The young man was extremely disappointed, but judging from Old Wu's demeanor, he was clearly someone who held sway in the shop. Since Old Wu had said so, there was probably no point in saying anything more, so he could only leave.
To be honest, the young man had already taken the piece to several other shops, but the experienced appraisers there were not fooled by it. They all made excuses. Generally, when they could tell it was a fake, neither side would say it outright. They would just make excuses and give various reasons. The other shops recommended that the young man come to Zhou Xuan's shop to try his luck.
These shops were all envious and resentful, but they didn't dare to openly confront Zhou Xuan's shop, nor did they dare to do so secretly. Zhou Xuan's background was too powerful; whether openly or secretly, they couldn't defeat him. In Panjiayuan, and even in the entire antique industry of Beijing, there were plenty of influential people, but if they tried to use their connections to deal with Zhou Xuan's shop, the people would immediately change their expressions after a little investigation and quickly advise the shop owner to behave himself, lest they cause trouble.
Left with no other option, the young man had to try his luck again. Since childhood, he had heard his grandfather talk about how this family heirloom was a priceless treasure that must be carefully protected and treasured. Now, with the family facing a major crisis and in dire need of money, and the elders in charge having passed away, he was finally able to bring out this heirloom to try and exchange it for a large sum of money. However, to his surprise, this so-called heirloom was met with closed doors; not a single shop would accept it. At this point, forget about exchanging it for a large sum of money; it seemed that even a hundred or two hundred yuan was unwanted.
Zhou Xuan could tell that the porcelain was over a hundred years old, but it was a product of a Qing Dynasty earthen kiln and had no value. However, judging from the condition of the yellow cloth, this worthless porcelain was actually a smokescreen, a trick used by the young ancestor to conceal the truth. And it seemed to be very successful, not only deceiving their own descendants, but also fooling the eyes of Old Wu and the master craftsmen of other shops in Panjiayuan.
As the young man, utterly disappointed, prepared to wrap the porcelain bowl in a cloth and put it back in his bag to leave, Zhou Xuan suddenly said, "Sir, how much do you want for this bowl?"
Zhou Xuan's question not only startled the young man, but also surprised Old Wu and his men. Old Wu had already decided not to accept it, so it must be worthless. Why was Zhou Xuan asking that person again?
However, Zhou Xuan is a big boss with plenty of money. If he likes something, he can give a million dollars for anything, whether it's a fake porcelain bowl or a pile of manure. That's his business and nobody else can interfere.
The young man was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. He quickly untied the yellow cloth, took out the bowl, and said hastily, "I told you, this is from my family for generations..."
"Don't talk about that, just tell me, how much do you want?" Zhou Xuan interrupted him, speaking directly.
The young man paused for a moment, unsure how to respond. Having visited several shops, even he himself was starting to have doubts, wondering if his bowl was genuine and valuable. If it was fake, how much would he be willing to pay?
Volume 1, Chapter 516 Imperial Edict
Chapter 516 Imperial Edict
The young man hesitated, wanting to sell it for a large sum of money, but he was afraid that the high price he offered would cause the other young man to immediately refuse. It seemed that the other young man was somewhat interested, but he was obviously very familiar with the old appraiser. The old man had already determined that it was worthless and didn't want it. Wouldn't he have just told him directly and persuaded him not to?
While hesitating, the young man looked at the others and was surprised to find that the old appraiser and several apprentices were all keeping their mouths shut and not saying a word, obviously waiting for the young man who had asked him to make a price to decide.
The young man hesitated, then tentatively said, "This... because it's... a family heirloom, this... this... it'll cost at least 10... no, no, at least 80,000..."
Old Wu's lips curled up, and he gave a faint hum. Zhou Xuan naturally understood what Old Wu meant. As for this porcelain bowl, let alone 80,000, even 800 wouldn't be worth it. The clay on the bottom was full of impurities, and it was obvious at a glance that it was a counterfeit product from an official kiln made in a local kiln. The quality was also poor, and it was easy to spot. Based on Old Wu's understanding of Zhou Xuan, Zhou Xuan had always appeared extremely mysterious in front of him. Sometimes, he was quite naive, but that was just his behavior. When it came to the technical identification of antiques, Old Wu had to admire Zhou Xuan. This young man was not old, but his skills and eye for appraisal and identification were far superior to his own. He really didn't know where he got such talent.
Now Zhou Xuan is clearly serious about this bowl. Could it be that he misjudged it? Is this bowl the real thing?
"Eighty thousand?" Zhou Xuan read it aloud, then chuckled, "Hehe, eighty thousand yuan, have you decided on this price?"
The young man was taken aback, unsure of Zhou Xuan's meaning. Was Zhou Xuan implying that his price was too low or too high? He was momentarily stunned. He had mustered the courage to ask for 80,000, but now he figured Zhou Xuan probably thought it was too expensive. Even he himself felt it was outrageous. But that was his current thought. Before coming here, he remembered his grandfather's solemn description of it as priceless. 80,000 and priceless—the difference was obvious.
After taking it out, he thought to himself that if he could exchange this for millions or even tens of millions, then good days would be coming. And that was indeed what he was thinking. However, after visiting several stores, the young man's confidence crumbled by more than 90%, and he had no confidence left at all.
Seeing the young man hesitate, Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Alright, eighty thousand it is, but I have one condition."
The young man was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, and quickly asked, "Do...do you have any requirements?"
Zhou Xuan pointed to his bag and the khaki cloth and said, "I'm taking these back later, you need to give me your bag and cloth."
"Of course, no problem," Na Qing hesitated for a moment, then readily agreed, though he was thinking to himself, what kind of condition is this? After selling the bowl, he had just thrown the tattered bag and rag into the trash can before leaving. Since he wanted it, he might as well give it to him, saving him the trouble.
Zhou Xuan turned to Zhou Cangsong and said, "Dad, bring me 80,000 yuan."
Although Zhou Cangsong didn't know much about antiques, he had been in this shop for almost a year and had seen a lot of things with Lao Wu. Judging from Lao Wu's expression, he knew that this porcelain bowl was probably not worth much. But since his son had asked to buy it, Zhou Cangsong wouldn't stop him, even if it was 800,000 or 8 million. He never interfered with his son's actions because his son had never done anything wrong so far.
However, when I say I've never made a mistake or caused trouble, I'm only referring to business matters. As for matters of the heart, that's a different story.
Without saying a word, Zhou Cangsong went straight to the inner room, opened the safe, took out 80,000 yuan, and piled it on the coffee table.
There were eight stacks of money, each with a bank's cardboard seal. Zhou Cangsong then took out a banknote counter and said, "You can use this to verify and count the money."
Zhou Xuan smiled faintly and said, "Sir, please reconsider. Business deals are conducted face-to-face with cash, and once the transaction is complete, there's no going back. If we do, neither of us will have a chance to back out. Think carefully before you make a decision."
Seeing the eight stacks of bright red banknotes on the table, the young man's eyes lit up. Although it was a far cry from the amount he had arrived with, everyone dreams of getting rich, but whether one can actually do so is another matter entirely. Right now, getting 80,000 yuan was a stroke of luck. When Zhou Xuan asked him a question, the young man quickly replied, "I've thought it through, I've thought it through."
"Alright, sign a sales agreement, inspect the goods, and once you've signed, our business is done," Zhou Xuan said, pointing to the sales agreement the shop assistant had brought out.
The clerk is someone who's familiar with the business. Nowadays, apart from some purely underground transactions that don't involve formal sales agreements, normal business transactions require them; otherwise, it's considered an illegal transaction. Besides, when investigated, this can prove that the source of the goods is legitimate.
The government is increasingly cracking down on the antique market, primarily targeting tomb raiding. Buyers and sellers sign agreements and leave copies of each other's ID cards, which helps prevent the theft and sale of antiques.
The young man was naturally unafraid of this. The bowl was indeed a family heirloom, and his parents had died in a car accident ten years ago. He was raised by his grandfather, but his grandfather suddenly passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage. Therefore, all the family's possessions belonged to him, and he could make his own decisions. However, the family was actually destitute and had practically nothing. His grandfather had shown this item to him when he was very young, but he rarely showed it to him after he grew up. His grandfather had regained consciousness for a few minutes after being rescued in the hospital, but he could no longer speak. He was just clutching his chest. After his grandfather died, there was a key in the inner pocket of his chest, which was the key to the iron lock on the large cabinet that the family treasured.
Zhou Xuan's transaction with the young man took place in a corner of the shop, a scene that even attracted two other customers, the wealthy woman and the old man, who were both standing and watching them.
The young man quickly filled out the sales agreement and signed his name at the bottom. Zhou Cangsong then pushed the inkpad box back up.
Without hesitation, the young man pressed his thumb into the inkpad, then pressed it firmly onto his signature on the agreement, leaving a bright red fingerprint. Only then did he ask Zhou Xuan, "Is it done?"
"Alright, alright," Zhou Xuan chuckled, then pointed to the pile of cash on the table and said, "This money is yours now." He then turned to Zhou Cangsong and said, "Dad, get one of the briefcases from the shop and give it to this gentleman to put the money in."
Zhou Cangsong responded and then went to the inner room to take out another leather briefcase. The young man didn't quite understand, but the others weren't blind. This briefcase was of good quality and worth at least several thousand yuan. Even if his own old bag was brand new, a hundred of it wouldn't be worth as much as this one.
Zhou Xuan took the bag from his father and handed it to the young man, smiling as he gestured for him to put the money in. The young man didn't bother to check the money on the counterfeit money machine; he simply put it in the bag, zipped it up, hugged it tightly to his chest, and stood up to leave.
Zhou Xuan smiled and added, "Don't be in such a hurry. Be careful. It's best to take a taxi directly home, or to the bank. Just don't take the bus."
Seeing that this young man didn't seem to be rich, Zhou Xuan couldn't help but remind him that he might get robbed or stolen on the way, which would be a bad deal. After the transaction was completed in the store, whatever happened to his money would be none of the store's business.
The young man responded with "uh-huh" and hurriedly walked out of the shop. Zhou Xuan just smiled and shook his head.
After the young man left, Zhou Xuan picked up the agreement and looked at it. The young man had signed his name as "Chen Yuanlei." He smiled, then handed it to his father and said, "Dad, put it away."
Old Wu stared at Zhou Xuan, puzzled. Then he took the bowl back and examined it carefully. After a while, he shook his head. In his opinion, the bowl was undoubtedly a worthless imitation from a cellar. Although it was a hundred years old, it had no value whatsoever.
Zhou Xuan smiled. Inside the shop, besides a few shop assistants watching him, the plump woman and the old man were also looking at him, wanting to see what Zhou Xuan would say.
Zhou Xuan smiled without saying a word, then wrapped the porcelain bowl in the yellowish-brown cloth, picked up the tattered bag and went into the inner room, saying to Old Wu as he went, "Old Wu, come in and talk."
This clearly shows that she didn't want outsiders to know. The wealthy woman and the old man couldn't watch the show anymore. They didn't know what Zhou Xuan was up to, but if she didn't want to reveal it to them, that was her own business. They immediately turned to look at the items on the shelf and continued to look at the goods.