Chapter 483
Chapter 483 - They Are All Good Actors
“Let me go. I'm not old yet.”
An elderly man with a faltering gait shoved aside the two people who were trying to support him.
He was brimming with excitement.
His waist and legs were pain-free, and he had regained the strength to walk.
“This cane, which has served me for 82 years, can finally be discarded.”
Tossing his cane aside, the old man looked rejuvenated.
The man in the wheelchair also sat up straight, exuding a sense of determination.
Su Ming paused, puzzled.
What was the gentleman in the wheelchair attempting to do?
His legs had been amputated.
Could he possibly stand up like the man who had just discarded his cane?
The man in the wheelchair turned red in the face. After a long hesitation, he said, “I want to stand, but I can't. Just push me forward!”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, the man in the wheelchair was realistic about his situation.
At that moment, the man lying in the hospital bed stretched out a shaky hand.
“I have to purchase these two chairs.” His eyes were fixed intently on the chairs crafted from Gloomy Wood.
Suddenly, a young man burst through the crowd.
He knelt at the bedside and pleaded, “Dad, you've just had brain surgery! You can't just move around. Please, listen to me and return to the hospital to recuperate.”
The young man sobbed loudly.
“No. Just seeing a chair made of Gloomy Wood is a stroke of luck in my life.”
“If I could just touch it, I would die without any regrets.”
“Mr. Su, my time is short. Please, let me touch this Gloomy Wood chair.”
The man in the bed blinked pitifully, tears streaming down his face.
Hearing this, Su Ming could only respond, “Alright.”
However, the old man who walked with a limp was not pleased, exclaiming, “Damn! Old fellow, you're quite the actor! How could you have just undergone brain surgery? I know for a fact you're as sturdy as an ox!”
The man in the bed grew upset and retorted, “We had an agreement not to call each other out. How dare you expose me first. Mr. Su, don't let him deceive you. He ran a marathon just last week! He doesn't need that cane at all. And tonight, he's even dancing with his wife!”
Upon hearing the accusation, the old man with the crutch thought to himself, “I haven't called you out. How dare you try to expose me first?”
His mood soured instantly, and he said, “Mr. Su, don't let them deceive you.”
“They're just trying to get their hands on your Gloomy Wood chair. It's all an act.”
“Mr. Su, the nearest hospital is over a 40-minute drive away! He couldn't have gotten here so quickly, not even if he were on a rocket!”
“Hee, do you have a problem with me?”
“Soong, are you looking to square off with me?”
“Old Wang, what are you staring at? Are you itching for a fight?”
The three elders exchanged furious glances.
Su Ming, observing from the sidelines, was utterly dumbfounded.
It turned out that these three old timers were putting on a show.
They were quite the actors.
One feigned a limp, another acted as if he needed crutches to walk, and the third pretended to be a bedridden patient.
Su Ming was unaware that these three had gone to such lengths to prepare for his arrival.
The last time Su Ming visited Antiques City to sell items, only these three had been away in the capital purchasing goods.
Upon their return and learning of his visit, they were so full of regret that they were beside themselves with frustration.
They then got their hands on these props, rehearsed daily, and agreed not to reveal each other's ruse.
However, when they realized that the one feigning illness was about to fulfill his wish to touch the chair, the other two became visibly anxious.
Su Ming was somewhat at a loss.
Then, something dawned on Su Ming. His attention shifted to the old man in the wheelchair.
The man looked utterly bewildered and was on the verge of tears when Su Ming's gaze met his.
“Mr. Su, they may have been tricking you, but I'm genuine!”
“I truly have no legs!” he said, his voice tinged with a cry.
The four had grown up and aged together.
A few years back, he had been in a car accident that resulted in the amputation of his legs, leaving him in a state of melancholy, particularly as he watched the other three enjoy their lives.
But recently, seeing them all feigning disabilities, he had felt a perverse sense of joy.
To his dismay, he discovered they were all just pretending to be crippled!
It was all a sham!
They were just trying to cheer him up.
Just last week, one of them ran a half marathon, yet he lied, claiming he was in the hospital receiving shots and medication.
“Mr. Su, I hold a position of respect here in Antiques City, so I have a keen eye for antiques. Rest assured, I've encountered plenty of Gloomy Wood. Let me just feel this piece to assess its quality,” the wobbly old man said with a grin, reaching out his hand.
“Get lost! Mr. Su, he's deceiving you. He just wants to feel the Gloomy Wood. I know what's tucked away in every nook and cranny of your home better than you do! Do you even know where your wife stashed the money?” Old Wang, leaning on his cane, immediately called out the deception.
Hearing this, the first old man became furious. “How do you know where my wife hid the money? You old coot, you dare to conspire with my wife against me!”
“It was your wife who told my wife!”
“Nonsense, your wife has been dead for eight years!”
The two old men started scuffling.
Onlookers snapped photos and applauded.
Remarkably spry for their age, they were actually brawling.
The old man in the hospital bed saw his opportunity as the fight broke out.
He scrambled out of bed, yanked off his bandages, tossed them aside, and bolted for Su Ming's car.
“Not so fast!”
But as he approached the car, the old man in the wheelchair couldn't contain himself any longer.
With a forceful push of his hands, he lunged from his wheelchair, grabbing hold of the other old man's pants.
The hospital gown, already loose, was no match for the old man's strength. With a firm tug, it came right down.
The room fell into stunned silence.
Especially a few old ladies nearby, their eyes sparkled at the sight.
They hadn't expected such an impressive physique.