72: Chapter 72 Appraisal

April 27, 2025, Sunday, Overcast, 15 ~ 23°.

When Qiao Yichen opened his eyes, the sky outside was already bright.

The clouds were pressing low, gray and hazy.

He reached for his phone on the nightstand — 08:47.

He got out of bed quietly, closed the door, finished washing up, changed his clothes, grabbed his keys, and left the house.

He found a breakfast shop near the entrance of Liu Yanran's residential complex.

He bought pumpkin porridge, plain congee, soy milk, tea eggs, steamed buns, and fried dough sticks, then carried them back.

Returning home, Qiao Yichen knocked lightly three times on the master bedroom door.

Faint rustling sounds came from inside, followed by Lin Wei’s muffled grumbling: "...Who is it?"

"It’s half past nine," Qiao Yichen said through the door. "I bought breakfast, get up and have some?"

There was silence for a few seconds.

The door opened a crack, and Lin Wei’s hair squeezed through the gap, messy like a bird’s nest.

She squinted at him, and after a long moment, managed to choke out: "...Boss Qiao is this domestically capable?"

Qiao Yichen didn't reply, turning toward the dining table: "Wash up. Eat while it’s hot."

It was twenty minutes later when the three of them successively emerged from the master bedroom.

Lin Wei’s hair was still half-wet; she had obviously just rushed a quick wash.

Su Qing was tidier, having changed into clean clothes, her hair neatly tied up.

Liu Yanran came out last, without makeup, her hair loosely pinned up.

Porridge, soy milk, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and tea eggs were laid out on the dining table.

Lin Wei plopped down, took a sip of the pumpkin porridge, and let out a satisfied sigh: "I’m alive again."

Su Qing tore off half a fried dough stick, dipped it in soy milk, and ate slowly.

Liu Yanran sat down opposite Qiao Yichen and glanced at him.

Qiao Yichen pushed the tea egg toward her: "Eat while it’s hot."

Liu Yanran didn't speak, just picked it up and started peeling it.

After drinking a couple of mouthfuls of porridge, Lin Wei suddenly spoke up: "We talked until past three last night, I’m dead tired."

Su Qing glanced at her: "You talked the most."

"You didn't say much less either," Lin Wei retorted righteously, then looked back at Qiao Yichen, her eyes sparkling with gossip, "Boss Qiao, do you know what we were talking about?"

Qiao Yichen smiled: "I don't know. And I don't want to know."

Lin Wei scoffed and continued drinking her porridge.

Breakfast took nearly half an hour.

The sky outside was still overcast, and the warm yellow light in the living room enveloped the dining table, giving off a lazy, relaxed feeling, unlike the liveliness of the previous night.

As it neared eleven o’clock, Lin Wei was the first to stand up.

She checked her phone and sighed: "I have to go. I have a new clothing line launching this afternoon."

Su Qing also put down her chopsticks: "I’m leaving too. I still haven't started on the materials for a case."

The two went to the master bedroom to pack their things.

A few minutes later, they came out; Lin Wei had already changed her clothes.

Liu Yanran saw them to the door.

Lin Wei put on her shoes, looked back at her with a meaningful smile, and said: "Tell me the time in advance when we plan to eat during the May Day Holiday."

Liu Yanran didn't respond, just murmured, "Mm."

"We’re off now," Su Qing said.

The door closed.

The living room quieted down.

Liu Yanran stood by the entrance, listening to the sound of the elevator door opening and closing, then turned around.

Qiao Yichen was sitting on the sofa, watching her.

The two looked at each other for a second.

Liu Yanran walked over and sat down next to him.

"Tired?" Qiao Yichen asked.

"Not really," Liu Yanran leaned back against the sofa, "They talked a lot; I just listened."

Qiao Yichen chuckled.

The living room was quiet again for a few seconds.

Liu Yanran turned her head to look at him: "What time is the expert coming?"

"Two in the afternoon."

She glanced at the time — 11:20.

"Then there’s still time."

"Mm."

Neither of them moved. The television wasn't on, nor were they looking at their phones. They just sat there, chatting sporadically for a bit, then fell silent again.

13:45.

The doorbell rang.

Qiao Yichen got up to open the door.

Standing outside was a middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing a gray jacket and thin-rimmed glasses, carrying a professional black toolbox.

Behind him were two young people—a boy and a girl, looking to be in their early twenties—both carrying backpacks and equipment cases.

"Mr. Qiao?" the middle-aged man asked, his voice not loud but very steady.

"That's me," Qiao Yichen stepped aside. "Please come in."

The middle-aged man entered and introduced himself: "From the Provincial Appraisal Center. My surname is Zhou. These two are my interns."

Qiao Yichen nodded: "Teacher Zhou."

Liu Yanran had already gotten up from the sofa.

"This is my girlfriend, Liu Yanran," Qiao Yichen introduced briefly. "The item is in the second bedroom."

Teacher Zhou nodded in acknowledgment, without any pleasantries, and asked directly: "Is it convenient to look now?"

"Convenient."

The door to the second bedroom was pushed open.

The cabinet stood silently in the corner.

Teacher Zhou didn't go in immediately. He stood at the doorway, his gaze fixed on the cabinet, scanning it from top to bottom once.

Then he walked into the room, stopped in front of the cabinet, placed his hands behind his back, bent over slightly, and examined it again from top to bottom.

The two students stood behind their teacher.

"Tools," Teacher Zhou said.

The girl immediately opened the equipment case and handed him a high-intensity flashlight.

Teacher Zhou took it, turned it on, and directed the beam onto the wood grain of the cabinet door.

He tilted his head, the light slowly moving across the wooden surface, his eyes following the beam, examining it inch by inch.

"Dovetail joint," he suddenly said, his voice low, as if talking to himself. "The craftsmanship is very meticulous."

The boy beside him had already taken out a notebook and started recording.

Teacher Zhou straightened up and handed the flashlight back.

"Gloves."

The girl handed over white gloves. Teacher Zhou put them on and reached out to pull open the cabinet door.

The hinge turned with an extremely faint 'creak'—the characteristic sound of old wooden furniture, not harsh, but possessing a quiet texture.

Teacher Zhou leaned in and touched the mortise and tenon joint inside the hinge.

"Natural wear," he said. Then he pulled back and went to look at the drawer.

The drawer was pulled open, exposing the bottom panel.

He placed his palm on it, feeling the warmth of the wood surface, then turned his head and told the boy: "Take a picture of this bottom panel."

The boy raised his camera, leaned in close, and took several close-up shots.

Qiao Yichen and Liu Yanran stood at the doorway of the second bedroom, watching silently, without making a sound.

After examining the interior, Teacher Zhou circled to the side of the cabinet, squatted down, and slanted the flashlight beam toward the edge of the cabinet bottom.

"Look at this," he suddenly said to the two students.

They immediately crowded closer.

Teacher Zhou pointed to an extremely faint mark at the bottom of the cabinet: "This is a shrinkage mark only found on old items. Over a long time, the wood cracks slightly along the grain, and then seals back up. Fakes can't replicate this."

The two students nodded, taking turns leaning in to look.

Teacher Zhou stood up and took off his gloves.

"The visual inspection is mostly done," he said, looking at Qiao Yichen. "Next, we need to take a sample. For material analysis and thermoluminescence dating. The sampling location is —"

He pointed to an inconspicuous spot on the inside of the cabinet: "Here. It won't affect the appearance."

Qiao Yichen nodded: "That’s fine."

The boy opened the equipment case and took out a set of professional sampling tools.

His movements were light and quick; a few minutes later, a tiny, extremely thin wood shaving was removed and placed into a sealed bag.

The girl attached a label and recorded the serial number nearby.

Teacher Zhou took the sealed bag, held it up to the light for a moment, and then put it into his own toolbox.

"That's it," he closed the box. "I'll take the sample back. Material analysis, thermoluminescence dating, the full set —"

He paused, looking at Qiao Yichen.

"The normal process takes about a week. But with the May Day Holiday coming up, the lab will be closed, so it might be postponed until after the break."

Qiao Yichen asked: "Can it be expedited?"

Teacher Zhou thought for a moment: "If expedited, I'll arrange for someone to work overtime during the May Day Holiday. The certificate will be ready on the first working day after the break, which is May 6th."

"Then expedite it."

Teacher Zhou nodded: "We can do that. The expedited fee will be charged as per regulation."

Qiao Yichen agreed.

Teacher Zhou picked up his toolbox and stopped momentarily at the doorway of the second bedroom.

He turned back, looking at the cabinet, and then at Qiao Yichen.

"For the verbal assessment, I can give you one now."

Qiao Yichen watched him, waiting for him to continue.

Teacher Zhou's lips moved, as if he were smiling slightly.

"It’s a good piece," he said. "Keep it well."

After seeing off Teacher Zhou and the two others, the door closed.

Qiao Yichen stood by the entrance and heard Liu Yanran walking out of the second bedroom.

He turned around.

The two exchanged a look.

Liu Yanran spoke, her voice very soft: "He said, 'It’s a good piece.'"

Qiao Yichen nodded: "Mm." Then he added: "That means the item is consistent with what I suspected."

Liu Yanran looked at him without speaking.