Su Ran stood up and bowed slightly to Grandpa Song. "Hello, Grandpa Song. My name is Su Ran. We came here with Song Nian and the others today to bother you. Please forgive us."
The old man looked at Su Ran for a few seconds, then laughed heartily, "Hello, little girl, don't be so formal, just call me Grandpa Song like the other two."
Upon hearing this, Su Ran immediately spoke up, "Grandpa Song."
The old man nodded in satisfaction, looking at Song Nian with a hint of admiration in his eyes. "Little Nian, now you have a good friend. Look at the kind of people you brought before, they were just a bunch of scoundrels!"
Song Nian awkwardly touched his nose, after all, the people he had brought before did indeed like nightlife.
Wen Wen had been criticized by his grandfather before, but the two families were on good terms, and Wen Wen had been raised by his grandfather since he was a child, so he had a good temperament.
That's why Grandpa said that today, which shocked me a bit. After all, Grandpa had such a bad temper. Song Nian seemed to remember something and shook her head in fear.
Su Ran stood to one side with a smile on her face, remaining silent. Old Master Song turned his head and looked at Su Ran with a kind and gentle expression.
"Is Su girl still studying?" Su Ran nodded politely. "Yes, Grandpa Song, she's a senior at Shanghai University."
Grandpa Song looked at her with great appreciation, "Studying is good. The young lady should study hard. Xiao Nian, you should learn more from this girl and wash away your foolishness."
Wen Wen couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. After all, there were many times when Grandpa Song would scold Song Nian, but he still laughed every time he saw it.
The old man turned his head to look at Wen Wen, and Wen Wen's smile immediately stopped. He obediently sat up straight and stared straight ahead without moving.
Su Ran smiled upon seeing this, and even Ruan Ruan covered her mouth and chuckled.
The old man saw Su Ran still standing and said kindly, "Su girl, sit down quickly. When someone comes to appraise the treasure, you can watch if you think it's interesting. If you're bored, Xiao Nian will take you and the others out to play."
Su Ran was quite interested in this, and the system was also teaching her about it. After sitting down, she shook her head and said, "It's not boring. We'll just watch here for a while."
Grandpa Song nodded in satisfaction. After all, if it were Song Nian's old friends, they would have been led astray by Song Nian long ago. Those young people were impetuous and unambitious, not good at anything. On the contrary, this girl is calm and composed, which is good.
When the knocking sounded, Grandpa Song became serious.
He looked at the four of them and said softly, "Please sit down properly, we have guests today."
Song Nian nodded in agreement, and Su Ran also became interested. She propped her chin up and looked towards the door. Then the door was pushed open, and a man with his face covered by a cloth entered.
The man's belongings were also covered with a black cloth. He looked at Old Song and said in a low voice, "I've come here because I've heard so much about you. Is the fish large enough to eat?"
The man then placed the items on the wooden tea table in front of Grandpa Song. Grandpa Song stroked his beard and said softly, "It's Yan Song's birthday celebration."
Su Ran's eyes lit up after hearing Grandpa Song's words, after all, she was familiar with the proverb "Yan Song celebrates his birthday".
During the Ming Dynasty, Prime Minister Yan Song held absolute power. He was embezzling and accepting bribes as a matter of course. He held lavish birthday celebrations, and officials presented him with rare and precious items from all over the country, such as the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll. Some sycophantic officials, worried that their gifts would be wasted, would hand the gift list to Yan Song.
Yan Song said without any politeness, "I'll accept it all."
Although it carries a slightly negative connotation, it is quite honest.
So Old Master Song's meaning was very clear: he could accept anything the other party offered. Su Ran sat up straight, her eyes fixed on the two talking.
The man looked around warily at the people around him, then looked at Old Song and asked, "Don't you know these people?"
Old Song chuckled and said, "Young friend, don't worry. Since I, Old Song, have chosen this path, I will abide by the rules of this path."
The man hesitated for a moment, then directly removed the black cloth covering the item and handed it over. Grandpa Song waved his hand lightly, not taking the item, and pointed to the table.
"Let's just leave the goods as they are, as they won't stay in our hands for long."
Su Ran had learned about this rule from the system; she couldn't accept goods directly from the other party, for fear of being scammed.
Seeing the object revealed by the uncovered cloth, Su Ran was slightly surprised. This thing...
Upon hearing Old Master Song's words, the man sheepishly put down his things, muttering under his breath, "So many ridiculous rules."
The old man looked at the objects on the table with a more discerning eye. He picked one up with three fingers, twirled it in his hand, and then placed it steadily on the table.
She picked up a handkerchief from the side and wiped her hands, looking at the man with curious eyes, "May I ask if you know of this item, young friend?"
The man was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. Grandpa Song didn't say anything, but leaned back slightly and looked at the man with a smile. "Having a valuable treasure of unknown origin on your person is either stolen or burglarized. Which family sent you to find me?"
Hearing Grandpa Song's words, Su Ran understood a bit. There are many rules in the antique world. They won't collect treasures without a provenance, for fear of getting into trouble.
The system just mentioned this item.
It can be said that—
This man taking out this thing is extremely dangerous!
Upon hearing Old Master Song's words, the man's expression changed slightly. He knew exactly what the item he had brought was, but he hadn't expected Old Master Song to draw such a conclusion with just a casual glance.
The man laughed awkwardly and explained to Old Master Song, "Old Master Song, this thing belongs to the fish owner. I'm just a shrimp soldier and crab general, here to act as a messenger."
As he spoke, the man wrapped the treasure in a black cloth.
"Tiger Six, Tortoise Seven, see you next time, Mr. Song."
The man then bowed slightly, gathered the things on the table, and left the room.
Grandpa Song nodded slightly and watched the man leave.
Su Ran watched the man's departing figure, wondering about the owner of the item and whether Grandpa Song would accept it.
If I eat this stuff, someone else might have a hold over me.
Su Ran looked away. Old Master Song sat in his chair, stroking his beard, and put a stack of money on the table into a drawer. Then he said, "Xiao Nian, tell me your opinion."
Song Nian was drinking tea in his seat when he was suddenly called upon. He was speechless for a moment. After all, he came here to have fun, not to learn how to appraise treasures from his grandfather. So he hadn't paid attention to the items or looked at them closely. Who knew that his grandfather would suddenly call on him!
Not hearing Song Nian's reply, Grandpa Song looked up and gave Song Nian a rather disdainful look, his face full of disappointment. Song Nian guiltily touched the tip of his nose and turned his head to the side.
The room was quiet. Su Ran looked at the items on Grandpa Song's table and said, "Grandpa Song, is the way you arranged the items on your table a signal that you're going to sell your old things?"
As soon as Su Ran finished speaking, Grandpa Song turned to look at her and nodded approvingly, "Su girl has a good eye, much more useful than my useless grandson."
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