Li Shanchang?
Li Yang turned his head suspiciously. He saw an old man with white hair, who looked very kind and amiable, like a righteous person. He couldn't help but nod and said, "Yes, but Li Shanchang was my grandfather's name. He passed away many years ago. Now it's me, Li Yang, who is in charge of this antique shop."
"You are Old Brother Li's grandson? No wonder you look so similar," the old man said, appraising him with a smile.
Li Yang asked, "Aren't you surprised about my grandfather's death?"
"Hah, I expected this before I came. My time is also nearing its end, so I'm not surprised," the old man sighed and waved his hand, saying, "But where is your father?"
"My father has also passed away," Li Yang said slowly, his heart clenching.
The old man's face showed surprise. "This, alas, life and death are all arranged by heaven's will. No one can be sure, and one cannot force it."
"Your name is Li Yang, right?"
"Yes."
"My name is Wei Shan. I had a life-or-death friendship with your grandfather. Later, due to some circumstances, I went to Hong Kong to make a living. We parted ways for decades, so you probably haven't heard of me."
Wei Shan looked at him and said, "But it doesn't matter. I've come today because, before I die, I want to sell back to your Li family the items that your grandfather sold to me when he was in crisis and desperately needed money."
"I wonder if you're willing to take them?"
"Elder, as long as this shop is open for one more second, I'll do business for one more second. As long as the items are legitimate and are good things, I dare to take them," Li Yang said with a smile.
Wei Shan laughed heartily, "Good, good, good. You truly are Li Shanchang's son, with such courage."
"You flatter me, elder. If there's anything, let's go inside and talk first, shall we?" Li Yang asked with a smile.
"Alright, let's go in and talk."
"Er Dong, please trouble yourself to make a cup of tea for the elder," Li Yang said, looking at Er Dong.
"Certainly, Boss Li."
Er Dong was very efficient. After putting away the box, he immediately went to make tea. "Elder, please have some tea."
"Heh heh, thank you," Wei Shan nodded with a smile, then fumbled in his pocket and took out a small box, handing it to Li Yang. "Young Boss Li, please take a look."
Li Yang, however, did not reach out to take it. Instead, he shook his head and said, "Elder, there's a rule in the circle: one does not receive with two hands. Please place the item on the table first, and then open the box yourself. I will only look at the item."
"Good, very professional," Wei Shan said with a smile and a nod. He placed the item on the table and then opened the box.
The saying "one does not receive with two hands" means, in simpler terms, not to reach out and take something handed to you. If you fail to catch it midway, or if the person handing it deliberately plays a trick and drops it on the ground, breaking it, then no one can determine who is responsible, leading to disputes and trouble.
To avoid such "framing" incidents, anyone slightly professional in the antique circle will not reach out to receive things from others.
This is like a driver on the road seeing someone suddenly rush towards their car and immediately braking and backing away.
It's also to prevent being framed.
You may not have the intention to harm, but others may have the intention to harm you.
The box was opened, and Li Yang looked down. Inside was a very small jade lock, with several gilded characters in regular script, which read: "May you live a hundred years."
Li Yang reached out, picked it up, and turned it over. On the other side of the jade lock, there were four more gilded characters: "May your fortune be long-lasting."
"Young Boss Li, what do you think of this jade longevity lock?" Wei Shan asked with a smile.
Li Yang played with it for a few moments, then put it back in the box and said, "The material should be high-ice jadeite with a bright green hue, very pure and transparent, with a subtle glassy texture, almost reaching the glass-type grade."
"Moreover, the craftsmanship is extremely exquisite and very rare. It's a rare and good item."
"Good eyesight," a hint of joy flashed in Wei Shan's eyes. He smiled and said, "Then, Young Boss Li, what price do you offer for this longevity lock?"
"One million," Li Yang said, holding up one finger.
Wei Shan was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "Young Boss Li, this price is a bit too low, isn't it? You know, even now, items with this craftsmanship and grade would cost over a million. Moreover, this is an antique, so the price cannot be set at just one million."
"Would you like to reconsider?"
"This is a modern handicraft, and it's a replica. As a replica, giving you one million is already being extremely generous," Li Yang shook his head and said, "Elder, if you feel it's not suitable, you can choose another shop."
"This," Wei Shan was surprised, "You say it's a replica. Young Boss Li, as I said before, this is something your grandfather sold to me back then, dating back at least to your grandfather's generation. How could it be a modern handicraft?"
"Is there a possibility that you are lying?" Li Yang stared at him and said.
Wei Shan's face changed, and he immediately became angry. He slapped the table and said, "How outrageous! I am an old man in my seventies, do I need to lie to you?"
"Then I am very curious, why are you so certain that an item from 2020 was sold to you by my grandfather?" Li Yang chuckled and said, "Elder, could it be that someone made a replica and swapped it out when you weren't paying attention?"
"You say this is an item from 2020? What's the evidence?" Wei Shan questioned with a grim expression.
Li Yang pointed to the bottom of the jade lock and said, "The person who made this fake had a conscience. After making this lock, they even deliberately used micro-engraving technology to engrave the production time and address here."
"If I'm not mistaken, the address is in Jiangcheng."
"This is impossible!" Wei Shan's face changed dramatically.
Li Yang smiled, "Whether it's possible or not, you can see for yourself. Er Dong, give this elder a magnifying glass so he can examine it closely."
"Yes, Boss," Er Dong, who had been listening nearby, was also very curious. He handed Wei Shan a magnifying glass and then asked in a low voice, "Boss, what is micro-engraving technology?"
"Micro-engraving technology, as the name suggests, makes you think of tiny, small-scale carving techniques," Li Yang said with a smile. "Micro-engraving technology relies not only on human skill but also on tools."
"Li Gongxia and his son, Li Shaoxia, from the Republic of China era, were great experts in this field, the number one masters. To what extent could they go? They could engrave the entire 'Ode to the Red Cliff' on something the size of a grain of rice."
"How many characters are in the 'Ode to the Red Cliff'?" Er Dong quickly took out his phone to check. "My goodness, that's so long, it must have hundreds of characters, right?"