Chapter 94: On the Way to USC

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Walking into an antique shop on the commercial street, Hardy was greeted by the middle-aged owner with a nod of acknowledgment.

Hardy wandered through the shop, which featured European furniture, silver jewelry, and various cultural relics. In one corner, he noticed a few pieces of porcelain: two large plates, three small bowls, and two vases. One large plate depicted a birthday star, while the other showed an ancient man riding a unicorn. Hardy didn't recognize the ancient man.

The small bowls were exquisite, each adorned with intricate patterns of flowers, birds, fish, and insects. The vases were a pair of jade spring bottles, decorated with golden pheasants.

The shop owner approached, noticing Hardy's interest in the porcelain. "Do you like these East Asian porcelains?" he asked.

"What are the prices?" Hardy inquired.

"The two plates are $120 each, the three small bowls are $80 each, and the pair of vases is $300," the owner replied.

"That seems a bit expensive," Hardy remarked.

In New York, Hardy had seen higher prices for porcelain.

"These are exceptionally beautiful. They are rare and supposedly from the Oriental Huaguo Palace, used by their emperors. I've had them appraised, and they are over 200 years old," the owner explained.

Hardy pondered this. If they were from the Qianlong period, they might have been taken from the Old Summer Palace or the Forbidden City during the Eight-Power Allied Forces' invasion of Beijing.

"I'll offer $80 each for the plates, $50 each for the bowls, and $200 for the vases. If you agree, I'll buy everything," Hardy countered.

The owner shook his head immediately. "No, the price you've offered is too low."

The two men haggled for over ten minutes before settling on a total price of $660. They shook hands to finalize the deal.

As the owner went to the back to fetch a suitcase and prepare the porcelain for packing, two girls entered the shop. One was a tall, brown-haired white girl, and the other was an Asian girl, about 1.65 meters tall and very beautiful.

Hardy found the Asian girl exceptionally striking. Her complexion was radiant, and he couldn't help but glance at her again.

The girl initially mistook Hardy for the shop owner and greeted him with a nod. Hardy smiled and nodded back.

She examined the pieces of Chinese porcelain on the table, clearly interested. After a moment, she asked, "How much are these porcelains?"

Hardy, realizing she had mistaken him for the shop owner, found the situation amusing. He approached her and said, "The plates are $120 each, the small bowls are $80 each, and the vases are $300 for the pair."

The girl nodded, examining the porcelain pieces. She liked each one but had limited funds. Reluctantly, she decided to purchase just one small bowl.

Standing close to her, Hardy noticed her delicate fragrance and admired her slender neck as she bent slightly to examine the porcelain.

"Can you lower the price of this bowl to $60?" she asked, looking up at Hardy.

He realized how impolite it was to stare and quickly averted his gaze. "Do you know the origin of this bowl?" Hardy asked.

The girl thought for a moment and replied, "This is likely from a Chinese palace, with a yellow glazed peony pattern and dragon motifs, as indicated by the base."

"Dragon patterns?" Hardy asked in surprise.

The girl pointed out the details on the bowl. Hardy leaned closer to see, their proximity almost intimate.

Just then, the shop owner returned with two boxes and began packing the porcelain. Seeing Hardy and the girl engaged, he said, "I've found the boxes and will pack these for you."

Han Yezhen, realizing Hardy was not the shop owner, looked surprised. "You're not the boss?"

Hardy smiled. "I'm purchasing the antiques."

The girl watched as the shop owner packed the porcelain and then asked Hardy, "Did you buy all of these?"

The shop owner, overhearing, answered, "Yes, this gentleman bought everything. Miss, what would you like to purchase?"

Han Yezhen hesitated and then said, "I also want to buy some porcelain."

The owner seemed surprised, as no one had inquired about the porcelain before. Han Yezhen decided to look at other items and found a beautiful jade hairpin in a glass cabinet.

"How much for this hairpin?" she asked.

"That's $35," the owner replied.

"Could you make it $30?" Han Yezhen negotiated.

The owner agreed, and Han Yezhen purchased the hairpin, placing it in a jewelry box and thanking the owner before leaving with her friend Irina.

Hardy watched the girls leave the shop.

Despite not finding the porcelain she wanted, Han Yezhen was pleased with her purchase.

"Yejin, what did you buy?" Irina asked.

"It's a hairpin," Han Yezhen explained.

"What's a hairpin?" Irina asked.

"It's an ancient accessory," Han Yezhen replied.

As they talked, a group of men appeared in front of them, including the thief who had tried to steal their bag earlier. The girls realized these men had come for revenge.

Among the group, a taller man addressed the thief, "Aimo, it's shameful that you were beaten by these girls."

Turning to Han Yezhen and Irina, he added with a smirk, "But these girls are quite beautiful."

Irina was terrified and clung to Han Yezhen. Although Han Yezhen knew how to handle one or two people, she was concerned about facing so many men.

"Run!" Han Yezhen decided, grabbing Irina and fleeing.

The gangsters chased them, surrounding them within a few dozen meters. As someone approached to grab them, Irina screamed and tried to fend them off with her bag, but it was quickly snatched away.

Han Yezhen kicked one of the attackers, but more came forward. She kicked another man in the crotch, causing him to collapse in pain.

"I can't deal with just one girl; let's all go after her!" the gang leader ordered.

Several men rushed forward. Han Yezhen fought back with her bag and tried to block attacks, but she was overwhelmed.

At that moment, a figure appeared beside them.

"Bang!"

A punch landed on the face of the man holding Han Yezhen's arm, sending him flying several meters away.

"Boom boom boom!"

Hardy swiftly dispatched the remaining gangsters.

Standing in front of the two girls, Hardy said, "Are you alright?"

Han Yezhen looked at him in surprise. "It's you!"

"I'm Jon Hardy," he introduced himself.

"Thank you, Mr. Hardy," Han Yezhen said.

Irina added tearfully, "We're now broke. How can we get back to school? We're heading to Southern California."

Han Yezhen also looked concerned.

Hardy offered, "My car is nearby. I can give you a ride back to Southern California."

"Is that too much trouble?" Han Yezhen hesitated.

Irina whispered urgently to her friend, "Don't refuse. We really need to get back."

Her voice was loud enough for Hardy to hear. He smiled at Irina's straightforwardness.

"Let's go. I'll drop you off at USC," Hardy said.

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