Zhou Xuan gave a sheepish smile to the girl. Girls just like shopping, so let them be. Fu Ying wasn't exactly relieved to be with him either; as long as she was happy, that was a good thing.
Old Wu went back into the inner room shortly after leaving, his mind still focused on the luminous pearl. He chatted with Zhou Xuan for a while about the shop's situation. There hadn't been any new stock coming in yet, but they had made a few small deals, earning tens of thousands of yuan. Although the shop hadn't officially opened yet, the income was a good sign. And today, Zhou Xuan's visit had resolved Old Wu's matter—a truly joyous occasion!
I met a friend while dealing in antiques in Beijing. A couple of years ago, that friend returned to his hometown of Yangzhou and opened another antique shop. This time, I contacted him, wanting to buy a certain amount of goods to replenish my shop. The shop is about to open, but if I don't have any goods, wouldn't I become a laughing stock?
However, Old Wu didn't agree. He couldn't give up the shop for the time being. Although Zhou Xuan's father and younger siblings were there, they could manage the shop, but business would be a problem, since they knew nothing about antiques.
Now that Old Wu has agreed to be the appraiser, I can finally go to Yangzhou without worry. Oh, and I should also call Zhou Xuan along. That brother's luck is just too good; bringing him over might just bring him some good fortune!
Given Zhou Xuan's experiences, it's almost unbelievable that this could be the experience of one person with such incredible luck. I wonder if he would win a big prize if he bought a few lottery tickets.
No wonder Ding, after spending so little time with Zhou Xuan, had multiplied his wealth of over a million yuan countless times. He had bought a house, a luxury car, and now the shares in the antique shop had added another seven or eight million yuan to his net worth. According to his current estimate, the antique shop had connections, relationships, and a financial foundation. Under his management, its total assets would double in a year or two, and in two or three years, it wouldn't be surprising if he were a billionaire!
Thinking about all this, it's all because of my brother Zhou Xuan. When I first met him online in Beijing, I jokingly thought he was a down-on-his-luck guy who had come to Beijing to work. Luckily, I hadn't forgotten our brotherhood, and luckily I met him. Otherwise, I would have been completely ruined back then. If it weren't for Zhou Xuan, if it weren't for Brother Hong, that He Laosan would still be running his shop here, and I wouldn't have the ability to seek revenge on him!
Zhou Xuan looked at the shop's design and decorations with great satisfaction. He laughed and said, "Boss, you're really capable. It's only been a few days, and you've already turned the shop up like this. Hehe, let's make that luminous pearl our prized possession. First, it will attract real big customers, and second, it will increase our shop's reputation. Having a real treasure shows strength, right? If customers make a purchase, the money from the luminous pearl will be invested back into the shop to increase our operating capital!"
He paused for a moment, then asked, "You're going to sell it? Wasn't it supposed to be the store's prized possession?"
"Boss, you're being a bit old-fashioned!" Zhou Xuan said with a smile. "Treasures are all just fluff. The so-called 'treasure of the shop' is just a figure of speech. It's better to use it to attract customers and draw attention. Our goal is to run some advertisements to attract more and bigger businessmen. Isn't the main purpose of opening this shop to make money?"
Volume 1, Chapter 119: All Fakes
After chatting with Zhou Fu for a while, Wen whispered, "Little brother, I had to try my luck. Okay, Old Wu kept dragging his feet and wouldn't agree, but as soon as you brought this luminous pearl, he immediately agreed to stay. Hehe, you're really a lucky star!"
Zhou Xuan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Boss, the shop is counting on you. See how much this bead can fetch if there's a chance to sell it."
He smiled and said, "No matter how much this luminous pearl sells for, use it to invest in this shop. If you don't have enough funds, I'll figure something out."
I was incredibly excited. The value of this luminous pearl was no less than that of the gold in the stone lion. It practically doubled the size of the antique shop out of thin air. Before it even officially opened, my assets had already surged to over ten million!
This guy's luck is unbelievable; he can pick up those legendary treasures with ease!
Zhou Tao and his son Zhou Cangsong returned with the furniture company's truck, keeping a close watch on the delivery and unloading staff, afraid that something might be missing or damaged.
When Zhou Cangsong saw Zhou Xuan in the shop, he asked, "You're here? Xiaoying said you were exhausted and still sleeping. You've come out already?"
Zhou Tao exclaimed joyfully, "Brother!"
In the past few days, the father and son watched as ** made a few small business deals, which they then resold, with each deal yielding a profit of over 20,000 yuan. This joy was immense!
Even if you only do one such deal a day, you can earn 20,000. That's 600,000 a month, and 7.2 million a year!
What an astronomical figure! The father and son, including Zhou Ying, were extremely excited and spent all their time in the shop. Even the most old-fashioned Zhou Cangsong forgot about his hometown and didn't remember anything about the land or the pine trees there.
The income from this antique shop is equivalent to a year's salary for my family, and it's all very easy. Unlike back home, where I'm exhausted all year round.
Besides, although the shop is managed by [unnamed person], everyone knows that the capital came from Zhou Xuan. Moreover, the shares have been declared, and Zhou Xuan still holds absolute ownership, owning half, [unnamed person] 30%, and Zhou Tao and Zhou Ying each own 10%. Ultimately, his family is still the boss. Zhou Xuan is the true owner of this shop.
The shop belonged to his son, and Zhou Cangsong treated it with utmost care, as if it were his own business, tending to it like an orange tree in a field.
He also clearly understood his place. Although Zhou Xuan didn't manage things, he owed his current situation entirely to him. Zhou Xuan had taken care of him out of brotherly affection and given him such great benefits. Therefore, he had to work even harder to run the store well. He was just a manager, not the boss, and he had to be clear about that.
After moving the furniture into the store, it needed to be arranged properly. Zhou Xuan, wanting to avoid the hassle, said he wanted to find Zhou Ying and Fu Ying. He was trying to slip away.
He quickly said, "Little brother, there's something else. Now that you're back, let's go to Yangzhou to buy some goods. It'll just be the two of us. Old Wu and Uncle Song are here at the shop, so there's no need to worry. I feel more at ease with Old Wu around than with just the two of us!"
"When are you leaving?" Zhou Xuan thought he could handle this himself, after all, he had his own ice-based abilities. He wouldn't be fooled or misled. It would be better to bring back a few genuine items. He could ignore the shop's business, but he should still check on the merchandise himself to avoid being cheated and losing money.
Seeing Old Wu come out from the inner room, he smiled and said, "With Old Wu watching the shop, we'll leave tomorrow. Let's go and come back sooner." Old Wu, holding the luminous pearl brocade box, stood behind the accounting counter and said to him, "Go ahead, go ahead. But first, open this safe. I'll put the luminous pearl in. This is a treasure worth over fifty million, so we can't just throw it away."
Upon hearing what Old Wu said, my legs went weak and I almost tripped and fell!
"Fifty...fifty million?" He hurriedly went behind the counter to open the newly purchased mini safe, his voice trembling as he asked. If this bead was worth fifty million, then the total assets of their store would immediately reach a staggering eighty million, and his thirty percent share would be worth twenty-four million. If things continued like this, in a year or two, he would be a bona fide billionaire!
Old Wu sighed and said, "Fifty million is still a low estimate. Luminous pearls have always been treasures among treasures. They are extremely rare, and their actual value is only higher, not lower."
Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Boss Zhang, you should discuss this with Old Wu. Buy an ad in the newspaper or on TV, and use this luminous pearl as a gimmick. Then apply for insurance for the luminous pearl from the security company. Have it transported to the shop every morning and back to the insurance company in the afternoon after closing. This will create a bigger sensation. Before the official opening, the luminous pearl can be negotiated and viewed, but it won't be actually sold until the official opening day!"
Old Wu and ** both stared at Zhou Xuan after hearing this.
After a long pause, he finally said, "You little rascal, you're a natural businessman. And you deliberately dumped this whole mess on me?"
Zhou Xuan quickly waved his hands, backing towards the shop door while saying, "I was just saying, boss, you guys take your time. I'm leaving; I hate trouble and complications."
As Zhou Xuan reached the door, he turned back and said, "Boss, book your tickets and let me know the time. See you at the airport tomorrow!" With that, he strode away.
Besides the row of formal, well-established antique shops with storefronts like Zhou Xuan's, Panjiayuan also has an old market and a street market.
In fact, Panjiayuan got its name from this street market, which was very famous. Later, the Cultural Bureau rectified the market and built an antique street, but the real, official Panjiayuan is this old market. After the antique street was built, the old Panjiayuan market was not demolished. Most of the stalls are still operating. However, the scale of the antique market and the flow of people are far less than before. The vast majority of items are small fakes or worthless trinkets and accessories, mainly targeting tourists visiting Beijing.
These types of customers are usually not experts. They won't buy expensive items. But they're willing to spend tens or hundreds of yuan to buy souvenirs from their trip to Beijing. The real value of these items is only a few percent of the selling price. Although the selling price ranges from a few yuan to tens or hundreds of yuan, the cost price is extremely low. It's a highly profitable business, and many tourists buy them, resulting in high sales volume and considerable profits. Therefore, this old goods market still exists, but experts who want to buy genuine treasures and find bargains won't come here; they'll go directly to the newly built antique street.
After leaving the shop, Zhou Xuan did not walk towards the antique street, but instead went sideways into the old market.
The old market was arranged in a rather chaotic manner. Stalls were everywhere, row upon row, and they had all sorts of things.
Zhou Xuan released his icy aura and slowly walked over. Judging from the goods on the stalls, jade items were the most numerous. Porcelain was the next most common, followed by other items such as bronze and ironware, coins, and even flower arrangements.
There were also a few stalls run by people dressed like Tibetans. Their stalls were even simpler, consisting of a large red cloth spread on the ground, on which they displayed their goods.
Their goods were quite eye-catching. The tiger claws and sheep skulls were particularly astonishing. After all, people in big cities live in a civilized world, like flowers in a greenhouse; where else have they seen these real things besides on television and in movies?
However, after Zhou Xuan used the ice energy to test it, he couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing. The so-called tiger claws and deer bones were all fake, carved from plastic, aged, and then covered with fur. After testing with the ice energy, Zhou Xuan realized it was fake, but he couldn't help but admire their forgery skills. To the naked eye, it was indistinguishable from the real thing. The sharp claws, the fangs, the fur—you simply couldn't imagine it being fake!
Zhou Xuan also tested the several large glass jars of snake wine. The wine was just ordinary liquor, and the snakes were real. However, they were all discarded snakes that had been soaked and rendered ineffective. It was like picking up the dregs left after boiling and drinking medicine; they still looked like medicine, but they had no medicinal properties.
Other substances such as saffron, snow lotus, and cordyceps are all fake, containing only a tiny, minute amount of genuine products.