Chapter 3: The Relics of Old Man He

Liu Fang first examined the ring for a long time, then glanced at the book and said: "Pah, this worthless ring is neither gold nor silver, and it seems not even to be copper; it might be worth at most ten yuan. And this shabby book can only be sold as trash"

Li Jiangnan was not happy to see his mother, and quickly said: "Mom, actually I also took something from Old He to settle the debt."

The door was slightly ajar as Li Jiangnan pushed it open. A strong smell of alcohol immediately wafted from the damp room, nearly causing Li Jiangnan to faint.

Li Jiangnan then took out the small iron box in his hand and opened it

Li Jiangnan understood that the old man could not produce any money. He glanced around the bedroom, hoping to find something that could be used to settle the debt.

Thinking of how Old He never married and has always been a solitary person, reading such books can be seen as a way to adjust his life. It resonates with his current state of living. Li Jiangnan sighed, feeling a deep understanding.

His eyes are closed, but his mouth is wide open, as if he wants to say something but cannot.

Liu Fang recognized a few characters, and upon seeing the thick book, the first character on the cover was a large and appealing "gold" character. She then slightly nodded and said: "If it is a book about doing business, then it is somewhat acceptable. It may be old, but I can manage to read it. However, once I read it, I must learn from it and not waste it."

In fact, there are times when Li Jiangnan quite admires this old man He Tushu. This guy, having reached this stage in life, appears to be carefree and untroubled. He often goes outside to bask in the sun, then chats with a group of old fellows. When he gets hungry, he goes to various restaurants to run a tab, and later sells something from his home to settle the bill. His life can be considered quite leisurely.

Old man He has not woken up

Thus, he could only do one thing: he abruptly pulled off the blanket from Old He, glaring fiercely, and then shouted loudly

Liu Fang was also taken aback and then said, "This old fellow, had I known earlier, I wouldn't have extended credit to him. Business at the store has not been good lately, and I still need to borrow money for your tuition."

Upon arriving at her mother's small restaurant, it was already noon, yet only two people were dining at the four tables inside. It seemed that business was not good today, and Liu Fang's expression mirrored the state of the restaurant's business.

Liu Fang's expression finally eased a little as she extended her hand and said, "Hand it over, let me see what it is."

Aside from a broken table piled with leftover soup and water, there was no other furniture. Li Jiangnan knew there was another room inside, which was Old He’s bedroom, so he covered his nose and walked in.

Liu Fang angrily said: "That old man is extremely stubborn; you cannot win against him. I will go again tonight. If he does not return it, I will scold him so that he cannot sleep."

Li Jiangnan could only nod and say: "Yes, yes, Mom, hetushu.com. You can rest assured that I will definitely use it in the future"

Old Man He has passed away

He felt a wave of disappointment and went to look at the yellowed book. Upon seeing the title, he exclaimed, "What the heck!" It turned out that the three large characters on the cover read "Jin Ping Mei." Flipping it open, he found it was entirely printed in traditional characters, with a line at the back stating "Printed by Baoxiang Book Studio in the sixteenth year of the Republic."

Indeed, as soon as Liu Fang saw her son, she hurried over and asked, "Xiao Nanzi, have you received the money?"

It seems that Old Man He is indeed destitute, with his most valuable possessions being nothing more than a worthless iron ring and an old erotic book

Li Jiangnan responded with an acknowledgment and went to have a meal, yet he let out a long sigh of relief in his heart

Soon, Li Jiangnan left the factory area and arrived at the eastern side of the town, where there was a cluster of old bungalows. Among them was the home of the old man He, a long-time resident of this town. It is said that his ancestors produced remarkable figures, and they had originally left behind some heirlooms. However, this old man has been idle and lazy since childhood, never engaging in any proper work, and most of his ancestors' possessions have been sold off. Naturally, no woman would agree to marry him, leaving him without support in his old age, which could be considered his just deserts.

Li Jiangnan blinked and said: "Mom, you don't know this. This book is useful for my studies, and buying a new one at the bookstore costs around one to two hundred yuan, and it is not complete at https://m.hetushu.com. As for this ring, I saw an identical one on the antique street in the provincial capital, and it is worth over one thousand yuan"

There was not a trace of movement

Li Jiangnan called out twice before preparing to go outside to find someone to report the news of Old Man He’s death

Liu Fang immediately said: "I asked you to be a bit fierce, have you been fierce?"

There is a brass lock on the small iron box, but the key is inserted in it, which makes Li Jiangnan suspect that Old He knew he was going to die last night and wanted people to be aware of the existence of this small iron box

Thus, he opened the small iron box

Li Jiangnan first picked up the ring, only to find that it was neither gold nor silver, but seemed to be made of cast iron. The surface of the ring was engraved with a vividly lifelike and imposing dragon head. Although it looked cool, it probably wasn't worth much.

Li Jiangnan could only shake his head

Entering from an alley, one arrives at the exterior of a dilapidated house. Li Jiangnan heard that Old Man He did not used to live here; nowadays, the villa of the wealthiest family in town, the Yang family, was built on the foundation of his old residence. However, he sold that old house twenty years ago, and this place is now a rental property

But he soon became disappointed, for in this room, besides the broken bed, there was also a broken cabinet, and on top of the broken cabinet sat a broken television, and surprisingly, there was even a broken bowl on top of the broken television. In short, everything was characterized by the word "broken." It seemed that the most valuable item was that television, but it was black and white, clearly a piece of junk given to him by someone else. Even if it could display an image, it would only be worth thirty to fifty, far from the five hundred yuan he needed. In short, everything was characterized by the word "broken." It seemed that the most valuable item was that television, but it was black and white, clearly a piece of junk given to him by someone else. Even if it could display an image, it would only be worth thirty to fifty, far from the five hundred yuan he needed.

Peh peh, great fortune and prosperity

What, he is dead

This thought flashed through Li Jiangnan's mind, causing him to involuntarily take several steps back. Old He, having reached an advanced age, with no children or family, and a love for alcohol that bordered on obsession, was bound to die in his home sooner or later; he never expected to encounter this situation himself.

Old man He's hands tightly cradled something

Before my eyes were only two things: one was a dark ring, and the other was a yellowed book

Recalling the rumors about how wealthy Old He’s ancestors were in the town, and remembering that he owed his family five hundred yuan, Li Jiangnan approached him

Although Old He has passed away, his hand still clutched tightly to the small iron box. Li Jiangnan exerted tremendous effort to finally take the small iron box into his possession

Since this business did not incur a loss, Liu Fang's anger had subsided. She patted his head and said, "Alright, you keep these two items for now. Hurry and eat, today Mom made braised spare ribs for you; you should taste it."

Li Jiangnan took the small iron box and rode his bicycle to the nearby neighborhood committee, where he reported the news of Old Man He’s death to the people inside. Noticing that it was getting late, he then went to his mother’s small restaurant for a meal

When Li Jiangnan saw his mother's face, he felt a sudden jolt in his heart; Old Man He had died. How was he going to explain this to his mother

Upon witnessing such an anomaly, Li Jiangnan's heart skipped a beat. Fortunately, he was not particularly timid by nature, so he cautiously reached out to check the old man's breath.

He thought for a moment; although the iron ring was of poor quality, it still looked quite cool. After a wash, it could be worn for fun. As for that copy of "Jin Ping Mei," it was indeed useful. First, although the book was from the Republic of China and not very old, it should still be worth something. Second, he had long heard of the fame of "Jin Ping Mei," but had only seen clean editions. He estimated that this book should be an original edition, which would allow him to indulge his eyes when he took it home. Thus, this trip, despite encountering some mustiness, was not in vain. But it should still be worth something. Second, he had long heard of the fame of "Jin Ping Mei," but had only seen clean editions. He estimated that this book should be an original edition, which would allow him to indulge his eyes when he took it home. Thus, this trip, despite encountering some mustiness, was not in vain.

Peh peh, great fortune and prosperity

and as if it would never awaken

"Old man He, wake up, quickly wake up"

Li Jiangnan said: "It is fierce, but it is of no use to him"

Li Jiangnan sighed and said, "Mom, if you could scold Old He so much that he couldn't sleep, our family would really strike it rich. You don't know, Old He passed away, and I found out when I went to collect the debts and discovered the notice to the neighborhood committee."

Old He was indeed sleeping on a bed with uneven legs, propped up with bricks, covered by a black and greasy quilt that was quite disgusting to look at. However, he was sleeping soundly, and next to his pillow lay an empty wine bottle, indicating that he had indulged in heavy drinking again last night

That is a very old small iron box

At that moment, his gaze fell upon Old He’s hands