Chapter 20: Flashing the Fancy Number, Performing the Full Act! (Please Keep Reading!)

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Last night, I went out for just an hour and earned 80,000 yuan from a single punch.
Tonight, in another hour, I angrily pocketed 40,000 more!
In just two days, I made 120,000 yuan—it feels like a dream!
Back at my rented room in the village of Xiaosha River City, Jiang Tao lit three cigarettes in a row before his excitement finally settled.
Click, click, click—
Jiang Tao took several photos of the rare banknote with his phone as a keepsake.
Previously, the secret money I earned from selling watches and secondhand sofas was hard to explain to my wife, Xu Li.
So I never mentioned those things to her, to avoid exhausting my brain with explanations.
But tonight’s rare banknote was easy to explain—I just said a customer gave it to me when I delivered goods.
Though a bit of a stretch, it was enough to fool my simple-minded wife.
“Tomorrow is a day off. I’ll go to Panjiayuan to see if I can sell this note!”
After taking the photos, Jiang Tao carefully slipped the banknote into a notebook where he usually kept his accounts.
He wasn’t interested in collecting; he was just interested in money.
Selling this note would earn money and make my silly wife happy for a long time!
“Time to sleep~”
Calming his emotions, Jiang Tao finally got into bed and fell asleep until 7 a.m.
Jiang Tao was woken by the alarm he usually set for work.
Thinking about the big deal today at Panjiayuan, he immediately felt wide awake and quickly got dressed.
Once ready, he grabbed his phone, slung a crossbody bag over his shoulder, and packed the notebook containing the money.
After double-checking, Jiang Tao opened the door and headed downstairs.
He stopped at a mutton soup shop in the village, drank a large bowl of soup, and ate half a flatbread.
Satisfied and full, Jiang Tao didn’t rush off but sent a few messages to Xu Li on WeChat.
The full performance had to be played out.
Even before a deal, you need to set the scene!
Within a minute of sending her the photos he took last night, Xu Li called him with a voice message.
“Honey, what do you mean? Found money?”
Sure enough, Xu Li, being an outsider, didn’t notice anything special about the banknote.
“Silly wife, look carefully—what’s different about this note compared to ordinary ones?”
“Huh? No way! Did you get counterfeit money while delivering? What about trust between people?”
“...”
Hearing my wife’s words made Jiang Tao’s face go dark. What nonsense is this!
“It’s not counterfeit—it’s the real deal! Look at the serial number.”

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“Serial number? So many 4s! That’s unlucky!”
“...”
Jiang Tao was completely defeated by his wife’s thought process.
“Silly wife, that’s called a ‘Tongtian’ number! It’s highly collectible and might be worth tens of thousands!”
“Really? Worth tens of thousands? Are you kidding? Where did you get it? Don’t tell me you were tricked into paying tens of thousands to buy it?”
“If I wanted to buy it, do I have that kind of money?”
“True… you don’t have money.”
“A customer gave it to me when I was delivering goods yesterday. I didn’t even notice it until I counted the money at home last night.”
“Will he want it back?”
“Fool, if he understood this, do you think he’d give it to me?”
“That’s true! So… are we going to get rich?”
“I can’t say for sure we’ll get rich, but there’s a chance. I’m heading to Panjiayuan today to see if I can sell it.”
“Count me in! If it really’s worth tens of thousands, you owe me half!”
“Hahaha, deal! It’s settled happily then!”
“Go quickly! I’m waiting for your good news! Call me as soon as you sell it!”
Listening to Xu Li’s excited voice on the phone, a smile spread across Jiang Tao’s face.
After chatting for seven or eight minutes, Jiang Tao paid and left the soup shop.
He took a bus to Zhuxinzhuang subway station, then transferred through several subway lines.
After an hour and a half, he arrived at the famous Panjiayuan antique market in the capital.
Jiang Tao knew nothing about antiques, so he avoided casually browsing to prevent being ripped off as an uninformed buyer.
His purpose today was clear: to find a buyer and sell the banknote for cash.
He was here to make money, not spend it.
On either side of the antique street were shops filled with items that looked aged and full of history—antique vases, calligraphy and paintings, ancient coins, various incense burners, tripods, and old furniture made of rosewood and huanghuali.
After walking for a while, Jiang Tao stopped in front of a place called Boya 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 in his twenties greeted him.
“Do you buy rare serial number 100-yuan bills here?”
Jiang Tao cut straight to the point and explained his purpose.
“What year and edition? What denomination? What kind of serial number?”
The clerk asked professionally, but Jiang Tao was a complete novice and replied,
“It’s a 100-yuan note, all the same number—all 4s.”
“All 4s? A Tongtian number! Can I see it?”
The clerk’s eyes lit up when he heard Jiang Tao’s words.

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If it really was a Tongtian note made entirely of 4s, it was definitely a rare serial number.
No matter the year, it could be worth thousands of yuan.
If it was a rare edition from a scarce year, it could be even more valuable!
“Please, sir, this way. Let’s sit down and talk.”
The clerk sensed a sale and treated Jiang Tao with much more enthusiasm.
After inviting Jiang Tao to the guest area, he politely poured him a cup of water in a disposable cup.
Jiang Tao casually pulled out an ordinary notebook from his bag, then took out a bright red 100-yuan bill from it. The clerk’s eyes twitched involuntarily.
True currency collectors treated their items with extreme care.
They used special plastic sleeves in dedicated albums.
When handling notes, they wore disposable gloves and used tweezers, afraid of any dirt or damage.
This guy was clearly an amateur!
“This is it. How much can you offer?”
Jiang Tao placed the banknote on the table as the clerk approached with the water.
“Please wait a moment.”
The clerk carefully took a pair of disposable gloves from the box on the table and put them on before cautiously picking up the casually placed banknote.
Looking at the front serial number, just as Jiang Tao said, it was a long string of “4”s. The clerk’s eyes brightened noticeably.
The anti-counterfeit features checked out—it was genuine currency.
Flipping the note to the back, the year was 1999.
The clerk’s breath quickened!
The 1999 edition 100-yuan note had a relatively small issuance and had been out of print for over 20 years.
It was the most collectible of the four issued 100-yuan notes.
And this one was a Tongtian number!
This note could easily sell for 20,000 to 30,000 yuan!
“Sir, what’s your expected price?”
The clerk carefully placed the note down and asked with concern.
“40,000.”
Jiang Tao held up four fingers and straightforwardly quoted his price.
Though he didn’t understand banknotes or collecting, he had information that this rare serial number note was worth 40,000 yuan.
So he made a direct offer—anything less was no deal.