Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 337 - 325: Familiar Faces, First Update
After delivering the items, those people didn’t rush to collect the payment but quietly left after putting down the items.
Su Yan didn’t look at them either, letting Xu Wu hold them in his arms.
It has to be said that Wang Xiaoer is especially good at creating an atmosphere; as he had the items brought up, he explained them with a voice rich in expressive color, and almost immediately someone got up from their seat.
This was Li Xianglu’s first time attending such an auction, filled with curiosity, she and Qin Xi went forward to take a look but didn’t find anything of interest, so they sat down to drink tea.
Since the venue was particularly warm, Li Xianglu took off her overcoat soon after entering, and so did Su Yan.
The tea here was also excellent, actually premium Longjing tea; drinking a sip of the fragrant Longjing in the warm room was indeed enjoyable.
Soon, the auction began, and Su Yan took a liking to a Jade Guanyin ornament, twenty centimeters tall, made of mutton fat jade, with a red sandalwood base, starting at two thousand yuan.
The bidding continued until thirty thousand yuan, when Li Xianglu noticed that only Su Yan and a person at the back raising their bid plaque remained, quite puzzled that they coincidentally liked the same item twice.
The price eventually rose to one hundred thousand yuan. Su Yan felt it was not worth it anymore, so she stopped bidding, and the Jade Guanyin went to the other party for one hundred and ten thousand yuan.
In an era when a pound of pork cost sixty cents, one hundred and ten thousand yuan could buy over 600 pigs, so at the end of the auction, many people looked towards the back, curious about who the big spender was.
Qin Xi’s expression looked somewhat troubled, feeling that the face he glimpsed in passing was familiar.
Following that, various items were auctioned, Li Xianglu was not interested in calligraphy and paintings as they were somewhat troublesome to preserve, but she did like the bronze ware and some incense burners.
Whereas Su Yan had more interest in calligraphy and paintings and bid on quite a few, but then everyone noticed that the person in the back favored similar items shockingly similar to theirs; it’s less similar than likely aimed at the same ones.
Xu Wu, with a grim face, glanced back and remained silent.
Li Xianglu, on Qin Xi’s cue, did not turn around again and quietly waited for the auction to end.
Two hours later, the auction ended and Xu Wu went to Da Li to settle the payment; they waited in place.
One by one, everyone finished paying and left with the certificates issued there; those needing delivery waited there, as the auction house provided delivery services for the benefit of all customers.
And they, having Xu Wu, did not need others for delivery, but Li Xianglu noticed Qin Xi seemed strange tonight, looking upwards since the auction ended as if searching for someone.
At the doorway, Qin Xi and Xu Wu whispered something, so everyone stopped leaving and stood on the west side, appearing as if waiting for someone or discussing.
While Li Xianglu was curious, she didn’t ask, and finally, four people appeared, all wearing black hats; one of them was in a wheelchair, and strangely, they were all wearing masks. Was it really that cold?
The four of them then passed by them to the parking lot; Xu Wu looked at Qin Xi, whose frown deepened.
After getting into the car, Xu Wu spontaneously spoke, "Tomorrow, I’ll have someone ask the people at the sale site who these two are."
Qin Xi nodded and rubbed his tense forehead, his expression a bit irritated.
And Su Yan’s expression was also somewhat strange, from initial surprise to disbelief after seeing those two people.
Both of them were strange; Li Xianglu, sitting between them, felt it inconvenient to ask anything at this time.
The return trip went much faster; the driver sped, reaching the courtyard house in about forty minutes, with Qin Xi telling Xu Wu, "Stay here tonight."
Without hesitation, Xu Wu nodded and agreed, letting Da Li stay while the others drove back.
In the living room, the grandfather had switched to his pajamas and was watching TV. It was already midnight, showing the hourly news, a replay.
Seeing everyone come in, the grandfather briefly stunned, then turned off the TV and came over.
Da Li arranged for the items to be carried in and placed on the dining table, then invited everyone to leave.
After changing out of her coat, Su Yan returned to her seat and said, "I saw Qi Mutang."
What! The grandfather stood up incredulously, almost dropping the cup from his hand.
Qin Xi, who was nearest, quickly stood up to support him. The grandfather with widened eyes turned to Su Yan, "Where did you see him?"
Su Yan, realizing she spoke too hastily, moved forward to help him sit, then sighed, "At the auction, looking neither human nor ghostly, still wearing a mask. Humph, he thought I wouldn’t recognize him."
Xu Wu, having heard from Qin Xi before about an old adversary, wasn’t surprised by Su Yan’s words, but Qin Xi frowned and said, "I saw uncle."
Now it was Li Xianglu’s turn to be surprised; uncle, how did she not see him?
Qin Xi, seeing everyone’s puzzled faces, explained, "The one who came out with the wheelchair was uncle."
Li Xianglu frowned and pondered for a while before saying, "Why are these two together."
At this point, Xu Wu spoke, "They might have known each other from their time in the United States. Didn’t Li Huan say the person had run away?"
Su Yan nodded and said, "Then quickly contact Li Huan and have her be more careful."
The grandfather pondered for a moment before speaking, "Xu Wu, I need to borrow a few of your men to stay here; Qi Mutang is a lunatic, and with children at home, I’m somewhat concerned."
Xu Wu, hearing this, suddenly showed a fierce look, nodded and reassured, "Don’t worry, grandfather."
It got too late, and everyone went back to their rooms to sleep.
After Li Huai Ren and Su Yan lay down, there was silence for a long time. Li Huai Ren reached out and held Su Yan’s hand, "Ah Yan, do you have any regrets?"
