite rich.

I don’t know whether the cheap master will accept this apprentice.

Zhang Yang felt that he would probably agree, because the master had always wanted to promote his craft.

The kind that occupies the national antique market.

It's just that his luck was not very good. The senior brothers who joined the sect before Zhang Yang either changed their careers or were still in prison.

Maybe Xiao Shen is the chance to change his luck. After all, the master has never tried to accept a disciple in prison.

Thinking about these things, Zhang Yang soon arrived at the Qingzhou Antique Market.

It is called an antique market, but in fact it cannot be compared with Panjiayuan.

It's about the same size as an average farmers' market.

In fact, there are such places in prefecture-level cities all over the country, the only difference is that some are second-hand markets, and some are antique streets, they are just called differently.

A few years ago, when Master Zhang Yang had enough money, he spent 500,000 yuan to buy a shop here.

I originally wanted to be a landlord.

Unexpectedly, due to some reasons, most of the shops in the antique market went bankrupt, and it was only recently that they recovered.

A few months ago, the master was arrested just as he was about to put up an advertisement for rent.

Now, Zhang Yang had no idea what the market situation was, let alone how much the shop worth 500,000 yuan was worth.

Although he hadn't been to the antique market for a long time, this was the Jerusalem of Qingzhou City's antique industry after all, and Zhang Yang was quite familiar with it.

He was very knowledgeable and squeezed in through the small door at the back of the market.

He was startled by the desolate scene inside.

What about people?

Where is the shop?
Isn’t this the most prosperous place in the old city?

How come it's like an abandoned factory?

The doors of several shops near the back door were closed, and the signs on the doors had been washed away by rain and were very worn out. Only a few remnants of the couplets beside the door remained, making it look as if no one had lived there for several years.

He hurried along the main road of the market, towards the main entrance.

Halfway through the walk, I finally saw a living person.

It was an acquaintance, Old Hu, who used to specialize in selling bronze ware in the market.

In the early years, Lao Hu often rode an electric tricycle to Zhang Yang's workshop to pick up goods.

At that time, Zhang Yang was still in high school, and three years have passed in a flash.

Zhang Yang could remember it so clearly because every time Lao Hu went there, he would bring his daughter, who was still in high school, to help with the accounting.

The girl was very pretty and had a soft, gentle voice. I still remember her voice.

I haven't seen him for a few years, but Lao Hu is still the same and his appearance hasn't changed much.

At this moment, he was lying in a rocking chair, closing his eyes, and fanning himself with a paper fan. "Uncle Hu." Zhang Yang called from a distance.

"Who?"

When Lao Hu heard the sound, he sat up from his chair and turned his head to look around.

When he saw Zhang Yang, he was stunned for a moment.

"Who are you, young man?"

"I'm Zhang Yang." Zhang Yang grinned.

"Zhang Yang? Oh, I haven't seen you for a few years. How come you have grown so tall?"

"Come on, come on, come and sit for a while, let's talk."

Lao Hu walked out of the stall and came to the roadside to warmly greet Zhang Yang.

"Hahaha, Uncle Hu is too polite."

Zhang Yang walked over with a smile, and when he saw what was on Lao Hu's stall, he suddenly felt like his soul was struck.

What was displayed on the stall was actually bronze Tiga and bronze Kun Kun.

There are even terracotta warriors holding AKs.

I didn’t expect that after not seeing them for a few years, the things Lao Hu sells have become so abstract.

No wonder he never came to his own workshop to purchase goods afterwards. Zhang Yang had indeed not yet developed the bronze Tiga of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

"Uncle Hu, the business you are doing now is much more interesting than before."

Zhang Yang squatted in front of the stall and picked up a bronze Kun Kun.

Don't tell me, it's quite heavy.

Zhang Yang weighed it and felt that it was made of iron, with a layer of copper rust on the outside.

"Hahaha, just a few trinkets, selling them to make a living."

"Come, let's sit down and talk."

Old Hu handed Zhang Yang a small stool. It looked like no one had sat on it for a long time and there was some dust on it.

After Zhang Yang sat down, Lao Hu squatted next to Zhang Yang, covered his mouth and leaned close to Zhang Yang's ear and asked:

"I heard that your master went in some time ago?"

"How many years was he sentenced to?"

"Well, he was sentenced to three years." Zhang Yang answered very calmly.

This is not a secret, and it is normal for people in a circle to know about it.

"It's been so long!" Lao Hu sighed, and then asked in confusion, "No suspended sentence?"

"No, my master does not plead guilty."

"What do you mean? Is this a wrongful conviction?"

"Not really. My master thinks that what he did is not called tomb robbing. He just borrowed the tomb owner's burial objects for use and would return them after making the replicas."

"He felt that his act did not fall under the grave robbery provisions of the criminal law."

Every time Zhang Yang explains this problem, he finds it a bit funny.

But there's nothing I can do, that's just the way my master behaves.

"So you live alone now? Do you still live in that workshop?"

Old Hu looked at Zhang Yang with a concerned look on his face.

"Yes, there's nothing wrong with living alone." Zhang Yang replied with a smile.

"It seems you are quite independent."

"It's good to be alone. You can live freely."

Old Hu suddenly sighed, and after being looked at by Zhang Yang, he scratched his head and smiled, but his smile was somewhat lonely.

After some inquiries, Zhang Yang found out that Uncle Hu had divorced two years ago and his daughter lived with his ex-wife, so he was alone now.

Fortunately, his daughter is an adult, so there is no need to pay child support.

Now, if one person is full, the whole family will not be hungry.

Seeing that he was in good mental state, Zhang Yang didn't pay too much attention to his personal affairs.

Instead, it was Lao Hu who started to care about Zhang Yang:
"How do you live by yourself now? Do you have any source of income?"

"I have some savings, but I can't just live off it all," Zhang Yang replied.

"That's why I came here today to see if I can find some buyers for antique bronzes."

"It's probably quite overwhelming."

Old Hu shook his head seriously.

"Those bronze artifacts you have are too real. They are not popular in the market now."

"It's popular to sell Ultraman and Kun Kun now. The profit margin is not low and there is no legal risk."

(End of this chapter)