After returning to Hangzhou, the weather was still very cold. The shop was as quiet as ever. When Wang Meng saw me come back, he looked exhausted and didn’t recognize me at first, thinking I was a customer. I could only give a wry smile.

The discussion among my friends had a significant impact on me, leaving me restless. I couldn’t ask Uncle San again, for fear he would accuse me of being indecisive. My frustration had no outlet, so I spent every day in the shop, playing chess with the owner of the neighboring shop. It was said that this year had been difficult, and business was poor for everyone; everyone was living off their past earnings, leading a leisurely life.

Strangely enough, after arriving in Hangzhou, I found myself thinking less about troubling matters. Perhaps this city itself is very soothing for the heart.

I hadn’t seen Uncle San for a long time. The Fat Guy had come to find me a few times, asking me to handle some things for him. This guy also couldn’t sit still; despite being wealthy, he spent money quickly. Before long, he claimed he was out of cash. When I asked, I learned he had bought a shop in Beijing and had spent most of his money. These days, it’s not like before; having ten thousand yuan used to mean you wouldn’t have to worry for a lifetime. However, he had brought several clients with a Beijing accent to me multiple times, so he must have moved some goods and made quite a bit of profit.

One day, while I was playing chess with the neighboring shop owner, I was down to my last pair of horses and was gritting my teeth, refusing to concede defeat until dinner, when I heard someone cursing and coming my way. I looked up and saw it was the Fat Guy again; his business must be booming.

The neighboring shop owner had done business with the Fat Guy and had extorted quite a bit from him. Seeing the Fat Guy coming, he quickly slipped away. I was relieved I wouldn’t have to lose money, and I asked the Fat Guy what was making him so angry.

He was cursing up a storm. It turned out he had brought two porcelain vases to Hangzhou, but one had broken on the train, and he couldn’t find anyone to compensate him, so he was just sulking.

I had gotten to know him quite well, and I knew a bit about his background, so I laughed and teased him, “Why take the train when you could fly? Isn’t that a bit foolish?”

The Fat Guy retorted, “What do you know? It’s strict to fly these days. We are somewhat of a figure in Panjiayuan, and they take special care of us. There have been too many international events in Beijing in recent years. Now, after a few days of clean-up, I still have to come here to fuss around with my shop every day; business is impossible. So, I had no choice but to head south to develop. Jiangnan is commercial, and the money stays put. But the women in Hangzhou are too fierce! I rarely get a chance to chat on the train, and I ended up getting slapped in the face. Damn it, my goods got smashed. Who says women from Jiangnan are made of water? That’s a scam! I think they’re made of something tougher!”

He had mentioned this incident several times, and I knew what had happened. On the train, a girl who was very thin caught his eye. The Fat Guy saw her, and despite her being so thin, she wore heavy makeup and was complaining about the bad smell in the carriage. Of course, the Fat Guy’s feet were too smelly, which made it even more frustrating. Out of boredom, he started to criticize her, saying, “Hey, miss, you look so beautiful, but why are you so skinny? Just look at your pant legs; when the wind blows, they look like lanterns hanging in the breeze, and you could generate electricity just by farting!”

This person was slapped in the face before finishing what they were saying. I found it amusing and told him that it was already good that they didn’t take him to the police station. Don’t you know that there’s a crime called “hooliganism” in this world? You’re already implicated in it.

The chubby guy grinned and said, “With that kind of appearance, come on, saying I’m a hooligan? You absolutely can’t believe that; I’m definitely the victim.”

I gave him an idea, saying that he didn’t need to come in person anymore. Don’t you know there’s something called express delivery in this world? Just invest a little money, start a courier company, and with some connections, once the logistics get going, sending a few items on a truck from one stop to another would be a piece of cake.

The chubby guy was not very sharp in business matters and couldn’t handle complex ideas, so I didn’t talk to him about that anymore. He sighed and said, “Speaking of making money, it’s not that I’m greedy, but I’ve really gotten tired of it over these past few months. You know, earning money just to spend it like this is so meaningless. We still have to do that thing, right? That’s the true essence of life. By the way, is your Uncle San still hanging out with the lama? Why haven’t I heard anything?”

I said I hadn’t been in touch much either. I felt that after that incident, there was a barrier between me and Uncle San. He didn’t dare to see me, and I didn’t dare to see him. Even when we ran into each other by chance, there was nothing to say.

The chubby guy didn’t care and said, “If there’s still something fun going on, let me in on it. My bones have been itching for the past few months.”

I thought to myself, you keep talking, but isn’t it all about money? I found it amusing and said, “You’re really strange, you’ve seen big money before, so why are you still so discontent?” He replied, “There’s always a taller mountain. There are countless wealthy people in Panjiayuan, each one an invisible rich man, with all the good stuff just sitting at home collecting dust. Comparing people can be infuriating. They say a person lives for a breath; once you have money, you just think about making more!”

I laughed heartily and said, “That’s the truth.”

Just then, someone suddenly poked their head into the shop, smiled, and asked, “Boss, are you doing business–”

The chubby guy was digging at his toes, glanced up at the person, gasped, and sneered, “It’s you?”

I turned to look and was surprised to see it was Aning, now dressed in a cropped T-shirt and jeans, feeling quite different from how she looked at sea. I barely recognized her.

Aning and I had hardly ever been in contact, and I had tried to find out about her but had no news. Now that she suddenly came to find me, I felt very taken aback.

Aning ignored the chubby guy, shot him a glare, and then, with a charming demeanor, wandered around my shop before saying to me, “Not bad, you’ve decorated it quite tastefully.”

I thought to myself, I’m an antique shop; should I use surrealist decor? I guardedly replied, “You’re really a rare guest. What brings you here?”

She looked at me with a hint of disappointment, probably sensing my attitude. After a pause, she said, “You’re really straightforward. Then I won’t be polite. I came to ask you to treat me to a meal. Will you?”