Liu Yihang immediately made a "two" gesture.

"Two thousand? That's too little! This is genuine chicken-blood stone," the vendor exclaimed excitedly.

Liu Yihang looked at him with a half-smile: "Two hundred!"

The vendor's exaggerated expression: "Two hundred? Are you kidding me?"

Liu Yihang thought to himself, "These fakes of yours aren't even worth twenty yuan. Offering two hundred is already being generous, leaving you some leeway."

Although he didn't know how the real stone was mixed in, he still paid the price for the fake one; otherwise, how could it be called finding a bargain?

The vendor himself knew very well that these things were worthless fakes, and he would sell them for whatever price he could get.

"One thousand, that's the lowest I can go! Look at this huge rock of mine," the vendor said, relenting.

Seeing him pitifully hawking his wares in the cold wind, Liu Yihang felt a pang of pity.

Taking someone else's treasure without paying a high price is really not very fair.

"Five hundred it is, that's settled." Liu Yihang took out five hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to him.

The vendor immediately took the money happily and took out a nylon bag to put the bloodstone in.

Goodbye, and best of luck.

Liu Yihang was about to leave with his things when he turned around and saw the young man who had bought the jade bowl earlier.

"Uncle, thank you so much." The tall man was also very excited to see him and quickly thanked him.

It would be even better if you didn't call me "uncle".

Liu Yihang was wearing a mask, a dog-skin hat, and a military overcoat, which is typical for middle-aged people, so he was mistaken for an uncle.

He didn't explain, just nodded in agreement.

"Uncle, you're an expert! Could you share some of your secrets with us?" the short man said.

"Young man, there are no shortcuts in the antique business. You'd better pay your dues first."

"But I suggest you two don't spend several thousand at once. You might get scammed and lose everything." Liu Yihang said, deliberately lowering his voice.

These two are definitely easy targets.

"We understand." The tall man smiled awkwardly, then said, "Our school has a practical assignment, and we need to choose an antique. Could you help us take a look? If you're willing to help for free, I'll treat you to dinner."

Their attitude was quite good, but they were rather silly.

I can clearly tell it's genuine, so why should he get the better deal? Can't I just buy it and make the money myself? Who needs the money for a meal?

If he said this to anyone else, they would laugh their heads off; it's only because he's talking to Liu Yihang that he's being laughed at.

He glanced at the sky; it was still early. He said casually, "Alright, what do you want to choose?"

"Whatever it is, as long as it's real!" the short man quickly said.

"Then you guys are cheating!"

"Not really. I saw a lot of classmates brought along people from their families who know about these things, so they could help out." The tall guy had just walked around and noticed that many of his classmates had someone knowledgeable accompanying them, while the two of them were just greenhorns.

"Let's go then!" The school didn't actually say that we couldn't ask for outside help, but it's really difficult for first-year students to submit a perfect answer sheet.

Liu Yihang took the lead and walked a few steps before stopping at an old lady's stall.

"Grandpa, it's so cold, why are you still out setting up a stall?"

"What can we do? We're all just trying to make a living. These are all good things collected from the village. If you see anything you like, I'll give you a discount." The old lady was in good spirits.

"Okay."

Liu Yihang squatted down and examined the old woman closely. She seemed to be an honest person. Her stall had all sorts of things, a very messy collection, including pots and pans, cups and plates, boxes, abacuses, calligraphy brushes, and all kinds of other items. It really looked like she had collected them from the village.

His two henchmen also quickly squatted down and pretended to look as well.

Liu Yihang stopped because he took a fancy to an old-fashioned abacus.

It looked completely black, covered in a dark patina, and a few beads were missing—nothing special at all.

However, Liu Yihang discovered through his X-ray vision that it was actually made of old rosewood, and there was even a mark on the bottom, indicating that it was the work of a master craftsman.

Moreover, its design is typical of Ming and Qing dynasty abacuses, with wooden tenons and rounded corners on the crossbeam, and drawer bottoms. The iron wall-mounted handle on the crossbeam is also a distinctive feature of that period.

The fact that abacuses from the Ming and Qing dynasties were mostly made of old rosewood also confirms this point.

This abacus has no nails and has not been painted; it is entirely connected by wooden tenons and mortise joints, making it more valuable than ordinary abacuses from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Generally speaking, when collecting wooden abacuses, those made of rosewood, mahogany, and padauk are considered the best.

Abacuses from before the Qing Dynasty are very rare nowadays, and it's not easy for one to have survived to this day. Although a few beads are missing, greatly reducing its value, it's still worth some money.

This old woman has more than just this one valuable item on her stall.

If he wasn't mistaken, the box she was using as a stool under her bottom was part of a dressing case.

In the past, wealthy families would prepare a dowry for their daughters when they got married, and this dowry was one of them.

The box that the old lady used as a stool was somewhat similar in style to a mirror box from the Ming and Qing dynasties. However, it was missing parts and, due to its age, had lost its luster and appeared dull, so people treated it as an ordinary wooden box.

This can also be considered an antique.

The history of dressing box culture in China is quite long. The mirror table and dressing box culture are twin sisters that are born together and are also important contents of the dressing box culture. The mirror table is commonly known as the dressing box.

This is a mirror box.

Of course, she also had some other small items on her stall that were also old objects, but the two most valuable items were the most valuable.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!