After listening to my explanation, Mr. Leng glanced at Fang Hougong on the stage again amidst the host's introduction: "You said the prices of the two differ by more than three times, what is your basis for that?"
“In recent years, the price of bronzes has soared, especially this dragon-shaped wine vessel, which is a high-level ritual vessel. It is rare and seldom circulated. Not to mention buying and selling, it is difficult to even catch a glimpse of it. Of course, I am only talking about ordinary players. You, a major collector, are not included in this category. However, even for you, this item still has collectible value. After all, the number of such antiques is limited, and they cannot be bought just because you have money.”
I continued, "The Shang Dynasty implemented a feudal system, in which the royal family would divide land and people among the feudal lords, who were given titles such as Marquis and Earl. The most famous of them was Ji Chang, the Marquis of the West, who was mentioned in the Investiture of the Gods. In the late Shang Dynasty, the world was in chaos and war was rampant. There were countless small feudal lords in various places. Although it is impossible to verify who this Marquis of Fang was, judging from the exquisite craftsmanship of this vessel, he must have been a person of some status! Just the two characters 'Marquis of Fang' on it have greatly increased the price of this wine cup."
After listening to my explanation, Mr. Leng gradually became interested: "Old Mao, get the backlit Buddha statue you just prepared ready. Xiao Duan, you go up and inspect the goods on my behalf in a moment."
The seats we are in are the VIP seats for the tea party, which grant priority access to inspect the goods without time restrictions.
After the host introduced Fang Hougong on stage, I went up on stage as Mr. Leng's representative with the other five people, including Asheng who was next to Lin Jianghao.
Seemingly after his earlier defeat, Ah Sheng's complexion turned somewhat pale. I don't know if it was just my imagination, but I felt that he was now harboring a faint hostility towards me.
Mr. Leng had already developed a great interest in the bronze wine vessel, so I naturally didn't dare to be careless. I completed the inspection in just over ten seconds.
This Hou Gong (a type of ancient Chinese wine vessel) is too perfect. There is nothing suspicious about it. Whether it is the rust color, the workmanship or the style, it is all authentic at a glance. There are no signs of artificial rusting or aging.
This item was quite valuable, and the others didn't dare to be as careless as I was. They all gathered around and examined it carefully.
The entire hall was in chaos. Many vendors had gathered around the display stand, ready to line up and take a look at the valuable antique. Unlike us, they couldn't just casually handle it; they had to queue up and browse, and their time on the stand had to be limited to less than a minute.
While the other five people were verifying the authenticity, I stepped off the stage from the side, lit a cigarette, walked around the crowd back to my booth, picked up the teapot, and poured myself a cup of tea.
Just then, the bald man at the next booth also saw me and came up to me with a fawning expression, handing me a business card: "Young man, I never expected you to be Mr. Leng's advisor. Mr. Leng even personally participated in the auction for a small item you liked. I was truly disrespectful before! My name is Ding Lei, nicknamed Ding Mazi. I run an antique shop called Hongboxuan in Liulichang. If you ever pass through Beijing, you must stop by my shop!"
The fact that this Ding Mazi was able to bring a cell phone into such a secure place shows that he has quite a few crooked tricks up his sleeve. I politely accepted his business card: "If Brother Ding doesn't mind, I will definitely come to bother you in the future."
Ding Mazi seemed flattered by my modest attitude: "Hey, young brother, what are you saying? I'd be more than happy to know a talented young man like you!"
As we were talking, the monkey returned: "Young Master Duan, didn't you go to Mr. Leng's place? Are you done?"
"No, it's just that these people take at least twenty minutes to observe, so they have time to come back and have a cup of tea."
As I spoke, I took out the single-eyed dzi bead from my pocket and handed it to the monkey: "This is for you, wear it and play with it."
"You gave it to me?"
The monkey was taken aback: "Young Master Duan, this was a gift personally given to you by Mr. Leng. You just give it to me. Isn't that a bit too inconsiderate of human relationships?"
"Mr. Leng gave me not an object, but an attitude. You've been busy by my side for the past six months, and I haven't given you any decent gifts yet. Consider this dzi bead a gift on my behalf. Besides, don't forget, I'm wearing something on me."
I gestured to the dragon-patterned jade fragment on my chest, then stuffed the dzi bead into the monkey's hand and laughed, "The dzi bead market has been booming in recent years. This thing has the added value of age, so the price will definitely continue to rise. Whether you wear it for psychological comfort or sell it to protect yourself when you're in a difficult situation, it's a good choice."
"But isn't this thing a bit too expensive?"
The monkey really liked the dzi bead, but was a little embarrassed to accept it: "How about this, we haven't received our share of the profits from the Ze Wang Tomb trip yet, so I'll just take it. Is that alright?"
"When did you become so calculating? You used to steal my clean underwear when you came to my house, and now you're acting all high and mighty!"
I smacked the monkey on the head: "I'm even willing to hand over the company to you, do you think I'd care about this? To other people, this thing is a treasure, but to me, it's just a valuable stone! After what happened at the Ze Wang Tomb, I've learned a lesson: money can make life very comfortable, but you can't live your whole life just for money. Brothers who are willing to share your hardships in times of life and death are more precious than anything else!"
"Damn it! This is supposed to be a happy thing, so why does it make me feel so uncomfortable?"
The monkey's eyes reddened, and he wiped his eyes, saying, "Young Master Duan, I'm not good at sweet talk, but we grew up together. I promise you, even if you betray the whole world, I will always be the one standing by your side! I would never do anything as ungrateful as what Song Laosan did."
Mentioning Song Laosan suddenly dampened my mood, and I lit another cigarette.
Just then, a middle-aged man with a shifty face and wearing a Warring States period red bracelet approached me with a bright smile: "Young man, I just heard that your surname is Duan, right?"
Seeing that the middle-aged man's accessories were all high-end items, I nodded and replied, "That's right, sir, do you need something from me?"
"Of course something's happened, and it's great news!"
The middle-aged man looked around and saw that everyone else was queuing up at the booth. He lowered his voice and said to me, "I called you here because I have a great fortune to give you. I just don't know if you're interested in taking it."
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