Chapter 416: A Masterpiece

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

“We didn’t go there to investigate. Instead, we thought of a way to give him something,” Xia Zhe said.

Qiao Mei slapped away the hand that was wandering all over her body. Her heart ached at the thought that they might have given away some treasure that would be priceless in the future. Xia Zhe and the others did not understand how things would develop in the future and would not know the value of the things they sent. What a pity.

“Is whatever you sent very valuable? Is it something from our house? Which master’s calligraphy and painting is it, or is it antique porcelain ware? Tell me quickly, I’m getting so anxious,” Qiao Mei said with heartache.

Even if these things were dug up, He Ning would definitely do a careful check on whether the soil on the surfaces had been touched by anyone else. If the soil on the items was not old soil, then this matter would be exposed.

Even if He Ning did not manage to investigate this matter in time, the items would still be kept away. Yet, items that seemed worthless now might be worth millions or even tens of millions of dollars in the future.

In a few years’ time, everything that was seized would be registered. If the items managed to survive those few years, they would be returned to their rightful owners when they were found later. With the He family’s ability, it would be easy for them to be able to retain their things. At that time, He Ning would be sitting on a windfall.

Qiao Mei tossed and turned in bed. She had just ripped off a large sum of money from He Ning, but in the blink of an eye, Xia Zhe and the others had gone off to send money back to He Ning.

“What’s wrong? Who made our Mei Mei so angry?” Xia Zhe reached out and gently tapped Qiao Mei’s nose.

Xia Zhe reached out and hugged Qiao Mei gently. He took a deep breath to calm his restless heart and said slowly, “Are you thinking about what we sent?”

“Yes. What if the things you sent turned out to be quite valuable?” Qiao Mei pouted and said.

Previously, when Qiao Mei was actively buying up antiques, Xia Zhe had asked her about it once. Most of the antiques for sale on the market were officially registered and approved for sale and purchase. Even if such things were kept at home, as long as the owners had receipts, it was not a big deal and no one would report it.

Xia Zhe had wondered why Qiao Mei seemed to think that all those worthless things were treasures. Could it be that she bought them and took them home just because they looked pretty?

Qiao Mei patiently explained to him what it meant for things to appreciate in value over time and what it meant by value being driven up by scarcity. Xia Zhe listened but did not quite understand the concept. After all, he thought that there was nothing good about old things. Was it not a fact that people only like new things? However, he thought that whatever Qiao Mei said was always right.

“Don’t worry, we’re only sending a few old items that He Ning is familiar with. The things are not from our family,” Xia Zhe said.

A long time ago, the Jiang and He families were both in the military, just like the Xia family. At that time, the three families got on very well. However, as Old Master Jiang and Old Master He had grown up together, they were particularly close to each other. Later on, during the tumultuous times, the He family had found it hard to retain their official status, so they decided to retire and start some business.

The Jiang family was also weak and had no backing, so they retired as well to work together with the He family. Later on, the relationship between the two families became better and better. They enlisted together again later and donated their assets together.

Unexpectedly, He Ning’s father suddenly passed away one day, and the harmonious days came to an end. After having his son die earlier than him, Old Master He also passed away not long after.

At that time, out of the three children in the He family, the eldest child was still in school and the youngest was still learning how to talk. There were very few people in the He family, and they did not have many relatives as well.

Old Master Jiang could not bear to see the children being without their parents, so he helped them out in every way possible. However, he could only solve the problems in their daily lives. As the days passed and the children were about to start working, an argument broke out.

“Why would there be conflicts? Don’t we all rely on our own abilities? Besides, if I’m helping you out of goodwill, I don’t owe your family anything,” Qiao Mei asked curiously.

Xia Zhe stroked Qiao Mei’s head and explained, “At that time, the Jiang family was not a prominent family. They just had a bit more money than others. The Jiang family only had that much resources, and the children and grandchildren from both families were about the same age, so the Jiang family must have made arrangements for their own children first.”

The children of the Jiang family were not close to the children of the He family. As Old Master Jiang doted on the He family too much, the children and grandchildren of the Jiang family were jealous and unwilling to befriend them.