Chapter 20: Handing Over The Lucky Number Bill, Acting The Part!
I went out for an hour last night and got punched, earning 80,000.
Tonight, it was also an hour of work, and I angrily earned another 40,000!
In two days, I earned 120,000 yuan, it felt like a dream!
Back in his rental room in the Xiao Shahe Urban Village, Jiang Tao lit three cigarettes in a row before his excited mood finally calmed down.
Click, click, click—
Jiang Tao took several photos of the lucky number banknote with his mobile phone as a memento.
He hadn’t explained the private money from selling his watch and the used sofa to his wife, Xu Li.
Jiang Tao didn’t mention those two matters to her, to avoid straining his brain cells trying to explain.
This lucky number banknote tonight would be easy to explain; he’d just say a client gave it to him while he was delivering goods.
Although this explanation was a bit far-fetched, it could still fool his silly wife.
“I’m taking a day off tomorrow and will go check out Panjiayuan. Maybe I can sell this banknote there!”
After taking photos, Jiang Tao carefully tucked the lucky number banknote into the notebook he usually used for accounting.
He had no interest in collecting; he was more interested in money.
Once this banknote was sold, his silly wife would be happy for a long time!
“Sleep, sleep~”
After calming his mind, Jiang Tao finally got into bed and under the quilt to sleep.
He slept until 7 AM.
Jiang Tao was woken up by his usual alarm clock for work.
The thought of doing something big at Panjiayuan today instantly made him less sleepy.
Jiang Tao instantly wasn’t sleepy anymore and quickly got up and put on his clothes.
After getting dressed, he grabbed his mobile phone, slung a crossbody bag over his shoulder, and put the notebook with the money inside it into the bag.
With no issues found, Jiang Tao pushed open the door and went downstairs.
He had a large bowl of lamb soup and half a baked flatbread at a lamb soup shop in the urban village.
Full and satisfied, Jiang Tao didn’t rush off. Instead, he sent Xu Li a few messages on WeChat.
The act had to be complete.
The pre-transaction steps were also necessary!
Jiang Tao sent Xu Li a few photos he took last night. Less than a minute later, Xu Li’s voice call came through.
“Husband, what do you mean? Did you find money?”
As expected, Xu Li, an amateur, didn’t notice anything special about the banknote.
“Silly wife, look at the banknote I sent you. What’s different about it compared to a regular one?”
“Huh? No way! You got counterfeit money yesterday when you were delivering goods? Where’s the trust between people!”
“…”
Hearing his silly wife’s words, Jiang Tao’s face went black. What was she talking about!
“It’s not counterfeit, it’s a genuine banknote, as real as it gets! Look at the serial number.”
“The serial number? So many 4s! How unlucky!”
“…”
Jiang Tao was completely defeated by his silly wife’s thought process.
“Silly wife, this is called a ‘Tongtianhao’ bill, you know! It has great collectible value, it might be worth tens of thousands!”
“What? Worth tens of thousands? Really? Where did you get it? You weren’t tricked into buying it for tens of thousands, were you?”
“If I wanted to buy it, do I have the money?”
“That’s true… you don’t have money.”
“A client gave it to me yesterday when I was delivering goods. I didn’t notice it at first. I only saw it when I was counting the money tonight.”
“Will he ask for it back?”
“Silly, do you think if he knew about this, he would have given it to me?”
“That’s true! So… are we going to be rich?”
“I can’t say for sure we’ll be rich, but there’s a possibility. I’m going to Panjiayuan today to see if I can sell it.”
“What’s mine is yours! If it’s really worth tens of thousands, give me half!”
“Hahaha, okay! It’s a deal!”
“Then hurry up and go! I’m waiting for your good news! Call me as soon as you sell it!”
Listening to Xu Li’s excited and joyful voice on the phone, Jiang Tao’s face broke into a smile.
After a phone call that lasted seven or eight minutes, Jiang Tao settled the bill and left the lamb soup shop.
First, he took a bus to Zhuxinzhuang Subway Station, and then transferred to several other subway lines.
It took an hour and a half to reach the famous Panjiayuan Antique Market in the Capital City.
Jiang Tao knew nothing about antiques, so he didn’t look around randomly, to avoid being ripped off as a sucker.
His purpose for coming here today was very clear: he wanted to find a buyer to sell his banknote and get money.
He was here to make money today, not to spend it.
The antique street was lined with antique shops on both sides, each displaying items that looked like they had a sense of history.
Such as antique vases, calligraphy and paintings, ancient coins, various furnaces, tripods, and various pieces of rosewood and huanghuali wood.
After walking for a while, Jiang Tao stopped in front of a place called Boyaa Auction House. He hesitated for a minute before stepping inside.
“Hello sir, how can I help you?”
As soon as Jiang Tao entered, a young man who looked to be in his early twenties greeted him.
“Do you buy lucky number hundred yuan banknotes?”
Jiang Tao didn’t waste time with pleasantries and got straight to the point, stating his purpose.
“What year and version? What denomination? What kind of lucky number?”
The clerk’s questions were professional, but Jiang Tao was a complete novice in this area and didn’t understand. He said:
“The denomination is 100, all the same number, all 4s.”
“All 4s? A Tongtianhao! May I see it?”
The clerk’s eyes lit up upon hearing Jiang Tao’s words.
If it was truly a Tongtianhao bill with all 4s as Jiang Tao described, it would be an absolute lucky number bill.
Regardless of the year, it could be worth several thousand yuan.
If it was a rare version from a scarce year, it could be even more valuable!
“Sir, please come this way. Let’s sit down and talk.”
The clerk, sensing a potential sale, became much more enthusiastic in his treatment of Jiang Tao.
He first invited Jiang Tao to sit in the waiting area and then courteously poured him a cup of water in a disposable paper cup.
Seeing Jiang Tao take out a plain notebook from his crossbody bag.
And then casually take out a bright red hundred yuan banknote from the notebook, the clerk’s eyes twitched.
True currency collectors treat their collections with extreme care.
They have special small booklets with sleeves for their money.
When handling them, they wear disposable gloves and use tweezers, fearing even the slightest stain.
This guy is clearly an amateur!
“It’s this one. How much can you give me for it?”
Jiang Tao saw the clerk approaching with a cup of water and casually placed the banknote on the table.
“One moment, sir.”
The clerk meticulously took a pair of disposable gloves from the box on the table, put them on, and then carefully picked up the banknote Jiang Tao had casually placed on the table.
Upon seeing that the serial number on the front was indeed a long string of “4s” as Jiang Tao had said, the clerk’s eyes instantly brightened.
The anti-counterfeiting measures were also fine; it was a genuine banknote.
Flipping it over to the back, he saw the year was 1999.
The clerk’s breathing quickened significantly!
The 1999 version of the hundred yuan banknote had a relatively small circulation and had been out of print for over 20 years.
Among the four denominations of hundred yuan banknotes that had been issued, it was relatively the most valuable version for collection.
And it was a Tongtianhao!
This banknote could sell for at least twenty to thirty thousand yuan!
“Sir, what is your asking price?”
The clerk carefully put down the banknote and asked Jiang Tao about his expected price with concern.
“40,000.”
Jiang Tao held up four fingers and straightforwardly stated his quoted price.
Although he didn’t understand currency or collecting.
But the intelligence indicated that this lucky number banknote was worth 40,000, so there had to be a reason.
Therefore, Jiang Tao directly asked for 40,000, and anything less was not up for discussion.
