I did not know where Old Man Qu was taking me, but no matter what, he would not harm me now. After all, he still had a use for me. So, I relaxed and closed my eyes, falling asleep. After a while, I didn't know where we had arrived. It looked like a city, with many people and buildings around.
"Brother Xiang, have you been to Mohe before?" Old Man Qu asked.
I was stunned, and looking around, I said, "This is Mohe?"
He nodded, "Yes, this is Mohe."
My final destination for this trip was Mohe, but I never expected to arrive in such a way.
"Where are we going now?" I asked.
Old Man Qu said, "You go take a shower with Ermao first. I'm going to pick someone up, and we'll have a big meal later." With that, he got out of the car.
I knew that the "big meal" he mentioned was probably more than just eating; it was likely a transaction, selling the goods he had. As for who he was picking up, I had no idea.
Ermao took me to a bathhouse. After a shower and changing clothes, we returned to the car. Around one in the morning, Old Man Qu called Ermao, and we went to pick him up. With him was a refined-looking man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a brown overcoat. Old Man Qu introduced him to me as the translator he had found. I asked him why he needed a translator, and he said we had to meet with the Russians later.
"Are we selling our goods to the Russians?" I couldn't help but ask.
He nodded, "That's right. These goods were pre-ordered by the Russians. It will depend on you, Brother Xiang, at that time."
I sighed. I had a hunch that Old Man Qu's trip this time was not just about selling goods, but more about testing my capabilities. It seemed if I didn't show some real skill tonight, Old Man Qu might not let us leave alive when he returned. Now that I couldn't escape, I could only brace myself.
Soon, we arrived at a restaurant. It was already closed, but after Old Man Qu knocked, the door opened and someone came out. Upon seeing Old Man Qu, he exclaimed, "Master Qu, you're here."
We entered the restaurant and went to a private room on the second floor. Wine and dishes were already prepared and were steaming hot. In the room, there were three people: two men and one woman. The two foreigners and one Chinese person. The woman was Chinese, appearing to be in her thirties, wearing a mink coat, her hair styled up high, and a butterfly tattoo on her neck.
"Why is Boss Guan also here?" Old Man Qu asked, looking at the woman with some surprise.
"I happened to be in the area during this time, so I came to take a look. It's been a while, Master Qu," the woman said with a smile, glancing at us.
Old Man Qu motioned for us to sit down and said to the woman, "If I had known Boss Guan was coming, I wouldn't have brought Little Si."
It was then that I learned the translator's name was Xiao Si.
"Master Qu, what good things do you have for us to feast our eyes on this time?" the woman surnamed Guan asked with a smile.
Old Man Qu looked at me and introduced, "Let me introduce you, this is Xiang Fei, my nephew." Hearing Old Man Qu introduce me this way, I remained expressionless and nodded with a smile, but inwardly I cursed, "This old man really knows how to take advantage."
"Hello, Boss Guan," I said politely.
The woman nodded and smiled, "I'm not much older than you, so you can just call me Sister Guan."
"Alright then, I'll have to ask Sister Guan for guidance in the future," I said with a smile.
After a brief exchange, Old Man Qu suggested we eat and chat. When we were about halfway through the meal, he asked Ermao to bring out the wooden box. After the box was placed on the table, Old Man Qu gave me a look. I immediately understood and nodded slightly.
One by one, antiques were taken out of the box and placed on the table, and I introduced each one. These were items I was seeing for the first time, so I didn't go into too much detail, only giving a general overview. It was my first time encountering this situation, selling antiques in bulk. Before, transactions were done item by item; who ever sold a whole lot like this? Among this pile of antiques, there were quite a few good items.
I didn't know if the woman surnamed Guan understood them, but after introducing them, I asked her, "Sister Guan, how much do you think these items are worth?"
She crossed her arms and said something in Russian to the two Russians beside her. I couldn't understand at all and could only stare blankly. After a while, she looked at me and said, "Little Xiang, give me a price for each item." Hearing this, I glanced at Old Man Qu. He nodded at me, and only then did I begin to quote prices one by one.
Before the year, when I was in Guangling, I spent every day at the An Yuan Tang, so I had a rough understanding of the market prices for many antiques. However, I knew that if I couldn't sell them at a high price tonight, Old Man Qu would likely be dissatisfied. Thus, I increased the price of each antique when quoting, but the woman frowned upon hearing my prices, clearly not satisfied.
"Isn't this price a bit too high? After all, these are Mingqi (grave goods). Mingqi shouldn't be priced according to market value," the woman surnamed Guan said.
I smiled, "Sister Guan, you can't say that. Mingqi also have different grades. If they were ordinary Mingqi unearthed by tomb raiders, their prices would naturally be lower, as they are eager to sell. We are different; we are professionals." As I spoke, I pointed to a porcelain bowl and said, "Take this porcelain bowl, for example. See how well it's preserved? Professionals and amateurs are different. Take you, Sister Guan, for instance. You are clearly a professional, so you naturally know the quality of these items." After a round of flattery, I began to introduce each antique in detail again, embellishing each one with anecdotes, making a kiln purple-spotted tripod stove sound extraordinary.
She listened to me with a smile, not interrupting. After I finished speaking, she actually applauded and said, "Master Qu, your nephew is no ordinary person!" Hearing this, Old Man Qu's smile widened, and he looked at me with satisfaction, "Boss Guan, my nephew's research on antiques is far more impressive than mine."
"I think Little Xiang not only has research on antiques, but his mouth is also very eloquent," the woman surnamed Guan said. "I wonder if Little Xiang would be willing to work for me?"
I was stunned. Was this woman trying to poach me in front of Old Man Qu? What was going on?
"Master Qu, why don't you let Little Xiang come work for me?"
"Boss Guan, you jest. Is your place somewhere ordinary people can go? Besides, Xiang Fei doesn't understand foreign languages," Old Man Qu said.
"I also have auctions for Chinese people," the woman surnamed Guan said with a smile. "If Little Xiang were an auctioneer for me, I wouldn't have to worry about selling my items."