Chapter 75: Picking Up Bargains and Uninvited Guests
After coming out of the Friendship Store, Shi Xiaoai suggested that the remaining time would be just enough to take the two children to the nearby People's Park for a walk.
But this time Cheng Yang rejected her proposal.
Cheng Yang said, "We'll come back to the park later. While I'm out on my bike today, let's go to the state-owned consignment store. Haven't you been wanting to go there for a long time?"
Xiao Ai had forgotten about this matter before Cheng Yang mentioned it. As soon as he mentioned it, her interest was immediately piqued and she agreed immediately.
The two children had new handkerchiefs and delicious candies, and they had no objection to where to go for fun. Naturally, their parents had the final say.
So the whole family sat on the tricycle again and Cheng Yang pulled it towards the state-owned consignment store.
But they didn't know that not long after they left, Xiaomei came out of the Friendship Store with the new director of their chemical factory.
She was originally smiling, but when she saw the familiar figures walking away, the smile on her face disappeared almost instantly.
Instead, his face turned pale.
Shi Xiaoai and the others had no idea how nervous and worried Shi Xiaomei was, and even if they knew, they wouldn't care.
After stepping into the commissioned store, Shi Xiaoai's heart was filled with joy. It felt like a little mouse falling into a rice box!
Cheng Yang brought them to the Chaoyang Commissioned Store in the western part of Yuncheng. Although the name sounded evocative, the store was actually quite old, rumored to have existed before the founding of the People's Republic of China and later became state-owned after a public-private partnership.
This is not the same as what Aunt Liu introduced to Shi Xiaoai before. The items purchased and consigned here are of much higher quality than the Dongcheng consignment store introduced by Aunt Liu.
In addition to the most common daily necessities such as kettles and stoves, Shi Xiaoai actually saw an 80% new imported grand piano at the entrance!
In addition to the piano, she also saw a three-seater dark purple-red cowhide sofa and a lacquer-carved jewelry box inlaid with mother-of-pearl, all of which were luxury items she had not expected to encounter.
Seeing her staring at the piano, a salesperson in a gray Mao suit came over and politely asked her if she wanted to pick out some instruments. He enthusiastically explained that they also had dulcimers, accordions, violins, and violas in the warehouse, and that she could go to the warehouse to choose one if she wanted.
Shi Xiaoai didn't have much musical talent. Although she had briefly learned piano for a few days in her previous life under the pressure of her mother, she soon gave up because she had no time to learn martial arts.
She has no knowledge of musical instruments, but that doesn't stop Xiao Ai from seeing that there are many good things hidden here.
"Are there any old things from the past?" she asked tentatively.
"What kind of old items do you want to see, domestic or foreign? We have several old-fashioned watches and a consignment music box. If you are interested, you can come over here and take a look." The man enthusiastically pointed to a counter at the back.
Although Shi Xiaoai was not very interested in watches and music boxes, it did not stop her from being curious.
Plus, the man's attitude was very good, so she naturally followed him.
The man walked to the counter and took out a shallow wooden box covered with black velvet. Inside the box were several watches of varying states of old and new.
When Xiao Ai took out the watch, her first reaction was - I can’t afford it, I can’t afford it.
After all, although she doesn't have much money in her pocket, she still has a good vision.
Let’s not talk about anything else, just talk about the Plum Blossom men’s watch in the middle of the box. Although it is not the most expensive model, you can’t get it without hundreds of thousands of dollars in the future.
Sure enough, the salesperson pointed at the watch and said to Shi Xiaoai, "Comrade, you can take a look at this one. This one is a Swiss watch. Although it is a little old, it is well maintained and very suitable for your lover."
As he spoke, he looked in the direction of Cheng Yang and the children.
Shi Xiaoai followed his gaze and looked at Cheng Yang, who looked tall and graceful in new clothes. Only then did she realize why this man had been so nice to them since they entered the door.
It turns out that you should respect the clothes first and then the person!
She couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm not buying anything for him today. I want to pick something I like."
Hearing her say this, the man was slightly stunned, then immediately reacted, pointing to a women's watch next to him and said, "Comrade, would you like to take a look at this one?"
But after being interrupted by him, Shi Xiaoai no longer had any interest in the watch.
She had no intention of buying a watch.
She stood up and said, "Let me see something else."
The man agreed and put the watch back on the counter, but his attitude did not change. He continued to enthusiastically recommend other things to her.
While Shi Xiaoai was talking to the salesperson, the two children had already become impatient and started looking for things that interested them in the store.
While his wife went to pick things out, Cheng Yang naturally took on the task of taking care of the children.
He had to keep a close eye on the cubs to prevent them from getting into any trouble if he lost sight of them.
"Dad, let's go take a look at that. I want to see that!" Mingrui said excitedly, pointing to a toy car on the bottom floor of the counter at the entrance.
What boy doesn't love cars? Especially when it's shaped like a military vehicle.
Seeing him like this, Cheng Yang naturally couldn't refuse.
He looked in his daughter's direction and found Mingxi squatting in front of a box, looking at it intently.
He couldn't help but stretch his neck to see what was in the box.
"Dad, let's go, let's go!" Mingrui couldn't wait to pull him again.
"You go with him, I'll go watch the stream." Just then Xiao Ai came over.
So Cheng Yang was pulled away by his son.
She walked towards her daughter.
Seeing her, Xiaoxi was very excited and reached out to pull the corner of Shi Xiaoai's clothes: "Mom, mom, look how beautiful these cups are! They are much more beautiful than the cups at our house!"
Hearing her daughter say this, Shi Xiaoai leaned forward.
When Shi Xiaoai saw the porcelain bowls and plates with various landscape, flower and bird patterns, the expression on her face suddenly changed.
She picked them up one by one and examined them carefully, a little bit unbelieving.
After confirming that there were genuine treasures from the late Qing Dynasty among them, she was completely shocked!
I can't believe that someone would just throw such a treasure into a broken wooden box on the ground so carelessly.
It seems like it's worthless.
She held up the tea bowl she had been looking at before to the salesperson and asked, "How much is this?"
The salesperson took a look and said nonchalantly, "One without cracks or dents is 1.5 cents, one with cracks or chips is 5 cents."
Xiao Ai's heart was pounding, but she couldn't help but confirm again: "15 cents each? This whole box is the same price?"
She pretended to be indifferent and pointed at the box behind her.
The salesperson smiled and said, "Yes, that's the price for all of them. Although this box contains old items, they're all from folk kilns. There aren't many fine pieces, so the prices are all the same. If you like, you can take a look; you might even find a few nice ones."
Shi Xiaoai quickly lowered her eyes and suppressed the excitement in her eyes.
She knew that she had gotten lucky today!
The salesperson was right; this box was indeed filled with civilian porcelain from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. Most of them were pots and bowls for daily use, looking old and ordinary.
Things from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China are not valuable because they are close to the modern era and there are many of them left.
Even in later times, a good quality ordinary porcelain from this era that could be sold for a few hundred or a thousand yuan was considered expensive.
But there was one thing that was different.
While the salesperson wasn't paying attention, Shi Xiaoai put the porcelain bowl back, and then pretended to pick up a porcelain plate.
She gently wiped the label on the bottom of the plate with her hand, then held it up to her eyes for a closer look. After confirming that it was indeed the word "Yu Cen", she held the plate tighter.
Shi Xiaoai was very sure that the porcelain plate in her hand was the work of Mr. Liu Yucen, one of the Eight Friends of Zhushan.
Mr. Yu Cen is best at this kind of ceramic pastel flowers and birds. His works have always been praised by the world for their elegance, beauty and lifelikeness.
The plate has a white background and is painted with five dark brown wild ducks. They are either spreading their wings or leaning against each other intimately, playing in the pond beside the bamboo forest.
It looks very vivid.
Although the plate looks dirty due to improper preservation and the patterns are covered by loose dust and dirt, it still cannot resist the charm of the porcelain itself.
When Shi Xiaoai's parents were young, they worked hard to make a living. But when they got older, they became more open-minded. After handing over the business to their son, they focused their energy on their respective hobbies.
Her father loves collecting and her mother loves calligraphy and painting. While developing their hobbies, they did not forget to bring their daughter along to learn from them.
So although Shi Xiaoai is young, she can be said to be knowledgeable and has a pretty good eye.
In her previous life, she had seen a set of four-panel porcelain panel paintings by Mr. Yu Cen. It was a collection of an old friend of her father. It was said that it was bought at an auction for a little more than eight million.
This plate should be one of the master's early works. Its price is definitely not comparable to that of the four-panel screen, but it definitely should not be placed in this box that is being tampered with by anyone.
Seeing her love for these porcelains, the salesperson pointed to the display cabinet outside and said to her: "If you like these old items, you can go and take a look at those outside. The items in there are of very good quality."
Shi Xiaoai smiled and said a little embarrassedly: "Forget it, I'll just take a look at what's inside. The main thing is that the color of this plate is beautiful and the children like it. Otherwise, who has the spare money to buy these?"
After hearing her say this, the salesperson nodded in understanding and did not mention it again.
Xiao Ai knew the items in the display cases were all good. For example, the small Doucai bat-cloud bowl in the middle, dating from the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty, was priced at 1,200 yuan.
One thousand and two!
Although she knew that the price would double in a few years, and in a few decades, the price would skyrocket.
But the prerequisite is that she has no money to buy it now!
No matter how good something is, she has to be able to swallow it. If she doesn't have this ability, she won't force it.
Shi Xiaoai was really reluctant to put the plate down. She held it in her arms with care, and then continued to pick things in the box with her other hand.
Mingxi looked at her, then raised the small bowl in her hand in front of her and asked, "Mom, does this look good?"
Shi Xiaoai took a look and saw that what her daughter was holding was just an ordinary small blue and white porcelain bowl.
It is about the size of a palm, and there are a few dancing butterflies and some small grass flowers painted on the bowl.
"Xiaoxi likes this, right?" she asked.
Mingxi nodded, thought about it and shook his head.
Shi Xiaoai couldn't help but laugh: "What does this mean? Like it and dislike it at the same time?"
"This bowl looks better than the one we use to hold tea eggs. It's better than the ones we use at home. We'll definitely be able to sell more." Mingxi said to her seriously.
Shi Xiaoai didn't expect her daughter to say such a thing.
She always knew that these two little ones in her family were smart, but she didn't expect that they were not only smart but also cared so much about the family.
She squatted down, smiled, stroked her daughter's head and said, "Don't worry about the things at home. Mom and Dad will take care of the shopping. Just pick one you like. You can only choose one, so hurry up, otherwise it will be invalid after the expiration date."
Then she picked up the small bowl and asked, "You want this, right?"
Mingxi was obviously stunned when she heard that it was invalid after expiration. She subconsciously turned her head to look at her father and brother.
Seeing her brother pointing at a big car and talking to her father, the little girl suddenly became anxious.
After hearing what her mother said, she quickly shook her head and said, "I don't want it. I'll go over there and take a look!"
Then he turned and ran towards the door.
Shi Xiaoai always knew that her daughter was a person who would not tolerate any loss. She could do without something, but if her brother had something, she must also have a share, otherwise there would be a big fuss.
Even though she is only a few minutes younger than Octavia, she acts like an older girl and has a very good self-image. She knows how to use her status to bully her brother and feel sorry for herself.
As long as she doesn't go too far, Shi Xiaoai doesn't bother to say anything.
After all, he is still very young, and Octavia is just used to being the boss and he is not really stupid.
When he gets serious, Mingxi is still afraid of him.
After tricking her daughter away, Shi Xiaoai put the small bowl back into the box and searched through it again.
However, no matter how carefully she searched, she couldn't find anything else that was as heavy as the plate in her arms.
But she had no regrets. After all, it was a blessing to come across a bargain once. How could there be so many bargains waiting for you to pick up?
After another round, the family prepared to leave.
Mingrui looked at the model car for a long time but didn't buy it in the end. Instead, Cheng Yang chose an old-fashioned Western clock.
The clock is very beautiful. It can be seen that it is an old-fashioned chime clock imported from abroad before the liberation.
The entire bell body is painted with a layer of gold paint, and the top is made to look like a church bell.
Perhaps when it tells the time, the four bells on the clock will also turn.
But this clock looks too old. Not only is the gold paint peeling off, but the hands also don’t move at all.
Seeing Cheng Yang holding the baby in his arms so tenderly, Shi Xiaoai looked at him with questioning eyes like her own children.
In order to show that he was quite skilled and could indeed repair things, Cheng Yang stopped at a hardware store on the way back and bought a set of special tools.
After this trip, it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon when they returned home. Not only were they very hungry, but the two children were also drowsy.
When they were almost at the door of their house, Cheng Yang suddenly stepped on the brakes. The three people sitting in the back were caught off guard and all fell forward.
Shi Xiaoai couldn't help but exclaim "Ah".
Because she was sitting with her back to the front, she had no idea what was happening at the moment.
Before she could turn around, Mingxi, who was sitting opposite her, stood up and shouted, "Mom, look, there are two people standing at our door!"
There are two people standing at the door?
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