78: Antique Hunting (Part 3)
“Boss, where are we going next?”
Hearing this, Li Youqian fell into deep thought. Although he had lived in Magic City for many years, there were many places he had never been to.
He used to be busy making money and surviving every day, so he never had time to properly explore.
“Let’s go to the Dongtailu Antique Market.”
“Understood, Boss.”
Dongtailu Antique Market is a famous antique trading market in Magic City.
Li Youqian came here for two reasons: first, he was interested in antiques, and second, he wanted to see if Nuo Yi and her team could appraise them.
“Nuo Yi, can you appraise treasures?”
Appraise treasures?
Nuo Yi was stunned for a moment, but quickly replied:
“Boss, do you mean appraising antiques?”
“Yes.”
“I should be able to. I know all the relevant knowledge, and I can even scan and determine the age and elemental composition of items.”
Holy cow, this is like direct cheating!
Extensive theoretical knowledge + fiery golden eyes = picking up huge bargains!
“Later, you two help me take a look. If there’s anything suitable, buy it.”
“Understood, Boss.”
As for Li Youqian’s instructions, Nuo Yi naturally obeyed completely.
Forget appraising treasures, even if it was snatching them, as long as Li Youqian said the word, that treasure would appear in Li Youqian’s home.
The convoy drove for thirty minutes before arriving at Dongtailu.
“Boss, we’ve arrived.”
“Everything is safe around us.”
Nuo Yi got out of the car first to open the door for Li Youqian and hold an umbrella. These were all things she had recorded while exploring Blue Star’s data.
“Let’s go, let’s go in and take a look.”
“Understood, Boss.”
At this time, the antique market was already crowded, but no one dared to approach Li Youqian and her team within a meter.
So, they didn't encounter any pickpockets or anything like that.
The antique market has both stalls and shops. If you want to find a bargain, you can only go to the roadside stalls.
After all, those who can open antique shops have good discerning eyes, not to mention they also have professional equipment, so they generally won’t give you a chance to find a bargain.
But stalls are different. Although the stall owners also have some discerning eyes, they are not professional enough, so there is a possibility of finding a big bargain.
Along the way, Li Youqian kept stopping and going. Whenever he saw many strange little trinkets, he would squat down and ask for the price.
Every time the boss was overjoyed, thinking he had found a big spender, Nuo Yi would gently pull Li Youqian.
Meaning that this item was fake and worthless.
However, when passing a small stall selling porcelain, Nuo Yi proactively stopped.
“Boss, let’s look at this one.”
Li Youqian originally wasn’t interested. Although porcelain items were beautiful, they were fragile.
Since Nuo Yi proactively stopped, there must be good stuff at this stall.
The stall owner was a middle-aged man. He had already noticed Li Youqian and his entourage; after all, such a grand display was rare.
So he naturally also knew that this person, who looked like a female bodyguard, must be a connoisseur.
“Oh, is this gentleman here to appraise? ”
“All our items are genuine. Don’t worry, you won’t lose out or be cheated.”
Looking at the dazzling array of bottles and jars in front of him, Li Youqian didn’t know which one to choose, so he simply handed it over to Nuo Yi.
“Nuo Yi, pick whichever one you like. Just choose, I’ll pay.”
Listening to Li Youqian’s “nouveau riche” tone, the boss was secretly delighted.
But he still said:
“Young lady, you must look carefully. I don’t do dishonest business here.”
Not dishonest?
I’d believe a ghost, you old scoundrel, you’re very bad.
“Boss, how much is this yongzheng blue glaze vase?”
Nuo Yi picked up a yongzheng blue glaze vase dotted with blue spots and asked the boss.
This yongzheng blue glaze vase was indeed beautiful, but Li Youqian thought it looked fake.
After all, the color was too new, and the body of the yongzheng blue glaze vase was too clean.
“Oh, this young lady is an expert!”
“This is the treasure of my stall!”
“The origin of this yongzheng blue glaze vase is very particular. This is from the Tang Dynasty Jingdezhen…”
Listening to the boss’s serious nonsense, Li Youqian almost burst out laughing.
Brother, your acting is really bad.
If it were genuine, who would speak so loudly? And with so much unnecessary talk.
Even he, who didn't understand the trade, knew it was fake.
“Okay, this is it. Boss, how much is it?”
Ah??
No, it’s such an obvious fake, can’t you tell?
However, out of trust in Nuo Yi, Li Youqian still decided to continue watching.
“I won’t ask for much, a fixed price, 500,000!”
The stall owner looked like he was reluctantly parting with something precious, as if he had suffered a huge loss.
“Pfft.”
Li Youqian couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
“What is this boss laughing at? Did I say something wrong?”
The stall owner asked with a puzzled expression.
“Brother, you said this is imperial porcelain from Tang Dynasty Jingdezhen?”
“Yes, if it’s fake, I’ll pay ten times the price!”
The stall owner obviously already regarded Li Youqian as a big spender, so he readily agreed.
“Imperial porcelain, and from the Tang Dynasty, you’re asking 500,000?”
“Even if it’s for charity, you can’t do it like this.”
Oops, I was so happy just now that I forgot to ask for more.
“Ahem, as the saying goes, treasures are given to those who are fated.”
“I am fated with this young lady, which is why I offered such a low price, just to make a friend.”
Heh, should I believe you or the readers who have a new bride every night?
“This item of yours is clearly fake at first glance, it looks brand new, yet you’re giving me an outrageous price.”
(Outrageous price: asking an exorbitant price.)
“Boss, that’s not very honest.”
“Forget 500,000, I’ll take it for 50.”
Nuo Yi didn’t want to pretend anymore and directly exposed him.
“50? No! No!”
“I can’t even buy it back for 50.”
The stall owner quickly waved his hand. Since he had met an expert, there was no need for him to pretend anymore.
“How about this, one block, and I’ll take them all.”
(One block: could be one hundred, or one million.)
(Take them all: buy everything as a package.)
“One block? Ten thousand?”
“Yes.”
The boss also fell into deep thought. To be honest, he hadn’t fully appraised this batch of goods, but he definitely wouldn't lose money with ten thousand yuan.
“Okay! Deal.”
Li Youqian quickly transferred ten thousand yuan to the boss, and then Nuo Yi and her team left, carrying the bottles and jars.
“How many are valuable?”
As soon as they got into the car, Li Youqian eagerly asked.
“Reporting to Boss, there are only two genuine items in total.”
“One is the one I looked at initially, called the yongzheng blue glaze vase, which once sold for 18 million at an auction abroad.”
“This one’s value is ordinary, not that great. The truly valuable one is the other.”
Good heavens, 18 million is only considered ordinary?
“The most valuable one is that Qing Qianlong famille rose openwork auspicious and abundant revolving yongzheng blue glaze vase.”
“It is said that there are only seven of these items in existence. Six are in the Forbidden City, and one was auctioned abroad a few years ago.”
“But this one, I don’t know where it came from.”
“It’s possible that when it was fired, a craftsman secretly kept one.”
Good heavens, is this the legendary “I have what the Forbidden City has”?
“So how much is this thing worth?”
“At least 600 million.”