He could feel it even better when he laid his hands on the items.
“Right. These antiques have been around since ancient times. They would have accumulated some qi over the centuries and millennia. The oldest ones would have the most intense qi.”
Tang Hao understood after he thought about it.
Elder Ma picked up the porcelain bowl in front of him. He inspected it carefully for a while, then placed it on the table. “I offer one hundred and fifty thousand yuan for this bowl!”
The other people crowded around after hearing Elder Ma offer a price. They took turns to look at the bowl and a few others offered competing bids.
“I offer one hundred and sixty thousand!”
“One hundred and seventy thousand!”
“Two hundred thousand!” Bucktooth Zhou yelled as he squeezed through the crowd.
Elder Ma’s expression changed. He glared at Bucktooth Zhou coldly. “It’s yours!”
“Thank you for your generosity, Elder Ma!” Bucktooth Zhou laughed as he picked up the bowl. “An item from the royal kilns of the late Qing dynasty. The quality isn’t that good but it should fetch a pretty decent price.”
After Bucktooth Zhou made his offer, no one else topped with a higher bid. The porcelain bowl was finally his.
Chapter 23
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Tang Hao was puzzled. “What happened?”
Ma Wenyuan explained. “That item is indeed not bad, but at two hundred thousand yuan the margin is too tight. There’s no need to fight over that.”
Tang Hao nodded in understanding.
Bucktooth Zhou was laughing as if he had won a battle. He looked arrogantly at Elder Ma then turned and left. He stopped somewhere nearby. On the table in front of him were twelve jade figurines.
There was a jade rabbit, jade tiger, jade horse, and other animals of the Chinese zodiac carved out of jade. The figurines were intricate and the animals were lifelike. Some of the items still had some dirt on them. They were probably newly unearthed.
Bucktooth Zhou went cross-eyed when he saw those figurines.
He inspected the figurines carefully, then yelled, “I offer the eight hundred thousand yuan for the entire set.”
All the other people crowded around him to see what he found.
“That’s good stuff! It’s an entire set of Song jade. This must be worth a fortune!”
Elder Ma was among those who crowded around. He was also tempted by the set of jade figurines and joined in the bidding war.
The price soon broke past one million.
Tang Hao was left speechless. His entire savings totaled seven hundred thousand. He could not even afford to bid on this set of jade figurines.
“I’m still too poor!” Tang Hao lamented.
He and Ma Wenyuan squeezed through the crowd to look closely at the carvings.
Tang Hao soon noticed something was strange. Everyone said that the figurines were made of Song jade, that was, jade from the Song dynasty. However, he could only feel a weak qi current on the figurines. In fact, it was even weaker than the porcelain bowl earlier.
“That’s strange. Are these counterfeit?” Tang Hao contemplated.
The price of the figurines kept rising. It had already reached one million and three hundred thousand.
“I offer one million, three hundred and ten thousand!” Elder Ma shouted.
“I offer one million, three hundred and twenty thousand!” Bucktooth Zhou kept his pursuit.
Elder Ma hesitated. Gritting his teeth, he shouted again. “One million, three hundred and thirty thousand!”
“One million, three hundred and forty thousand!” Bucktooth Zhou also hesitated before he yelled out his offer.
Tang Hao saw that Elder Ma was about to offer another bid. He stepped forward and discreetly told him, “Elder, I think there’s something strange about this item.”
Ma Jiuye was shocked. He turned around and looked at Tang Hao with bewilderment.
‘Didn’t Little Brother Tang say he had no experience in antique appraisal? Also, how can there be something weird with this set of jade figurines? It is made of Song jade, that’s for sure. None of the other people here found anything strange about the figurines after inspecting them.’
Bucktooth Zhou laughed mockingly. “Go sit in a corner! How can a blind greenhorn like you see something strange? It’s not your turn to speak! Maybe go study for another twenty or thirty years before coming back here.”
The other antique store owners also laughed. They did not find Tang Hao worthy of attention.
‘He’s just an outsider. Just ignore him!’
Elder Ma was different. He knew that Tang Hao was not someone normal, and he might see something that the rest did not.
He began to hesitate. He offered a few more bids and stopped bidding at one million, three hundred and ninety thousand.
The set of jade figurines was finally won by Bucktooth Zhou at one million and four hundred thousand.
“You’re not in your element, Elder Ma! I’m picking up all the goodies. Don’t tell me that you believe what this kid says? Haha! It looks like you’re becoming senile, Elder!
“I can easily flip this set of jade figurines for two million and more. It’s an easy seven or eight hundred thousand profit for me.”
Elder Ma grunted and led Tang Hao outside.
“What did you see earlier, Little Brother Tang?”
“I think that set of jade figurines is counterfeit. I’ve never appraised antiques before, but I have at least an eye for this stuff.”
Elder Ma was speechless.
Any other person would have laughed out loud when they heard this. If you had not appraised antiques before, how would you have an eye for it?
“Oh well!” he shook his head.
Eventually, more and more items were sold to their highest bidders.
Some of the items were hotly contested, and others barely garnered any attention.
Tang Hao went around the hall one more time. He suddenly felt something, and his eyes fell on a terracotta statue in a standing position placed at the corner of the hall.
Tang Hao picked up the statue and carefully inspected it. His face lit up with delight.
The qi in this statue was the most intense among all the items he had seen here. This meant that this was the most ancient item. Typically, the more ancient the item, the more valuable it would be.
He was extremely excited. He knew that he had struck the jackpot.
“I offer ten thousand for this thing!” He shouted at the man in black standing next to him.
The antique shop owners heard that there was a bid being placed and so crowded over to take a look. All of them shook their heads. No one placed a competing bid.
Bucktooth Zhou also came over. He laughed, “That’s a blind greenhorn. He even dares to buy such an obvious imitation!”
Elder Ma saw the item in his hand and told him in a low voice, “Little Brother Tang. I’m not too keen on this item. It’s most likely an imitation.”
“No problem!” Tang Hao replied with a smile.
With no one placing another bid, Tang Hao obtained the statue at ten thousand yuan.
Meanwhile, a few other antique store owners were crowding around a wooden Buddha statue. The price started at five thousand yuan and soon reached fifteen thousand.
Tang Hao went over to look, and soon a puzzled expression grew on his face.
He listened to the store owners’ discussions. The Buddha statue was from the late Qing period, about the same as the porcelain bowl. The material was cheap and the handiwork was mediocre, so it was not worth a lot.
Tang Hao inspected the item for a while but noticed that there was something strange about its qi.
At first glance, the qi surrounding the item was thin. Once he touched it, he could feel a strong current of qi hidden within the statue.
“There’s something amazing inside!”
Tang Hao became excited and joined in the bidding.
The price gradually rose. Most people dropped out of the bidding war at twenty-five thousand. Finally, Tang Hao won the auction of the wooden Buddha statue at thirty thousand.
Bucktooth Zhou cast him a sideways glance and laughed. “Elder Ma, your disciple is loaded! He spent ten thousand earlier to buy an imitation figure, and now he’s spent another thirty thousand to buy a worthless wooden statue. He’s bringing shame to the East River Workshop!”
Elder Ma said coldly. “Boss Zhou, I’ve told you. This young man here is not in the antiques business.”
“He might not be in the business, but he’s still your guest! Isn’t that shameful?” Bucktooth Zhou mocked.
The other antique store owners said nothing. All of the people on the antique street knew that they were rivals.
Some of the people were laughing in their hearts. From their insiders’ point of view, the boy’s actions were typical of an outsider.
The terracotta statue was not worth mentioning. As for the wooden statue, it was definitely not worth thirty thousand. The price had been artificially jacked by ten or twenty thousand.
Everyone worth his salt could see that face. Only the kid did not.
The kid’s expression looked as though he had found a great bargain.
‘Poor fella!’ Most of the store owners were thinking like this.
Tang Hao suddenly opened his mouth. He lifted the terracotta statue in his hand and said loudly. “Who said that this is an imitation? This is a genuine antique. It’s at least from the Song, no, maybe even from the Tang dynasty.”
Everyone became quiet when they heard this.
After the store owners recovered from their shock, their laughter shook the entire hall.
Chapter 24
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Haha! This kid is a riot! Do you think you can snatch a bargain that we missed? And you said it’s from the Song dynasty or Tang dynasty too! In your dreams!”
“Right, he’s just a blind greenhorn who doesn’t know anything. How dare he say that!”
All the antique store owners were mocking him.
Bucktooth Zhou laughed. “Oh, Elder! Your disciple is so boastful! And he thinks that it’s from before the Tang dynasty too! It’s obviously a worthless imitation.”
Elder Ma furrowed his brows. He looked at Tang Hao suspiciously but did not say anything.
“Why, don’t you believe me?” Tang Hao said.
“Of course not. I’d believe in ghosts before I believe in you!” Bucktooth Zhou said mockingly.
“If you don’t believe me, very well. How about we place a bet on this?”
“A bet? Bucktooth Zhou was piqued. “What are we betting for?”
“Money, of course! Do you dare?”
“Of course!” Bucktooth Zhou was immediately enthusiastic when he heard that money was involved. In his heart, he was already laughing all the way to the bank.
‘This hot-headed kid is so stupid it’s adorable. If he’s offering me money, why not I just take it?’
“How much are we betting on?”
“One million!” Tang Hao stuck a finger out. There was no hesitation in his reply.
“Whoa!” Everyone exclaimed in surprise when they heard Tang Hao.
“One million yuan? Oh my god, this kid is crazy!” All the antique store owners could not believe their ears.
Even Bucktooth Zhou was shocked. He thought he would bet several ten thousands or even some hundred thousands. He did not expect the kid to ask for a bet of one million right away.
That was not a small figure!
He hesitated for a while, but he immediately became ecstatic. He replied. “Alright, one million yuan it is! But do you have that much money?”
“You don’t have to worry about that!” Tang Hao replied.
Bucktooth Zhou looked at Elder Ma and nodded. “If Elder Ma brought you here, that means you must be loaded. It’s a deal then! All you kind sirs here, you can be our witnesses!”
He turned around and cupped his hands to the other store owners.
“Little Brother Tang! What are you…” Elder Ma looked anxious.
“Don’t worry, Elder Ma. I know what I’m doing.” Tang Hao allayed his fears.
“You… sigh!” Elder Ma saw that Tang Hao’s face was resolute. He sighed and did not speak anymore.
“Old Master Zheng is the authority of all matters terracotta. How about we get Old Master Zheng to appraise this item for us? He will be the final word on the authenticity of this terracottas statue. What say you, Elder Ma?”
“Alright! With Old Master Zheng as the judge, there should not be a problem.”
Bucktooth Zhou sent someone away. Very soon, that person returned with an old man who looked to be about seventy. His hair was white, but he was in good spirits.
“Old Master!” The store owners greeted him politely.
“Boss Zhou, I heard that you accepted a kid’s bet? And he’s an outsider too! That’s not very nice of you!” Old Master Zheng said.
“I didn’t start this fight, Old Master. This boy insists on challenging me,” Bucktooth Zhou said.
“Well, that’s none of my business. Where’s the terracotta statue? I’d like to take a good look at it!”
“Here it is!” Tang Hao replied. He walked a few steps forward and handed the terracotta statue to him.
Old Master Zheng took the statue and walked under the light. He inspected the item carefully.
“Old Master, this is nothing but an imitation. This kid is an outsider and knows nothing about antiques, but he insists that this is genuine!” Bucktooth Zhou was trying hard not to laugh as he said that. He occasionally stole glances at Tang Hao and Elder Ma.
Tang Hao remained calm.
As for Elder Ma, he looked anxious.
Old Master Zheng carefully held the statue in his hands and focused his full attention on it. He rotated the statue in his hand and scrutinized every square millimeter of its surface. His face became more and more serious as he looked.
Ten minutes later, he placed the figurine on the table.
“So what is the verdict, Old Master? It’s a fake, right?” Bucktooth Zhou laughed.
Old Master Zheng turned around. He looked excited. He looked at Tang Hao then at Bucktooth Zhou. “Who says this is fake? Boss Zhou, I’m afraid that you’ve let a good deal slip from your hands.”
The smile froze on Bucktooth Zhou’s face. He was paralyzed on the spot.
Soon, his face turned pale as a sheet.
Old Master Zheng’s words were like a thunderclap on a sunny day. He was utterly dumbfounded by the verdict.
“Really? This… how is this possible? Old Master, might you be mistaken?”
“Hmph! Will I be mistaken? Boss Zhou, let me tell you, this terracotta statue is genuine. It’s from the Warring States period and can easily fetch five or six million in an auction.” Old Master Zheng flicked his sleeves and said angrily. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask someone else to appraise it. You will get the same conclusion.”
“War… Warring States?” Bucktooth Zhou screamed. His body teetered and he felt a little faint. He almost collapsed.
Just like that, he lost one million yuan. He was even more regretful that he had missed the chance to acquire such a fine treasure.
The other antique store owners also stood there dumbfounded, and only came back to their senses after a long while.
“Oh my god, it’s genuine, and it’s even from the Warring States period!”
“Sigh, why was I so blind?”
The store owners complained regretfully.
Even Elder Ma could not believe it.
“Sigh! I didn’t expect it to slip my eye too!” he lamented.
“Thank you, Old Master Zheng!” Tang Hao cupped his fists at Old Master Zheng.
Even Tang Hao was surprised. He had only guessed that it was from eithe
r the Tang or Song dynasties. The fact that it was from the Warring States period was a delightful surprise to him.
“Congratulations, little brother!” Old Master Zheng was smiling.
“Hey, little brother, sell it to me! I offer five million!”
“I offer five million and a hundred thousand!”
The store owners crowded around him and made their offers. The price soon shot past six million.
Tang Hao felt like he was dreaming. In the blink of an eye, the ten thousand yuan he had spent on the statue had become more than six million yuan. He had never dreamed of this amount of money. He did not know how many bottles of potions he had to sell to earn this much.
“Elder Ma, it’s yours at six million!” Tang Hao handed the terracotta statue to Elder Ma.
“Oh, no, how can that be? It’s worth a lot more.”
“It’s fine. Six million it is! If you hadn’t brought me here, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity.”
“Well.…alright then! Thank you, Little Brother Tang!” Elder Ma was ecstatic. He carefully took the statue from Tang Hao’s hands, looked at it for a while, then passed it to Ma Wenyuan.
“I didn’t expect you to have such talents. You even said that you had no prior knowledge of antique appraisal too! You picked up a hidden gem that no one else saw on your first try, I’m ashamed of myself,” Elder Ma admitted humbly.
“You’re too kind, Elder Ma!” Tang Hao smiled modestly.
“Pft! What are you so arrogant about? It’s just a lucky fluke. I don’t see any talent!” Bucktooth Zhou was still sore over the loss.
His gaze turned to look at the wooden Buddha statue in Tang Hao’s hands.
“If he’s really talented, then he won’t spend thirty thousand on this broken Buddha statue.”
Tang Hao smiled when he heard that. “Who says that this is a broken statue? Thirty thousand is absolutely worth the price!”
“Nonsense! How can this stupid Buddha statue be worth thirty thousand? It’s ten thousand at most.” Bucktooth Zhou smirked.
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