In Hong Yunpeng's Santana, I learned what had happened.
It turned out someone had come to cause trouble at the store. I asked who it was, and Hong Yunpeng said it was someone from the Bai family.
"Someone from the Bai family?" I couldn't help but ask, "Bai Zhujing?"
Hong Yunpeng gave a wry smile. "If it were him, that would be for the best. At least that guy wouldn't act recklessly."
"Then who?" I was a bit confused.
Hong Yunpeng looked helpless. "Bai Hanyan."
This was the first time I had heard this name. I couldn't help but ask, "Who is Bai Hanyan?"
"Bai Zhujing's daughter, and the apple of the Bai family's eye," Hong Yunpeng said. "This woman is notorious in the Guangling antique circle as a 'little firecracker.' She's caused trouble at An Yuan Tang several times before. Frankly, she gives me a headache whenever I see her."
I found it amusing inwardly. Hong Yunpeng was exaggerating too much, wasn't he?
By the time we arrived at An Yuan Tang, I realized he wasn't exaggerating at all.
In the lobby of An Yuan Tang, a woman dressed in a white T-shirt, a black trench coat, and a plaid skirt was confronting Uncle Hong aggressively.
The woman appeared to be in her early twenties, with her hair in a ponytail. She was beautiful, and her eyes held a haughty air.
"An Yuan Tang selling fakes? That's unacceptable even in the whole of Guangling, wouldn't you say?" the woman said, crossing her arms.
"Miss Bai, if you believe the item is fake, you can have it appraised," Uncle Hong said, taking a deep breath.
"What do you mean 'I believe'? This item is fake," the woman retorted.
I glanced at Hong Yunpeng. He gave me a look, indicating that this woman was Bai Hanyan.
Seeing us arrive, Uncle Hong quickly beckoned me over.
"Xiao Fei, come take a look at this..."
Uncle Hong handed me a bamboo brush pot from the tray, wanting me to examine it.
Ancient people were very particular about brush pots, and those used by scholars were often exquisite, carved with intricate patterns.
My father told me that the primary characteristic of a brush pot was its "color."
In other words, the first thing you look at in a brush pot is its color.
Brush pots were also things that ancient scholars often touched. The acidic sweat from their hands would slowly cause the bamboo to turn reddish over time.
Therefore, bamboo brush pots that had been around for a long time would typically turn a deep red.
Of course, this redness could be faked. Soaking it in nitric acid would also turn it red.
For instance, the brush pot Uncle Hong handed me was red all over, but it wasn't genuine.
The reason was that this brush pot was excessively red...
Even the bottom was quite red.
Think about it, when one moves a brush pot around, it's usually the body that's handled. Who would deliberately touch the bottom?
So, in general, the redness of a genuine brush pot would vary across different parts.
This brush pot in my hand was uniformly red, which made it almost certain to be a fake.
Looking at the carvings on it, the lines were extremely uncoordinated.
After confirming that the brush pot was fake, I looked at Bai Hanyan.
Our eyes met. Her gaze was very aggressive, seemingly carrying a hint of provocation.
"He is your store's appraiser?" Bai Hanyan asked, sizing me up.
Uncle Hong ignored her and looked at me. "Xiao Fei, how is it?"
I didn't know what to say. I glanced at the onlookers and said, "Miss Bai, is it? Why don't we talk in the inner hall?"
"Why go to the inner hall? We can discuss it right here," Bai Hanyan said dismissively, clearly wanting to escalate the situation.
Hearing my suggestion, Uncle Hong understood. "Miss Bai, according to our store's policy, since you believe this brush pot is problematic, we can offer tenfold compensation."
"Tenfold compensation?" Bai Hanyan chuckled softly. "And what if I find other fakes?"
Uncle Hong's brow furrowed, and he intensified his tone. "Miss Bai, are you insistent on making a scene?"
Uncle Hong's words only seemed to provoke Bai Hanyan further. "Yes! I am determined to make a scene! I want everyone to know that An Yuan Tang passes off inferior goods as quality!"
She then pointed to a plaque hanging on the wall. "You call yourselves a century-old shop? I say you're a century-old fake goods shop!"
An Yuan Tang had two types of antique items: those with appraisal certificates and those without.
Items with appraisal certificates were essentially guaranteed to be authentic, and their prices reflected that.
As for the items sold to tourists without certificates, they were mostly very cheap, priced in the tens or hundreds.
With Bai Hanyan's accusations, the surrounding crowd began to murmur.
Uncle Hong was also put in a difficult position, unsure of how to proceed.
"Miss Bai, this brush pot was also acquired by us. We had it appraised by a specialist. Since it's fake, the responsibility cannot be entirely ours..."
Perhaps influenced by Sister Ying, I appeared remarkably composed and calm.
"As we said, we will compensate you tenfold, and afterward, we will inquire with the company that issued the appraisal certificate."
Bai Hanyan walked towards me, stopping less than thirty centimeters away, and stared at me aggressively. "I asked earlier, what if I find more fakes? What then?"
I smiled and looked directly at her. "We can only handle it in the same manner, as the responsibility does not lie with An Yuan Tang."
"You're quite adept at deflecting blame, aren't you?" Bai Hanyan sneered. "A century-old shop like yours, and you can't tell genuine from fake? I think you're just pretending to be ignorant!"
"Then, according to your logic, everything sold at your Bai family's Yi Pin Zhai is genuine?" I countered.
"Naturally! Any item that has been appraised and issued a certificate is genuine," Bai Hanyan said confidently.
"And what if I find a fake item with a certificate at your Yi Pin Zhai?"
"Impossible!"
"Then Miss Bai, do you dare to make a wager with me?"
Bai Hanyan's eyebrows knitted slightly. "A wager on what?"
"If I find a fake item with a certificate at your Yi Pin Zhai, from this moment on, you are forbidden to set foot in An Yuan Tang ever again!"
"And if I don't find any?" Bai Hanyan stared at me.
"If I don't find any, you name the stakes."
Bai Hanyan sneered. "Fine! If you don't find any, An Yuan Tang will close its doors for good starting today!"
I was genuinely surprised that this woman would be so ruthless.
As if sensing my hesitation, she smiled. "What, can't you make the decision?"
Just as I was struggling, a familiar voice rang out. "Alright, no problem."
Turning my head, I saw Sister Ying walking over unhurriedly.
At the sight of Sister Ying's appearance, Bai Hanyan's expression immediately became serious, while I instinctively swallowed.
How could Sister Ying agree to this?
And with such high stakes!