The World's Richest Man: Start with the Daily Intelligence System

221: Chapter 221 Return to ShenghaiZhang Wei teased jokingly, ”Old Liu, it’s really a pity you didn’t film a video of your performance today.”

Liu Haorui laughed loudly upon hearing this. ”Old Zhang, that’s a good idea. Xiao Hua’s brother is still in the hospital, and I plan to stay in X City Name for a while longer to film a few short videos about rural life. Recording this rare experience would be quite interesting.”

While they were talking, the waiter arrived with steaming dishes. The aroma was mouth-watering and enticing.

”Wow, this smell is so tempting.” An Xiaoxi couldn’t help but swallow her saliva, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Wang Xiaohua thoughtfully served a bowl of soup to everyone and greeted them warmly, ”Come, everyone, have some soup first to warm your stomachs.” Everyone picked up their bowls and tasted the delicious fish soup. Zhang Wei was full of praise, ”This fish soup is so fresh; the taste is absolutely amazing.”

An Xiaoxi also nodded repeatedly, ”Yes, the fish balls are tender and smooth, without any fishy smell at all. It’s delicious.”

Liu Haorui praised while eating, ”I told you, Xiao Hua’s recommendations are definitely reliable. This fish villa really lives up to its reputation.”

Everyone was starving, so as soon as the dishes were served, they began to feast heartily.

After lunch, the group moved to the orchard next to the fish villa. Stepping into the orchard, what met their eyes were branches laden with heavy fruit, and the air was filled with a refreshing fruity fragrance.

”Wow, there are big oranges hanging on the trees!” An Xiaoxi ran excitedly toward a fruit tree and nimbly reached out to pick a golden-yellow orange that emitted an inviting luster.

Zhang Wei followed closely behind, reminding her with a smile, ”Don’t be in such a hurry. There are many other types of fruit in the orchard; you can taste them all later.”

Wang Xiaohua handed a picking basket to An Xiaoxi and smiled, ”These oranges are a local specialty of ours; they are exceptionally sweet this season.” After saying that, she also joined the picking.

Everyone strolled through the orchard, picking as they went, feeling the generous gifts of nature. As the sun set, the golden afterglow spilled over the orchard, gilding every piece of fruit with a dreamlike golden edge, making the entire orchard seem dyed in a layer of warm colors.

Zhang Wei glanced at his phone and said to An Xiaoxi, ”Little girl, we have to get back to Shenghai City. Any later and we’ll miss the high-speed train.”

A look of reluctance appeared on An Xiaoxi’s face. ”Sister Xiao Hua, today was so much fun. I really wish I could stay a bit longer.”

Wang Xiaohua smiled gently to comfort her, ”It’s okay, An Xiaoxi. When we go back to City Name, we’ll find a strawberry garden, a blueberry garden, and feed some alpacas.”

At the exit of the orchard, everyone bid a reluctant farewell. Zhang Wei and An Xiaoxi said their goodbyes to Liu Haorui and the others one by one.

”Old Liu, we’re leaving. We really troubled Xiao Hua today. Once we’re back in Shenghai City, I’ll treat you all to dinner,” Zhang Wei said sincerely.

Liu Haorui waved his hand generously, ”Don’t mention it, Old Zhang. You guys helped us out a lot with Xiao Hua’s brother’s matter too. The most important thing is that everyone had fun today. Safe travels, goodbye!”

”Goodbye!” An Xiaoxi also waved goodbye, her eyes shimmering with reluctance. Subsequently, Zhang Wei and An Xiaoxi boarded the evening high-speed train back to Shenghai City.

At the Shenghai Zhongfu City Antique Market, the clamor of voices was deafening, and the atmosphere was bustling. All kinds of antique stalls were scattered like stars, attracting collectors from all directions. Zhang Wei wove through the crowded throng, his eyes moving rapidly between the various stalls like a hawk searching for its prey.

His heartbeat accelerated slightly because, according to the Intelligence System, a stall owner today would be selling a legendary divine sword of a Yue King. In fact, in Chinese history, besides the famous sword of goujian, king of yue, several other Yue King swords have been discovered, such as the Sword of Yue King Zhizhi Yushi in the Zhejiang Provincial Museum and the Sword of Yue King Zhouju in the Southern Provincial Museum. These swords all carry profound historical and cultural heritage and are treasures that collectors dream of.

”Hey, young man, take a look at this item!” a stall owner greeted him warmly, holding up a dilapidated porcelain bottle as if a treasure were hidden inside. Zhang Wei grinned, waved his hand, and continued strolling. He knew in his heart that these small fry wouldn’t catch his eye.

He strolled round after round, not missing a single stall, but found nothing. Suddenly, his footsteps faltered, and he stopped in an inconspicuous corner. This stall wasn’t large and was filled with all sorts of antiques, from rusty bronzeware to fragmented porcelain; it had everything.

”Hey, look at this,” the stall owner shouted at the top of his lungs in the noisy antique market, his voice tinged with a bit of impatience. The antiques in front of his stall were piled up like a small mountain, but the customers were all just browsing casually, asking for prices, and then turning to leave, which made him somewhat annoyed.

He clutched a simple jade piece and shook it at Zhang Wei, who had just walked up to the stall. The jade was carved with dense patterns and looked quite old. The stall owner’s eyes sparkled with confidence, but he couldn’t help grumbling, ”Look at this craftsmanship, this material; it’s definitely an old piece. You won’t find another chance like this if you pass it up.”

Zhang Wei only gave it a casual glance and didn’t show much interest. Seeing this, the stall owner’s heart sank, and he sighed, complaining to himself, ”Sigh, these days, it’s really hard to sell for a good price.”

Zhang Wei inadvertently looked down and saw a bronze sword right before his eyes. He abruptly looked up and asked the stall owner, ”Boss, can I take a look at this sword?” The stall owner didn’t even raise his head, tossing out a sentence: ”Take it yourself.”

Zhang Wei carefully picked up the sword and saw that the blade had a bronze luster, with time having left mottled traces upon it. He gently touched the tip of the sword; despite the passage of time, the tip was still as sharp as ever. Even more surprising was that eight ancient characters were engraved on the blade: ”Goujian, King of Yue, made for his own use.”

Zhang Wei’s heart jolted. This sword bore a striking resemblance to the sword of goujian, king of yue in the Beisheng Provincial Museum, but upon closer inspection, some subtle differences could be found. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his excited emotions, and asked softly, ”Boss, how much for this sword?”

The stall owner looked up at him, a flash of impatience in his eyes, but still spoke, ”1800. Buy it if you want it, no bargaining.”

At this moment, a middle-aged man curiously leaned in and looked over the sword. ”Wow, this sword looks like an ancient sword from the Pre-Qin period. Young man, how much did you pay?” Zhang Wei replied nonchalantly, ”1800.” The man looked closely at the bronze-colored blade and shouted in surprise, ”1800?! You didn’t get scammed, did you? This sword doesn’t look real.”

Zhang Wei smiled and said nothing. He knew perfectly well what was going on; how could this man know the mystery of this sword? Pre-Qin bronze swords appearing in antique markets, even if they have inscriptions, are absolutely never preserved so perfectly. And genuine bronze-colored bronze swords are even rarer; most appear green from oxidation, which was why this sword, despite being eye-catching, had no takers.