The old man still shook his head. Annie angrily took all the money out of her wallet and gave it to the old man. The old man took the money, happily put it in his pocket, opened the scroll, and laid it flat on the table. "You can't touch it with your hands," the old man pointed at Annie.
“Okay!” Annie knew the painting was priceless and readily agreed.
On the slightly yellowed paper, five cows are lined up from left to right, each with its own appearance and posture. One cow is bowing its head to eat grass, another is raising its head forward, one is turning its head to lick its tongue, one is walking slowly forward, and another is scratching itself on a bramble bush. Apart from a small tree on the far right, there is no other background in the painting.
The five cows have bright, piercing eyes and strong, steady lines, perfectly capturing their form and spirit. The five cows also have different coat colors, and different colors are applied to the contours of their bodies.
The person on the other end of the phone was breathing heavily. "No, I can't see it, I can't see it!" He kept instructing Annie, making her change positions, trying to see every detail in the painting.
Annie was sweating profusely. The scene was like this; even if she applied the sticker, it wouldn't meet her grandfather's requirements, and there was nothing she could do.
More than an hour later, the old man impatiently put the painting away. "The Ten Famous Paintings, I'll let you look at them for a while, that's enough. Why are you going on and on? If you don't understand, don't pretend to know."
The person on the other end of the line seemed to be still enjoying the sight, but couldn't make it out clearly, which made him very anxious. "Sir, it's really hard to see clearly like this. I'll book a ticket now and head back immediately. Could you please wait for me for a couple of days?"
The old man on the other end sounded very anxious, as if afraid that the old man would not agree.
"Do you want this Tang tri-colored pottery?" the old man asked.
"Yes!" The other person said with certainty. These two Tang tri-color pottery pieces are considered national treasures, and the Five Oxen painting is a national treasure. They never expected that their granddaughter would have such a great harvest after going back home.
"Twenty-five million, I want cash," the old man said bluntly.
"No problem, you must wait two days for this Five Oxen painting. Price is not an issue." The other party readily agreed.
“I also need cash for this Five Oxen painting. You should know its value. There’s no way you can get it for free. You’d better have cash ready. Once you’ve decided, we can trade directly. Don’t try to raise money later, or it’ll be pointless. I won’t wait for you.” The old man said seriously.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." The other party readily agreed.
"Give me 25 million tomorrow, and we'll trade Tang tri-color pottery first," the old man said again.
"No problem!"
The other party didn't haggle and readily agreed. Annie felt a pang of pain; she had spent an extra five million! That old bastard was just taking advantage of her grandfather's interest in the Five Oxen painting and deliberately trying to manipulate them.
I hung up the phone.
The old man told Annie, "The transaction will take place tomorrow night at eight o'clock at the tricycle station. No waiting for latecomers."
After saying that, he strode out of the room.
Annie took a deep breath. The old man made her very uncomfortable and angry, but her grandfather clearly valued the Five Oxen Painting highly, making a special trip back for it, even more so than the previous personal seal. She must have done something good for her grandfather.
Although the old man had an eccentric temper, she had only met him twice in her life, so she tolerated it.
At 8 p.m. the following evening, Annie, accompanied by a bodyguard, waited at the agreed-upon location.
The old man rode over wobblingly on his tricycle, carrying the same earthen basket from yesterday.
Neither of them spoke. Annie took a flashlight, stepped forward, looked at the contents of the basket, and gestured for the bodyguard to put the bag he was carrying onto the tricycle.
Anne: "My grandfather will arrive tomorrow morning."
"Come find me here tomorrow at noon, and we'll arrange a place to meet again." The old man didn't even glance at the handbag in the car before riding off on his tricycle.
Anne... wasn't afraid that what she gave wasn't money.
Old man... did you just use such a big bait for nothing?
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