The atmosphere quickly turned cordial, though Zhao Wei still hadn't revealed the purpose of bringing me and Fatty over.
Seeing he remained silent, I didn't press, and we just chatted and ate normally.
After a few rounds of drinks and when we were mostly done eating, Zhao Wei led us away from the table and into a spacious office on the second floor.
The entire second floor had been opened up to create one large office, and it was quite grand, no less impressive than Wu Tingxiu's office.
It was fully equipped with a cigar cabinet, a wine cabinet, and a bookcase, all of which were well-stocked.
A painting of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" hung on the wall. Without even looking, I knew it was a fake, as the genuine article was in the Yan Jing Museum.
However, despite being a fake, the craftsmanship was not simple; it had reached a point where it was indistinguishable from the real thing.
Besides this painting, the room also held numerous bronze artifacts: vessels for food, drink, water, measurements, and music...
These bronzeware pieces were diverse in type and spanned a considerable range of historical periods.
These were all secondary. The main point was that not a single antique in this office was genuine; they were all fakes.
I was a little puzzled. Zhao Wei didn't seem like someone who lacked money, so why would he display so many fakes in his office?
Furthermore, as I examined these bronzes, I noticed a hint of pride in his eyes.
Could collecting fakes be his peculiar habit?
We sat around the sofa, and Jiang Xue'er made us tea.
It was Da Hong Pao, and top-grade at that.
It was a shame the way it was brewed, a complete waste. Using ordinary glass cups was one thing, but dumping the leaves directly into the cups was another.
"Brother Xiang, what do you think of my office?" Zhao Wei asked, looking around.
I smiled and said, "Brother Zhao, this place is very well-arranged. From the feng shui layout, it's clear you consulted an expert."
"Sharp eyes, Brother!" Zhao Wei chuckled. "And what about the other things?"
"Other things?" I asked feigning ignorance.
"Haven't you noticed that all the antiques I have displayed here are very special?" He drew out the word "special."
What did this guy mean? Was he testing me?
After a moment's thought, I asked, "Where did Brother Zhao acquire these collections?"
Upon hearing my question, he glanced at Jiang Xue'er and then grinned.
"Xiao Fei," Jiang Xue'er said with a smile, "Why don't you try guessing?"
I gave a wry smile. "Sister Jiang, please don't put me on the spot. How could I possibly guess?"
"Is that so?" Jiang Xue'er smiled, took a bronze jue, and handed it to me. "Take a good look."
I curiously took the bronze jue and examined it in my hand. I noticed that the patina on it seemed to have been recently "applied."
Seeing this new patina, I was shocked!
I finally understood what these two were doing!
If my guess was correct, these two were "batch handlers"!
Combining their words and actions, and various other clues, they were undoubtedly "batch handlers"!
Before coming to Guangbei, I had heard that there were many counterfeiters and dealers in the area, and that many groups produced items that could even pass for genuine.
The counterfeit and dealing business in Guangbei was very well-developed, reportedly forming a complete industrial chain of creating fakes, authenticating fakes, and selling fakes, with incredibly deep waters.
Despite the presence of the four major families, cracking down on the counterfeit industry was clearly a task they couldn't fully accomplish.
Judging by the behavior of Zhao Wei and Jiang Xue'er, their group must be quite large, otherwise they wouldn't have directly given me over a million yuan as a meeting gift!
But why would a counterfeiting group want anything from me?
Could it be that they wanted to use me to open up channels in Guangling?
That seemed unlikely. If they wanted to open up channels in Guangling, they wouldn't need to involve me; there were plenty of people involved in such underground businesses there, and no need to seek out someone like me who conducted legitimate business.
Besides, how did they know I was the proprietor of Guangling's Anyuan Tang?
My identity as the proprietor of Anyuan Tang was known to very few people; even in Guangling, I didn't show myself much.
The more I thought about it, the less I understood.
"Brother Xiang, in your opinion, what is the most profitable business in the antique industry in Guangbei?" Zhao Wei asked, crossing his legs and taking a leisurely puff of his cigar.
I played dumb. "I've only recently arrived in Guangbei and am not very familiar with the situation here..."
Zhao Wei chuckled. "Not long ago, at the Jiade Auction in Hong Kong, a Jian ware rose-purple glazed drum-shaped footed wash with three feet was sold for 96.4 million. Do you know where that footed wash came from?"
I shook my head.
He exhaled a puff of smoke with a proud expression. "I traded a bronze tripod for it..."
I was taken aback. He continued, "Does Brother know where my bronze tripod came from?"
I still shook my head.
He pointed a finger at the ground. "That bronze tripod was brought out from here."
"Are there ancient tombs nearby?" I asked.
He laughed. "Brother, what ancient tombs? This place is called Zhao Family Village. Everyone in the village relies on me for their livelihood. During every festival, I give red envelopes to every household, ranging from over ten thousand to a few thousand. I send millions to the village every year."
"I wouldn't have thought Brother Zhao was also a philanthropist." I said.
"I wouldn't call myself a philanthropist; it's just that the old and young in the village are all my relatives. If there were ancient tombs, people would come to tell me without me needing to search," Zhao Wei said with a smile.
"Then where did that bronze tripod come from, Brother Zhao?" I asked.
He smiled. "That bronze tripod was produced in Zhao Family Village."
At this point, Fatty couldn't help but interject, "Master Zhao, are you saying you created that bronze tripod?"
"Precisely!" Zhao Wei's smile widened. "Countless bronze artifacts are produced and sent out from Zhao Family Village every year, and I made my fortune through bronzeware."
Having reached this point, I knew that Fatty and I were likely in trouble today.
They had revealed their true colors, so they must want us to help them with something. If we refused, it was unlikely we'd be allowed to leave.
Fatty and I exchanged glances, understanding each other's thoughts.
Fatty and I were on the same page.
"Master Zhao, you asked us brothers to come... is there anything we can help you with?" Fatty asked with a smile.
Zhao Wei said, "I just have one question for the two of you."
"What question?" Fatty asked.
"Do you two want to make money with me?" Zhao Wei asked.
"Of course, we do," Fatty replied with a smile. "But I'm afraid the two of us aren't qualified to plan things with Master Zhao..."
"Haha! You two shouldn't be so modest." Zhao Wei gestured with his chin towards Jiang Xue'er, who was standing by.
Jiang Xue'er left the office and returned a minute or two later, holding a painting.
When she unrolled the scroll in her hand, Fatty and I were both stunned!
What she was holding was the "Ladies Painting" from the appraisal convention!
Seeing this painting, I finally understood!
Zhao Wei clearly had his eye on my aging technique!
But how did this painting end up in their hands?
There were only a few people present at the time, so someone must have leaked the information.
I carefully recalled. Yan Yuhe had come out with us. As soon as she left, Zhao Wei's people appeared, so it was clearly not her who informed them.
Besides, she was from one of the four major families and wouldn't associate with Zhao Wei.
Besides her, there were only those three old men...
It seemed that it was one of those three!
I hadn't expected Zhao Wei's influence to have penetrated the appraisal convention...