13: Chapter 13 A Serious Charlatan

Purple clay pottery is a rather unique category in the antique trade, forming a school of its own.

Antiques of other categories share many commonalities.

Only purple clay pottery is different.

The appraisal experience used for other types of antiques is completely useless when applied to purple clay pottery.

Take the patina, for example. The patina on purple clay pottery is notoriously difficult to authenticate and is relatively easy to artificially age. Consequently, the threshold for authenticating purple clay pottery, especially vintage pieces, has always been very high. A prestigious university once purchased several vintage purple clay pieces for teaching and research purposes, only to discover after some time that almost all of them were artificially aged fakes, yet a whole group of veteran professors in the relevant field hadn't been able to tell the difference.

Han Jingyang had no research into purple clay pottery, so naturally, he couldn't make heads or tails of it.

However, the Grandmaster-level Appraisal Technique gave a prompt, so it must be a good item.

Therefore, he smiled and said, "I can't tell the specifics, but the aura of this pot is quite good; its spirit is dignified. Even if it isn't an old pot, it is still a fine piece."

When facing an artwork one doesn't understand, praising its aura, spirit, and artistic conception is never wrong.

Sun Fuchang, however, did not doubt him. He raised an eyebrow and carefully scrutinized Han Jingyang, "You know about this too?"

"Not at all, I'm just spouting nonsense."

"Your skill at spouting nonsense is quite extraordinary; even your nonsense is so accurate."

"So, are you saying it's an old pot?"

"It's not too old, Republic of China era, a piece by Yu Guoliang."

"Yu Guoliang?"

"A master pot maker who isn't very famous but possesses decent skill; it's normal that you haven't heard of him."

"Let me check."

Han Jingyang took out his phone to look up Yu Guoliang's personal information, searched for auction records of Yu Guoliang's works, and then had a clear idea in his mind.

One has to say, these days are truly convenient, especially in the antique collection sector. You can find out anything with a quick online search. If you encounter something you can't find or don't understand, you can even find people to help appraise it.

It is often said that this is the worst of times for the collection industry, but also the best of times.

That is the logic; the industry ecosystem has completely changed. The good get better, and the bad get worse.

Han Jingyang put down his phone and asked, "What's the price for this pot?"

"Are you interested?"

"Yeah."

"You don't look like someone who plays with purple clay pots. Don't tell me you're planning to pick up a bargain from me?"

"Yes."

"You are honest, at least," Sun Fuchang chuckled, "but I'm not selling."

"Not selling for any price?"

"That's not true. If you are willing to pay one hundred thousand, I would be very happy to."

One hundred thousand...

Han Jingyang hesitated inwardly.

There aren't many auction records for Yu Guoliang's works; the most expensive one only sold for twenty-eight thousand. It is completely incomparable to a master pot maker of Gu Jingzhou's level.

He certainly wouldn't be willing to spend one hundred thousand to buy a pot worth only ten or twenty thousand.

Even if this pot could be appraised by him as a Feng Shui item.

Besides, there are levels to Feng Shui items. Even if they are all the lowest level seven items, there is a difference between those with skills and those without, and even more so, the difference between having +1 or +2 attributes.

If the attribute is only +1, whether it can even be sold is debatable.

So he shook his head, "Twenty thousand at most."

Sun Fuchang laughed, "Am I the kind of person who is short of that twenty thousand?"

"No room for negotiation?"

"No negotiation below fifty thousand," Sun Fuchang's attitude was firm, "This pot has been with me for over ten years; I have an attachment to it."

"I won't take what a gentleman loves," Han Jingyang didn't insist, "I'll go look at something else."

"Mm, take your time looking. But don't blame me for not telling you clearly in advance: don't think about picking up any bargains from me. We are both in this business; no one can fool anyone."

Han Jingyang waved his hand, got up, and began to wander around the shop.

Looking while touching; regardless of the category or material, he had to touch each piece to be satisfied.

Sun Fuchang didn't mind, chatting idly with Han Jingyang while drinking tea.

People who run antique shops drink tea almost every day, either in their own shops or at the shop next door. Even when discussing business, they run to tea houses to drink. Ninety-nine percent of their free time is spent drinking tea; there are no exceptions.

In Sun Fuchang's shop, Han Jingyang discovered several more antiques that could be appraised.

However, as soon as he asked for the price, he gave up immediately.

Because Old Sun's asking prices were truly not low, often starting at tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands to millions.

He had just earned a sum, so it wasn't that he couldn't afford it, but the risk was too high.

If he spent three or five hundred thousand to appraise a level seven +1 item, the lowest grade, wouldn't he lose a fortune?

It wouldn't be too late to take that risk after he had millions or tens of millions in savings.

Right now, he had almost no ability to withstand risk. Once he lost it, trying to make a comeback would mean starting from scratch; he couldn't afford the hassle.

Therefore, he could only target cheaper goods.

Consequently, he extinguished the idea of picking up a big bargain in an antique shop and prepared to go wander around the street stalls.

Besides the two-day weekend outdoor stalls, the Yingxiong Mountain Antique Market also had indoor stalls. Each person had a small stall, sheltered from wind and rain, with surveillance and security. When closing up, one didn't even need to pack up; they could just lock the counter and leave. It was similar to a proper shop, just lacking a bit in size, functionality, and class.

Before opening his shop, he had also thought about renting such an indoor stall.

But just as he turned around, Sun Fuchang called out to him, "Little Han, didn't you like anything?"

"No, I liked them, but they were too expensive; I couldn't afford them."

"Those are all market prices; I can't make them any cheaper. After all, I'm running a business here."

"I know, that's why I didn't pester you with haggling."

Sun Fuchang pointed at the purple clay pot on the coffee table, "What about this pot? Won't you try to negotiate for it?"

Han Jingyang narrowed his eyes, pondering the old fox's words.

What did he mean?

Still room for negotiation?

However, he didn't hesitate verbally, "I can add two thousand at most, twenty-two thousand."

"Deal," Sun Fuchang nodded quickly, but added, "However, you have to do me a favor."

"What favor?"

"Ahem, I just saw someone in the group chat saying you understand Feng Shui. I just bought a villa, so could you help me take a look?" Sun Fuchang said, pointing to a stool, "Sit, sit, let's chat slowly. If you are willing, I'll give you this pot for free and give you a big red envelope."

Han Jingyang raised an eyebrow.

In the group chat?

It spread that quickly?

Though that was normal.

These days, there are simply no secrets that can be kept.

Things that happen the previous second can spread to the ends of the earth the next second.

Moreover, he never asked the parties involved—Liu Jing, Mr. Shen, Zhang Xiaohai, or even Zhou Yucheng—to keep it a secret.

It was perfectly normal for Sun Fuchang to receive the news.

Thinking this, he sat down, picked up his teacup, and took a sip, "Old Sun, if you put it that way, the nature of this changes."

"How does it change?"

"Business is business; I will also ask for an exorbitant price."

"No problem, it will definitely be worthy of your status."

"First, tell me your requirements. Don't give me vague requests like 'just take a look.' If you just take a look, there are problems everywhere. The point is to solve problems and address needs. Whether it's attracting wealth or seeking offspring, the theme must be clear."

Sun Fuchang was stunned, "You're that capable?"

Han Jingyang countered, "Otherwise? Do you think I'm a charlatan who fools people? Then you are mistaken. Even if I am a charlatan, I am a legitimate charlatan who can solve problems for real."