As he looked around, Sun Xingyan's calm face furrowed, and he lingered in one spot for a long time.
The stall owner's smiling expression froze, and he became somewhat nervous.
"What's wrong?" Xia Baozhu examined the painting.
"It's nothing, it's not the painting I wanted." Sun Xingyan returned the painting to the stall owner.
After leaving the stall, Sun Xingyan explained, "At first I thought it was a painting by Fan Pisi, a master of flower and bird painting from the Qi Dynasty. But it turns out I was wrong. It was a later imitation."
If it were an authentic piece, it would fetch at least 500,000 yuan now. Sun Xingyan felt like he had been on a rollercoaster of emotions, and it was impossible for him not to feel disappointed.
A barely perceptible hint of sadness flickered in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
Come to think of it, there are countless great painters and scholars in the capital. This painting is hung in such an obvious place that if it were an original, it would have been bought long ago.
He still didn't consider things thoroughly enough.
"I can't tell the difference between real and fake, I can only tell that the painting is good. You're the expert in this area."
Xia Baozhu rarely praised Sun Xingyan, and the praise made him extremely happy.
Having gained Xia Baozhu's approval, Sun Xingyan rallied his spirits and resolved to find something worthwhile today.
"Wait, Xingyan." Xia Baozhu, who was about to walk forward, stopped when a blue porcelain bottle caught her eye.
This stall has a lot of porcelain, in various colors and shapes, but the blue porcelain bottle doesn't stand out much.
She crouched down, picked up the porcelain bottle, and examined it carefully.
The bottle is light and elegant, but there is a crack at the bottom, and there is a red "纤" (qian) character on the bottom.
She was very familiar with this antique bottle; it was one of the treasures collected by her grandfather's friend. It was a piece of porcelain from the "Qian" series produced by an official kiln during the Qin Dynasty, and its quantity was extremely limited.
The grandfather bought it for 8.4 million yuan back then and loved it very much.
However, the flaw at the bottom of the bottle is a great pity, because it is this flaw that Xia Baozhu remembers so vividly.
This world is truly wondrous; it allowed her to see bottles that she had seen in later generations.
"You like this bottle?" Sun Xingyan squatted down and asked, examining the porcelain bottle.
"Yes, look how beautiful its lines are."
Xia Baozhu certainly couldn't say that the bottle would be valuable in the future; she emphasized that she valued the bottle's shape.
The stall owner thought Xia Baozhu had figured out the origin of the porcelain vase, but she didn't expect that she just regarded the vase as a work of art. It wouldn't be easy to get a high price for it.
"If you like it, buy it." Sun Xingyan looked up and asked, "Boss, how much is this?"
"Five hundred." The shopkeeper pondered and settled on a reasonable price.
This bottle was collected along with other items; it's worthless anyway, so we'll make a profit no matter how much we sell it for.
“Okay.” Sun Xingyan didn’t haggle and took out five hundred yuan. “Give me two more newspapers, and we’ll wrap it up.”
The boss regretted not offering a lower price when he saw how readily Sun Xingyan paid.
He wanted the bottle back, but he was also afraid that the other party was just a sucker who simply liked the bottle itself.
He sighed, took the money, and pulled out two newspapers.
Xia Baozhu smiled and wrapped the bottle up, then put it in her bag.
"Let's go." She took Sun Xingyan's arm, her heart leaping with joy, as if she wanted to jump for joy.
She performed well just now, and Sun Xingyan cooperated very well.
Sun Xingyan sensed her joy: "You like it that much? Why don't you buy another one?"
"Yes, I like it very much." Xia Baozhu couldn't hide her smile at all.
Over eight million! What a bargain! What a windfall!
This is the first huge sum of money she has earned since coming here, although it is fixed and has not yet been cashed out.
No wonder so many people love to find bargains; the feeling of getting something for nothing and gaining something without effort is simply too good to be true.
"I'll buy it when I find a suitable one."
Xia Baozhu wasn't greedy. Having one item was an absolute stroke of good luck for her; she wouldn't even dare to dream of having another.
"Boss, where's the blue bottle we just put here?" A middle-aged man hurried over, pulling an elderly man wearing reading glasses along with him.
"I bought it." The stall owner's heart sank, feeling as if he had lost a million.
The middle-aged man had been loitering around his stall for a long time, picking up and examining every item.
But he glanced at the blue bottle twice and put it down, making the stall owner think he wasn't interested. It turns out he's quite the actor.
The couple who just spoke probably had their eyes on the bottle all along, so they said those things on purpose to make him lose a lot of money.
They're all such good actors.
I knew he would have asked for at least 100,000, no! 200,000!
Having learned his lesson this time, he'll definitely demand exorbitant prices in the future.
It's a pity that you can't buy hindsight in life.
My heart aches! My heart is bleeding!
The middle-aged man, even more heartbroken than him, sighed deeply, buried his head in his hands, and squatted down. His precious child!!!
Just one step away!
Xia Baozhu was unaware that she had bought the porcelain vase before anyone else.
All she knows now is that the sky is so blue and Sun Xingyan is even more handsome.
Ma Zhaoshi came over and excitedly patted Sun Xingyan's arm: "Good lad, I knew you were quite knowledgeable, you can even tell the difference from such an ordinary stone."
"It was just a coincidence." If Xia Baozhu hadn't been there, Sun Xingyan would have started bragging long ago.
In order to maintain his image, he chose to be low-key and humble.
Sun Xingyan eventually spent five thousand yuan to buy a painting of bamboo forest in autumn wind by Ruichao, intending to give it to his father.
Under Sun Xingyan's guidance, Ma Zhaoshi bought a simple and cute stone carving of an animal, but he couldn't guarantee its authenticity.
"Whether it's true or not, I'll assume it is, just to share in your good luck."
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