52: Chapter 52 Let's get a discount!

The items on the entire stall cloth, to put it nicely, were a mixed bag; to put it bluntly, nine and a half out of ten were modern industrial products with a layer of antique skin—it was like a "forgery exhibition."

But amidst this jumble of fish eyes and pearls, Hu Tian's gaze finally came to a stop, as if he had discovered a new continent.

It landed on the pile of bronze mirrors in the corner on the right side of the cloth. The mirrors were stacked very casually, about a dozen of various sizes leaning against each other as if no one cared about them. Their surfaces were mottled with rust, looking like old objects, but in reality, as Hu Tian scanned them, eight or nine out of ten were fakes made to look old.

But within that pile of unremarkable bronze mirrors, there was a palm-sized round mirror wedged at the very bottom, with only half of the mirror's back exposed. The patterns on the back were faintly visible, with smooth lines in the standard Tang Dynasty Sea Animal and Grape pattern style.

Hu Tian's Treasure Hunting Radar quietly activated in his mind. In his field of vision, the position of that bronze mirror was glowing with a faint green halo. The halo was neither too thick nor too thin, yet exceptionally clear. It was the authentic product signal marked by the radar, as if waving to him and saying, "Come quickly, I've been waiting for you here for a long time."

Hu Tian's heart stirred, but his face remained expressionless. He thought to himself, "Good heavens, this boss is a real muddlehead, selling a true treasure as scrap metal. It's simply a waste of God's gifts. But it's perfect for me—this is what they call 'searching far and wide only to find it effortlessly'."

A Tang Dynasty Sea Animal and Grape Mirror was no ordinary item. Authentic pieces were rare, the craftsmanship exquisite, with complex patterns on the back, vivid sea animals, and grapevines intertwined among them. The relief was very strong, making it a top-grade Tang mirror—the Rolls-Royce of mirrors in the antique world.

If such a mirror truly hit the market, it would easily fetch hundreds of thousands or even millions. It would never be casually wedged into a pile of imitations at a street stall unless the boss had lost his mind.

Either the stall owner had misjudged it and didn't recognize it as genuine, or the mirror's origin was questionable and he didn't dare to be high-profile, intentionally mixing it with fakes to deceive people, or waiting for a discerning buyer to come along.

Hu Tian calculated in his mind, but his face showed no ripples, as if he were just a passerby watching the fun.

Seeing him staring at the pile of bronze mirrors, Zhou Waner leaned in to look as well and whispered, "Which one do you have your eye on? Is it that black-looking one?"

Hu Tian didn't reply, just shifted his body slightly and whispered, "Don't be in a hurry. Let's look first; the good show is yet to come."

He withdrew his gaze, pretending to casually scan other items on the stall. Then he squatted down, picked up a jade pendant at random, and began to examine it, putting on a show of serious selection. His focused look was as if he were authenticating the Heirloom Seal of the Realm.

The stall owner was a fat man in his fifties, wearing a faded gray cloth jacket with a greasy face. He was sitting on a folding stool, holding a thermos and drinking tea. Seeing Hu Tian squat down and start looking through things, he immediately perked up, put down his cup, and leaned over faster than a rabbit.

"Young man, you have good taste! Every item on my stall is genuine, passed down from my ancestors. Take your time. If you like anything, we can talk. I guarantee you'll 'come with high spirits and leave satisfied'."

The fat stall owner spoke with a smile, his mouth full of industry jargon as if he were a "living dictionary" of the antique world.

Hu Tian ignored him, just turning the jade pendant over and over in his hand. After looking for a while, he casually asked, "How much for this pendant? Don't make it too expensive; I don't have enough money."

"Hey, you really have a sharp eye, picking this one right away. This is Hetian white jade, old pit material from the Qing Dynasty. Look at this patina, look at this luster. Elsewhere, it would go for at least three to five thousand. Today, seeing that you're an expert, I'll give you an honest price: two thousand eight hundred, no bargaining. It's absolutely a 'suicide price'!"

Hu Tian sneered inwardly. This so-called Hetian jade was clearly Russian material or even Xiuyan jade imitation, costing at most two hundred yuan. To ask for two thousand eight hundred—he really dared to name a price. This was "slaughtering the customer like a pig."

He didn't expose him, just put the jade pendant back and picked up a blue and white porcelain bowl. He turned it over to check the mark on the bottom and asked, "What about this bowl? It looks a lot like the one I use for soup at home."

"Oh, you really have a good eye! This is blue and white porcelain from the Kangxi Imperial Kiln. Look at this color, look at this glaze. It's an obviously old piece. This would go for over ten thousand at an auction house. I'll give you a discount; take it for eight thousand. This is 'heirloom' level!"

The fat stall owner spoke with great excitement, his spit nearly flying onto Hu Tian's face, as if this bowl really had been stolen from the Forbidden City.

Hu Tian put the bowl back, glanced at a calligraphy painting without bothering to ask the price, and then shifted his gaze to the pile of bronze mirrors as if he had finally found his "true love."

He reached out and randomly pulled a mirror from the pile—it happened to be a fake. The patterns on the back were crudely carved, and the copper rust was overdone, clearly the result of an acid soak. It was simply an "eyesore."

"Boss, how much for this bronze mirror? It looks quite aged. Was it used by Qin Shi Huang?"

Hu Tian weighed the mirror in his hand and asked intentionally.

Seeing him pick up a bronze mirror, the fat stall owner's eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands and leaned in, lowering his voice. "Hey, young man, you really have an eye for this. These bronze mirrors of mine are all old pieces from the Han and Tang dynasties. Look at this rust color, look at this patina—they all came from underground. You don't see much of this on the market nowadays."

He paused, held up a finger, and said mysteriously, "The one in your hand is from the Han Dynasty, with an eight-lobed pattern. It's at least two thousand years old. Ask around; this kind of item goes for several thousand at least. Since you're young and out with your girlfriend, let's be friends. I'll give it to you cheap—one thousand yuan, and it's yours. Just consider it making a friend!"

Zhou Waner frowned as she listened, tugging at Hu Tian's sleeve and whispering, "This is too expensive! One thousand for a broken bronze mirror? It's a robbery!"

Hearing this, the fat stall owner immediately became displeased. He waved his hand and said, "Oh, young lady, those are the words of an outsider. This isn't a broken bronze mirror; it's an antique, understand? An antique! If you don't know the trade, don't talk nonsense. It breaks the rules, and you might get laughed at by 'experts'."

Hu Tian remained calm on the surface, but he already had a plan in mind.

This fat guy really took him for a greenhorn. Selling such a fake for a thousand yuan and claiming to make a friend—his skin was thick enough, a perfect example of "shamelessness."

But that was fine; this was exactly the effect he wanted. This was called "luring the tiger into the trap."

Hu Tian raised his hand and pointed casually at the pile of bronze mirrors, asking slowly, "Boss, are all the bronze mirrors on your stall this price? Or is this one an exception?"

The fat stall owner froze for a moment. His eyes subconsciously scanned the pile of bronze mirrors. He was about to speak but paused.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked over the pile of mirrors again, quickly calculating in his mind. His expression was as if he were performing a complex mathematical operation.

In this pile of bronze mirrors, the quality was uneven. He knew very well that some had crude workmanship and low costs. A price of one thousand was a bit high. If this young man really took them all at this price, then he...

He paused for a bit longer. A few people squatting at nearby stalls looking through things quietly tilted their ears, glanced over, then quickly lowered their heads to fiddle with the items in their hands, as if they didn't care about anything. In reality, they were all cursing inwardly, "This fat guy is pretending again. There's definitely something fishy!"

The fat stall owner finally nodded, slapped his thigh, and grinned. "They're all the same price. Every piece is a good item, fair prices for all. If you take more, we can total it up and I'll give you a discount!"

Hu Tian gave an "en," turned the mirror in his hand over a few more times, then put it back. He picked up another one and spoke unhurriedly, "One thousand is expensive. Five hundred, and I'll take it. This is a 'suicide price', boss!"

The smile on the fat stall owner's face suddenly crumpled. He waved his hands and cried foul, his acting good enough for an Oscar. "Oh, young man, you're cutting too deep! Cutting it straight in half. You're trying to make me live on the wind! That doesn't even cover the cost. Minimum nine hundred. Not a cent less or I'll really lose money. I'll have to eat porridge!"

"Five hundred."

Hu Tian didn't even lift his eyelids, his tone as flat as if he were buying scallions at a vegetable market.

"Eight hundred and fifty, can't go any lower. If you really like this thing, I'll grit my teeth and give it to you for eight hundred and fifty. It's really 'cutting into my flesh'!"

"Five hundred."

The fat stall owner pulled a long face, looking pained. He beat his chest as if he had suffered internal injuries, and shouted back and forth in a tug-of-war, his spit nearly flying onto Hu Tian's face.

The few people squatting nearby had basically lost interest in looking at items by now. They were just using their lowered heads to listen clearly to the commotion over here.

"Did you hear that? Cutting it in half in one go, and still thinks it's expensive."

"Yeah, cutting quite hard. But I saw that thing; it's just so-so..."

"Shh, keep it down. Don't break the rules."

A few people exchanged glances, a hint of an inexplicable smile appearing at the corners of their mouths. Their voices were very low, yet they didn't deliberately hide them, as if they were watching a wonderful monkey show.

Hu Tian pretended not to hear, just crossing his arms and waiting with a calm "if you don't sell, I'm leaving" look. Inwardly, he was laughing. "This boss's acting isn't bad, but unfortunately, he met my 'Fiery Eyes'."

The fat stall owner pushed and pulled for a few more rounds, complaining for a while, before finally slapping his thigh and extending a hand through gritted teeth. "Fine, fine! Five hundred, five hundred it is. Consider it my bad luck. It's the first deal of the day, so I'll do it for good luck. Take it! Remember to leave a good review, dear!"

Only then did Hu Tian calmly pull his phone from his pocket, scan the code, take the mirror, and tuck it under his arm. His expression was normal, without a hint of triumph, as if he had just bought a bunch of green vegetables.

A poem says:

The night scene of Qinhuai intoxicates the tourists; in the ancient street, treasure hunting brings true delight.

Fiery Eyes distinguish the real from the fake; the fish that escaped the net turns into gold.