When the two arrived at Wan Jinlai's house, he had already changed his clothes and was ready to leave at any time.
To Fu Wan's surprise, the uncle was dressed very formally today—he was wearing a black long robe and mandarin jacket, and his hair was neatly combed, making him look like a very energetic old man from Beijing.
"Hey, Uncle Jin, all dressed up already?"
Qin Fu almost ruined Wan Jinlai's elegant demeanor the moment he opened his mouth. Wan Jinlai patted off some nonexistent dust and then gave Qin Fu a disdainful look.
"What do you know? People from the old Beijing dress like this for serious matters!"
He then picked up the small leather suitcase at his feet and opened the passenger door first.
Seeing this, Qin Fu shrugged. "Comrade Xiao Fu, let's go too!"
After getting in the car, Wan Jinlai kept talking and took the opportunity to introduce his outfit to Fu Wan in the back seat.
For the people of old Beijing, maintaining a respectable appearance was paramount. The saying "life and health" referred to how they regarded clothing as their second life.
From a young age, they were taught that they had to be "physically and physically presentable" when they went out; if they went out looking disheveled, it would be shameful.
Speaking of disheveled appearance, Wan Jinlai glanced sideways at Qin Fu, implying that he didn't need to name names.
The long robe and mandarin jacket evolved from the late Qing Dynasty and have been passed down through generations. As a native of Beijing, this was the attire Wan Jinlai wore on formal occasions from childhood to adulthood. (Image of long robe and mandarin jacket from the internet) Of course, in the tense years of the past, they could not wear this kind of clothing, but in recent years, as restrictions have gradually been lifted, people have started wearing it again.
Moreover, wearing this outfit to host an auction would add a lot of mystery and glamour to the event.
Imagine an old Beijing resident standing there, dressed in a traditional long robe and mandarin jacket, speaking fluent Beijing dialect, while various historical treasures are displayed on the stage.
This scene, described in just a few words, is enough to make Fu Wan feel as if she is there in an instant.
Business people are naturally good at talking, and Wan Jinlai kept making jokes along the way. In the blink of an eye, their car stopped in front of a pavilion with a strong ancient style.
Upon arriving at the destination, Wan Jin quickly picked up his suitcase and got out of the car, not forgetting to greet Fu Wan at the end.
"Comrade Xiao Fu, come this way!"
Seeing this, Fu Wan pushed open the door and followed. The closer she got to the attic, the clearer its appearance became.
Although the attic in front of us shows some signs of damage from the years, it is also clear that it has been repaired.
Even the carved wooden windows, Fu Wan noticed a lot of wire used for fixing them.
Many staff members passing by stopped to greet Wan Jinlai. Their attire was just as formal as Wan Jinlai's, only the colors were slightly different.
The men mostly wore dark blue robes, while the women wore red embroidered long-sleeved cheongsams.
That dress was really beautiful; it was a completely different style from the trendy dresses worn outside.
Fu Wan was wearing a newly bought white shirt paired with a red long skirt today, and compared to that, she actually looked a little outdated.
The cheongsam has been passed down for so many years, which shows that it has its unique charm.
Qin Fu didn't have so many thoughts. He had been here many times before, and judging from the way the staff looked, he was used to it.
After passing through several corridors, Fu Wan and her companion followed Wan Jin to a small house.
Wan Jinlai pushed open the door. Inside, there were two or three elderly men. When they saw someone come in, they just looked up and then continued to examine the things in front of them carefully with their magnifying glasses.
Fu Wan glanced over at it, and almost couldn't bear to look away the next second.
Good heavens! Blue and white porcelain vases, gilded incense burners with a classic feel, and all sorts of treasures that Fu Wan had only ever seen on TV.
However, she quickly withdrew her gaze. These items were clearly auction treasures, and looking at them any longer might cause trouble for Wan Jin.
"Comrade Xiao Fu, give me the items first, and I'll give you a receipt."
Wan Jinlai took out paper and pen from the cabinet, and then took out a black box from the suitcase.
Upon hearing this, Fu Wan opened her backpack and took out the two items.
Then she saw what was in Wan Jinlai's black box: a seal.
"Mr. Chen, could you please show this young comrade the number of pearls?"
Wan Jinlai called out to the nearest old man. Upon hearing that it was a pearl, Old Chen looked somewhat displeased, as his train of thought had been interrupted before he had even finished examining what he was holding.
However, he had seen Fu Wan's behavior when she first entered, so after thinking about it, he carefully put down what he was holding and walked over.
"Pearls, right? What quality are they?"
Fu Wan pushed the cloth bag on the table forward. "I don't know anything about quality, so please take a look."
Old Chen didn't say anything, opened the cloth bag to take a look, and then quickly closed it again.
"Wait a minute, I'll put on my glasses!"
He had tossed his reading glasses aside when he got up, thinking they were just ordinary pearls, but now he hurriedly picked them up from his desk and put them on.
"I must say, these pearls are of quite good quality!"
He muttered to himself as Wan Jinlai ground ink, and it was only then that Fu Wan realized that the uncle was actually using a calligraphy brush to write the order.
"Oh, Mr. Chen, stop looking around and hurry up and see how many there are. I still have to arrange things for this afternoon!"
Hearing Wan Jinlai's urging, Old Chen was not angry. He cooked the pearls one by one in the cloth bag and put them into the empty box next to him, which was lined with cloth. There were a total of twenty-six pearls, and he spent almost half an hour counting them.
Fu Wan reasonably suspected that the old man was deliberately stalling for time so he could admire the pearls more.
"Twenty-six pearls, in excellent condition."
After Mr. Chen made his conclusion, Wan Jinlai wrote down the numbers as well.
"We need Old Master Xiao to see the red coral," Wan Jinlai muttered to himself, then took the red stone from Fu Wan and put it into the last small cubicle.
However, he came out not long after, with a big smile on his face.
“My eyesight is still good; if it’s described as oxblood red, then it is oxblood red! Old Xiao even said he hadn’t seen such fine red coral in a long time.”
He excitedly filled out the form and then stamped it with his own seal and the auction house's seal.
Afterwards, he took out a stack of auction contracts and asked Fu Wan to sign them.
Fu Wan looked closely and saw that the fee was indeed calculated at six points. Qin Fu, worried that she might be taken advantage of, also came over and took a look.
After signing these documents, Fu Wan heard Wan Jin come and say:
"Comrade Xiao Fu, please leave your bank account number. We will transfer the funds to your account after the auction this afternoon."
Fu Wan nodded in agreement. From this perspective, the auction house had indeed saved a lot of trouble.
"Comrade Xiao Fu, please keep these documents safe for now. If you have any questions, come to me later."
By the way, would you like to attend the auction this afternoon?
There are some good things here; you might find something you like.
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