Chapter 37: Poaching
Professor Qian was furious. If he didn't cooperate, Old Hong would definitely go to Zhao Xiaofei. If Old Hong helped organize some exhibition, his son's Rongbaotang would surely suffer. But cooperating was nothing more than chronic suicide. It was cultivating a rival for his son, while he could only reap some early benefits.
Old Hong was in no mood to watch them argue, so he sat aside and looked at the paintings. Professor Qian thought about it and called his son to clarify the matter.
After a while, Professor Qian gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! Lao Hong and I will go there to take a look. If it's suitable, I agree to cooperate with you."
"How great! It's a win-win situation for both of us. Don't think this will create a rival company. We have a long time for cooperation in the future!" Zhao Xiaofei smiled proudly.
"Stop talking nonsense! Let's go now! Xiao Zheng! Drive!" Professor Qian told Zheng Wenjuan to drive. Zhao Xiaofei took Professor Hong to the villa. Jiang Xiaomei was waiting for them in the basement.
After a simple renovation, the basement had been transformed into an underground vault. It was filled with safes of varying sizes. Zhao Xiaofei brought Professor Qian, Professor Hong, and Zheng Wenjuan to the basement.
Four people came in, and Zhao Xiaofei introduced them to Professor Qian and the others: "Let me introduce you! This is my fiancée, Jiang Xiaomei!"
Professor Qian and Professor Hong nodded briefly, and Zheng Wenjuan went over to shake hands with Jiang Xiaomei. Jiang Xiaomei asked Zhao Xiaofei, "Shall I open everything here now?"
"Yes! Open them all! Let Professor Qian and Professor Hong open their eyes! See our collection!" Zhao Xiaofei said with a smile.
Jiang Xiaomei then pulled out a notebook and entered the codes one by one, following the numbers on the page. This took an entire hour, and when all the safes were opened, Professor Hong, Professor Qian, and Zheng Wenjuan were stunned. Only the treasures of the Forbidden City could compare to such treasures. Unfolding before them was a historical treasure trove, filled with history and stories.
Professor Qian and Zheng Wenjuan started from the left, while Professor Hong, Zhao Xiaofei, and Jiang Xiaomei started from the right. After a cursory tour, it was already afternoon. Professors Qian and Hong must be old, so they won't be able to weigh for much longer. Finally, they were helped out of the basement.
Jiang Xiaomei went to close the safe, Zheng Wenjuan supported Professor Qian, and Zhao Xiaofei supported Professor Hong. They went to the restaurant and sat down. Zhao Xiaofei poured them each a glass of water.
Professor Qian wiped his sweat with a tissue, while Professor Hong wiped it with his sleeve. Professor Qian wiped his eyes with the tissue again, then put it on and said, "Before I came here, I thought you had at most a few dozen items. I wouldn't have believed you had thousands. It seems I underestimated you! How did you get so many treasures?"
"Yes! You were a poor boy before. The hundreds of millions we gave you couldn't buy you so many treasures!" said Professor Hong.
"I said these are all passed down from my family. Do you believe it?" Zhao Xiaofei decided to continue lying.
"Nonsense! What kind of family are you from? Puyi probably didn't have so many things back then!" Professor Qian said disdainfully.
"Xiao Fei! Tell me the truth. Apart from calligraphy and paintings, did you get those porcelain, jade, gold and silver wares from tombs? If so, I dare not cooperate with you!" Professor Hong also expressed his concerns.
"If you don't believe me, come and look at this!" Zhao Xiaofei showed them the family tree he got home yesterday.
Professor Qian took it, looked at it, and then handed it to Professor Hong. Professor Qian asked, "What can this family tree represent? Even if your family had been serving in the military since the Ming Dynasty, it's impossible to have accumulated so many things, right?"
"Yes! After the war, you are lucky to still have those four treasures in your hands!" Professor Hong said as he looked at the family tree.
"Look here, from the Chongzhen period to the Yongli Emperor, there were people in our family who followed. Some of our family members surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, while others were tough men with iron will. This is the legacy my ancestors left me!" Zhao Xiaofei said nonsense.
"You're not going to say that your ancestors left you some treasure map or something like that, are you?" Zheng Wenjuan said at this time.
"Girl, you are not only beautiful, but also smart. Yes! But it's not a treasure map, but a book." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"What book?" asked Professor Qian.
"It's got no cover, and it's even tattered compared to this family tree! It tells the story of my ancestors following the Yongli Emperor to Yunnan and Burma, taking with them a vast treasure trove of gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and paintings. When I was broke, I just read it as a joke. Last time, after you wired me the money, I followed the book's instructions and went to northern Burma. And I actually found all these treasures! That's why you can see so many treasures today." Zhao Xiaofei chuckled. He deserved an Oscar for Best Screenplay for this story.
"Where's the book?" Professor Qian asked excitedly. Professor Hong also reached out and wanted the book directly.
"It's burned!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Why are you burning it? Haven't you brought all the things back?" said Professor Hong.
"I didn't say I'd brought everything back!" Zhao Xiaofei said, looking for an excuse to bring back more artifacts from the Ming Dynasty.
"What? How much of the treasure do these account for?" Professor Qian asked hurriedly.
"One tenth! I'll transport the rest slowly!" Zhao Xiaofei was very proud. It seemed that the two old men believed him.
Professor Qian said excitedly: "Xiao Fei! Our two companies should cooperate well for such cultural relics! We can't sell so many at once, otherwise the price will drop sharply. Let's cooperate and sell them slowly. I guess I won't be able to sell them all by the day I die!" Professor Qian laughed heartily.
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