The moment Hong Yunpeng uttered those words, I was completely stunned.
But there was no turning back once the arrow was shot. Such were the rules of the antique trade; once you’d committed to buying something, you had to purchase it, even if it turned out to be worthless.
If you were to regret it and go back on your word, you would be breaking the rules.
Once the rules were broken, your reputation in this circle was finished.
“Excellent!” Boss Feng grinned. “Boss Hong is indeed straightforward. I’ll set this inkstone aside for you. You can take it whenever you bring the money.”
Hong Yunpeng replied, “Good, I’ll bring the money tomorrow. Make sure you keep it safe.”
“Rest assured, Boss Hong. We’re old acquaintances, surely I understand the rules?”
After leaving the shop, I pulled Hong Yunpeng into the car. /
He still hadn’t grasped what had happened, thinking he’d snagged a great bargain.
“Brother Hong, why were you so impulsive?” I asked helplessly.
Hong Yunpeng looked at me, confused. “Didn’t you signal me to take that one?”
“I was signaling you to say that we should leave first.”
“Ah?” Hong Yunpeng was taken aback. “So, you mean… we overpaid for it?”
I managed a wry smile. “Not just overpaid, we were swindled big time.”
He licked his dry lips, pondered for a moment, and then said, “Xiao Fei, give me the straight dope. What’s the most that thing is worth?”
I didn’t want to lie to him, so I told him the truth. “A few hundred yuan at most.”
“A few hundred yuan?!” he exclaimed, almost screaming.
I nodded. “It’s a fake.”
Hong Yunpeng looked as if he’d been struck, and it took him a long time to recover.
Seeing him like that, I felt a pang of guilt and said, “However, Brother Hong, I do have a way to fix this.”
“What way?” Hong Yunpeng looked at me excitedly.
“I can’t say yet, but you have to do exactly as I tell you from now on.”
“Okay! I’ll listen to you completely this time! If you don’t speak, I absolutely won’t say a word!”
In the antique business, keen eyesight is crucial, but equally important is to snag a bargain without the seller realizing your true intentions.
That square inkstone on the shelf was indeed a good item, but if the shop owner knew I was targeting it, it would be difficult to get a bargain.
Not to mention, if he realized your intention, he might take that inkstone to an expert for appraisal at great expense, and the truth would likely be revealed.
Once he knew it was a valuable item, what chance would you have?
Therefore, snagging bargains also requires skill. If you spot a good piece, never be hasty.
Haste will inevitably reveal your hand.
Hong Yunpeng is an impatient person, and I feared that if I told him about this, the whole plan would be ruined.
So I decided to tell him after everything was done.
The next morning, Hong Yunpeng went to the bank and withdrew the money, placing it in his briefcase.
When he came to pick me up, his face was a picture of misery. “Xiao Fei, you really have to help me this time. This fifty thousand yuan is all I’ve managed to save in a year of hard work.”
“Brother Hong, your annual salary is only fifty thousand?” I asked with some doubt.
Sister Ying was someone who never lacked money, and Hong Yunpeng often accompanied her. I found it hard to believe Sister Ying would treat him poorly.
Moreover, Hong Yunpeng’s father was a business partner with Sister Ying; he should have been earning quite a bit each year.
“My annual salary isn’t small, it’s just that I’m a big spender and can’t save money,” Hong Yunpeng said with a wry smile. “This fifty thousand was forced upon me by my father to save. If he found out I spent this money on a fake, he’d probably take back my Santana.”
I found his predicament amusing, but I managed to suppress a laugh.
“Brother Hong, don’t worry. If you listen to me, we might even make a big bargain this time.”
Hong Yunpeng’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
I nodded.
“Alright, from now on, if you tell me to go east, I won’t go west. If you tell me…”
“Brother Hong, it’s not that dramatic. Just remember to speak less,” I said, a mixture of amusement and exasperation in my voice.
“No problem!”
We returned to the inkstone shop. Boss Feng was overjoyed to see us.
“Boss Hong, you’re here so early? What, are you afraid I’ll sell what you want?”
Hong Yunpeng forced a smile. “Better to buy it early and have peace of mind.”
“You truly are an impatient man,” Boss Feng said, taking out an exquisite wooden box from behind the counter. “I’ve already packed everything for you. Take a look to see if there’s anything wrong.”
Knowing it was a fake, Hong Yunpeng seemed to have lost all interest in inspecting it and simply handed over the money.
I quickly signaled him, “Brother Hong, why don’t you have a look?”
Hearing this, he licked his lips and opened the wooden box, pretending to examine it.
“What’s there to look at? I trust Boss Feng.”
“That’s true,” Boss Feng said while counting the money. “But it’s still best to check, to avoid any issues. As the saying goes, even brothers have to settle accounts clearly.”
While Boss Feng was counting the money, I pretended to be interested and browsed the shelves. I picked up an inkstone and asked, “Boss Feng, how much is this one?”
He glanced at it and said without hesitation, “That’s a Tang Dynasty piece. If you like it, I’ll give you a discount, twenty thousand.”
I feigned surprise. “So expensive?”
“Brother Xiang, don’t let my small shop fool you; everything I sell is a quality item.”
I smiled and asked, “Is it guaranteed authentic?”
He chuckled. “Brother Xiang, you’re joking. How can antiques be guaranteed authentic?”
I put down the inkstone and picked up another. “What about this one?”
“That’s a Duan inkstone, from the Ming Dynasty. Twelve thousand for you.”
After inquiring about a few more, I casually walked over to the square inkstone that Li Gonglin had supposedly used and pointed to it. “What about this one?”
“I say, Brother Xiang, are you buying inkstones or inquiring about prices?” Boss Feng asked me with a smile.
“Just asking,” I replied with a smile. “I have a friend whose birthday is coming up, and he likes calligraphy. I was thinking of buying an inkstone as a gift. The one Brother Hong was looking at is too expensive, and I don’t have much money, so I wanted to pick a cheaper one.”
“Looking for something cheap?” Boss Feng pointed to the wooden shelf near the door. “You can pick anything from there; they’re five thousand each.”
I gave a wry smile. “Aren’t these machine-made?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Boss Feng said. “Brother Xiang, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. If you want something good, you have to be willing to spend money.”
“Alright then, I have to go with Brother Hong to handle some matters. How about I bring the money this afternoon, and Boss Feng can pick one for me?” I asked.
“Certainly. Just tell me your budget, and I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
“We’ll discuss it this afternoon. I haven’t made up my mind yet,” I said.
As I spoke, I looked at Hong Yunpeng. “Brother Hong, are you done?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Okay.”