Chapter 6 Name Your Price_1

In his previous life, Xiao Ming was submerged in immense pain and hatred for a considerable period after his wife's death.

He lost his soul, becoming a walking corpse driven by vengeance, tracking and spying on his enemies while desperately gathering any information that he could use to his advantage.

Latter on, he was imprisoned, but he kept this habit.

He began working in the prison's library archives, reading books and newspapers every day. Not only did he keep up with the outside world, but he also earned a master's degree, which granted him many opportunities for sentence reduction.

This life, reborn, with every detail of his previous life's memories intact, not a single one missed.

Therefore, he clearly remembered everything that had been in the newspapers: the future trajectory of the world, the march of the eras, stock market fluctuations, business opportunities at the forefront of the wind...

For instance, Yang Hanqing's father was murdered by her husband, Zhang Anli, a deed coincidentally caught on camera by an autistic child in the building across the street.

Like today, someone bought a Republican-era edition of "Strange Tales" at an antique bookstore on Antique Street, discovering a Large Dragon Stamp worth millions of yuan hidden within the inner layers of the cover.

The so-called Large Dragon Stamp is from the Guangxu period, when due to the demand for high-value stamps, the government office superimposed a new one-dollar stamp over some of the existing red revenue stamps with three-cent denominations.

The stamp inscriptions come in three varieties: "Great Qing Post," "One Dollar," and "1 dollar."

In short, this batch of three-cent revenue stamps could be used as one-dollar postage stamps.

There's nothing particularly surprising about this. Although the red one-dollar revenue stamps are precious, their relatively substantial number in existence means their price is capped at around ten to twenty thousand yuan.

The reason this specific stamp stayed in Xiao Ming's memory is due to the "small characters" in its name.

Back then, the post office staff first printed fifty pieces and then presented them to the higher-ups for review. Unexpectedly, the boss disapproved, feeling that the characters "One Dollar" were too small and did not reflect the grandeur of the empire; thus, they were rejected.

This rejection was significant: the small-character red one-dollar revenue stamps instantly became rarities, with only fifty pieces in the world, their value far surpassing the legendary first stamp—the Large Dragon.

Xiao Ming remembered media reports stating that only thirty-two of the small-character one-dollar stamps had been discovered worldwide, and the one found in the antique market was the thirty-third.

In recent years, the antiques collecting fever had waned, and antique markets everywhere grew increasingly desolate, with scarce patronage aside from collectors and tourists, far from the bustling flower, bird, fish, and insect markets nearby.

Xiao Ming followed his memory to a bookstore called "Mo Xiang House" and stepped inside. A sweep of the room caused his heart to skip a beat.

Because in the corner, in front of a bookshelf, stood a woman in a white dress.

Her long hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, the hem of her dress reaching down to her shoes, with a coarse cloth crossbody bag resting at her waist. Although he couldn't see her face, her slender silhouette alone emanated an ethereal grace as if she was an unearthly being.

Of course, having been wealthy and of status in his previous life, Xiao Ming had encountered all types of women and would not be infatuated simply by someone's profile.

The unease he felt stemmed from the media photo of the discovery of the small-character one-dollar stamp, which featured a long-haired woman in a white dress.

She was the "original" discoverer.

Damn!

Could he have been too late?

Xiao Ming's heart rose to his throat as he started to casually browse around the store.

The shopkeeper, a bespectacled chubby man, didn't trouble himself with greeting customers, instead reading a book behind the counter.

The bookstore was small, consisting of only four or five bookshelves. It took Xiao Ming less than five minutes to reach the shelf where the woman in the white dress stood.

This was the last one; if he couldn't find the twenty-third year of the Republic edition of "Strange Tales" here, he would have to lament a missed opportunity.

The woman in the white dress was reading a book and sensed someone beside her. She moved half a step to the side, whether out of politeness or distaste was unclear.

Xiao Ming glanced at her. Indeed, she was the same one from the media photo, and even more beautiful in person, especially her white skin, which was nearly translucent as if she had grown up on flowers and herbs—a natural fit for playing Little Dragon Girl without even the need for makeup.

Clearly, she was a young lady from a wealthy family.

"Ethereal" is not a quality that just anyone can cultivate, especially not the lower-class citizens.

At that moment, the lady closed the book in her hands, slotted it back on the shelf, and her slender, delicate fingers moved onto a lower layer.

Xiao Ming followed her gaze and his pupils contracted. Swiftly, he reached out and snatched a book from the shelf.

The lady's fingers froze, her brow furrowed as she looked at Xiao Ming.

Because that was the book she wanted.

Xiao Ming, with an innocent face, opened the book and flipped through for a moment, confirming it was indeed the twenty-third year of the Republic edition of "Strange Tales." Pinching the bottom cover, he could feel a slight bulge, and with a slight smile forming at the corner of his mouth, he made to leave.

"Sir, please wait a moment," the lady said, her voice soft and delicate, tickling to the ear.

Xiao Ming turned around, "What is it?"

The lady's eyes focused on the book in his hand, "That book is mine."

"Have you already bought it?"

"No, but I was the first…"

"Then it's not yours," Xiao Ming interrupted, unapologetically.

The lady's face showed displeasure, "I had reserved the book, name your price!"