223: Chapter 223: The Exchange Meeting Concludes

The next day, Li Xin arrived a bit later than yesterday.

Just past ten in the morning, the car drove into the underground garage. By this time, quite a few people had already gathered in the exhibition hall.

At the entrance, Chen Jingming was whispering with someone. Catching sight of Li Xin approaching, he nodded slightly, finished his conversation concisely, and then turned to walk over to greet him.

"There are a few more people here today than yesterday," Chen Jingming said, his tone flat. "Mr. He specifically left a message yesterday saying he would likely bring a few private items this afternoon and wanted you to take a look when you arrive."

"Alright."

Throughout the entire morning, the atmosphere remained relaxed and leisurely.

Li Xin strolled slowly around the exhibition hall. He still stopped and took a closer look at many of the display cases he had already seen.

The display items at the corner of the European exhibition area had been changed to new styles.

A few nineteenth-century silver pocket watches, a delicately crafted gold-plated quill pen, and a cufflink box inlaid with rubies were neatly arranged in the cabinet.

He stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling on the display cabinet for a long time.

A man suddenly walked up beside him, about the same age as Chen Jingming, wearing a dark blue shirt with a simple silver collar pin at the neckline.

The man's voice was low, sounding like he was talking to himself, but the words were directed at Li Xin.

"This cufflink box is from France, probably an item from around 1830."

Li Xin turned his head to look at the other person and replied indifferently: "Your eye is very sharp."

The man looked back, then reached out to offer a friendly gesture: "My surname is Fang, Fang Guoliang, from Hong Kong. I've been in the European silver business for many years."

Li Xin reached out and shook his hand lightly: "Li Xin."

"I have heard of your name for a long time."

Fang Guoliang withdrew his hand, his gaze falling back on the gold-plated quill pen as he continued: "Chen Jingming mentioned you to me yesterday, saying that you specialize in collecting old items from India."

"I only collect a few scattered pieces; it can't be counted as a complete collection."

"That's perfect," Fang Guoliang replied straightforwardly. "I have a few items from India that have returned. They aren't very old, dating from the late eighteenth century to the early nineteenth century, but they excel in their fine craftsmanship. If you are interested, you can take a look this afternoon."

Li Xin did not agree immediately.

He lowered his eyes to look at the quill pen in the glass cabinet. The light fell on the gold-plated nib, casting a warm, dim glow. The edges of the pen body were covered with fine wear and tear accumulated over the years, giving it a rustic texture.

After a moment, he said: "Okay, we'll talk about it this afternoon."

Fang Guoliang nodded slightly, didn't linger, and turned to walk towards the resting area.

At 1:40 PM, the collection free exchange session began on time.

A semi-transparent partition curtain was pulled up inside the exhibition hall. Behind the curtain, several long tables were joined together, covered with dark velvet cloth.

Each table was divided into independent areas, with wooden storage trays placed neatly. Staff members took the deposited items one by one, categorized them, and placed them neatly in the corresponding trays.

Li Xin's velvet storage bag was placed in the innermost position.

Three ancient gold coins and a pair of ruby earrings were quietly displayed in the tray. A card was pressed under the tray, clearly marking his number and the category of his collection.

He was not in a hurry to trade, standing on the other side of the exhibition hall, quietly watching everyone enter one after another.

A total of twelve or thirteen people arrived, each guarding their own display table. Some couldn't wait to look through others' collections, while others just stood quietly watching, never touching them.

Fang Guoliang chose a position on the side and opened a leather storage box.

On the dark velvet lining, several pieces of old silverware were neatly arranged. A vintage gold-plated silver box had floral patterns embossed on the lid by hand, with a circle of fine scroll patterns around the edges, neatly carved. Next to it was a pair of square silver cufflinks, the surface inlaid with small pieces of dark semi-precious stones, with a solid texture.

After setting up his collection, Fang Guoliang did not wait in place but walked around other exhibition tables.

Li Xin walked slowly to his table, bent down, and examined the silverware on the table carefully.

On the edge of the lid of the gold-plated silver box, a line of very fine writing was engraved, like initials or a date. Under the wear and tear of the years, the handwriting was blurred and impossible to identify.

He raised his hand, picked up the silver box, and turned it over to check the bottom. He could see a circular imprint with the outline of a simple emblem inside, with an old-fashioned style.

Fang Guoliang happened to return from the outer table, stood across from the table, and waited quietly without any sign of urging.

"Where is the origin of this set of silverware?" Li Xin asked.

"Returned from the UK," Fang Guoliang answered truthfully. "It's not an Indian item. But this silver box is an old piece from the early nineteenth century. The craftsmanship is very solid, and the relief on the surface is all hand-chiseled."

"What about the Indian collections you mentioned this morning?"

Hearing this, Fang Guoliang bent down, took a cloth bag from under the table, opened it casually, and took out two small pieces of silverware.

One was a silver armlet, one finger wide, with dense geometric patterns chiseled on the ring body. The lines were clear and complete, with almost no signs of wear. The other was a diamond-shaped silver pendant, with a dark green raw stone inlaid in the center.

Li Xin picked up the armlet to examine it.

The inner ring surface was covered with a layer of shallow oxidized dull traces, looking naturally old, but the polished surface was still flat and smooth. He turned it over to look closely, and there were no manufacturer marks or date stamps on the ring body.

Putting down the armlet, he picked up the pendant.

The light penetrated the dark green raw stone, revealing a faint luster. The color of the stone was not pure, and there were fine natural patterns inside, looking like chalcedony material.

"What year is this armlet roughly from?"

"It's impossible to determine accurately," Fang Guoliang admitted.

"I have asked two experts to look at it before. One said it was from the Middle Stage of the eighteenth century, and the other judged it to be from the Early Stage of the nineteenth century. Most old items from South India do not have clear dating marks, so we can only rely on the style of the patterns to roughly infer the age."

Li Xin gently put the pendant back on the velvet table: "How do you intend to exchange these two pieces?"

"Barter is preferred," Fang Guoliang stated clearly. "Cash transactions can also be discussed, but I would rather exchange for some old items that catch my eye. Your gold coins are of top quality, and I have been keeping an eye on them for the past two days."

"I will keep one of the three gold coins for myself, and the remaining two can be exchanged."

Fang Guoliang thought for a moment and gave a plan: "The armlet alone can be exchanged for your two gold coins. If you want the pendant, I can add some cash to make up the difference."

Li Xin did not agree immediately, lowered his head again to look at the silver armlet with exquisite patterns, and raised his eyes after two seconds of silence.

"Does the raw stone of the pendant have any cracks?"

"You can look closely." Fang Guoliang gently pushed the pendant to him.

Li Xin picked up the pendant and looked closely at the light. There was indeed a fine line on the raw stone, which stopped halfway from the edge to the middle of the stone body. It was not a crack, but a naturally formed stone pattern.

"The armlet for two gold coins," he finalized most of the transaction. "I want the pendant, but I won't add cash. Take a look at my remaining collection to see if there is anything you like, and use it to offset the price difference directly."

Fang Guoliang looked up at Li Xin's tray, his eyes falling on the ruby earrings next to the gold coins.

"Are you selling these earrings?"

"Yes."

"Then it's settled." Fang Guoliang quickly finalized the plan. "I will add fifty grams of pure silver material. Using the pendant plus the silver material, I will exchange for your two gold coins and a pair of earrings. If there is a price difference, I will add cash to fill it."

"No problem."

Fang Guoliang took a flat leather wallet from his pocket, took out several banknotes, counted them, and pushed them neatly to the table.

Li Xin didn't count them, picked them up directly, and put them into his suit inner pocket.

Then the two counted and took back their collections. Fang Guoliang picked up the two gold coins, rubbed his fingertips over the coin surface, examined them carefully for a moment, and with satisfaction in his eyes, he put them away securely.

"The quality of the items is impeccable."

"Likewise."

Fang Guoliang smiled faintly and said no more.

The whole exchange activity lasted until nearly five o'clock in the evening.

In the remaining time, Li Xin completed another simple exchange.

He took out an old silver medal with decent quality and a rare subject matter, and exchanged it for a Victorian silver pearl brooch.

The pearls on the brooch were slightly yellowed, with natural old marks. The overall craftsmanship was very neat, and the details could withstand close inspection.

The exchange meeting was nearing its end.

Some simple tea breaks were set up in the rest area.

Hot and cold tea drinks were prepared, and several plates of macarons were arranged neatly. A bottle of vintage champagne, opened, was soaking in an ice bucket, standing aside.

The people in the venue gradually dispersed, and not many were left.

The remaining people sat in twos and threes, chatting casually, and the scene was quiet and peaceful.

Li Xin held a cup of hot tea, did not sit down, and stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

Chen Jingming walked over with a glass of champagne, the wine in the glass untouched, and stood quietly by his side.

"The harvest should be good today?"

"It's okay, I collected a few small things that I like."

"I have seen that Indian armlet of Fang Guoliang's. The pattern craftsmanship is extremely fine. You didn't lose out on this."

Li Xin didn't answer, lowered his head, and took a sip of tea. The tea had already cooled down, and it had a faint astringent taste in his mouth.

The two stood side by side for a few seconds, and Chen Jingming broke the silence first.

"Are you coming to the private yacht party in Binhai the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes, you told me about it before."

"That's good." Chen Jingming's tone was relaxed. "There won't be many people there, just a dozen or so, all familiar faces in the circle. The atmosphere is more casual than the exchange meeting, purely for chatting and exchanging, no need to be restrained."

"What time exactly?"

"Boarding at 2:00 PM. The yacht will cruise near the coast and return to the shore in the evening. If you don't want to rush on the night road, there are rest cabins on the boat where you can stay temporarily."

Li Xin thought for a moment and replied: "2:00 PM is no problem."

Chen Jingming finished the champagne in his glass and placed the empty glass on the dining table aside.

"I'll go first, see you the day after tomorrow."

"See you the day after tomorrow."

Chen Jingming turned and left.

Li Xin drank the cold tea in the cup, placed the cup gently on the windowsill, turned, and walked towards the exit of the exhibition hall.

Passing by the service desk, the staff returned all the items he had deposited.

He took the heavy velvet bag, which felt significantly heavier than in the morning, and casually put it into his suit inner pocket.

Sitting in the car, he didn't start the engine immediately.

Sitting quietly in the driver's seat, he took out the collections from the bag one by one to count them. The silver armlet, the raw stone pendant, and the pearl brooch were neatly arranged, along with the cash Fang Guoliang added. After counting carefully, the amount was correct, and he put everything into the car glove box.

After confirming, he started the car and slowly drove out of the underground garage.

The sky was already dark, heavy clouds covered the horizon, and the whole sky was covered with a gray mist.

The traffic on the coastal highway on the way back was denser than usual, and there was slight congestion on several sections, with the car moving and stopping.

During the interval of waiting for the red light, Li Xin turned his head to look at the sea. The fog was heavy, the sea was gray, and the field of vision was empty, and he couldn't see anything.

Returning to the private manor, he took all the items exchanged today to the second floor and placed them on the table next to the display cabinet.

The armlet and the raw stone pendant were placed together, and the pearl silver brooch was placed separately on the side.

He leaned over and examined it quietly for a moment, looking at the dense and regular geometric patterns on the armlet. After confirming that everything was correct, he stood up to wash his hands and rest.

At dinner time, Chen Hu returned from outside.

He had been standing at the entrance of the restaurant waiting until Li Xin finished his meal before coming forward to report his work.

"The security plan for the yacht party the day after tomorrow generally follows the standards of the last exchange meeting. I have fine-tuned several key deployment points. Mr. Chen confirmed that the yacht will only cruise near the coast and will not be far from the pier. Two people will remain on the shore for mobile standby, and two people will be arranged for close protection on the boat."

"Okay."

"In addition, Mr. Fang Guoliang sent someone to bring a bottle of red wine this afternoon, saying it was specifically left for you. It is now on the storage cabinet in the living room."

Li Xin finished the last bite of the meal, got up, and walked to the living room.

On the storage cabinet, there was a bottle of red wine without packaging, with a handwritten French label on the bottle, the handwriting was sloppy and casual.

He identified it carefully, seeing the production area and vintage on the label. It was not a top-notch old wine, but it had quite a few years.

He turned the wine bottle gently, read the content of the label word by word, and then put it back on the cabinet as it was, without unpacking it.