Chapter 285: Declaration of Independence
No one knows what secrets this second-hand painting hides. Jack thought Lu Youyou liked it, so he added the landscape painting to his watch list.
Several people bought some things, and fortunately they had a car, otherwise it would be difficult to move them back.
Downstairs in the dormitory, Lu Youyou politely declined Jack's offer to help move the picture upstairs. She easily went up to the third floor carrying the picture frame in one hand.
Song Yunqing bought a lot of handmade ornaments and hanging decorations, and started to redecorate the house as soon as she entered the door.
"Sister Lu, do you want to hang up your painting? I'll help you wherever you want to hang it."
"There's no rush yet."
Lu Youyou looked around and took a knife to slowly pry along the edge of the picture frame.
Song Yunqing saw this and suddenly thought of something. She didn't even pack up her things and just sat cross-legged beside her.
There was a gleam in her eyes, and she seemed more excited than the person involved.
"Sister Lu, does this painting contain a hidden, hidden...mystery? Hmm, is that the right word?"
Lu Youyou was amused by her sudden stuck and nodded: "Yes, that's how it is used."
No one doesn't like treasure hunting, especially finding a bargain. No matter whether it's a big or small bargain, the unexpected surprise can always cheer people up.
Lu Youyou didn't plan to hide it from Song Yunqing. Perhaps it was because she had seen too many treasures in her previous life and didn't think this little thing was anything special.
After being together for so long, Song Yunqing's family background is no secret. Her father is the well-known American "computer king" Song Heting.
If I remember correctly, in a few years Song Heting will become the fifth richest man in the United States. Now the market value of his computer company has exceeded 2 billion.
To Lu Youyou, Song Heting was a character that only existed in Baidu Encyclopedia. She never expected that he was actually her roommate's father. She always felt like the wall of her dimension was broken.
Song Yunqing wanted to help but didn't dare to do anything for fear of causing trouble, but she couldn't stop talking even though her hands were moving.
“Sister Lu, how do you know there is something in the frame?”
Because he could predict the future.
This reason definitely cannot be told, Lu Youyou pointed to a corner of the picture frame and showed it to Song Yunqing.
"You see, it's not sealed tightly here, and there's a gap in the back frame. When I looked at the painting, I found that the color inside was different from the color of the canvas, so I thought about buying it back to take a look."
Song Yunqing's eyes popped out of their sockets as she finally saw what the so-called "difference" was through the extremely narrow gap.
She looked at Lu Youyou with indescribable feelings, especially those eyes as bright as stars. Is this still human vision?
As Lu Youyou pried open the frame little by little and lifted the back panel with some stains, a folded yellowed paper appeared in front of the two.
Song Yunqing couldn't help but exclaimed, and quickly covered her mouth. She looked at Lu Youyou in disbelief, and was stuck in mid-sentence, unable to utter a word.
Lu Youyou bought the painting just to give it a try, and it didn’t matter even if it wasn’t hers. But when she saw the yellowed paper, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Instead of acting rashly, she found a pair of white gloves, gently lifted the paper, and then gently unfolded it.
Sure enough, that’s it!
“Oh my God!!!!!”
Song Yunqing stood up and pointed at the paper with shaking hands, "This... this is the Declaration of Independence?"
She was born and raised in the United States. Although she is of Chinese descent, it is impossible for her not to know the Declaration of Independence. She once visited the National Archives to see the original copy that was officially signed in 1776.
"It should be."
On the contrary, Lu Youyou was very calm. It was difficult for an American national treasure to arouse her excitement.
The report clearly stated that this was one of the 200 copies printed in 1820, and only 23 of them remain. Even if it is not a top national treasure, it is still very valuable.
Song Yunqing quickly calmed down after the initial shock.
Her grandfather was a famous calligrapher and painter in the Republic of China. His old house had many collections. Her father was influenced by the old man since he was a child. He was not short of money and had many treasures in his own family.
Having been accustomed to good things since childhood, a "Declaration of Independence" was not enough to make Song Yunqing lose her composure. What was more important were the surprises brought by accidents.
Although she didn't pick up the leak herself, she witnessed the whole process. The experience was so novel that Song Yunqing savored it for several minutes and still felt unsatisfied.
"Sister Lu, are you going to keep it for yourself, or do you want to sell it?"
"Sell it." Lu Youyou answered quickly.
This "Declaration of Independence" was sold at a high price of 2.42 million US dollars in the 1990s. She obviously couldn't wait that long. The most important thing now was to get the cash and bring the three animal heads back.
Finally, they were in an area that Song Yunqing was familiar with. She volunteered, "It would be better to send this kind of thing to an auction. Do you want me to ask for you?"
Lu Youyou couldn't ask for more: "Thank you for your help."
"What's the trouble? After all, I personally delivered this baby, so I must send him all the way to the west!"
The weird Chinese is here again. Every time Song Yunqing gets excited, her words are particularly postmodern.
Lu Youyou couldn't help laughing: "Then I'll wait for your good news."
Song Yunqing did what she said and called home directly.
When Song Heting heard that his daughter's friend wanted to sell something, he waved his hand and asked his personal lawyer to bring the appraiser from the auction house to provide door-to-door service.
Three days later, two foreigners in suits came to the door together.
"Ms. Lu, I'm Lauren Smith from J&S Law Firm, and this is Jimmy Kanter, an appraiser from Sotheby's. It's an honor to meet you."
"Nice to meet you. Please come in."
Seeing that it was Lauren, Song Yunqing hugged him in surprise: "Uncle Smith, I didn't expect Dad would let you come over."
Lauren Smith is one of the most famous lawyers in California and has served the Song family for many years.
Song Heting was also worried about his daughter. Money was a small problem. He was mainly afraid that the two girls would fall into some scam trap. He heard that his daughter's roommate was an international student from China, so he couldn't let anything go wrong.
The appraiser showed no emotion on his face, but he was very disapproving in his heart. What good things could a little girl from a foreign country have? If it weren't for the Song family's face, he would not have come in person.
Lu Youyou went into the house and took out a cardboard box. Without saying anything, she pushed it directly in front of the appraiser.
The appraiser put on gloves skillfully and took out a full set of magnifying glasses and calipers...
And the moment he opened the lid of the box, his pupils shrank.
In terms of value, a copy of the Declaration of Independence is far inferior to a famous painting, but for Americans, the spiritual value of this document far exceeds its monetary value.
He regrouped and asked, "Miss Lu, shall I start?"
"Please." Lu Youyou smiled slightly.
The thing must be real, so she was not worried at all. On the contrary, Song Yunqing was much more nervous.
This is her first time to personally experience shopping on Taobao. She hopes that this beautiful accident will have a perfect ending.
The room was very quiet. Apart from the sound of the magnifying glass hitting the table, there was almost no sound. Everyone was waiting for the appraiser's results.
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