31: Chapter 31 Seventeen Million_1 31: Chapter 31 Seventeen Million_1 Editor: Henyee Translations “Alright, young man, follow .” Tang Tongfu led Shen Dong to a nearby antique shop.
“Mr.
Tang, you’re here.” The shop owner was quite familiar with Tang Tongfu, as they were old friends of many years.
“Young man, this is my old friend and the owner of this antique shop, Chen Xiangyang.” Tang Tongfu nodded towards the shop owner as he introduced him to Shen Dong.
“Mr.
Chen, hello.” Shen Dong nodded and greeted with a smile.
“Hello.” Chen Xiangyang nodded back at Shen Dong, then turned to Tang Tongfu, “Mr.
Tang, this young man is…?”
With a smile, Tang Tongfu began to introduce Shen Dong, “Mr.
Chen, this is a young friend I just t.
His na is…”
At this point, he realized that he had never asked for Shen Dong’s na and didn’t know how to introduce him.
Fortunately, Shen Dong was quick-witted and took over the conversation, “Mr.
Chen, my na is Shen Dong.”
Chen Xiangyang nodded and then asked Tang Tongfu, “Mr.
Tang, you brought Mr.
Shen over for…?”
Tang Tongfu laughed, “Mr.
Shen found sothing nice at a stall outside, and I wanted to have a look.
We’re just borrowing your place for a bit.”
Chen Xiangyang beca interested, “Really?
What kind of nice thing?”
Tang Tongfu looked toward Shen Dong, signaling for him to take out the item for a discussion.
Shen Dong was not worried that these two might play tricks and take off with his inkstone.
He put his vase down and took out the inkstone, placing it on the table next to him.
“Is there anything special about this inkstone?” Chen Xiangyang leaned in for a closer look but didn’t see anything amiss.
“I can’t make it out either.
Let’s listen to what Mr.
Shen has to say,” said Tang Tongfu.
“President Tang, Mr.
Chen, you must be aware of a characteristic of inkstones used by Su Dongpo, the great literary master of the Northern Song Dynasty?” hinted Shen Dong.
Upon hearing this, both Tang Tongfu and Chen Xiangyang’s expressions changed.
Tang Tongfu quickly picked up the inkstone, turned it over, and scrutinized the bottom.
After a mont, he exclaid in surprise, “It really is an inkstone used by Su Dongpo!”
According to historical scholars’ authentication, the character of inkstones used by Su Dongpo is that when one looks at the bottom, tilting it to the side, one can see the na “Su Dongpo.”
It wasn’t that Su Dongpo had ordered it made this way, but after Su Dongpo passed away, his son had craftsn adopt a special thod to create this feature.
His son said that this was done to commorate his father.
This characteristic had been recognized by the antique market.
In the past, inkstones attributed to Su Dongpo had surfaced in the antique market, and indeed they were as described.
Many seasoned antique collectors were well aware of this fact, while the half-inford only had no clue.
The stall owner who set up his stand outside, along with his treasure appraiser, was unaware of this detail.
Otherwise, they would have certainly given it a look; just one check would have revealed this feature.
“Mr.
Tang, put the item down and let see,” Chen Xiangyang urged with anxiety.
In the world of antiques, there’s an unwritten rule that one cannot pass an antique directly to another person.
After one person has finished examining an item, they place it down, and only after their hands are off it can another person pick it up.
Otherwise, if the item got damaged, it would be difficult to assign bla.
Even close friends adhere to this unofficial rule.
Many newcors to the antiques scene are unaware of this rule and are often scamd because of it.
“Alright, take a look,” Tang Tongfu put the inkstone back on the table.
“It truly is an inkstone that Su Dongpo used,” confird Chen Xiangyang after looking.
He nodded his head.
Even though the item wasn’t his, he was still very excited.
“Young man, you found this just outside in the marketplace?” Chen Xiangyang asked.
“Yes,” Shen Dong nodded.
“Didn’t spend much on it, did you?” Chen Xiangyang further inquired.
Items from outside stalls don’t cost much unless the buyer is a fool.
“Together with this vase, I spent a total of five thousand yuan,” Shen Dong indicated the vase on the ground.
“Hiss…” Chen Xiangyang took a sharp intake of cool breath.
A Su Dongpo inkstone platform, worth over ten million.
This young man, has picked up a huge bargain.
“Mr.
Shen, are you selling this item?” Tang Tongfu wanted to buy it.
“Mr.
Tang, as long as the price is right, I will of course sell.”
Shen Dong was now all about making money; he had no intention of engaging in any pretense of sophistication by collecting antiques.
“A few months ago, at an auction in Jing City, there was a Su Dongpo inkstone platform sold for seventeen million.
I’ll offer you the price it fetched at the auction, what do you think?” Tang Tongfu had no intention of taking advantage of Shen Dong.
The sale of a Su Dongpo inkstone platform at the Jing City auction was easily verifiable.
Chen Xiangyang also wanted the inkstone platform, but since Tang Tongfu, his old friend, had made a bid, it wouldn’t be proper for him to speak up.
“Okay.” Shen Dong nodded.
He trusted Tang Tongfu, the president of the antique association, wouldn’t deceive him.
In fact, he only knew the item was genuine, not its actual value.
Being able to get seventeen million, he was already very satisfied.
A visit to Antique Street, and he had picked up a huge bargain, simply couldn’t be happier.
“Alright, give your bank account number, and I’ll transfer the money to you.”
Being able to purchase Su Dongpo’s inkstone platform was indeed a happy occasion for Tang Tongfu.
With a few operations, seventeen million was deposited.
He had made sixty-nine million in the futures market.
Yesterday, seventeen million was credited; today, another seventeen million was credited.
Now, Shen Dong’s funds had exceeded one hundred million, making him a billionaire.
Having bound to the system for just over half a month and becoming a billionaire was truly a great feeling.
“Mr.
Shen, here’s my business card.
If you have antiques to sell in the future, you can contact .
I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the price.” Tang Tongfu handed Shen Dong his business card.
Being an established antique collector himself, he wanted to buy and collect any good items.
Even those he didn’t particularly like, he could help connecting with friends.
“Okay.” Shen Dong took the business card, looked at it, and put it away.
“Mr.
Shen, your vase isn’t an antique, is it?” Chen Xiangyang asked.
“No, it isn’t.
I bought it just to go along with the deal, without any interest in this thing.
I only asked about the vase’s price first and bought it to prevent the stall owner from noticing anything,” Shen Dong briefly explained the situation.
“Mr.
Shen, you are really skilled at buying things,” applauded Chen Xiangyang, giving a thumbs-up.
Seeing a big loophole and haggling discreetly, diverting the shop owner’s attention, was indeed rare.
As an owner, the last thing he liked was such a custor.
“You flatter , boss.
It’s just a habit,” Shen Dong laughed.
His family wasn’t wealthy, so he couldn’t buy things carelessly like those rich second-generation kids, without regard for the price.
Often, when buying sothing outside, he would use this thod to prevent the owner from discerning his true intentions.
It was a habit he had developed over a long ti.
Today, applying it to buying antiques, the result was pretty good.
The stall owner hadn’t noticed anything.
If he had shown great interest in the inkstone platform right from the start, it definitely wouldn’t have been possible to purchase it for such a small amount of money.
Business is never free of guile; the stall owner would’ve fleeced him if he hadn’t.
If the stall owner knew that he thought he had fleeced him by selling the inkstone and vase for five thousand, who knows what he would have thought.
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