Su Xiaotian took a careful look. On a small stall, there was a dark incense burner.
With her sharp eyes, she felt it was an old Ming Dynasty bronze censer with phoenix ears.
The black lump on the lid of the incense burner should have been a piece of jade.
She wondered what this incense burner had been through to become so dark. It was a real waste of a treasure.
Two foreigners had arrived on the street, and news of their generous spending had spread throughout the entire street.
When the stall owner saw this group, he immediately recognized them as the "foolish and rich foreigners" that others had been talking about.
He also wanted to sell something. If he could sell even one or two items, his day wouldn't have been a complete waste.
Business was getting harder and harder for people like them. In the past, people still believed they had genuine antiques, but now no one came to find hidden gems.
He hadn't made a single sale today, and if this continued, his wife and children would starve.
No, he had to make this sale to have food for his children tonight.
With this thought, the stall owner busily started to solicit them.
However, to be honest, the items on this stall were truly ugly and dirty.
Neither Christina nor her brother took a liking to them.
Hearing the stall owner's call, the two of them repeatedly shook their heads in disdain, waving their hands so much that one could get dizzy.
The stall owner was very disappointed!
Su Xiaotian, on the other hand, had taken a liking to the incense burner and smiled in response to the stall owner.
Seeing the two foreigners repeatedly shaking their heads, and only this Chinese girl greeting him, he didn't have much spirit.
But looking at Su Xiaotian, she seemed like a wealthy young lady, so his disappointment lessened a bit.
Even if the foreigners weren't interested, it would be fine if this young lady from a wealthy family bought something.
"Little girl, take a look. Everything here is a genuine good item, unlike other stalls that only sell fakes."
The stall owner enthusiastically greeted Su Xiaotian, his mouth babbling endlessly, painting a rosy picture.
Su Xiaotian glanced at the items on the stall.
She wondered how such a genuine treasure ended up here, and he had the nerve to say they were all genuine good items.
Seeing Su Xiaotian's gaze sweep over the stall, seemingly not disgusted and showing interest, the stall owner became even more enthusiastic in his recommendations.
"Look at this, this is an old item from the Tang Dynasty, used by Empress Wu Zetian. And this one is from the Song Dynasty, said to have been used by Emperor Taizu of Song..."
After all this babbling, Su Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh.
Setting aside whether they were real or not, even if they were, they weren't from the Tang Dynasty. They were clearly imitations of Song Dynasty porcelain.
And the one supposedly used by Emperor Taizu of Song clearly had the style of the Qing Dynasty.
At this point, Su Xiaotian was certain that this person lacked even the most basic knowledge of antiques.
She was completely relieved.
After scanning the items on the stall, Su Xiaotian said with disdain, "I've walked all this way and never seen anything so ugly. Not a single beautiful item!"
Hearing Su Xiaotian's words, the stall owner's smile gradually faded.
What kind of remark was that?
Did this young lady look at his stall a few more times not because she liked the items, but because she found them distasteful?
But then, the stall owner figured it out.
The young lady must like shiny, beautiful things. His items were indeed a bit unappealing.
He regretted not having some gaudy, shiny fake items himself, perhaps then these people would have spent money.
It was impossible to give up on such a good opportunity that had finally presented itself.
The stall owner continued to muster his spirits and put on a smile to recommend his wares.
"Little girl, you're mistaken. Since they are antiques, old items, after years and years, how can they still be as bright and new as they were originally?"
"You're an amateur and don't understand. Let me tell you, these dirty-looking things aren't dirt, they're patina. Do you understand?"
Su Xiaotian: "..."
Since when did patina look like this?
The stall owner didn't know that his words were a joke to Su Xiaotian. He was still enthusiastically recommending his items.
Su Xiaotian asked with a serious smile, "So, you're saying all these things are real, and the dirt on them... oh, the more patina there is, the older they are?"
Seeing that Su Xiaotian seemed to have truly believed him, the stall owner quickly nodded.
"Exactly. Think about it, thousands of years, touched and handled by hundreds of thousands of people, how could there not be more marks? Little girl, I'm an honest person, you have to believe what I say."
"Then let me take a look!"
Su Xiaotian extended her fair fingers and pointed at each of the few items on the stall.
She pointed in circles, not lingering on any of them for long, which made the stall owner's heart flutter with anxiety.
Does this young lady want to buy or not?
Was this like picking soldiers?
"Little girl, be careful, these are all treasures."
The stall owner waited for three minutes, but Su Xiaotian still hadn't made up her mind.
Meanwhile, Christina next to her was clearly getting impatient.
She couldn't understand why Su Xiaotian would like such dirty things.
Weren't the beautiful items they saw earlier better?
"Tian, these things are too ugly. Can we not buy them?"
Although the stall owner didn't understand Christina's meaning, he keenly sensed that this foreign girl was about to ruin his sale.
In his haste, he didn't know what to say. Just then, he heard Su Xiaotian speak.
"Then I'll take this one. I think the dirt on this one, oh, the patina, is the most."
Su Xiaotian pointed with her small hand, finally resting her fair finger on the old bronze censer with phoenix ears that she had taken a liking to earlier.
The stall owner took a look. Indeed, among all these items, this one was the dirtiest.
Perhaps due to his anxiety, he didn't have any doubts, only believing that Su Xiaotian had truly believed his words.
Although Christina didn't understand why Su Xiaotian wanted to buy such an unsightly item, she enthusiastically offered to help Su Xiaotian bargain.
Su Xiaotian couldn't refuse the enthusiastic Christina and let her have her way.
Perhaps because Christina thought this dirty item should be cheaper, she made a very low offer.
Finally, for three yuan, Su Xiaotian, with Christina's help, successfully acquired the old bronze censer with phoenix ears.
"Tian, this thing is too ugly."
"The stall owner just said that the dirt on it is patina, and the thicker the patina, the older it is," Su Xiaotian explained, seeing that Augustus seemed somewhat skeptical.
Christina was very naive. Hearing this, she immediately said, "I want to go buy a dirty treasure too."
Su Xiaotian: "..."
Augustus: "..."
After that, Miss Christina indeed followed her words and specifically sought out dirty items to purchase.
Su Xiaotian followed Christina in happily squandering money.
In the afternoon, the three of them each had their own gains.
Of course, Augustus had the least, with only two items.
Each of the two young ladies held four or five treasures they had found.
When the three of them returned to Yiming Pavilion, Su Xiaotian saw a familiar figure.