“That’s quite possible. After all, this pipa is from the Tang Dynasty. Maybe Yang Guifei used it to play music for Emperor Xuanzong of Tang,” Xu Manling said softly.
It was clearly a joke, but Lauters and Matsumoto both took it seriously, and their eyes seemed to be filled with amazement when they looked at the pipa again.
A stunningly beautiful woman paired with a world-renowned pipa—that alone is enough to make any man's imagination run wild.
Chen Ke glanced at Xu Manling, but Xu Manling raised her eyebrows slightly and made a helpless expression.
Chen Ke felt that Xu Manling must have seen through his intentions, but as for why she didn't expose him...
“Mr. Matsumoto, let’s take a look at Mr. Chen’s treasure now. After hearing what Mr. Chen just said, I can’t wait to see it.” Xu Manling said with a smile, easily drawing Lauters and Matsumoto’s attention to Chen Ke.
"Oh right, right, and Mr. Chen's treasures too. Mr. Chen, can you open the box and let us have a look now?"
Chen Ke smiled and said, "Of course. I can say with great confidence that this treasure is in no way inferior to Mr. Matsumoto's five-stringed pipa."
"Yeah?"
Chen Ke didn't say anything, but carried the small leather suitcase to the desk. He had originally planned to rip off a big customer, so he put three antiques in the suitcase. However, after seeing what Matsumoto had collected, it was clear that it was not on the same level as Lauters. Ordinary antiques should not attract him.
So Chen Ke only took out the rabbit fur teacup, which was wrapped up tightly.
"Oh, is this all there is in Mr. Chen's box?" Lauters said with a hint of regret.
"This one is enough." Chen Ke said, unfolding the layers of silk cloth covering the outside.
When they reached the last floor, Chen Ke said to Xu Manling, "Ms. Xu, could you please draw the curtains?"
Xu Manling nodded, turned around, and drew the curtains.
"Mr. Chen, is this the legendary luminous pearl of China? Do we have to draw the curtains to see it?"
Chen Ke looked at it as if the two were completely incomparable, saying, "This is much more precious than a luminous pearl." After all, a luminous pearl is just a fluorescent stone, and no matter how precious it is, it is still just a mineral. How can it compare to a unique rabbit's fur teacup?
After Chen Ke said that, Matsumoto and Lauters stared intently at Chen Ke's hand, their eyes burning with desire. They were about to uncover the last layer of mystery. What was it?
Even Xu Manling's curiosity was piqued.
Chen Ke didn't keep anyone in suspense; the moment the curtains were drawn, he slowly began to unveil the last layer.
As the final veil was lifted, a small, dazzling starry sky seemed to appear on the table. The hare's fur teacup was dotted with flares that shone with an eerie light and changed colors, making it seem more like a mysterious universe.
"Hiss!" Lauters gasped in surprise. "What, what is this?"
"My God, am I seeing the starry sky on my desk?" Matsumoto was so excited that he forgot to speak Chinese and blurted out a sentence in Japanese.
Of the three, only Xu Manling spoke with shock and hesitation: "Could this be the legendary... hare's fur cup?"
"Miss Xu has a discerning eye and is very knowledgeable. Indeed, this is a unique black-glazed Jian ware tea bowl from the Southern Song Dynasty."
"Indeed, I had only read about Jian ware in books before, saying how precious, magical and beautiful it was. But seeing the real thing today, I can say that seeing is believing. Words cannot describe even a tenth of it."
"It's beautiful, so beautiful, so incredibly beautiful!" Lautes, who wasn't very well-educated, could only express his exclamations in a straightforward manner.
Matsumoto was too shocked to speak.
Chen Ke understood, after all, the Japanese have been influenced by Chinese culture since their birth, so it was not surprising that they were so captivated by this work that showcased the pinnacle of Chinese art.
He spent a full half hour looking at it, carefully moving it from one side of the table to the other, not missing a single angle, truly appreciating it from every 360 degrees.
"An absolute masterpiece!" Matsumoto concluded after admiring it. "This is absolutely an absolute masterpiece!"
Seeing this, Chen Ke drew back the curtains. The rabbit fur teacup, which was sitting quietly on the table, was not as dazzling as it was in the dark, but it was still so beautiful that one could not take their eyes off it.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Mr. Chen, this treasure of yours has truly opened my eyes." Matsumoto exclaimed as he sat down in the chair, his eyes still fixed on the rabbit fur teacup as he spoke.
Chen Ke began tidying up the silk cloth on the table and sincerely praised, "Mr. Matsumoto's five-stringed pipa is also quite good."
"Hey, is Mr. Chen going to put it away already?" Matsumoto panicked when he saw this. He hadn't seen enough yet, why was he going to put it away already?
Chen Ke stopped what he was doing and pretended to look at the wall clock. “I should get back to work, Mr. Matsumoto. If we don’t hurry, this job will be hard to finish in three days.”
"Oh, none of those things are important, Mr. Chen. In my eyes, all those things combined are not as good as this one thing from Mr. Chen."
"When it comes to antiques, it really depends on personal preference. It seems that Mr. Matsumoto has taken a liking to my piece." After saying that, Chen Ke began to tidy up the silk cloth again.
Matsumoto couldn't sit still any longer and kept looking at Lauters, hoping he would speak first. After all, only Lauters could do something as shameless as buying a chamber pot.
Lauters lived up to Matsumoto's expectations, and upon receiving the signal, he opened his mouth, leaving Matsumoto speechless.
"Mr. Chen, you see how much Mr. Matsumoto likes it, why don't you part with it and sell it to him?"
Matsumoto's mind went blank for a moment, and he cursed under his breath for asking such a blunt question. He wondered if Mr. Chen would agree.
Chen Ke did not agree, his brow furrowing slightly, and he said with some difficulty, "Mr. Lauters, it's not that I'm stingy, it's just that I really like this treasure too—"
"Oh dear, Mr. Chen is a friend. Look how much Mr. Matsumoto likes it! He's staring at it so intently. I've never seen him so infatuated. Mr. Chen, this time you can name your price. Mr. Matsumoto won't even blink!"
After Lauters finished speaking, he looked at Matsumoto, as if urging him: I've already said all this, why don't you hurry up and give me your opinion?
Matsumoto subconsciously felt that Lauters was definitely not saying these things to someone who was indifferent to fame and fortune and only cared about interests, but given the current situation, he could only nod quickly, "Yes, Mr. Chen, as long as you are willing to part with it, you can ask for anything."
Matsumoto eventually changed his tune, saying that talking about money held no appeal for someone who didn't care about it.
Chen Ke's expression softened, and he began to hesitate.
Seeing this, Lauters came over generously and patted Chen Ke on the shoulder, "Mr. Chen, we're all friends. For the sake of friendship, please grant Mr. Matsumoto's wish."
"Oh dear, this is really... but... we are all friends... sigh..." Chen Ke seemed so embarrassed that he could hardly speak.
Xu Manling, who was standing far away, was stunned by what she saw. To be honest, the scene was quite dramatic no matter how you looked at it.
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