Chapter 059 There's Something Fishy
Although he didn't understand why, Old Zhao still listened to Shi Yue and Zhao Ran. He didn't bid rashly, but started to observe.
Shi Qiu Shui stood on tiptoe, blinking her big eyes and observing the people around her.
The few people in the crowd who were bidding were still competing fiercely.
"I'll give you 5,500!" "Then I'll give you 5,600!" "I'll give you 5,700!"
As more and more people came to bid, the price of the porcelain vase soared to six thousand yuan in a short while.
At this time, Shi Qiu Shui also found something wrong. The bidders were shouting so enthusiastically, but the stall owner Jia Laosan didn't say a word.
When he was bidding with the young man just now, he was arguing so hard that his face turned red. Why is he silent now that so many people are bidding together?
Shi Qiu Shui's nose wrinkled.
There is something fishy!
Old Zhao also noticed something was amiss. He pulled the two children aside and whispered to Shi Yue, "I feel like some of the bids aren't quite right."
He glanced at the few people in the crowd who jumped the highest and said, "Those few! I saw them shouting 100 after 100 without blinking."
It would be fine if those people were rich and didn't care about money, so they didn't hesitate when bidding. But when Old Zhao saw those people dressed in ordinary clothes and looked shabby, they didn't look like rich people at all.
And the most important thing is that he saw clearly that those people were not shouting the price at the porcelain vase, but at the crowd.
It feels like they are not bidding the price to buy the porcelain vase, but to stimulate others.
Old Zhao suddenly realized what was happening and asked, "Could they all be shills?"
As soon as he said this, a cold sweat broke out on his body. If these people were shills, then could what Old Song and the young man said be true? Could a porcelain vase really be sold for 100,000 yuan?
Even, is that porcelain vase real?
Shi Yue did not answer Old Zhao's question, but only said: "When buying something, you still have to look at the goods first."
Old Zhao was stunned. After hearing this, he remembered that from the beginning to the end, no one had ever taken a close look at this so-called Ru porcelain vase.
Whether this bottle is genuine Ru porcelain or an imitation of the Ming and Qing dynasties, whether it is a real antique or a fake, and how good the workmanship is, all these are just what we heard from Jia Laosan, Lao Songtou and the young man. No one has verified the details with their own eyes.
He hadn't thought about these issues before because the young man and Jia Lao San were arguing with each other and it was obvious that they were not getting along, and Old Man Song kept wavering.
So he never suspected that the three of them were in the same group, let alone suspected that they would work together to cheat people.
But what if the quarrel between the young man and Jia Laosan, and the constant swaying of Old Man Song were all staged?
Old Zhao's scalp suddenly went numb. If all this was a trap, then wouldn't he have stepped into it without realizing it?
"hiss--"
He gasped in fear. He had heard people say before that the antique business was complicated and it was basically impossible for outsiders to find bargains. They could only wait to be ripped off. He hadn't accepted it before, but now he was completely convinced.
What else could he be dissatisfied with? If Shi Yue hadn't stopped him just now, he might have already bid the price and paid the money!
Thinking of this, Old Zhao put his hand on Shi Yue's shoulder, patted him gently, and said, "Thank you, Xiao Shi. If you hadn't reminded me, I would be..."
Old Zhao looked frightened. Shi Yue didn't say anything, but patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.
Old Zhao was really scared.
The antique business is so complicated, how can he find a bargain? It would be a good thing if he is not mistaken for a bargain by others!
He was ready to retreat, so he pulled Shi Yue aside and said, "Well, Xiao Shi, it's getting late, why don't we go back?"
When he heard him say he wanted to go back, Shi Qiushui was the first one who was unwilling. She pulled Old Zhao's arm and shook it, saying coquettishly: "Grandpa Zhao, let's take a look again, take a look, and then go back later~"
She heard what Old Zhao said just now. Shi Qiu Shui used her clever little brain to make a simple deduction and realized that Jia Lao San, the young man, and Old Man Song were working together to put on a show and deceive people.
But she was not as scared as Old Zhao.
After all, she has seen through the trap and will definitely not be fooled, so of course she is not afraid.
Shi Qiu Shui, who was bold and curious, just wanted to stay and watch the excitement.
Old Zhao wanted to leave in his heart, but when Shi Qiu Shui acted coquettishly, he changed sides without any firm stance.
"Okay, okay, Xiaoqiu said she'll go back later, so let's go back later—"
Shi Qiushui smiled happily, revealing her small white teeth. Then she hugged her father's waist, rubbed it, and asked in a very soft voice: "Dad, they are lying, should we not do anything about it?"
The last time she encountered a scammer in the park, her father stood up and exposed the man.
But her father didn’t do anything today?
Shi Yue rubbed the little girl's head and said, "Why do you worry so much about your child and care about so many things?"
Shi Qiu Shui looked at her father with her round eyes and pulled her pigtails in confusion.
Does her father mean to just ignore the matter and watch them cheat?
Shi Qiu Shui frowned and said nothing.
The bidding is still going on fiercely and has now reached 10,000 yuan.
Shi Qiu Shui was shocked when he heard the consecutive quotes of 11,000 and 12,000 respectively.
However, it can be seen that as the price gets higher and higher, the speed at which the onlookers bid becomes slower and slower. Except for a few who jumped high from the beginning and are still bidding without hesitation, the expressions of the remaining few who are bidding have become more and more hesitant.
As the price rose, the few people who had been dazzled by the high returns of 100,000 yuan gradually calmed down. They had just hoped to find a bargain, to get the item cheap and then resell it for a higher price later, but with the asking price so high, if they wanted to buy the bottle, they would have to use all their wealth to buy it, which was not worth it.
When the price reached 20,000, most of the people who were bidding excitedly stopped bidding, and only a fat man and a tall and thin man were left bidding.
Shi Qiu Shui was a little suspicious of the tall and thin man. Every time a price was called out, he was the first to speak without any hesitation, and looked like Jia Lao San's agent.
Fatty: "Twenty-one thousand!"
The tall and thin man didn't speak at first, and it could be seen that he looked a little hesitant.
Shi Qiu Shui stared at him intently, only to see him glance at Jia Lao San vaguely, as if waiting for Jia Lao San's instructions.
Okay, now she is certain that the tall and thin guy is Jia Laosan's shill.
Jia Laosan shook his head gently, and the tall and thin man immediately understood. He shouted: "Twenty-two thousand!"
Shi Qiu Shui understood what was going on. Jia Lao San shook his head and was still not satisfied, so he asked his agent to continue raising the price.
She covered her mouth and let out a small cry of surprise.
The price has been raised to 21,000, and you’re still not satisfied?
Isn’t Jia Laosan afraid of getting into trouble?
Her eyes were fixed on Jia Laosan. She saw that he was holding an unlit cigarette in his mouth, and his teeth had bitten the cigarette holder into a mess. It was obvious that he was not so confident and was struggling.
After the tall and thin man finished calling out the price, it was the fat man's turn. He frowned and hesitated for a moment, then hesitantly called out, "Twenty-three thousand!"
The tall and thin man glanced at Jia Laosan and continued: "Twenty-four thousand!"
The fat man hesitated when he shouted out 23,000, and now he was even more hesitant, not knowing whether to continue shouting out.
If he keeps asking, it will be 25,000. Even if his family has a little money, 25,000 will still cost him a lot of money.
Seeing that he looked a little hesitant, Jia Laosan quickly gave the green-haired boy a look, and the green-haired boy immediately spoke up: "Brother, why are you still hesitating? This bottle can be sold for 100,000 yuan. Even if you spend 30,000 yuan to buy it, you can still make 70,000 yuan! Hey, if I had money, I would buy it anyway!"
Hearing this, Jia Laosan nodded slightly.
Shi Qiu Shui understood instantly that it seemed that Jia Laosan and the others' target price was 30,000 yuan. He just didn't know if the person in front of him who wanted to buy the porcelain vase could really offer 30,000 yuan?
Shi Qiushui's eyes fell on the fat man. He seemed to be moved by the young man's words. His frown relaxed and he said, "No, I don't want it."
"What did you say? You don't want it anymore?!" The young man exclaimed with a distorted face.
Jia San and Old Man Song's expressions changed when they heard this. The price had already been raised to 23,000 yuan. How could he just give up? Was it because of what the young man said? It shouldn't be like that. After the young man said that, shouldn't he be even more tempted to buy the thing? How could he just say no and not buy it?
Could it be that this person realized that they were setting up a trap to deceive people?
Jia Laosan, the young man, and Song Laotou felt nervous and dared not speak.
The fat man didn't think too much about it. He smiled innocently and said honestly, "Well, no, I don't want it. I only have 20,000 yuan in cash at home. If I want more, I'll have to borrow money from outside. I'd better forget it."
The three young men breathed a sigh of relief at the same time and calmed down. The young man spoke and tried to persuade him.
"Brother, you're stupid. Just borrow the money. Even if you have to borrow money at high interest rates, you should at least take this bottle. Think about it, this thing can be sold for 100,000 yuan. Even if you borrow money, you can pay it back and make more money. How can you not take advantage of such a good deal?"
The fat man waved his hands hurriedly: "No, no, I dare not owe anyone money, and I dare not touch loan sharking, that thing is deadly."
He pointed at the tall and thin man and said, "Whoever bids the highest will get the item. This big brother bids the highest, so the item belongs to him. I won't compete with him anymore. Just consider it my fate."
The tall and thin man panicked when he heard this, and looked at Jia Laosan with a vague look for help.
Jia Laosan curled his lips, feeling unhappy, but at this point, what else could he do? He couldn't just let the tall and thin man stand up and say he didn't want it.
He was so straightforward in bidding, and then just said he didn't want it. Any discerning person could see that there was something wrong.
If he didn't want outsiders to see through their plan, he could only grit his teeth and let this big fat sheep go.
I was so angry! If I had known earlier, I should have stopped when the fat man said 23,000! Now, 23,000 is gone!
Jia Laosan was immersed in anger and didn't bother to respond to the tall and thin man, which made the tall and thin man very embarrassed.
What should he do now? Should he pay the money? His employer hadn't told him about this situation. Besides, how could he possibly come up with so much money?
The young man realized something was wrong and pulled the tall and thin man over and said with a smile, "That thing is for this big brother. Big brother, I don't think you have that much money on you. Do you also want to go to the bank to withdraw some money?"
The tall, thin man got the hint: "Yeah, I'm going to the bank to withdraw money."
The young man said: "Let's go, I'll go with you, let's get the money out quickly, isn't the old man still waiting for money."
Old Song nodded in agreement: "Yeah, right, I, I'm waiting for money. Let's go to the bank to withdraw money."
The young man said: "Okay, let's go together."
As he said that, the young man walked out of the crowd with Old Song and the tall and thin man.
Looking at the backs of these three people leaving, the onlookers vaguely felt that something was wrong.
This young man has always been so arrogant, why did he suddenly take people to the bank to withdraw money? He doesn't look so kind-hearted.
Although it felt a bit strange, no one thought about it too much. After all, the person had left, so there was no point in worrying about it.
The excitement was over and the onlookers dispersed. Shi Yue, Lao Zhao and his group also followed them out, until they reached an open space where Jia Lao San's stall was no longer visible. Shi Qiu Shui finally couldn't hold it in anymore and asked curiously.
"Dad, why didn't you expose those three scammers? I was so worried. I was really afraid that the fat uncle would be cheated out of more than 20,000 yuan!"
Even if they are rich, 20,000 yuan is not a small amount.
Shi Yue raised his eyebrows: "Girl, you think I'm a public security officer, right? Do you think I can control a liar?"
Shi Qiushui: "But last time..."
Shi Yue: "Last time is different from this time. There are rules for selling antiques. According to the rules, I can't say anything when others are trading. And there is no such thing as authenticity guarantee for antiques. Even if you buy a fake, you can't blame others. You can only blame yourself for being fooled."
When he was in the Great Yu Dynasty, he had played with gold, stone, jade and other things with the playboys he hung out with, so he knew a little about the rules involved.
Besides the two points he just mentioned, there are many other rules in this business. For example, you can't directly tell someone if something is real or fake, because no one can guarantee they're not mistaken. Jia Lao San had mentioned this point earlier when he was acting with Old Man Song. Also, you can't return goods after receiving them, you can't ask the seller about the goods' origins when you receive them, and you can't go back on your word after bargaining... If you break these rules, others will see you as disrupting the business.
Shi Yue is surrounded by old people and children today, and he doesn't want to cause trouble.
Shi Qiu Shui blinked his eyes, not quite understanding. He didn't expect there were so many rules here!
Old Zhao continued, "Xiao Qiu, your father is right. There are a lot of rules here, and we can't break them. Also, don't underestimate these street vendors. They know all sorts of people. If you offend them in person, who knows what sinister means they'll use to retaliate behind your back!"
After Old Zhao finished speaking, he suddenly remembered that he was still on someone else's territory, so he quickly changed the subject.
"Well, let's talk about the rest when we get back. Let's talk about it when we get back."
He looked at Shi Qiushui and asked, "Xiaoqiu, do you want to go back now?"
After watching the excitement, Shi Qiu Shui didn't care whether to go shopping or not, but since Old Zhao had mentioned several times that he wanted to go back, then let's go back.
She nodded and said, "Let's go, Grandpa Zhao, let's go back."
Old Zhao: "Okay, let's go to the left. I just saw that there is a road here that goes directly to the bus stop."
Old Zhao led the way, holding Zhao Ran's hand, and Shi Yue and Shi Qiu Shui followed behind them. They walked along the path on the left. After about three to five minutes, they suddenly saw three people standing in front of them.
Shi Qiu Shui had sharp eyes. She could tell at a glance that these three people were none other than the tall, thin young man and Old Man Song who had appeared in front of Jia Laosan's stall.
She stopped abruptly, holding Shi Yue with one hand and the corner of Lao Zhao's clothes with the other, and squatted down.
Old Zhao was caught off guard and was dragged down. He almost shouted out loud, but Zhao Ran was quick enough to cover his mouth, preventing Old Zhao from scaring the three people over there.
After squatting and hiding behind a big rock, Shi Qiu Shui pointed to the person standing in front of him and the other three people.
Everyone looked in the direction of her finger. Old Zhao hissed in surprise and whispered, "Aren't these the three people from before?"
Shi Qiu Shui stared with wide eyes and nodded.
She also said in a small voice: "They are talking. Let's not go over there yet. Wait until they leave, then we can go over there."
The other three nodded in agreement.
Shi Qiu Shui was squatting behind the rock but was not being honest. He clung to the edge of the rock, secretly peeking out and eavesdropping with his ears.
She saw the young man take out two twenty-dollar bills from his pocket and give one to Old Man Song and the tall, thin man. Then he said, "Take the money. Those who need to leave should leave quickly."
Old Man Song changed his honest and dutiful appearance, spat, and said, "Young man, you are not kind. This is not the number you originally said, right?"
The young man's face was filled with impatience: "I originally said the price you would get if you helped sell the items. Have you sold them yet? No! I didn't make a cent, so giving you twenty is good enough!"
"No, you're blaming me for not selling the stuff?" Old Man Song pushed the tall, skinny guy next to him and said, "It's clearly his fault. If you want to blame someone, blame him. He raised the price too high, and the fat guy couldn't afford it and didn't buy it. It's none of my business. Why are you deducting my money?"
The tall and thin man staggered and almost fell down after being pushed. After he finally stood firm, he heard Old Man Song blaming him and quickly waved his hands.
"Boss, don't blame me. It's not my fault. I only raised the price because of Boss Jia's look. Boss Jia agreed. You can't blame me!"
Old Man Song: "Then I don't care. It's none of my business anyway. Why are you deducting my money?"
He looked at the young man and said half-threateningly, "Boy, you'd better give me the money we agreed on, otherwise don't blame me for not keeping my mouth shut..."
"What do you mean? Are you threatening me? Let me tell you, I wasn't brought up to be scared!" The young man stared at Old Man Song.
Old Man Song didn't even blink.
The young man was helpless. He gritted his teeth and took out another twenty yuan from his pocket and said, "Okay, okay, here you go."
He said with a fierce expression: "I have paid you the money I owe you, and now you should keep your mouth shut. Don't let me hear anything you shouldn't say outside."
When Old Man Song saw the money, he immediately grinned.
He put the money into his pocket and nodded: "Okay, young man, don't worry, I'm tight-lipped and I won't say anything I shouldn't."
The young man snorted coldly and said, "You'd better be."
The tall and thin man saw that Old Man Song had received the money, and he looked at the young man eagerly and said, "Well, boss, where's mine? Where's my twenty?"
The young man: "Fuck, you still want money?"
The tall and thin man looked aggrieved but still said, "Boss, you gave it all to him..."
The young man didn't want to pay, but the tall and thin man just stared at him eagerly, as if he would not leave unless he gave him money. He had no choice but to take out another twenty yuan from his pocket and throw it to the tall and thin man.
"Hey, thanks, boss." The tall and thin man received the money happily.
The young man waved his hands and said, "Now that you've got your money, it's time to get out of here, right?"
"Go away, go away, let's go away now."
The tall and thin man and Old Song left quickly.
Shi Qiu Shui breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that since the two of them had left, the young man would probably leave soon too.
But the appearance of Jia Laosan the next second broke her fantasy.
She could only continue to hide behind the rock.
Jia Laosan walked up to the young man and asked, "Have those two been sent away?"
The young man said: "They gave each of them forty and sent them away."
Jia Laosan: "Forty? Didn't I just tell you to give twenty?"
The young man said: "I offered twenty at first, but those two refused and insisted that I give forty. They also threatened me that if I didn't give it, they would tell others that we set up a trap."
Jia Laosan kicked the dirt on the ground and said, "Damn it, we really gave these two face. We didn't sell the goods, and they still have the nerve to ask us for money."
The young man said, "That's what I thought. Brother Jia, we lost money today. We spent eighty dollars to hire these two people to perform, and twenty dollars to hire the remaining people. That's a hundred dollars spent."
Jia Laosan's face was gloomy. "Damn it, stop talking. Do you think I don't know that we lost money today? But what can I do if I know? The things didn't sell. Damn it, I even wasted my whole afternoon acting with you!"
Seeing that Jia Laosan was angry, the young man hurried forward to comfort him.
He patted Jia Lao San's shoulder and said, "Don't be angry, Boss. Don't be angry. We were just unlucky today and didn't get any fat sheep. Let's try harder tomorrow. I don't believe we won't be able to kill one."
Jia Laosan: "Come again tomorrow?"
He scoffed and said, "You think everyone is a fool? If we do the same thing again, they will definitely see through our trick."
The young man smiled apologetically and said, "Hey, Brother Jia, didn't I say we should come here tomorrow? There are so many places in Beijing to buy old things, do we have to come here? Liulichang, Daliushu, Baoguo Temple, where can we not go?"
Jia Laosan rolled his eyes and nodded: "Yeah, that's what you said."
The young man said: "Yeah, the worst that can happen is that we go to each one of them. As long as we can run into a fat sheep, we will make a fortune!"
Hearing this, Jia Lao San raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Hey, you are indeed smart, kid! Okay, let's do as you say. We will go to Liulichang tomorrow. Today, we will pack up and go home."
"Yes, Brother Jia, let's go home first. Well, Brother Jia, when we get back later, do you want to come to my house and have a drink with me? I just happened to have a bottle of good wine these two days..."
The young man walked away arm in arm with Jia Laosan, and Shi Qiu Shui and the others were finally able to stand up.
Shi Qiushui stood up, stamped his feet, and said with a little anger: "These two are so mean!"
You didn’t cheat anyone today, but you are still thinking about cheating people tomorrow. How mean!
Shi Qiu Shui didn't want to let these two bad guys continue to cheat people, and she was also afraid that someone would really be cheated by these two scammers.
After all, although the scheme set up by these two people is not perfect, they are clever in taking advantage of people's greed for money. It is still easy for outsiders who don't know the business to be fooled. If you give them the money in a fit of anger, you will have no place to cry!
Shi Qiushui pouted and said, "Dad, do you have any way to catch them?"
Shi Yue's eyes twitched. His daughter must have overestimated him.
He pinched Shi Qiushui's puffy little cheeks and said, "Let's go."
Shi Qiushui: "Ah? Where are you going?"
Shi Yue: "Go report to the police, don't you want to arrest them?
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