Chapter 058: See the dispute
Although the voice of Old Man Song was hoarse, his voice was loud and everyone nearby could hear him.
When they heard this, everyone's eyes lit up. Something exciting to watch? They had to go and see it.
Even a few stall owners who were drowsy watching their stalls stood up and walked over there. Shi Qiu Shui, the little gossip girl, of course couldn't miss it, so she grabbed the corner of Shi Yue's clothes and pulled him over there.
Shi Yue put down the inkstone and followed Shi Qiu Shui over. Old Zhao also led Zhao Ran over.
In front of the stall surrounded by a crowd, a skinny, dark-skinned old man was arguing with the stall owner.
His face flushed, and he said in a gruff voice, "My things are old, handed down from my ancestors. What gives you the right to say they're fake? Are you trying to rip me off? I'm telling you, don't try to rip me off. I won't sell to you anymore!"
The old man who was speaking had a tattered towel for wiping sweat hanging around his neck, and was wearing a white vest that was yellowed from being washed. His face and hands were full of traces of labor, and at first glance he looked like a simple old farmer.
Then look at the stall owner standing opposite him. He has inverted s-shaped eyebrows, small triangular eyes, a sleek middle-parted hair, and two small mustaches on his lips.
Just by looking at him, I can tell he doesn't look like a good person.
Shi Qiu Shui looked around and before he understood what was going on, he subconsciously leaned towards Old Man Song, thinking that the stall owner might be trying to cheat him.
She stared at the stall owner opposite with burning eyes, wanting to hear what he had to say.
The stall owner rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Hey, uncle, what do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm lying to you? No, even if you don't sell the stuff to me, I still have to have a good talk with you about this. Otherwise, I, Jia Lao San, won't be able to stay here anymore!"
He stood up, puffed out his chest and said, "I, Jia Laosan, have been setting up a stall here for three or four years. Everyone here knows what kind of person I am. Whether I'm buying or selling things, I never cheat or deceive people. This thing you brought over is fake. It's not Ru porcelain from the Song Dynasty at all!"
Old Man Song: "Impossible, it's Ru porcelain from the Song Dynasty. My grandfather never told me about it before!"
The stall owner, Jia Laosan, said, "Oh, uncle, according to the rules, I can't tell you directly whether something is real or not. But since you've accused me of cheating you today, I have to talk about it. You said this thing was passed down from your ancestors? Your grandfather also told you that it was Ru porcelain from the Song Dynasty, right?"
Old Man Song: "Yes, that's right!"
Jia Laosan: "Uncle, I see that you are an outsider and don't understand, so let me analyze it with you."
He pointed to the azure porcelain vase he had picked up and said, "When I first saw this, I actually thought it was a genuine Song Dynasty Ru porcelain. The shape was right, the glaze was right, the fine crackle was right, and the five sesame nail marks on the bottom were right. But when I took it in my hand, I realized something was wrong. The body of this object is too dense, and the sound when I knock on it is wrong."
As he spoke, he tapped the porcelain bottle lightly with his fingers, and the porcelain bottle made a soft crisp sound.
Jia Laosan tutted and said, "Did everyone hear that? The sound is too crisp. Authentic Song Ru porcelain should be muffled, so I knew it was wrong the moment I saw it."
There were many knowledgeable people nearby who nodded in affirmation when they heard this: "It is indeed different. This sound does not sound like Song Ru porcelain."
Hearing someone agreeing beside him, Jia Laosan glanced at Old Man Song with contempt and said, "Uncle, you heard it, it's not me who cheated you, it's your thing that wasn't real. You sold this thing to me as if it were real, and even asked for a high price of two thousand yuan. Uncle, you are the one who cheated me, right?"
Shi Qiu Shui was shocked by the sudden reversal. She originally thought that the evil stall owner was bullying the old farmer who didn't know anything about the business, but she didn't expect it to be the other way around?
She quickly looked at Old Man Song, but saw that his expression was even more confused than hers.
Old Man Song grabbed his hair, looking bewildered as he said, "No, no, I'm not lying. When my grandfather passed away, he told me that this thing was passed down from our ancestors in the Song Dynasty. He told me to keep it well and not take it out unless it's absolutely necessary. How could it be fake?"
"How could it be fake? What should I do if it's fake? What should I do?"
As Old Man Song spoke, his expression became more and more excited. In the end, he sat down on the ground and broke down crying.
The onlookers could only shrug helplessly at this situation. Although they didn't know what was going on, fake was fake and it couldn't become real.
Old man Song wailed in pain: "It's fake, what should I do with my wife? She's still in the hospital. I need to sell the things to get money for her medical treatment. What should I do?"
"So it was to treat his wife's illness. Alas, this old man is really pitiful."
"That's right. In order to treat my wife's illness, I sold all the family heirlooms. Who would have thought that the heirlooms were fake and could not be sold at a high price?"
"Really..."
The onlookers sighed, and Shi Qiu Shui pouted, feeling a little sorry for the old man.
At this moment, the angry old man Song jumped up and ran towards Jia Laosan. He snatched the porcelain bottle from Jia Laosan's hand and was about to throw it to the ground.
"Since it's a fake and can't be sold, why should I keep it? I might as well just throw it away!"
Everyone was shocked by his sudden action.
The same thing happened to Jia Laosan. Seeing that Old Man Song's raised hand was about to loosen, he shouted loudly, "Wait!"
He reached out to pull Old Man Song: "Uncle, wait a minute! Don't be anxious, I haven't finished talking yet!"
Old Man Song paused and turned his head suspiciously: "What do you mean?"
Jia Laosan: "Although I don't think this is Ru porcelain from the Song Dynasty, I didn't say it can't be sold!"
He snatched the porcelain vase, which was in danger of being forged, and said, "Although this is a forgery, I think the forger's skills and craftsmanship are quite good, so it is still worth collecting. So, I will take it. Please name a price."
Old Man Song's face was already filled with despair, but he didn't expect such a sudden turn of events. He wiped away his tears in surprise and asked in disbelief, "Are you really going to accept this bottle?"
Jia Laosan nodded: "Yes, take it. You name the price."
Old Man Song scratched his head, thought for a long time, and said in a naive voice, "I, I, I don't know how much I can open. How about you give it to me as you see fit?"
Jia Laosan: "Well, one hundred, what do you think?"
He explained: "Although I think the workmanship of this bottle is good, it is fake after all, so I can't buy it for much. A hundred is about right."
Old Man Song nodded quickly: "One hundred is fine, just one hundred. As long as it can be sold, it's fine as long as it doesn't break my hands."
Jia Laosan was satisfied, and Old Man Song was also quite satisfied. Just when everyone was happy, suddenly, a man stood out from the crowd of onlookers.
"Old man, you're selling it for just a hundred dollars? Then you might as well sell it to me. I'll offer five hundred."
Shi Qiu Shui and his group were about to turn around and leave after watching the excitement, but when they heard this, they quickly turned back.
Hey there are bidders!
She blinked her big eyes and looked at the person who had just stood out. It was a young man with glasses and a short flat head. He had a strong student-like air. He had an unconvinced expression on his face and looked a bit green and foolish.
When the onlookers saw him stand up, they also muttered, "You're a fool."
Jia Laosan sneered, "Hey, kid, do you understand the rules? Do you know what first come, first served means? I'm collecting things, why are you butting in?"
The young man said: "I know what first come first served means, but you are so dishonest. I can't stand it!"
He ignored the atmosphere of Jia Lao San and pulled Old Man Song and said, "Old man, do you hear me? Don't sell the thing to him. Sell it to me. I'll start with 500. If you're not satisfied with 500, then 800. How about 800?"
Old Man Song looked at the young man hesitantly, then at Old Third Jia, his expression very embarrassed.
The onlookers all understood that Old Man Song must have wanted to sell for more money, but he was afraid that Old Third Jia would be unhappy.
The young man said: "Hey, old man, don't look at him. What's the point of looking at him? Look at me. I offer 800 yuan, and he offers 100 yuan. Don't you understand which one is more, 800 yuan or 100 yuan? Just sell the thing to me."
Old Man Song fiddled with his hair for a while, then looked at Jia Lao San with a hint of embarrassment and said, "Boss Jia, I'm sorry, I, I... I still want to sell more. My wife is still in the hospital waiting for me to give her money for treatment..."
What Old Man Song did was not right. Strictly speaking, it even violated the rules of producing things in this area.
But he didn't do business in this area, and what he said was pitiful, so everyone sympathized with him and didn't say anything.
On the other hand, the young man who was competing by bidding gave a cold sneer and said, "Old man, why are you apologizing to that profiteer? Do you think he's a good guy? He's just trying to rip you off by offering a hundred dollars!"
The old man was stunned: "What do you mean?"
The young man glanced at Jia Laosan and said, "Then I'll tell you what I'm saying. This thing of yours can be said to be not true or not, but it can also be said to be true."
Hearing this, Jia Laosan's eyes flashed. Some of the people around who knew the matter thought of a possibility, their eyes lit up, and some stared at the porcelain vase eagerly, wanting to take a closer look. However, Shi Qiu Shui and Old Zhao, who really didn't understand, looked confused.
Oh, Old Man Song also looked confused.
He asked cautiously, "Comrade, what do you mean?"
The young man said: "As for your porcelain vase, you can say it's real."
He pointed at the porcelain vase held by Jia Laosan and said, "This vase is an imitation, yes, but it's not a modern imitation. You can tell by the glaze. Modern techniques don't produce glazes like this, and the techniques used in the Republic of China couldn't produce a vase like this. I estimate that your vase is at least from the Ming or Qing Dynasty. So it's true that it's a genuine antique."
"A real antique?!"
Old Man Song stared at Jia Laosan with wide eyes, and a trace of guilt appeared on Jia Laosan's face. Now even Shi Qiu Shui, who didn't know much about the matter, knew what was going on, not to mention the victim, Old Man Song.
He quickly stepped forward and snatched the porcelain vase back, holding it in his hands with great care. He glared at Jia Lao San and said angrily, "Why didn't you tell me this was an antique? I almost dropped it just now!"
Shi Qiu Shui also stared at Jia Lao San with wide eyes and contempt.
She had thought that Jia Laosan was a good person just now.
“How bad!”
She frowned and muttered indignantly.
Old man Song was waiting for money to treat his wife's illness, but in order to lower the price, he deliberately deceived Old man Song who was ignorant of the business.
Or lower the price to as low as one hundred yuan!
Although I don’t know what disease Old Man Song’s wife has, if one hundred yuan is not enough to treat his wife, then isn’t what Old Third Jia did a disregard for human life?
It’s really too bad!
Although Shi Qiu Shui was indignant, she knew that this was Jia Lao San's territory, so she didn't dare to speak loudly and muttered softly. Jia Lao San couldn't hear her voice because he was far away. Only Shi Yue, who was beside her, heard it.
Shi Yue pinched the little girl's lips and asked her to shut her mouth.
He sees that this matter is not that simple...
Jia Laosan was so questioned by Old Song that he stammered and couldn't say a word, but the young man kept talking.
"Why else could it be? If he didn't tell you it was an antique, he could have bargained with you for a lower price. He could have bought it from you at a lower price, and you could have been so grateful to him. It would have been strange if he had told you on his own initiative!"
Jia Laosan's face darkened. He raised his arm and said, "Go away! How can I do business without an outsider like you interfering? Are you trying to ruin things?"
The young man shut up immediately after hearing this.
It seems that this young and foolish man is not completely foolish. He knows that he is the one who will suffer if he pushes Jia Lao San into a corner in this place.
The young man just said to Old Man Song: "Old man, have you made up your mind? Sell it to me or to him?"
Old Song said without hesitation: "Sell it to you!"
The young man said: "Hey, that's right, give me 800 yuan."
As he spoke, he reached into his trouser pocket to take out money.
"Wait, sir, wait a minute!" Jia Laosan couldn't sit still any longer and quickly said, "Sir, I admit that I was dishonest just now. I was wrong, but I really want this bottle. So, I'll ask for one thousand. How about you sell it to me for one thousand?"
Old Man Song: "No, no, I won't sell it to you. You're dishonest and like to cheat people. I'm afraid of being cheated by you."
He said with an apologetic smile, "No, sir, please don't act on impulse. You're selling this thing to get money for your wife's medical treatment, so it would be more appropriate to sell it for more money, right?"
He said, "Think about it carefully, think about your wife."
When Old Man Song heard this, he became really hesitant.
Shi Qiu Shui could understand him very well. Even if Jia Lao San was a problematic person and was not honest, he and Jia Lao San were doing a one-time deal. After this deal was done today, it was not certain whether they would have any dealings in the future, so it would be better to sell to whoever offered the highest price.
After all, he is really short of money now!
Just when Shi Qiushui thought that Old Man Song would definitely sell it to Jia Laosan, the young man spoke again: "Okay, then I'll add another two hundred yuan. Uncle, I'll also offer one thousand. Uncle, buy it for me!"
Old Song looked surprised: "Okay, okay, I..."
Jia Laosan: "Then I'll give you 1,200!"
The young man was angry: "What do you mean?"
Jia Laosan: "Didn't you raise the price first? Then I'll raise the price too. You can't stop me from raising the price, right?"
The young man gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, okay, if you raise the price, I'll raise it too... I'll offer fifteen hundred!"
Jia Laosan: "I'll give you 1,800!"
The young man said: "I'll give you two thousand!"
Jia Laosan: "Then I'll give you three thousand!"
The young man was stunned. He didn't expect Jia Laosan to raise the price by a thousand yuan. He took a deep breath and said, "Then I'll start at three thousand one!"
Jia Laosan: "I'll open five thousand!"
As soon as the number five thousand came out, the young man immediately shut up.
Jia Laosan glanced at him proudly and said, "You can't afford it, right? Then this bottle is mine."
In just a few minutes, the price of the bottle soared from one hundred yuan to five thousand yuan, a fifty-fold increase, even more than twice Old Song's psychological price. The onlookers were shocked.
Old Zhao smacked his lips. "Wow, five thousand yuan for just this little bottle?"
After sighing, he shook his head again: "No, no, this stall owner is so smart, if he can offer 5,000, it means this bottle is worth more than 5,000!"
He really broadened his horizons.
The young man stared at Jia Laosan and said, "You just have a few coins, what are you so proud of?"
Jia Laosan shook his head and said proudly: "Hey, I am just proud. I have money, so this bottle is mine. You don't have money, so you can't snatch it from me."
These words seemed to have infuriated the young man. He clenched his fists, his face flushed red, and breathed out through his nostrils.
Jia Lao San rolled his eyes at him, then smiled and said to Old Man Song, "Uncle, I don't have that much money on me right now. So, wait for me for a moment while I pack up my stall, and then we can go to the bank to withdraw money. Don't worry about me ripping you off. Let's go to the bank on the street ahead and withdraw the money. I'll give it to you right away. What do you think?"
Old Man Song nodded excitedly: "Okay, okay, okay..."
It seemed that the price offered by Jia Laosan exceeded his imagination, which surprised him.
The young man was not happy. He pulled Old Man Song and said, "Hey, old man, don't sell it to him!"
Jia Laosan impatiently slapped his arm away. "No, young man, are you done yet? It's fine if you're bidding against the rules, but you can't win the bid and you won't let me go. What's going on? Do you really want me to fight you?"
The people around him also felt that the young man was going too far and started to criticize him.
"Hey, young man, forget it, if no one offers a higher price, don't stop them from collecting the things."
"Yeah, they're about to pay, why are you still making a fuss..."
"That's right, don't break the rules..."
Even Old Man Song's expression was not very good. He patted the young man's arm and said, "Young man, I know you like my bottle, but I have decided to sell it to Boss Jia, so please don't make trouble."
The young man said: "No, I don't mean to cause trouble..."
Old Man Song: "Okay, okay, okay, I know you don't want to cause trouble, no, then don't hold me back..."
The young man's face darkened noticeably. He shook off Old Man Song's hand and said, "Hey, old man, you really don't know how to appreciate kindness. I stopped you because I didn't want you to sell your porcelain vase cheaply. It's obviously for your own good, but you're not happy about it!"
Old Man Song said perfunctorily, "Okay, okay, young man, I know you're doing this for my own good. I understand. But I'm already very satisfied with the price Boss Jia offered, and I don't think I'm selling it cheaply. You don't need to say anything more."
"What do you know? If you sell that porcelain vase to foreigners, it can sell for at least 100,000 yuan. Are you satisfied with 5,000 yuan?" The young man waved his hand and said, "Forget it. There's no point in talking to you, you country bumpkin who knows nothing!"
Wow.
As soon as he said this, there was an uproar at the scene again.
"Young man, are you serious? Can a bottle like that be sold for 100,000 yuan?" a voice in the crowd asked loudly.
The young man said: "Of course it's true. I have nothing better to do than to lie to you. This is Ru porcelain. One hundred thousand yuan is the least I've said!"
Shi Qiu Shui's eyes widened, and Old Zhao swallowed his saliva.
"Wow, is one hundred thousand yuan considered an understatement?"
The young man said, "Haven't you heard? Last month in Liulichang, a foreigner spent 100,000 yuan on a Qing Dynasty imitation Ru porcelain brush washer. I saw that brush washer, and it's not as good as this bottle. Do you think this bottle can be worth less than that?"
"That's not necessarily true. Not everyone can be as generous as that silly foreigner..."
"But the difference between 100,000 and 5,000 is quite big..."
"That's right. Before, this young man said that the old man was selling it at a low price, but I didn't realize it. Now I finally understand..."
"No wonder Boss Jia was so determined to buy this bottle. Think about it, if he takes it for 5,000 yuan and sells it for 100,000 yuan someday, wouldn't the remaining 95,000 yuan be all his?"
"Tsk tsk, that's true! What you said really moved me. I want to buy this bottle..."
"What's the point of wanting to buy it? The old man might not even sell it..."
Old Man Song, who was in the middle of the crowd, heard this and gritted his teeth, saying, "No matter how much others sell, I'll be satisfied if I can sell this for 5,000!"
The young man: "Oh, no, you are stupid, old man. If you sell it for 5,000, you will lose money, you..."
Old Man Song said with a bitter face: "I also want to sell it at a high price, but my wife is still in the hospital waiting for me to bring back the money for her life-saving treatment. I just want to sell it quickly and get the money for her medical treatment."
The young man was speechless. He lowered his hands and said, "Alright, then go ahead and sell it."
He murmured with regret, "It's a pity that I don't have enough money. Otherwise, I would buy it and then resell it later... Oh, what a pity!"
Someone in the crowd seemed to have heard what he said and immediately shouted, "Hey, old man, why don't you sell me that bottle? I'll give you five thousand two hundred!"
"I'll give you five thousand three!"
"I'll give you five thousand four!"
A series of bidding sounds came one after another. Old Zhao swallowed his saliva and was very excited. He opened his mouth hesitantly, and when he was about to quote five thousand five, Shi Yue pulled him back.
Shi Yue: "Uncle Zhao, would you like to take another look?"
Old Zhao: "Ah? What do you mean, little boy?"
Shi Yue said meaningfully: "Don't worry, take another look, take a closer look."
Shi Qiu Shui heard their conversation and looked at her father strangely, not understanding why her father said that.
At this time, Zhao Ran, who had been silent all this time, also spoke up. He said, "Grandpa, please listen to Uncle Shi and wait and see."
Old Zhao and Shi Qiu Shui were even more confused.
Hey, why do you want Old Zhao to take another look at them one by one?
No, can't these two people be more straightforward?
Could there be some trick going on here?
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