"Take a look if you want," Wei Haihong said with a smile as he stood up and followed him over. "But I don't think much of this thing. It would look pretty good if you bought it and used it as a large vase."
Zhou Xuan looked around and whispered, "Brother Hong, there's something fishy going on here, it's not convenient to say it now!"
Wei Haihong paused for a moment, then said, "Then let's not talk about it, let's go and take a look first."
The appraisal was still ongoing. Zhou Xuan's icy aura could now reach the entire hall. After scanning the area, he found that apart from the Ru porcelain piece that had just been discovered, there was only the large bottle. There were no other valuable items, except for a few relatively ordinary jade pieces, which were worth no more than ten thousand yuan.
When they arrived at the place where the two men were, several other people followed, clearly wanting to buy the late Qing Dynasty official kiln bottle.
Before Zhou Xuan could speak, someone asked the two people.
"Boss, are you interested in selling this bottle?"
One of the older men chuckled and said, "It's hard to say whether I'll make a move, but if the price is satisfactory, it's not out of the question."
"Well," the person who had just asked hesitated for a moment before asking again, "this business is all about negotiation. The boss himself has to tell us what price he wants to sell it for?"
This is a common tactic used by business people. Usually, it's best to act after the fact. If the other person doesn't say it out loud, how can anyone know whether their psychological value is high or low?
He thought so, but the other person didn't think so either. The owner of the porcelain vase just smiled faintly and said, "Professor Liu's appraisal just now was done on the spot, and you all saw it, right?"
Liu Yang had just mentioned that a similar porcelain vase had been auctioned for 420,000 yuan last year. Antiques, like real estate, only appreciate in value over time. Zhou Xuan and his group didn't join the others. Hearing the vase owner's reply, he knew acquiring the vase wouldn't be easy, but he was confident. He knew the Ru ware in the hidden compartment of the wooden box was the real prize; the large vase was merely a facade for competition. Knowing the details, he could bid higher than others, thus increasing his chances of success.
At this point, Zhou Xuan also guessed that the Ru porcelain might have been deliberately kept by the owner of the wooden box. Because of the preciousness of Ru porcelain, collectors dared not easily reveal it. The large bottle was deliberately used by the owner to cover it up. The large bottle was genuine, but not very precious, and not enough to attract people to rob or steal it. This indirectly protected the Ru porcelain hidden in the wooden box.
Everyone else had heard and seen Liu Yang's assessment, and this was the only valuable item at today's event, yet someone was still willing to bid on it.
"150,000, are you willing to pay?"
The first person to make an offer tentatively mentioned this price. Of course, he was just testing the waters. Liu Yang had already said that the same porcelain vase had been auctioned for 420,000 last year. At this price, most people would not make a move unless it was stolen or robbed and they urgently needed to sell it, which would be a different story.
The older of the porcelain bottle owners smiled faintly, while the younger one snorted and said, "That's funny. Even if you're stupid, you can't treat others like stupid people. I don't even want to talk to you even if it's three times the price of 150,000."
Young people are often impetuous. They say what they think without filtering it out.
The bidder immediately gave an embarrassed smile. 150,000 was indeed a low price, but he wasn't a seasoned collector, and his pockets weren't full. He only had 300,000 to 400,000 in working capital, running a small business and making a profit. If he could get this late Qing Dynasty official ware for under 400,000, he could make tens of thousands of yuan. But if he could get it for 100,000 to 200,000, the profit would be quite considerable.
However, the younger owner of the porcelain vase bluntly stated that it was impossible to acquire it for less than 400,000. If the price exceeded 400,000, there would be no profit to be made, so the person who made the offer also declined to comment further.
The others shared similar thoughts: how many truly genuine people could participate in such a grassroots activity? Regardless of whether they were buyers or sellers, very few had genuine financial backing; those with substantial wealth or valuable items wouldn't easily come to a place like this.
As the saying goes, true gold doesn't show its whiteness, and a treasure doesn't flaunt its value. If you take it out to show off, it's not really a treasure. In ancient times, that was the easiest way to get yourself killed. "A person is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime!"
Zhou Xuan could also see that these people were just trying to find a bargain, but since the expert had already appraised it, why would they let them get such a bargain? However, this was a good thing for him, at least there were no competitors capable of competing with him.
"I'll offer 500,000. Are you interested in selling it to me, boss?" Zhou Xuan suddenly asked when he saw that no one else was preparing to make an offer.
The price of 500,000 yuan shocked the owner of the porcelain vase and several potential buyers who wanted to snag a bargain.
After a moment of stunned silence, the slightly older man from Dongji said, "Five hundred thousand? This..."
Although they were somewhat excited, as the price was far beyond their initial estimates, as shrewd individuals, they knew that remaining silent for a while would be beneficial; at worst, they could agree to the price in the end.
The other young man couldn't help but exclaim with delight, "Five hundred thousand? Brother!" He then turned to look at the older man.
The man with the spoon in his mouth didn't speak, but another woman's clear voice said, "I'll offer 600,000!"
This not only stunned the two brothers who owned the porcelain vase, but also everyone else around them.
The person who offered this price is Shangguan Mingyue!
Others may not know Shangguan Mingyue's intentions, but Zhou Xuan does, and Li Wei also knows. He knew from the day she snatched Zhou Xuan's gold-wrapped water bottle at the underground auction that Shangguan Mingyue was simply trying to spite Zhou Xuan. Did she intend to spend a high price to buy the porcelain bottle and then give it to Zhou Xuan?
Li Wei thought so, but Zhou Xuan was very worried. If Shangguan Mingyue were to pull another stunt, and Fu Yingke was right next to them, the two of them were already like fighting cocks when they met, disliking each other. If Shangguan Mingyue were to cause trouble again, it would be impossible for them to clear their names even if they jumped into the Yellow River.
When Shangguan Mingyue made her bid, everyone was surprised, and Zhou Xuan also kept his mouth shut, no longer uttering a sound. The others assumed that Shangguan Mingyue also had a passion for antique collecting.
Wei Haihong wasn't particularly interested in the porcelain, but Zhou Xuan said there was something special inside, so he kept an eye on it. However, Shangguan Mingyue made the first bid, and Zhou Xuan didn't try to bargain, which made him a little suspicious.
The older man glanced at Zhou Xuan, and seeing that he remained silent and didn't raise the price further, he became excited and, without waiting any longer, said to Shangguan Mingyue, "Miss, hello, hello, it's a deal for 600,000!"
When Shangguan Mingyue saw that Zhou Xuan had bid for the porcelain vase, it was clear that he wanted it. She had just had a falling out with Fu Ying and was feeling quite upset. She was unwilling to not compete with Zhou Xuan at this time, so she added 100,000 yuan without thinking. However, Zhou Xuan did not bid any higher, which made her lose interest.
The owner of the porcelain vase told her it was a deal; having made an offer, she couldn't back out. She then struck a very charming pose, though perhaps she hadn't intended it that way. But her unintentional movement was naturally beautiful and captivating.
"Alright, do you want cash or a bank transfer? Both will require a bank visit. If you're not worried, I can write you a check!"
"We accept cash!" The two brothers certainly didn't accept checks, and since they weren't familiar with Shangguan Mingyue, going directly to the bank to receive cash was the best option.
"Wait a minute!" Zhou Xuan called out as he saw the two brothers about to leave for the bank with Shangguan Mingyue. "There's something else I want to discuss with you, is that alright?" The two brothers turned around in surprise, and the older one asked, "What else is it? We've already agreed to sell this porcelain vase to this young lady!"
If they were still thinking about this, they should have said so beforehand. That way, things would have been easier for them. Of course, they want to make more money, but now that they've already agreed, they need to keep their word. Otherwise, they might not want this beautiful woman anymore, which wouldn't be worth it, because they know this price is definitely not cheap.
“It’s not about the bottle.” Zhou Xuan waved his hand, then pointed to the red lacquered wooden box he was holding and said, “I’m talking about this box. This box is made of old redwood. You only sold the bottle, but you didn’t sell the box. I want to buy this box from you to keep as a collection. I’ll give you 50,000 yuan. Will you sell it?”
The two brothers were both stunned for a moment, and Shangguan Mingyue also frowned. Originally, she wanted to fight for anything Zhou Xuan wanted, but this wooden box was old and peeling. Even if it was old mahogany, it couldn't be used to make other things. Unlike that bottle, which was big and beautiful and would look nice in the home. After hesitating for a moment, she didn't say anything more.
Zhou Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, but he dared not show it on his face. (To find out what happens next, please log in for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)
Volume 1, Chapter 226: Even with a vast fortune
The two brothers were overjoyed. The bottle had unexpectedly sold for a good price. "I never thought even this old rosewood box could fetch 50,000 yuan! That's truly a pleasant surprise!"
Fu Ying had cash in her bag, so she didn't even need to go to the bank; she just took it out and handed it to the two brothers.
Then the two brothers carefully opened the wooden box and took out the large porcelain bottle. The younger brother even took off his clothes to wrap the bottle and then hugged it tightly to his chest. They then left the hall with Shangguan Mingyue.
Zhou Xuan smiled. Holding the wooden box in his arms, it weighed at most five kilograms, almost the same weight as the mahogany box itself. The Ru porcelain in the hidden compartment was almost weightless.