Chapter 433: Chapter 433: Greedy by Nature_1
The man flipped through the old abacus and even slled it, while the woman frowned at the yellow-white bracelet, deeming it rather ugly.
“Boss, can you give us a quote?” the man asked, pointing at the old bead calculator.
“One hundred and twenty thousand,” the hat-wearing stall owner replied indifferently, with an expression that showed neither desire nor demand, in a tone that suggested he could take it or leave it.
His voice was extrely hoarse and grating, like a cat’s claws scratching on tree bark.
“One hundred and twenty thousand? Are you out of your mind? For this piece of junk, you dare to ask for so much?”
Before the man could respond, the woman tossed aside the bracelet as if it were bitten by a fly, expressing her disdain.
“That’s just how business is done. I only quote the price, whether you can afford it is your problem, and I’m not forcing you to buy,” the stall owner said nonchalantly.
Having said that, he continued to smoke his dry pipe leisurely, not at all concerned whether the deal would co to fruition.
“…I’ve never seen soone like you in business before. How can you even think of conducting business like this?” The woman shook with anger.
The man, however, showed a contemplative look, glanced at the old abacus a few more tis, and said through clenched teeth, “Ah Zi, don’t be angry, it’s genuine.”
Ah Zi, the woman addressed, was taken aback, hardly believing what he said.
The man hurriedly explained in a low voice, “Ah Zi, this stall may look shabby, but the items here are all real. This abacus, it’s not only mixed with gold but it also dates back to the early Ming dynasty.”
“Wow, you can’t tell at all,” Ah Zi pouted.
The hat-wearing stall owner chuckled, “Interesting, turns out you’re an expert.”
The man proudly adjusted his gold-rimd glasses and said, “Don’t judge by my rough appearance. I’m a Zhonghai University archaeology graduate, and I recognize quite a few things.”
“Oh? Then out of these items here, tell which ones you recognize,” the stall owner finally showed interest, as he had been waiting for a connoisseur to co along.
The man’s eyes twinkled with shrewdness as he smiled, “I wouldn’t dare to guarantee, but they are all authentic. So na your price.”
The stall owner nodded in satisfaction, “Good, I only sell to those who know their stuff, so the prices are fair. The abacus for one hundred and twenty thousand, the wine vessel for sixty thousand, the bracelet for twenty thousand, and the Bronze Ding for one hundred and sixty thousand. If you take them all, I’ll throw in the bronze coins for free.”
After a mont’s thought, the man finally nodded in agreent.
He had also realized that these items were not legitimately excavated, which is why the stall owner was so eager to sell them to him at lower prices.
Well, the price was within his acceptable range.
Once he resold them, he was sure to make a substantial profit.
For such a windfall, it would be foolish not to take it.
“I have a QR code here, pay and take the goods,” the stall owner said as he took out a QR code from his cloth bag and showed it to the man.
The man opened his phone, scanned the QR code, and was about to transfer three hundred and sixty thousand yuan.
“Hold on.”
Xu Fan watched as the easy prey seed to be slipping away, and couldn’t help feeling anxious.
Seeing soone interrupt, the man looked over sowhat displeased and said in a cold voice, “My friend, what’s the matter?”
Xu Fan didn’t beat around the bush, “To be honest, I’ve had my eye on this Ding and these bronze coins for a while, but I was just taking my daughter to see the Hanfu performance over there, not wanting to be beaten to it by you. Would you be willing to sell them to if I offered double the price for these two items?”
So he wasn’t trying to outbid after all.
The man’s expression softened. Although the bronze coins were a freebie and didn’t cost anything, wouldn’t doubling the price for the Bronze Ding an three hundred and twenty thousand?
“Since you’ve had your eye on them…” the man was about to agree.
After all, he might not be able to sell them for that price even if he found soone else.
But Ah Zi stopped him, whispering, “Ah Yuan, wait a bit.”
Ah Yuan looked at her, puzzled.
“Ah Yuan, he imdiately offered double the price—it must an this Ding is worth much more. I think we can sell it for even more,” Ah Zi explained quietly.
Ah Yuan, upon hearing this, realized there was sense in those words. Could it be that he had not yet discerned the true significance of this ding?
After understanding this, the man Ah Yuan looked at Xu Fan and declined, “Brother, sorry, but I intend to collect this ding and have no plans to sell it.”
Xu Fan couldn’t help but frown.
Indeed, only by seizing it would one truly hold power—why waste words!
Unfortunately, this was not the Cultivation World, and with Tongtong by his side, Xu Fan naturally had to be mindful of the impact.
With this thought, Xu Fan switched tactics and said to the stall owner with the conical hat, “Big brother, I’ll speak frankly. The origins of these items are questionable, and while their dirty provenance is one thing, the problem is that they pose a danger to ordinary people. If taken ho, falling severely ill would hardly be surprising. It would be better if you sold the ding and the bronze coins to .”
The expression of the stall owner with the conical hat changed instantly, becoming sinister and fierce as he stared intently at Xu Fan, like a hungry wolf.
“Daddy, his eyes look so fierce,” Tongtong quickly turned her body to look behind Xu Fan, and said timidly.
“Tongtong, daddy is here, nothing will happen,” Xu Fan said gently, stroking Tongtong’s back, his gaze growing colder.
“Sorry, no matter what you say, I can’t make this call. After all, it’s first-co, first-serve. If you have any issues, you should discuss them with this gentleman,” the stall owner said, feeling as though sothing had pricked his eyes, and quickly backed down, shaking his head.
“The stall owner is right, we bought these items, so you should stop thinking about them,” Ah Zi, seeing the stall owner confirm the deal, spoke out confidently, hands on hips and acting spoiled, with quite the shrewish air.
Xu Fan glanced at the man and woman and said calmly, “Friend, listen to a word of advice. These things carry a deathly aura and will harm people.”
“Are you implying they won’t harm people once they’re in your hands? Could it be that you are so lay Taoist able to perform blessings and consecrations?” Ah Yuan said coldly.
Seeing Xu Fan so persistent, Ah Yuan beca even more convinced of Ah Zi’s warning. If the Bronze Ding weren’t worth much more than offered, would Xu Fan be so stubborn, so generous?
Therefore, he planned to study it more carefully after returning ho. It might turn out to be a rare treasure that could fetch an astronomical price.
After the fingerprint paynt, Ah Yuan picked up his phone and flashed it at the stall owner to indicate that the paynt was successful.
The stall owner glanced at it, and imdiately turned on his own phone. Seeing the paynt credited, he nodded at once, “All these are yours now.”
Anxious, Ah Yuan and Ah Zi bent down to pick up the items one by one. Glancing at Xu Fan, they said, “Buddy, the deal is done; you should leave. Maybe you’ll still find a real treasure if you stroll around this street.”
“Are you sure you won’t reconsider? You’ll be the ones to suffer in the end,” Xu Fan shook his head, his tone carrying a warning.
Ah Zi snorted coldly, “That’s our concern, none of your business. If you keep this up, don’t bla for calling the police.”
Upon ntion of the police, the stall owner with the conical hat hastily pulled his hat lower and swiftly left with his head down.
As for the items from his stall? They were barely worth anything.
He knew very well, that once the police got involved, he would be in serious trouble, possibly ending up incarcerated for a number of years.
In this line of work, what matters is being precise, steady-handed, and quick to let go.
The departure of the stall owner was of no concern to the few present.
Everyone actually had a clear understanding of the dubious origins of these items.
Seeing the other party’s obstinate attitude, Xu Fan had no better option but tried to negotiate, “I have a special use for these items. Their real worth is at most two hundred thousand. If you wish to earn more, I’m willing to add another sixty thousand.”
That would make a total of three hundred and eighty thousand.
To earn twenty-two thousand in just a few minutes—such luck is hard to co by even if you search with a lantern.
But people are never satisfied; greed is in their nature.
The higher Xu Fan bid, the more urgent his need seed, leading the couple to believe the Bronze Ding was of even greater value, perhaps an unparalleled treasure that could be sold for a fortune.
A glance was exchanged between the two, their eyes gleaming with smug amusent—clearly, a treasure.
Therefore, Ah Yuan smiled at Xu Fan, then promptly shook his head in refusal once more.
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