Chapter 115 This guy is pretty amazing

The manager entered the store, leaned back lazily on the sofa, and the greeter eagerly brought him a cup of tea: "Here to ask about Master Liu again?"

The supervisor nodded: "Otherwise what?"

If you're a tourist or a collector, who would be crazy enough to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a fake?

But you know what? It's thanks to Master Liu's products that the shop is doing so well, with several big orders every month.

Thinking it over, he took out his phone again, found his boss's number, and dialed it:

"Mr. Sun, congratulations on your grand opening... We just received three large hammers from the Daosheng Pit, which cost 350,000!"

The voice on the phone sounded a little groggy, as if he had just woken up: "What did you sell?"

"A golden crown!"

After a slight pause, the voice on the phone suddenly rose in pitch: "What crown?"

"The Ming Dynasty-style gold-threaded crown, the one with the pearl flower on the forehead..."

"Clang~"

A sharp cracking sound rang out, as if something had been knocked over. Immediately followed by a furious roar: "Fuck you, that's the real thing...aren't you going to chase it?"

The supervisor paused for a moment, then jumped up and ran outside.

But it's the city center, and it's right after work, around dinnertime. The endless stream of people—who knows where they all went?

Looking for the note again, the ground was clean; it had long been trampled and disappeared.

Another fierce shout came from the phone: "Did you catch up?!"

How could he possibly catch up? He didn't even know where to chase...

In a flash, the manager's face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. "Mr. Sun... Mr. Sun, we couldn't catch up..."

"Fuck your mother..."

...

Half an hour later, a lean man stormed into the store and slapped the manager across the face: "They left their phone number, and you lost it for me?"

The supervisor turned pale: Every month, several groups of these "guerrillas" (who specialize in swindling unqualified people) come. Isn't this how we handle it every time?

Besides, who the hell knows that it's genuine?

"Mr. Sun, you didn't explain..."

Before he could finish speaking, he received another slap: "I'll confess my ass!"

If I want to smuggle something overseas, who the hell would I be able to answer to?

But it's strange: just to be on the safe side, he deliberately made the beaded flowers look so fake.

He was afraid someone would buy it, but he was also afraid the price would be too high and too conspicuous, so he bid 350,000 without going too far.

So, out of the one or two hundred counterfeit items in the store, which one isn't more realistic than this?

Those two pieces next to him, one is an eagle-topped gold crown, and the other is a pearl-embroidered crown with dragon, phoenix, and lion patterns inlaid with gemstones. They are all made of pure gold. Why didn't he buy them?

Secretly suspicious, General Manager Sun glared at the supervisor: "Are you sure? Are they guerrillas or not?"

If so, that's easier to handle: it means these people only bought a stepping stone to build relationships, and they might still be able to get the goods back.

If not, then it's all over...

The supervisor stammered, "They look quite alike: the one asking the price is too young, like someone who specializes in buying and selling goods. The appraiser (Wang Qizhi) is in his thirties, his hands are covered in rust, like someone who's been working in a mine..."

They even specifically asked about the nun Tang and the gold and silver bronze mirror, and asked if they could get to know Master Liu. I thought they were guerrillas…”

Isn't that what an expert does?

The boss's heart sank: "What else did he say?"

The supervisor tried to recall: "It seems like...they didn't say anything else?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the shop assistant timidly raised his hand: "When I left my phone number, the older one said: He's a teacher at Xida University... Oh right, his surname is Wang!"

The boss's eyes went black: What kind of guerrilla force is this?

The professors at Xida University, who are also experts in appraisal, are either professors of authentication or archaeology.

Either way, it's perfect: it means the person recognized it as genuine and that's why they bought it.

But anything is possible if you don't try. How will you know if you don't try?

He gritted his teeth and slapped his supervisor again: "Fuck your mother..."

...

We found a restaurant nearby and booked a private room.

It was lunchtime, and there were many customers, so the dishes were served a bit slowly, but the noodles came out very quickly.

In the blink of an eye, a bowl of pulled noodles was gone from Lin Sicheng's stomach.

The box was placed on the table, and the lid was opened. Under the light of the overhead lamp, the golden crown gleamed.

Both Wang Qizhi and Ye Anning had bowls of noodles in front of them, but they didn't care.

The two stared intently at the golden crown, their eyes filled with a look of rapture.

There was only one downside: Lin Sicheng made too much noise while eating, which felt particularly out of place and even a little eerie.

Seeing that his bowl was almost empty, Wang Qizhi handed him his own. Immediately, his features contorted, his eyes, eyebrows, and nose scrunched up: "Lin Sicheng, how can you still eat?"

Lin Sicheng succinctly replied: "Hungry!"

Of course, I'm hungry too.

But to be honest, let alone pulling noodles, even if you laid out a table full of delicacies for him right now, Wang Qizhi wouldn't bother to look at it.

"The Ming Dynasty imperial son-in-law's golden crown, the Song Dynasty prince's crown with pearls... Lin Sicheng, are these two items worthy of being exhibited in the provincial museum?"

"Teacher, I know!" Lin Sicheng nodded while scrambling the noodles, "But I'm hungry!"

Wang Qizhi was stunned, unsure of what to say.

With this mindset, even riding a horse couldn't catch up.

If you don't believe me, look at Ye Anning next to you.

Wang Qizhi turned his head: "Anning, are you hungry?"

Ye Ning'an nodded obediently: "Hungry!"

"Then why aren't you eating?"

Ye Anning stared at the gold crown: "I have no appetite!"

See, this is the right attitude.

"Knock knock~" came a knock on the door. "Hello, waiter!"

Wang Qizhi closed the lid of the box and called out, "Come in."

The dishes were served one after another. Wang Qizhi gave a hundred-dollar tip and waved his hand.

Then, absentmindedly picking at his food, he asked, "Is it washed goods?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "It should be about right!"

It's roughly similar to the incense burner at the authentication center: it was smuggled through customs under the guise of a "handcrafted replica."

Imitation is not an option, because both of these pieces are ancient artworks that "reflect the ancient royal system" and "represent the pinnacle of ancient handicraft technology." If the relevant departments are serious about them, they would definitely be classified as first-class cultural relics.

Therefore, private collection is fine, and private transfers are generally tolerated, but taking them out of the country is considered illegal: smuggling state-controlled cultural relics.

However, there is one advantage: neither of these pieces are newly unearthed artifacts; at least they have been unearthed for a long time and are not too conspicuous, so the methods used are not as drastic as those used to imitate Xuande incense burners.

Basically, they're placed in the store for a few days to create the illusion of being "publicly sold," and then inadvertently sold by a "customer."

The advantage of this approach is simple: if the truth eventually comes out, the punishment will be lighter when tracing the source. Confiscating the goods and imposing a fine is not out of the question.

Because it was indeed bought as a counterfeit, and it was indeed sold as a counterfeit.

Unfortunately, Lin Sicheng snatched it away.

"That's good!" Wang Qizhi's spirits lifted. "I was just afraid he wouldn't come knocking on our door!"

Lin Sicheng thought for a moment and said, "Teacher, I guess it won't be easy to handle!"

Wang Qizhi paused.

really.

Even if these two items were smuggled out of the country, they would only amount to a few hundred million or tens of millions at most.

But if you possess a lost skill, you could earn back tens of millions in three to five years. Which is more, and which is less?

The key issue is that nine out of ten shops like this are involved in shady dealings: they sell counterfeit goods, which then pass through the hands of unlicensed vendors and become unearthed knockoffs. If the relevant authorities were to take this seriously, shutting down these shops ten times wouldn't be enough.

Therefore, as soon as the boss finds out even a little bit of information about Wang Qizhi's identity, he is scared away and dares not deal with him.

Besides, even if the shop owner is willing to tell you that you have found someone who can make replicas of these items, so what?

Do you think I'd teach you my essential skills for making a living for nothing?

Thinking about it this way, Wang Qizhi felt extremely worried.

Lin Sicheng said slowly and deliberately, "Teacher, don't be anxious. Even if the shop owner is clueless and the masters who know these two skills ignore us, it doesn't mean we can't find clues to those two lost skills!"

Wang Qizhi perked up a bit: "Go ahead!"

"Investigate the agate cup!"

Lin Sicheng explained in detail: "Anyone who has seen the agate cup must be a researcher at the Shaanxi History Museum. To be able to replicate it so closely, and even know how to add beads and weld them, how skilled must their goldsmithing be? Go to the provincial museum, a quick search will reveal who it was..."

Of course, he's probably already resigned, otherwise he wouldn't have had time to create so many exquisite replicas. And even if he found them, it wouldn't be of any use, since they're his closely guarded skills, and nobody wants to reveal them.

But as I said before: the fact that he could imitate the agate cup so closely shows that he must have studied it at the provincial museum for a long time, and it must have been done publicly.

I refuse to believe that no relevant information has been left behind. Then, based on that information, we might be able to reconstruct it…

Wang Qizhi listened carefully, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

If anyone else dared to say that, he would definitely spit in their face and say: What are you dreaming about?

But what if it's Lin Sicheng?

Consider the "iron artifact preservation" technology that the National Museum of China and Peking University have only just begun researching: Lin Sicheng solved most of it with just a few papers...

He took a deep breath: "After I finish eating, I'll go to the provincial museum!"

"No!" Lin Sicheng was startled. "Wait until tomorrow, I'll go with you. You should get some sleep tonight... or I can have a drink with you."

It's secondary that he didn't sleep a wink last night; the key issue is that Wang Qizhi was in a state of extreme mental tension the whole time, and even an iron man couldn't withstand such a strain.

I don't believe he has blood pressure.

Wang Qizhi heeded the advice and ordered a bottle of wine, while Lin Sicheng only poured a small glass of wine, about an ounce.

The two chatted and drank, and in less than half an hour, Wang Qizhi had finished most of the bottle.

Just as he was enjoying his drink, the phone rang. Wang Qizhi answered it without thinking.

"Hello Professor Wang, my name is Sun Shaojie, and I run a small shop called Sheng Tang Xuan!"

Huh, they really came knocking?

Pretty fast?

However, his tone was quite polite and humble.

Wang Qizhi and Lin Sicheng exchanged a glance, then turned on speakerphone: "Boss Sun, you speak!"

"My men are blind and don't recognize a great man... Could you please be lenient and part with that gold crown you just bought? Name your price!"

Wang Qizhi chuckled: What good things are you thinking about?

Although the gold-threaded crown is less historically valuable than the Qianlong Emperor's imperial treasure, it is no less exquisite in terms of craftsmanship.

Therefore, it's impossible to sell it, regardless of the price.

If Lin Sicheng dares to sell, he'll slap him back.

After chuckling a few times, Wang Qizhi's face hardened: "Not for sale, not for any amount of money!"

"Okay, Professor Wang, you're busy!"

His tone was so respectful that Wang Qizhi even wondered if he was bowing and scraping as he spoke.

After hanging up the phone, the teacher and student exchanged a glance.

Lin Sicheng sighed: "This guy is pretty impressive!"

Wang Qizhi nodded: "That's really impressive!"