His father broke his leg and returned to the countryside to recuperate. Leaving the shop to him, Lu Zhiyuan, who had failed to build up much ambition in twenty-six years, planned to muddle through.
In the first month, only one customer came in, and he was just asking for directions.
While tidying the pile of old account books beneath the counter, Lu Zhiyuan's finger touched something hard in a hidden compartment. It was a thin gray book, with no writing on it and fewer than thirty pages.
Uncle Qian brought over an old enamel mug from his home and asked what year it was from. Lu Zhiyuan pressed the mug onto the book, and three lines of text emerged on the page: Enamel mug, 1976, made by the Red Star Enamel Factory, issued by the factory as labor protection equipment.
He spread the book open and pretended he had figured it out himself. He only stated the year, not the price, and the book offered no price either.
He told everyone he met, "I was just guessing." But the more the whole old street heard, the deeper they thought he was. Six months later, people began calling him "Mr. Lu." A year later, someone offered 280,000 yuan for his shop, on the condition that he hand over the book.
That book brought to light something his father had hidden for thirty years.
The author's writing is very good, keep up the good work