As I looked at the Xuande brazier before me, I let out a sigh, and several things gradually became clear.
It seemed this was Sister Ying's other plan!
The group with the man in the jacket were clearly a bunch of "grave robbers."
No wonder they were being so secretive, and coming here to trade; it was all for illicit dealings.
Professor Li walked to the table, took out a pair of white gloves from his briefcase and put them on, then picked up the Xuande brazier on the table and examined it closely.
After a few minutes, he nodded at Sister Ying and said, "It's real."
Sister Ying glanced at me and said, "Xiao Fei, you go take a look."
I withdrew my thoughts, walked over, picked up the Xuande brazier on the table, and examined it closely.
This Xuande brazier was well-crafted and emitted a scent of damp earth, clearly having been unearthed not long ago.
Its style was vastly different from Sister Ying's previous Xuande brazier, but this was clearly not a product of the Xuande period, but rather from the late Ming to early Qing dynasty.
Because the entire brazier exuded a rustic, heavy feel, which was characteristic of that era.
Holding it in my hands for a long time, I noticed a patch of rust and was about to reach out to pick at it when a voice sounded, "Seen enough?"
Hearing this, I saw the man in the jacket looking impatient, with a half-smile, he said, "Boss An is getting more cautious? For a broken brazier, you still need two people to inspect the goods?"
Sister Ying didn't respond to him but looked at me, her eyes asking if the item was genuine.
I didn't dare to say much; Sister Ying had only asked me to come to authenticate it.
As far as I could see, this brazier was genuine.
However, I was still a bit unsure. Whether it was due to nervousness or something else, I always felt that the rust spot was somehow strange.
"The item is real, no problem," Professor Li said, glancing at me with disdain.
Clearly, he felt that being young, I probably couldn't discern much.
Seeing my silence, Sister Ying said, "Since there's no problem, Yun Peng, you can put the item away."
Hong Yunpeng nodded, took the brazier from my hand, wrapped it in red cloth, and placed it in a cardboard box.
After coming out of the room, I had intended to mention the rust spot to Sister Ying.
But who knew, Professor Li mysteriously pulled Sister Ying aside and said something I didn't hear.
Later, perhaps feeling that it wasn't appropriate for us to linger, Sister Ying said to Hong Yunpeng, "Yun Peng, put the item in my car. You and Xiao Fei go back first, I'll take Professor Li and Uncle Hong."
Getting into the car, I couldn't help but ask, "Brother Hong, who is Professor Li?"
"An appraisal expert from Guangling."
"Very famous?" I asked.
Hong Yunpeng smiled and gave a thumbs-up, "In Guangling's appraisal industry, he's considered a top-tier expert."
Hearing him say that, I felt relieved.
Since Professor Li was so skilled, and he saw no problem with the brazier, what was there for me to worry about?
"Xiao Fei, I noticed you didn't say a word inside just now..." Hong Yunpeng looked at me and smiled, "Were you scared?"
"Huh?"
"Those guys are grave robbers from Xiangzhou... you know what grave robbers do, right?"
I nodded, "I know."
"Sister Ying had no other choice this time, so she had people contact them and found this brazier." Hong Yunpeng said.
I had also guessed as much.
Sister Ying had treated me as a backup plan from the beginning, and her real plan was to have the grave robbers help her find another Xuande brazier during this time.
Now that the main plan had been achieved, my backup plan naturally became redundant.
Although I felt a bit uncomfortable, I didn't dwell on it.
After all, it was still uncertain whether the brazier I had aged could pass as genuine.
From Sister Ying's perspective, if I were in her shoes, I would have done the same.
"The transaction is tomorrow, did Sister Ying mention it to you?" Hong Yunpeng asked me.
I shook my head.
"Do you want to go take a look?" Hong Yunpeng smiled and raised his eyebrows.
"Where is the transaction?" I asked.
"Zui Xian Lou," Hong Yunpeng said, "Let me tell you, the food there is outrageously expensive, but it tastes pretty good. If you want to go, I'll pick you up tomorrow."
"What about Sister Ying..." I asked with some concern.
Hong Yunpeng laughed, "What's the big deal? Sister Ying said you're one of us. When she's negotiating business, we'll just be responsible for eating."
Hearing that, I also wanted to witness the scene, so I said, "Thanks then, Brother Hong."
"Why are you being so polite to me? Maybe I'll need your help later."
I smiled and said, "What help could I offer?"
"You never know. If I find something good in the future, you'll have to come help me appraise it. I can't afford someone like Professor Li."
"Is Professor Li very expensive?" I asked.
Hong Yunpeng smiled and gestured with one finger, "He charges ten percent of the market price based on the item."
"That expensive?" I was shocked.
"What do you think? And not everyone can get him; it's only because Sister Ying has such influence."
Ten percent of the market price, that's really not cheap.
Take the Xuande brazier from tonight, for example. If the market price was one million, wouldn't Professor Li take away a hundred thousand?
Thinking about this, I couldn't help but give a wry smile. These appraisers earned so much for one appraisal, while I couldn't even get a fraction of that.
But then again, Professor Li had a great reputation, while I was just an unknown nobody.
By the time I returned to the Hongyuan Zisha teaware shop, it was almost two in the morning. I was so tired that I washed up, unfolded the folding bed, and fell asleep.
The next day at noon, Hong Yunpeng arrived, and I went with him to Zui Xian Lou.
As the car drove out of Hongyuan, I started thinking about the brazier I had aged.
I thought that since Sister Ying now had a solution, the aged brazier would be useless, so why not dig it out and see how well I had done.
After all, this was my first time operating according to the secret techniques of my family. I was curious myself to see what the brazier would look like.
"Brother Hong, can we go to the farmhouse?" I asked.
Hong Yunpeng looked at me, "What for?"
"The brazier Sister Ying gave me last time, I've finished working on it, right? I want to dig it out and have a look."
Hearing this, Hong Yunpeng seemed intrigued, "You mentioning it reminds me. It's still early, let's go take a look."
We arrived at the farmhouse, greeted Xu Dashan, and then took our tools to the pond in the back mountain.
Since I had made a mark, I quickly found the spot where the brazier was buried.
After digging out the brazier, I held it in my hands. I don't know if it was due to the light or something else, but the entire brazier seemed to glow with a newfound brilliance, a world of difference from before!
I examined it carefully for a long time, but couldn't find any flaws.
If I hadn't known that this brazier was a fake, I would have been fooled!
I never expected that the ancestral "Seven Stars Nine Secrets Profound Void Manual" would truly possess the power to transform the rotten into the miraculous!