Chapter 83: Chapter 80: The Ex-Wife’s Frustration
"You’re a staff member here. You should know what’s going on."
Fan Kunpeng pointed at Lin Jiang and said, "He says all this porcelain is fake. Hurry up and explain."
"Uh..."
The staff member gave an awkward smile. "Sir, to be honest, these porcelain pieces are indeed one-to-one replicas, but they’re nearly identical to the genuine articles. You can all admire them without worry."
At this, everyone fell silent.
The awkward onlookers scattered. Fan Kunpeng was even more silent, so embarrassed he looked like he was trying to dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the floor with his toes.
"Young man, truly impressive. To think you could tell these things were fakes. Even I would have to examine them carefully for quite a while."
The speaker was an elderly man standing behind Lin Jiang.
His hair was gray, but his frame was still sturdy. Beside him was a long-haired woman in wide-legged pants, but judging from their expressions and demeanor, it didn’t seem to be a case of an old man with a young lover.
"I’ll admit, it was partly a gamble."
"That’s understandable. They’re all sealed in cases, so it’s certainly not easy to tell. If they were taken out, you could distinguish them just by looking at the texture of the clay body."
"Clay body?"
"Craftsmanship in ancient times wasn’t as refined, so the clay body would more or less have some impurities. The imitations made now are different; the clay is very pure. Combine that with the characteristics of certain eras, and it becomes easy to distinguish them."
"Oh, I see."
’No wonder the materials of all these porcelain pieces looked so similar. So that’s why.’
"Dad, why aren’t you talking? Weren’t you going on about a cultural showdown? Well? Say something!"
Fan Kunpeng: ...
’They’re all heavy hitters. A showdown? A showdown my ass!’
"Teacher Jiang, I have another matter to attend to, so I’ll be going. I won’t disturb you further."
"Okay."
"Young man, I can see you know quite a bit about porcelain. As it happens, I have a hobby in that area too. I opened a teahouse in Zhonghai. If you have time, come by for a visit."
With that, the elderly man took out his business card and handed it to Lin Jiang.
Four Seas Tea House, Yuan Tonghai.
"Okay."
Lin Jiang replied casually, not taking it too seriously.
’Once the countdown ends, I won’t know a damn thing. There’s no need to get too involved with someone like him.’
After exchanging a few more words, Lin Jiang and Jiang Xiaoqi left the mall.
As they were leaving, Chen Jingjia and Zhao Qingtian happened to exit the mall as well, but Lin Jiang didn’t see her.
The box in Jiang Xiaoqi’s hands was a particular eyesore for Chen Jingjia.
One question echoed in her mind.
’Has Lin Jiang really gotten rich?’
She asked herself again and again, and denied it again and again.
She just couldn’t accept the fact that Lin Jiang had become rich right after their divorce.
And on top of that, he’d found a woman younger than her!
All she could do was keep telling herself it was impossible, trying to brainwash herself into believing it.
...
After leaving the mall, Lin Jiang took Jiang Xiaoqi out for seafood, and after the meal, he took her home.
"Brother Jiang, I’m heading in. Thanks for the watch!"
"You’re welcome. Don’t forget what you promised me."
"I know, I know. Cosplay for you in person, hehe. I’m off!"
Seeing it was getting late, Lin Jiang drove home.
He got out of the elevator and knocked directly on Xu Lin’s door.
The door opened. Xu Lin, wearing that same cotton nightdress from before, immediately made a hushing gesture when she saw Lin Jiang.
"Mom, did the takeout we ordered arrive?" Zhao Wenxuan’s voice came from inside.
"No, it’s someone looking for your Uncle Lin. They knocked on the wrong door."
Xu Lin quickly shot Lin Jiang a meaningful look, and he got the hint. It seemed she hadn’t managed to get her son to leave for the night.
She quietly closed the door, and Lin Jiang went back to his own apartment.
He had just gotten inside when he received a message from Xu Lin.
Xu Lin: "Wait for the kid to fall asleep. An hour at most."
Lin Jiang: "You couldn’t get him to leave, could you?"
Xu Lin: "You guessed it. I’m so mad."
Lin Jiang: "Just buy him an Ultraman."
Xu Lin: "You jerk. Just wait. He’ll be asleep soon. The red wine is already breathing."
Lin Jiang: "I’ll get some snacks to go with the drinks."
Xu Lin: "Mhm, mhm."
’One "mhm" is perfunctory, but two shows real enthusiasm. It seemed Xu Lin’s spirits were high tonight, too.’
Lin Jiang ordered some takeout—all things to go with alcohol. A little after ten at night, he got a message from Xu Lin.
When he opened the door, he saw that Xu Lin had not only brought the wine but was also carrying a white bag.
Lin Jiang took the wine, his eyes drifting to the bag in her hand. "What’s this?"
"Take a guess."
Seeing Xu Lin’s sly smile, Lin Jiang said with a knowing look,
"It must be something to spice things up. Let me see."
"You’ll see later. You have to wait for the good stuff, or it’ll spoil the fun."
"You’ve got a point there, but first, take a look at my windowsill. Wouldn’t the view be especially beautiful if you stood there?"
"Oh... I haven’t forgotten what I promised. The windowsill is all yours today."
"Your mind is always in the gutter. I didn’t mean it like that. I genuinely just wanted you to see the view."
Xu Lin gave a seductive smile. "Right, right, I’m the one with her mind in the gutter. Happy now?"
"Alright then. Since you put it that way, I can’t possibly spoil your fun. That’s the plan for tonight."
"Let’s have a little drink first, to get in the mood."
After about an hour, the bottle of red wine was empty.
Xu Lin’s cheeks were flushed as she brought the bag over.
"Guess what’s inside?"
"A woman’s mind is hard enough to read, and a beautiful woman’s is even harder."
"Didn’t you say you like black stockings? I made a point of buying a few pairs on my way home. I guarantee you’ll like them."
"Then what are we waiting for? I’m taking you to see the moon!"
