My Left Eye Can See Through Everything - Chapter 70 - The Smoking Rod

“Be careful, these are worth money!”

Ji Lanyan, who was examining the contents of the plastic bag, suddenly heard Zhou Yang’s exclamation.

She paused her actions and glanced at Zhou Yang.

“Quick, tell me which one is the treasure?”

Just as Zhou Yang was about to explain the Monkey stamp to her, more visitors arrived at the house.

This time, it was none other than his paternal uncle, Zhou Jiacheng.

Zhou Yang hurriedly handed the bag containing the stamps to Ji Lanyan and went to greet him.

“Uncle, have you had breakfast?”

As Zhou Yang spoke, he took out a cigarette and offered one to Zhou Jiacheng.

“Yang Zi, I heard you’re collecting old items. I found some things too; see if any are useful.”

Zhou Jiacheng said as he placed a basket on the ground and emptied its contents onto the floor.

Zhou Yang’s forehead was lined with frustration. Even if there were antiques among these items, dumping them like this would surely ruin them.

But this was quite normal; if everyone cherished antiques, he wouldn’t need to come back to collect them. They would have already been sold in the city.

“Please have a seat, I’ll take a look!”

“Yaoyao, bring a chair for Uncle.”

Zhou Yang called out as he squatted down to inspect the items, never introducing Ji Lanyan to Zhou Jiacheng.

This was a subtle detail.

Zhou Yang wasn’t impolite; there must be a reason for not making introductions here.

It all boiled down to some lingering resentment. Zhou Yang might not mind much, even bringing gifts of Hua Zi cigarettes and good wine for his uncle.

But that didn’t mean their relationship could return to what it once was. Even if it did, it would only be superficial.

That’s why Zhou Yang didn’t introduce Ji Lanyan to him.

Zhou Jiacheng brought over a dozen items, most of which were useless, including a copper shoehorn.

Many might not know what a shoehorn looks like; it’s an ancient tool used for putting on shoes.

Zhou Yang’s drawer had one too, and it was worthless.

After sorting through, Zhou Yang found only an abacus that seemed worthwhile.

The abacus is a relic of the past; ever since calculators became common, abacuses have lost their utility.

However, some antique shops still use abacuses, like Bald Li, who still calculates with one.

“Yang Zi, how is it?”

Zhou Jiacheng asked eagerly as Zhou Yang stood up.

“Uncle, these items aren’t worth much. Only this abacus is decent; I’ll give you 300 yuan for it.”

Zhou Yang said as he started to take out the money.

“Yang Zi, I heard antiques are valuable; why is it so little?”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yang paused in his action of taking out money.

In truth, he had no use for the abacus; no one would buy it now.

He was willing to pay 300 yuan for it for two main reasons.

First, it was customary not to let someone leave empty-handed when they brought something over. Second, he planned to open an antique shop himself, and using a calculator at the counter wouldn’t look professional. An abacus was essential for that authentic touch, and paying 300 yuan for it was already quite generous.

Unexpectedly, his uncle had another idea.

“Paternal uncle, how much do you think this abacus is worth?” Zhou Yang withdrew his hand from his pocket, not wanting to be taken for a fool. Yesterday, buying a gift was a gesture of politeness from a junior, but today was a transaction-goods for money, no other factors involved.

In truth, as long as it wasn’t excessive, Zhou Yang didn’t mind paying a bit.

“Yang Zi, how about this? I’ll bundle these items for you, and you give me a thousand!”

“These things are useless to me…”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yang couldn’t listen anymore. Zhou Jiacheng’s words were grating. What did he mean by “useless to me”? If they were useless, why hadn’t he thrown them away? Was he trying to scam Zhou Yang for money, thinking he was a fool?

Zhou Yang was indeed a bit upset. If not for the family connection, he wouldn’t want to give a single cent.

Just as Zhou Yang was about to refuse, he noticed the smoking rod in Zhou Jiacheng’s hand. Zhou Yang recognized it; it had belonged to his grandfather when he was a child. After his grandfather passed away, his uncle took it because Zhou Yang’s father didn’t smoke.

“Paternal uncle, a thousand yuan is fine, but you have to give me that smoking rod!”

“You don’t need it now, and I find it quite interesting. If you give me the smoking rod, I’ll add 200 more, no, 500!”

“If you agree, I’ll take everything for 1,500 yuan!”

Zhou Jiacheng’s eyes lit up at the offer. The smoking rod in his hand was indeed left by Zhou Yang’s grandfather. Thirty years ago, many rural folks smoked tobacco leaves, but later, cigarettes became the norm, and smoking rods were phased out. Zhou Jiacheng often carried it around to show off, as it was quite beautiful. According to his father, it was left by his great-grandfather, who was once a wealthy landowner before falling on hard times.

Now, it could fetch 1,500 yuan-what was there to hesitate about?

“Alright, it’s all yours!” Zhou Jiacheng agreed readily, handing the smoking rod to Zhou Yang without hesitation.

Zhou Yang smiled slightly and handed the money to Zhou Jiacheng.

“Zhou Yang, is this abacus a treasure?” Ji Lanyan approached curiously after Zhou Jiacheng left. She had become quite interested in the thrill of finding hidden gems in antiques, thanks to accompanying Zhou Yang on his trips to Antique Street.

“Abacus? It’s worth 300 yuan at most!” Zhou Yang chuckled coldly, then packed all the items Zhou Jiacheng had brought into a bag and tossed it into the trash heap.

“300 yuan, then why did you…” Ji Lanyan began to speak but suddenly realized, seeing the smoking rod in Zhou Yang’s hand. Clearly, Zhou Yang hadn’t spent 1,500 yuan on the abacus but on the smoking rod.

“Tell me, what’s the story behind this smoking rod?”