"Yusuf Zuck, do you have time the day after tomorrow?" On the ride back, Bryce Harper suddenly asked Yusuf Zuck if he was available the day after tomorrow.
"I should have time, what’s up?" Yusuf Zuck replied, puzzled.
"If you’re free, come over early in the morning, let’s go to the warehouse, you can gamble on a few stones for us," Bryce Harper said with a smile.
"Oh, alright, I’ll come over earlier then." Yusuf Zuck nodded. Actually, he had been thinking these past few days, if he went solo, he wouldn’t have much capital in circulation. A hundred million wouldn’t get him more than a few stones at the gambling market. Moreover, up until now, his understanding of the antique industry was still somewhat superficial. Even if he bought a lot of jade, he didn’t know how to deal with it, how to sell it, how to carve it, and so on; he was unfamiliar with all the processes.
However, if he were to partner up with Bryce Harper and Mr. Liu, then the problems would be much simpler. He would contribute his expertise to the partnership, a guaranteed no-risk proposition. If he helped the two of them earn a billion later on, then he could take a direct cut of three hundred million. Plus, working with them would allow him to learn and observe more, assimilating into this circle as quickly as possible.
Partnering with them was a no-brainer, so Yusuf Zuck had already decided on it.
Going to the warehouse the day after tomorrow would be a test for him. At that time, Bryce Harper and Mr. Liu would see if he truly had the skills.
At the same time, Yusuf Zuck knew that if he failed this test, a partnership between them wouldn’t be possible. It was a case of dealing with cunning before playing fair.
"What are you planning to do with that shop you rented? Why did you only mention the Blood Jade to Mr. Zhang earlier and not the shop? With Mr. Zhang’s help, the issues with your shop would no longer be problems," Bryce Harper said with a hint of reproach. Today, Yusuf Zuck had been somewhat negligent in not discussing serious matters, merely chatting about Blood Jade, and yet the most crucial topic of the shop hadn’t come up. The reason Bryce Harper brought Yusuf Zuck with him was to ask Everest Zuck for help in solving the problems with Yusuf Zuck’s shop.
"Mr. Zhang also said that I have tough luck, so while the shop may pose problems for others, for me, it’s no issue. But Uncle Harper, I need to ask you for another small favor," Yusuf Zuck smiled, "I’m not familiar with the Earth Realm of the capital, could you help me find a renovation team? I’m thinking about remodeling the shop, I don’t like the current style."
After thinking for a moment, Bryce Harper said, "When I get back, I’ll find the phone number and you can contact them yourself."
"That works," Yusuf Zuck nodded.
"And what about our future business direction?" Seizing the opportunity, Miles O’Brien raised the question because, so far, everything had been decided by Yusuf Zuck, and she was just following his instructions and executing them.
"Miscellaneous," Yusuf Zuck answered, "Jade, Jade Artifacts, the Four Treasures of the Study, porcelain, bronzes, and so on. As long as it’s an antique, we’ll deal with it and also buy it."
"What about supplies?" Miles O’Brien continued to ask.
"Cough, cough, I’ll figure out the supplies," Yusuf Zuck coughed twice. Actually, he had planned to go to the morning market today to scout and possibly buy stock, but an emergency came up on the way, so he didn’t make it.
"Yusuf Zuck, I’ve been collecting for many years, and there are a few things I need to remind you of," Bryce Harper said. "With antiques, what’s real and what’s fake can be intertwined. As an antique seller, never vouch for authenticity. Louise understands this, so later on, you’ll need to learn more, observe more, and listen more."
"I understand," Yusuf Zuck said with a smile, nodding. Actually, what Bryce Harper meant was that his shop didn’t necessarily have to display only genuine antiques; having a few real treasures to showcase was enough. The rest could be aged replicas sold as genuine. After all, selling genuine items didn’t always guarantee profit, but making big money came from selling replicas as the real deal.
Almost every antique shop followed this routine without exception, as no shop could guarantee selling only genuine articles; this was something they wished to achieve but couldn’t.
However, Yusuf Zuck didn’t view. With so many shops in Ruiz Family Market, and he being a newcomer, to stand out, he wanted to do something different.
And what was that difference going to be? He would ensure that every single antique in his shop was genuine. If any item was taken for authentication, it would prove to be authentic. Once a solid reputation was established, future success was inevitable!
Of course, Yusuf Zuck would not with Bryce Harper. The saying goes, "competitors are natural enemies." Right now, Yusuf hadn’t made his mark, so Bryce didn’t see him as a threat. But once Yusuf truly rose to prominence, Bryce’s attitude was sure to change.
By the time he returned to Ruiz Family Gardens, it was already past four in the afternoon. After obtaining the renovation team’s contact information from Bryce, Yusuf brought Miles O’brien to the new shop. Official source is nοvelfire.net
The shop was in a state of disarray, and upon arrival, Miles started to tidy up right away. Meanwhile, Yusuf contacted the renovation crew and arranged for their leader to come over for a detailed discussion in one hour.
While waiting for the renovation crew, Yusuf called Samuel Ross to inform him to come to Ruiz Family Gardens with either the pillar or Xiao Wei tonight, as they would start work in the evening.
That’s right, after finding out that Blood Jade posed no harm to him, Yusuf was ready to quickly excavate what was beneath the shop. And right after doing so, the renovation team could start their work.
"Pillar has the night shift, so I’ll come over with Xiao Wei," Samuel spoke quizzically over the phone. The tools Yusuf had asked them to prepare included shovels for digging, hessian sacks, and strong flashlights, indicating work to be done at night.
"I’ve got a shop in Ruiz Family Gardens and plan to deal in antique artifacts. I’ll tell you more when you come over tonight," Yusuf replied with a smile.
"Dealing in antique artifacts, huh!" Samuel finally realized. These past few days, he had been wondering about the kind of business Yusuf was planning to start, but antiques had never crossed his mind!
"Yeah, let’s hang up now. Come after eight o’clock tonight," Yusuf said before hanging up the phone.
Just as Yusuf had ended the call, his phone rang once again. When he checked the caller ID, to his surprise, it was Jerome Hart!
He hadn’t been in touch with Jerome Hart these last few days, but now that Jerome was calling, it must certainly be for a reason.
"Hey, Wen Shuai, what brings you to call me?" Yusuf asked as he picked up the phone.
"Hehe, I’ve arrived in the capital, just got off the plane. Tomorrow, tomorrow you have to show me around the capital. I want to eat Peking duck at Quanjude, instant-boiled mutton at Donglaishun, and all sorts of other delicious foods like donkey burgers. And tomorrow night, take me to places like Sanlitun to experience the capital’s nightlife!" Jerome laughed over the phone. Since the incident in Shanghai where they were kidnapped together, their relationship had transcended mere friendship—they were comrades-in-arms.
"You dare to go to Sanlitun? Would your girlfriend agree?" Yusuf asked cheekily.
"She didn’t come with me. It’s just me and my grandfather this time. We have an urgent medical case. We were notified at noon and flown here by military aircraft," Jerome whispered.
"Oh, is it a national leader?" Yusuf asked, taken aback.
"I don’t know. They’re acquainted with my grandfather, and they seem to be quite influential. Anyway, I won’t keep you, I’m off to the hospital now and will get in touch with you tomorrow." Without waiting for Yusuf’s response, Jerome hung up the phone.
PS: Three updates today, at midnight, before noon, and before six in the evening.