Chapter 151

“Master, all these customers were brought in by me.”

Tang Feng’s face showed not a hint of taking credit, as though he was talking about something trivial.

Zhang Jicheng’s mouth fell open in sheer surprise.

Ya Garden had always been so-so due to a lack of good stock, and with the competition from Shengdingxuan Antique Shop across the street, business hadn’t been great.

They had never hosted so many customers at once before.

Forty or fifty people crowded in, immediately filling the store to capacity.

How on earth had his treasured apprentice managed this?

Before he could ask, those people had already hurried to offer an explanation.

“Just now, Master Tang showed his might on the antique street. With just eight thousand yuan, he picked up a piece of calligraphy by Zhang Daqian. No one can match his eye for antiques.”

“Yeah, it was a painting within a painting. I have no idea how Master Tang saw that there was another piece hidden within that painting.”

“We believe that with Master Tang’s discernment, the items at Ya Garden are definitely trustworthy.”

“Right, with a master like Tang Feng here, Ya Garden will be my first choice for buying antiques from now on…”

Hearing the buzzing discussions of the crowd, Zhang Jicheng roughly got the picture.

It seemed that his prized apprentice had caught everyone’s attention on the antique street and that was what brought in the massive customer flow.

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Despite his reputation in the antique industry, he hadn’t been able to attract much customer flow to Ya Garden.

Yet his apprentice had merely taken a casual trip to the antique street and managed to fill the store to the brim.

Even if only one in ten of these people bought something, today’s sales would be extremely impressive.

“Welcome, welcome, please feel free to look around,” he immediately recovered and hurriedly had the few staff members assist with welcoming the guests.

Then, he turned to Tang Feng with a serious face, “Come with me.”

After saying that, he led the way to the back hall.

Tang Feng, clueless as to why, followed along.

“Where have you been these past few days?” As soon as they entered the back hall, Zhang Jicheng adopted the stern demeanor of a master and glared at him displeasure.

“I had some matters to take care of these past few days,” Tang Feng said with an awkward smile.

“You still have the nerve to smile?” Zhang Jicheng became even more irritated at his playful demeanor. “You’ve just started working at the shop and there’s still so much to learn. How can you afford to be inconsistent?”

“Like what?” Tang Feng asked, rubbing his nose.

“Like…”

Zhang Jicheng suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

He genuinely didn’t know what else Tang Feng needed to learn.

The rules of the antique industry? He learned them on the first day.

The ability to appraise antiques? He went to the antique street once and came back with a major score.

The skills to attend to customers? He easily brought a massive influx of patrons to the store.

What was there left for him to learn?

“Alright, Master, calm down. I will try to come to the shop more often from now on. If I suddenly can’t make it, I will be sure to notify you in advance. Is that okay?”

Tang Feng offered him a way out and personally brewed him a cup of tea.

Zhang Jicheng finally took the hint and nodded, “As your teacher, I don’t want to see you waste such great talent. Do you understand?”

“Understood, understood,” Tang Feng readily agreed.

Zhang Jicheng sipped his tea for a while until he remembered something, “I heard that Mr. Shen’s Lingxiu Residence was burgled last night. We at Ya Garden should be vigilant as well. We’ll need to keep the valuable items in the safe when closing up; it’s safer that way.”

Tang Feng was startled, “Lingxiu Residence was burgled? Did they lose anything?”

Zhang Jicheng shook his head, “It seems nothing was lost, which is strange. It’s as if the thieves were looking for something specific, didn’t find it, and then retreated.”

Tang Feng immediately took the matter seriously.

Probably Wang Xiaodao and his group had started their move.

But Mr. Shen had already sold that bracelet to Qin Yanan ahead of time, so the thieves definitely came up empty-handed.

However, they would most likely continue their search, and it could very well lead them here.

It seemed he should warn Qin Yanan to avoid coming to the shop for the time being if possible.

“Oh, and later, a customer will come for an appraisal. You’ll handle it,” Zhang Jicheng changed the subject back from Mr. Shen’s issue and suddenly remembered something else.

“I’ll handle it?” Tang Feng was a bit surprised.

“Yes, consider it a test for you. If you can pass smoothly, your teacher will feel confident enough to hand over Ya Garden to you,” Zhang Jicheng said earnestly.

“Then I’d rather not pass, as I want Master to spend more time in the shop,” Tang Feng said wistfully.

“You rascal, do you want to keep being an absentee shop owner?” Zhang Jicheng teased him with a smile.

As the two of them joked, a staff member rushed in to report, “Mr. Zhang, there’s a young lady outside asking for an appraisal. She had made an appointment earlier.”

Zhang Jicheng turned to Tang Feng, “She’s here, you go take care of it.”

Left with no choice, Tang Feng stood up and walked out.

“Wait a moment,” Zhang Jicheng suddenly called after him.

“Do you have any other instructions, Master?” Tang Feng stopped and turned to him.

“Let me see that piece you picked up,” Zhang Jicheng motioned towards the calligraphy in his hand.

“Sure, if you have time, could you help me mount it?” Tang Feng knew that his master was not only strong at appraising but also skilled at mounting calligraphy and paintings.

“Off with you, are you really treating your master as a slave?” Zhang Jicheng glared at him with feigned annoyance, then began to carefully appreciate the calligraphy.

It was indeed an authentic work by Zhang Daqian.

To snag such a deal required not just skill but also luck not to be underestimated.

It seemed his apprentice was destined for great fortunes.

The main hall was still bustling, and the usually idle staff members suddenly became so busy that they were somewhat flustered.

As Tang Feng stepped out from the back hall, he spotted the customer his master was talking about amid the crowd.

Because she was too conspicuous.

No matter how many people surrounded her, she always stood out like a crane among chickens.

“Xinling?”

He was somewhat shocked when he saw the girl.

The customer his master had mentioned was actually Xu Xinling.

It had to be said, the world was truly too small.