Chapter 57 Twenty-two Million!
Then Old Zhou spoke to Jiang Ling.
"Miss Jiang, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I've checked your bottle; it's fine. This way, please, let's discuss the price in detail."
He gestured for them to proceed, pointing to the tea table.
Wang Jingjing saw the sky-blue vase on the tea table and felt as if she had grasped something.
"Didn't your Jiang family go bankrupt? Where did this vase come from? Boss, don't be fooled by her. It's probably a fake she found somewhere to scam you out of money!"
Old Zhou was somewhat displeased. How dare an amateur question his judgment?
After all, he was in business, so he still spoke with great respect.
“Miss, I’ve been in this business for decades, and I can judge the authenticity of things myself. This bottle is indeed genuine, so please don’t trouble yourself.”
"Even if it's true, I wonder which man she tricked into giving it to you! Jiang Ling, all you have left is your looks. To pay off your debts, you'll do anything!" Wang Jingjing said with an air of conviction.
Jiang Ling sneered. "You really know how to apply your own experiences to others."
Li Shaoqun saw that she was fearless and only relied on having a broken vase.
If I buy the vase myself, I can put her in her place!
Having witnessed his strength, Jiang Ling had no choice but to rush up to him and beg for his help!
"It's just a vase, even if it's real, how much could it be worth! Boss, name your price! I'll buy it."
Then he lowered his head and said to Wang Jingjing in a bubble voice, "I'll buy it for you to smash around with!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Jingjing became smug and no longer felt embarrassed.
"Great! We'll smash it right in front of Jiang Ling!"
With just a few words, they sold a vase that hadn't even been priced yet?
Old Zhou was in a bit of a dilemma.
"Gentlemen, this vase still belongs to Miss Jiang and hasn't been priced yet. If you want to buy it, you'll have to wait until Miss Jiang and I have reached an agreement."
"No matter the price! I, Li Shaoqun, can afford it!"
He thought to himself that this vase was worth at most one or two million, and spending a few million to save face was worth it, even though it was expensive!
Jiang Ling was surprised that he dared to utter such arrogant words, and then said to Old Zhou:
"In that case, Mr. Zhou, name your price, plus a 10% service fee, and I can resell it to Young Master Li!"
Old Zhou nodded. “Alright. After my appraisal, this vase is indeed a genuine Ge ware piece, and a masterpiece among masterpieces. Its condition is excellent, almost perfect. Last year, a Ge ware vase of similar quality was sold at an auction house in Beijing for 25 million, which is verifiable. My offer to Miss Jiang is 20 million. If Miss Jiang feels it is not appropriate, she can negotiate.”
How many? !
Twenty million?!
A broken vase for twenty million?!
The two people who had just said they were going to smash things for fun were now frozen in shock!
"Okay, I agree to this price."
Jiang Ling nodded, quite satisfied with the offer. After all, she simply didn't have the time to deliver it to the auction site and go through all the auction procedures.
Furthermore, auctions also incur handling fees.
Since I've chosen to sell it to an antique shop, I naturally want to let them make a profit.
Old Zhou turned to Li Shaoqun and said, "Since Miss Jiang agrees to this price, then 20 million plus a 10% service fee equals 22 million. Young Master Li, will you be paying by card? Or...?"
Li Shaoqun immediately stammered, "How is that possible? A broken vase, sold for two thousand or more! You're all conspiring to swindle me!"
Old Master Zhou remained calm: "If Young Master Li has any questions, we can send it to the Cultural Relics Bureau for appraisal. Old Master Zhou is willing to cooperate to the best of his ability."
Wang Jingjing was unwilling to be looked down upon. "Young Master Li! Buy it, and we'll smash it right here! Let's see who dares to bully us then!"
Li Shaoqun shoved Wang Jingjing away.
This woman is crazy!
Even if he bought it for a million or two, he wouldn't smash it! He was just joking. If his dad found out he spent a million or two just to make a noise, he'd be the one getting smashed!
Besides, this vase isn't worth one or two million, it's worth twenty-two million!
He doesn't even have three million yuan at his disposal, how could he afford this vase!
"I...I see it now! The three of you are in cahoots! Trying to trick me? I'm not falling for it!"
After saying that, without waiting for Wang Jingjing to react, he turned around and rushed out.
The sound of the car engine immediately rang out.
"Young Master Li! Young Master Li! Wait for me!" Wang Jingjing didn't care about saving face and immediately chased after him!
Jiang Ling was speechless. Was this their stage?
Old Zhou thought he was a rich young master, but he turned out to be a pretentious guy!
But that's alright, he's not planning to sell it so soon. If he did, he'd feel like he'd lost out!
"Mr. Zhou, let's ignore them and continue discussing the price of the vase."
"Hmm? Didn't we just reach an agreement? Miss Jiang, you can't go back on your word so easily!"
Jiang Ling was taken aback, thinking that Teacher Zhou had quoted such a high price just to save face for her.
So it wasn't?
Jiang Ling smiled and said, "Then let's go with the price we just discussed. I need the money urgently, so please transfer it to me as soon as possible, Mr. Zhou."
Old Zhou breathed a sigh of relief! Fortunately, it wasn't a case of him going back on his word.
"Of course! The money will arrive within half an hour!"
Jiang Ling suddenly remembered that there was something else in her backpack.
"By the way, Mr. Zhou, I actually brought something else with me today. Would you like to take a look at it together?"
Old Zhou was taken aback. Was there an unexpected surprise?
"Of course, we should take a look at Miss Jiang's things."
Jiang Ling then took out a small box from her bag.
When Old Zhou saw that it was a plain, unremarkable modern box, his heart sank.
This is a box of the right size that Jiang Ling finally found on the counter; otherwise, she would have had to use a cardboard box to pack it.
Old Zhou opened the box and saw a gold wine vessel inlaid with gemstones lying inside. His pupils dilated instantly.
He put on gloves, gently picked up the wine bottle, examined the bottom, carefully looked at the openwork patterns, and then examined the gold material and the quality of the gemstones.
This is in near-perfect condition!
Moreover, this is very likely an item used by the imperial court of a certain dynasty!
He forced himself to remain calm. "Miss Jiang, this is genuine! And it's very likely a royal artifact! I specialize in porcelain, and my knowledge of antiques inlaid with precious metals, especially those made for the imperial family, is limited. I can't give you an estimate."
I know an old friend who is a top expert in this field, especially passionate about collecting antiques like these. Unfortunately, his position is rather exclusive, and he rarely meets with outsiders. I wonder if Ms. Jiang can trust me? I'll get him to appraise it and then get back to you.”
Jiang Ling nodded. They'd already traded twice; if they didn't trust each other, they wouldn't have come.
“Okay, now that we have 20 million, I’m not in a hurry to use the money. I’ll just leave it at Old Zhou’s shop. Old Zhou has my contact information. He can call me when he has a price.”
Old Zhou was surprised that Jiang Ling agreed so readily, after all, the value of this wine vessel probably far exceeded that of the Ge kiln gall-shaped bottle.
Feeling bad about it, Old Zhou took out his notebook and wrote down an IOU:
Today, Zhou Wenyuan, ID number xxx, temporarily accepts Jiang Ling, ID number xxx, and a gem-encrusted openwork gold wine vessel, tentatively valued at 50 million. In the event of loss or damage, I am willing to compensate Jiang Ling in full for the aforementioned tentative value of 50 million.
This document is hereby established as proof.
Signature, date, and fingerprint at the end.
He handed it to Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling took it and glanced at it, knowing that this was a guarantee given to her by Old Zhou, and then accepted it.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Elder Zhou."
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