After the two parties met, Pan Kang gave Hu Yunhe and the seller a brief introduction.
Of course, neither side would reveal their true identities. Hu Yunhe only knew that the other party's surname was Wan and that he knew from his accent that he was from Northeast China.
As for the introduction of Hu Yunhe, it was even more vague. If the other party knew that Hu Yunhe was a high-ranking official in the puppet government's secret service headquarters, they would probably turn against him immediately, and the business deal would fall through.
After everyone introduced themselves, the waiter knocked on the door and entered. He quickly set out the table full of food and drinks, bowed, and left.
After the three were seated, Hu Yunhe smiled slightly and asked first, "Mr. Wan, you just came from the Northeast. I wonder what the situation is like there?"
Upon their first meeting, he still wanted to find out more about the other party. Judging from his appearance, this Boss Wan was not a kind person.
Boss Wan glanced at Hu Yunhe but didn't answer his probing question. He slammed the bag he was holding onto the table with a loud "thud," indicating that it was quite heavy.
He said impatiently, "Why ask so many questions? We brothers are all in business, we have plenty of gold and silver in our hands. Take a look, if it's suitable, we'll take it; if not, we'll part ways."
Hu Yunhe frowned. The other party was obviously very wary, but it was normal for everyone to be wary of each other. He didn't say anything more and gestured to Pan Kang with his eyes.
Pan Kang immediately understood and quickly tried to ease the tension, saying with a smile, "Mr. Wan is a very straightforward person, but we need to talk business and make friends too, so that we can do things well in the future. Come on, the food is all served. Let's have a few drinks first, and talk while we eat, haha!"
So everyone raised their glasses and drank together. After a few rounds of drinks and several dishes, the atmosphere in the room became more harmonious, and Mr. Wan's attitude became noticeably warmer.
The three men chatted casually, and after a few drinks with Hu Yunhe and Pan Kang's deliberate flattery, Boss Wan soon started to open up.
As Hu Yunhe had expected, this Boss Wan was indeed the leader of a gang of bandits entrenched in the Northeast. He had come to Shanghai to sell the gold and silver he had plundered over the years. Although he was cautious in his words, Hu Yunhe, an experienced man, quickly figured out his identity.
Seeing that the foreplay was almost done and the other party's identity was not a big problem, Hu Yunhe felt more at ease. He then put down his wine glass and gestured to Pan Kang with his eyes.
Pan Kang understood and said with a smile, "Boss Wan, you're a straightforward person, so let's not beat around the bush and take a look at the goods first!"
Upon hearing this, Boss Wan quickly downed a glass of wine, nodded, and said, "Yes, business is important, business is important! Boss Hu, don't worry, you'll be satisfied with the quality of this stuff, it's absolutely genuine gold and silver!"
After saying that, he pushed the leather bag on the table forward. Hu Yunhe no longer stood on ceremony. He opened the bag and looked at it. Sure enough, it was full of gold and silver jewelry and two gold bars. He took out a gold bracelet inlaid with gemstones and examined it carefully.
Hu Yunhe is an expert in the gold and silver business. He can tell the authenticity and quality of an item as soon as he picks it up. Although this gold bracelet has an old-fashioned style, it is of excellent quality and feels heavy in the hand. It is definitely a genuine item of high purity.
To his surprise, the gemstone set in it was a rare ruby. Although the color was uneven, somewhat dark, and even had a crack, it looked unremarkable.
But this is precisely the true characteristic of natural rubies. If a ruby's color has absolutely no variation in shade, it is very likely a fake.
Moreover, rubies are generally prone to cracks, hence the saying in the jewelry industry that "nine out of ten rubies are cracked."
What's even more remarkable is the size of this ruby. Rubies are generally not very large, and such a large ruby is a rare and precious find.
Hu Yunhe picked up the bracelet and examined it closely in the sunlight. He seemed to be observing the bracelet's quality, but he was actually checking the color changes of the ruby.
Rubies exhibit dichroism, meaning their color can appear as deep red or light red depending on the angle of view. If a ruby does not exhibit dichroism, it is definitely a fake.
He quickly got the answer: this was an extremely rare, large-sized natural ruby. Hu Yunhe didn't even need to look at the other items; this one ruby alone was worth several times more than all the other gold items in the bag combined.
This deal absolutely must be closed!
Hu Yunhe's eyes narrowed, and he secretly made up his mind. It was common for Jinhao Silver Shop, which processed gold and silver jewelry, to set pearls and gemstones in jewelry. Gold and silver materials were fine, as they could be bought with money. However, the best natural gemstones, such as pearls, were rare and precious. Once he saw them, he would never let them go.
Moreover, it's clear that this Boss Wan has no idea of the ruby's value. In the eyes of these bandits, only gold and silver are truly valuable. This ruby is just an ordinary stone; to them, it's probably no different from a regular rock.
From this, we can infer that among the looted treasures, there are probably many such treasures. This is a great fortune for me!
Hu Yunhe and Pan Kang exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly. Then, they casually put the gold bracelet back into their purses and pretended to examine the other jewelry. Indeed, as Boss Wan had said, these gold and silver jewelry pieces shared the same characteristics as the previous bracelet: typical northern style. Although the designs were old, the purity was very high. Hu Yunhe even found a trace of dark red in the stamping groove of a gold bar, which was a dried bloodstain.
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