Seating myself at the tea table, I poured a cup and said, "All we can do now is pray. After all, not everyone can appraise the authenticity of that chicken-head ewer. Once that fellow surnamed Tian goes around and others bid lower than us, he'll naturally come back."
"What if someone else recognizes it as genuine?" Hong Yunpeng asked.
I shrugged. "Then it means the chicken-head ewer isn't destined for us."
"No, I have to follow that guy and see," Hong Yunpeng declared. "If he sells the cup, I'll just buy it back from someone else. As long as the price isn't too high, we'll all profit."
With that, he hurried out.
I sipped my tea. Wang Yang asked, "Who taught you all this appraisal skill?"
"My father. He was a grave robber, and he taught me a lot about these things since I was young," I replied.
Wang Yang frowned. "Are you really sure that chicken-head ewer is real?"
"What do you think?"
Wang Yang pondered for a moment. "Next time something like this happens, don't bother showing off your foreign language skills with me."
"Then what should I do?"
Wang Yang began to signal me with hand gestures, like a thumbs-up for a good item, an index finger for average, and a ring finger for not good...
After all this, I looked up at him. "By the way, what are you doing here?"
Wang Yang looked at me with a confused expression.
"This shop is opened by me and Brother Hong. What are you doing here causing a scene? Don't you have a job?" I asked.
Wang Yang gave a sheepish smile. "I've been idle these past few days. Besides, we're all friends. If we acquire that chicken-head ewer today, won't you share some of the profit with me?"
I replied without politeness, "Why should I share any profit with you? You haven't invested, and besides, I don't have the final say on whether to share the profit or not; Brother Hong has to agree."
"Isn't it just about investing? Name your price," Wang Yang said expansively.
I had only said that casually, not expecting him to take it seriously.
Just as I was about to say something, Hong Yunpeng came running back into the shop with a smile. "We're rich, we're rich!"
"What happened?" I asked.
He raised his eyebrows at me. "That guy went to several shops, and they all said the item was fake. Guess how much the shop that offered the highest price bid?"
"How much?"
"Fifty yuan!" Hong Yunpeng said excitedly. "I see that guy is still out there wandering around. I reckon he'll definitely come back soon!"
As expected, Hong Yunpeng was right.
About an hour later, the fellow surnamed Tian returned to our shop.
I gave Wang Yang a look, signaling him to handle the negotiation. After all, this guy was quite skilled at tricking people.
"Brother Tian, didn't you sell the item?" Wang Yang asked.
The man surnamed Tian smiled. "I didn't ask. I just went out for a bite to eat. I think we're fated to meet, and I have to rush home for something. I was hoping to settle this thing quickly."
"How much does Brother Tian want to sell it for?"
"Didn't you just say three thousand?"
Wang Yang chuckled. "That was then. I've thought about it carefully, and I feel that price might have been a bit high."
Hong Yunpeng's eyes widened, looking as if he wanted to cover Wang Yang's mouth. This guy was really something, not afraid of messing things up at a time like this.
I gave Wang Yang another look. He raised his eyebrows, as if to say, "Don't worry."
"Then how much do you suggest?" the man surnamed Tian asked pitifully.
"Brother Tian, I can see you're not having an easy time. Let's just be friends. Two thousand yuan. If you're willing to sell, I'll give you the money immediately. If you think it's too low, then there's nothing I can do," Wang Yang said with a helpless expression.
This guy's acting was first-class. With his words, how could the man surnamed Tian dare to refuse? The chicken-head ewer, which he had considered a treasure, was now placed on the table without any hesitation.
With a "bang," I felt my heart skip a beat, fearing he might have used too much force and broken it.
Wang Yang was unfazed and looked at me. "Xiao Fei, get two thousand yuan for Brother Tian."
His tone and demeanor made it seem as if he were the boss here. Since we could get such a great deal for two thousand yuan, I didn't bother arguing with him. I went to the counter, counted out two thousand yuan, and handed it to the man surnamed Tian.
He took the money, licked his thumb, counted it twice to confirm it was the correct amount, and then smiled.
"Brother Wang, thank you for this."
"Not at all, Brother Tian. When I have time later, I'll return to Shuixian and we can have a drink."
"Certainly, certainly."
After the man surnamed Tian left, Hong Yunpeng carefully picked up the cup and held it in his hands, beaming.
"I can't believe we stumbled upon such a great find right after opening! If this momentum continues, I could even buy a new car!"
I said, "Brother Hong, you should get a mobile phone first. Every time I need to contact you, I have to send a pager message. If you're not tired, I am."
"No problem, no problem!" Hong Yunpeng said. "Once this chicken-head ewer is sold, I'll get a Motorola!"
Wang Yang asked, "What do you plan to do with this cup?"
That was a good question. I looked at Hong Yunpeng and saw he had no idea either. So I asked, "Do you have any channels?"
Wang Yang replied, "In Guangling, the only place that appreciates and can afford it is Yipinzhai."
"Bai Zhujing's place?"
"Who else?" Wang Yang asked.
I glanced at Hong Yunpeng. "Brother Hong, what do you think?"
"Although I don't particularly like Bai Zhujing, he's right. Besides Bai Zhujing, there's no one else in Guangling who both appreciates it and is willing to pay for it."
"Alright, then tomorrow we'll go to Yipinzhai to sell it," I said.
Hong Yunpeng grinned. "Great! I'll find a box to put this treasure in."
With that, he cradled the chicken-head ewer and happily trotted off to the back warehouse to find a box.
We sat in the shop until past six in the evening. Apart from the visit from the man surnamed Tian earlier, there were no other customers. This was quite normal, as antique shops are like that: they might not have business for three years, but then one sale could sustain them for three years.
Just as I was thinking of closing up and finding a place to fill my stomach, my phone rang. The call was from Wu Tingxiu. Wang Yang had called her using my phone earlier, so it wasn't strange for her to have my number. However, I couldn't figure out why she was calling me. Could it be that she needed me to do something?
After answering the call, a cold yet soft voice quickly came through: "Where are you?"
"What's up? I'm at my own shop," I replied.
"Come to Zuixian Lou at seven-thirty."
"What for?"
"I've arranged to meet Liu Hun," she said faintly.
Hearing this, I finally understood and couldn't help but ask, "Do I need to be there for this?"
"Otherwise? If you're not there, how can I mediate?"
After speaking, she paused, dropped a "Don't be late," and promptly hung up.