Speaking of this, Third Uncle's interest visibly grew stronger as he waved the item in his hand.
"Five hundred?"
"No need, it didn’t cost that much!" Third Uncle grinned so widely his eyes nearly disappeared, waving his hand dismissively. "These two pieces together only cost fifty!"
Fifty?
Jiang Si had already been suspicious, but hearing this confirmed her doubts—something wasn’t right.
While it was true that jade and other antiques weren’t fetching high prices at the time, the ghost market was full of shrewd dealers and connoisseurs.
How could such fine items end up in Third Uncle’s hands as a bargain?
And at that price—it was practically unbelievable.
It was almost like getting them for free.
Noticing Jiang Si’s expression, Third Uncle also began to doubt. "Could it be that Old Ninth…"
Speak of the devil.
No sooner had Third Uncle muttered those words than Ninth Master’s hearty laughter echoed from outside.
This was the first time he had visited since the last courtyard house slipped through their fingers.
Judging by Ninth Master’s beaming face, Jiang Si guessed he must have news about a property.
Sure enough, before even sitting down for tea, Ninth Master eagerly shared what he’d learned.
There was indeed progress on the house front.
Like last time, it was a single-courtyard siheyuan.
The owner’s situation was similar to the previous one—someone who had been rehabilitated and returned to the city.
Ninth Master had sharp instincts.
After hearing that Peking University and Tsinghua University were resuming admissions, he guessed that many old professors would be returning.
So he made some targeted inquiries.
And as it turned out, he was right.
"That courtyard isn’t far from here—just two stops away. I’ve already checked it out myself. The paperwork is clean, and the price is fair."
After the last near-miss, Ninth Master was being extra cautious.
This time, he even left two men to keep an eye on the place while he came to deliver the news.
Houses were in high demand these days.
Waiting for state-allocated housing could take forever.
For dual-income or large families, pooling resources to buy a small courtyard like this was still within reach.
Thinking ahead, Ninth Master urged, "The seller wants a quick deal. We should hurry over—if it looks good, we can finalize the paperwork this afternoon."
"Wait a minute, Old Ninth," Third Uncle cut in skeptically. "First, tell me about this bracelet. Did you secretly cover part of the cost and pretend it was a lucky find?"
"Cover what cost?" Ninth Master looked utterly confused.
Third Uncle thought, I already know, so why keep pretending?
So he laid it out plainly. "Those items I ‘bargained’ for at the ghost market—tell me the truth, how much did you actually pay?"
Seeing Ninth Master still baffled, Jiang Si briefly explained the situation.
"No! I really had no idea about this," Ninth Master insisted. "You know me—I’ve never had any interest in jade or antiques. I don’t understand this stuff."
Among valuables, he only dealt in gold.
Everything else was beyond his scope.
"You really didn’t cover the cost?" Now Third Uncle was equally confused. "Did I actually stumble upon a genuine bargain?"
But before he could dwell on it, Jiang Si suddenly scooped up the two boxes from the table, tucked them into her bag, and strode toward the door.
"Hey, Si, where are you off to in such a hurry?" Third Uncle called after her.
"Third Uncle, wait here with the others. I’ll be right back."
With that, she left without another glance.
The remaining group exchanged puzzled looks.
Just as Third Uncle was about to send Uncle Zhong after her, Jiang Si returned—with Chi Heng in tow.
It was pure coincidence.
Jiang Si had just stepped out of the courtyard when she ran into Chi Heng at the alley entrance.
Seeing him carrying a few packages of pastries and without his usual entourage, she brought him back with her.
Taking one look at Jiang Si’s expression, Third Uncle understood she had something to discuss. "Uncle Zhong and I will go buy some groceries. Shi An, you two stay for lunch."
Chi Heng gave a slight nod. "Thank you, Third Uncle, Uncle Zhong."
Taking the hint, Ninth Master followed them out.
Soon, only Jiang Si and Chi Heng remained in the courtyard.
"These… they’re yours, aren’t they?" Jiang Si didn’t beat around the bush, pulling the two boxes from her bag.
It had only just occurred to her—she’d seen similar items in the Qin family years ago.
"Yes." Chi Heng had always been straightforward with her. "One was meant as a birthday gift for you, the other as a welcome gift for the children."
He had prepared these long before returning to the country.
But how to get them to her had stumped him.
After much deliberation, this was the method he’d settled on.
"Thank you." Jiang Si met his gaze. "But these are too valuable. I can’t accept them. Please take them back."
"They’re not really—"
"I’m referring to the sentiment behind them," Jiang Si clarified bluntly. "Your gesture is too heavy. I can’t bear it, nor can I accept it."
Had he presented them openly in front of everyone, she might have considered it.
But this roundabout approach left no room for ambiguity.
"Chi Heng." Since she’d started, she might as well lay it all out. "I don’t like divided loyalties or indirect methods. Last time, you asked me—are we friends?"
"Now I can answer clearly: Yes, we are friends. We always have been, and we always will be."
"But only if you remain Chi Heng—not Chi Tianheng."
Her meaning was unmistakable, and Chi Heng understood perfectly.
Friendship was acceptable, but nothing beyond that line.
"Alright. I understand." With a resigned sigh, he took the items back.
Jiang Si pressed further, "That courtyard house—it wasn’t your doing, was it?"
Her eyes scanned him carefully.
Chi Heng seemed genuinely surprised. "What courtyard?"
His reaction told her everything. The property had nothing to do with him.
And since it wasn’t his arrangement, she had no reason to hesitate.
After lunch, Jiang Si and Third Uncle went to inspect the siheyuan.
The condition was similar to the last one—bare and empty.
But that didn’t matter to Jiang Si. She planned to renovate anyway, so after a quick look, she signed the contract with the owner.
Ninth Master had connections at the housing bureau. With a little greasing of palms, the transfer was completed that very afternoon.
With the property matter settled, Jiang Si finally relaxed.
But her busy days were far from over.
She knew Minister Zhao worked efficiently, but even she was surprised by his speed.
During Monday morning’s routine meeting, Assistant An sought her out.
And in the midst of their conversation, explosive news spread like wildfire through the entire Construction Ministry—
