Chapter 2 Transfer

Both pans of the bronze balance scale are empty, yet one pan is noticeably lower than the other, as if an invisible weight were placed on it

This pile of blue and white porcelain is merely a collection of fragments to me. However, once it is in your hands, these fragments can be restored by you. Although it is still unclear what exactly this object is from the Yuan dynasty, as long as it is from the Yuan dynasty, the price will undoubtedly be high

With the accounts settled, Zheng Bei did not linger any longer. After carefully tidying up the fragments, he turned around and left Donglai Pavilion in a huff. One hundred thousand yuan was not particularly a large sum for him, but the fact that Zheng Zheng understood his intentions made him feel quite uncomfortable.

one hundred thousand

This matter has passed for almost half a month, and Zheng Zheng has not heard any news from Wang Qian's side, so he has not paid much attention to it. Now that this call has come in, Zheng Zheng is reminded of this matter.

Zheng Bei's smiling face suddenly turned cold. He slapped his wallet in his palm a few times and said with a cold smile: "What’s the matter? Zheng Zheng, are you refusing the face I’m giving you? I am doing this for the sake of our Zheng family's reputation, trying to smooth things over for you, and you are still here arguing with me? You..."

This phone call reminded Zheng Zheng of something, which was a matter that Wang Qian, the owner of Donglaige, had previously entrusted to him. Wang Qian, who started in real estate, recently attended an auction and purchased an antique. Antiques that are put up for auction have been repeatedly verified by experts, ensuring that there are absolutely no fakes. Therefore, when Wang Qian successfully bid for that antique, he did so decisively, acquiring it for 100,000 yuan

Zheng Bei lit a cigarette and took a deep drag: "After all, collateral relatives are still collateral relatives; they can only see figures like one hundred thousand yuan, hum..."

Zheng Zheng looked at his finger that had been cut and shook his head with a bitter smile, saying: "Well, this is just great, I cut my finger for such a trivial matter, who can I reason with about this"

Zheng Zheng, who was tidying up the bronze balance, stood up to greet, but inadvertently slipped and cut his finger on the other hand with the blade he was holding

Zheng Zheng... Zheng Bei threw the cigarette butt out of the car, sneered a few times, and then drove away from Antique Street

Neither of the two noticed that amidst the swirling smoke of the cigarette, a thin wisp of white smoke slowly drifted out from the pile of fragments, entering the bronze balance placed on the counter

His visit today can only be described as a coincidental passing through, intending to confront this branch of the family with which he has always been at odds. However, upon seeing the fragments on the counter, Zheng Bei suddenly realized that an excellent opportunity was right before him

Although the weather is nice today, after opening the shop and sitting idly for two or three hours, there has been little business. Feeling bored, Zheng Zheng decided to prepare a basin of clean water to tidy up the bronze balance that was placed on the table, giving it a thorough wash.

As the bronze balance was being cleaned, the shop door was pushed open, and a man and a woman walked in

Zheng Bei, having exited the Donglai Pavilion, sat in his own sedan. He opened the package in his hand, took out a fragment, and gently rubbed it while coldly sneering to himself

Ding ding ding ... ... ding ding ding ... ...

The collision of these two completely incompatible styles proves that this bronze balance is undoubtedly a counterfeit. However, the craftsmanship of this bronze balance is indeed commendable; even if it is not an antique, it can still serve as a decorative piece. After a lengthy discussion, Zheng Zheng acquired this bronze balance for one hundred yuan, intending to use it as a decorative item on his desk

Is it broken? Zheng Zheng held the bronze balance in his hands, examining it from every angle, yet he found no signs of malfunction; all the components were intact, showing no signs of damage whatsoever

"Zheng Zhangpan, it is truly a labor of love to oversee this establishment every day; what I do is nothing in comparison." Old Xu, who was nearly forty, smiled as he took the cigarette, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a redwood box, handing it to Zheng Zheng: "This is what the boss asked me to bring back, Zheng Zhangpan; this is now entrusted to you."

Zheng Zheng tossed the fragment in his hand and then said: "If this is still not enough, then let's smash this fragment and see from the broken edge, shall we?"

"Why are there so many people who like to see something rare?" Zheng Zheng murmured softly as he watched the two leave the antique shop. He had encountered many such people; those who came to the antique shop were either not there to buy anything or were just casually stopping by to take a look at something unusual.

"A straightforward person does not speak in riddles, Zheng Bei. I truly do not believe that we have such a good relationship that you would spend money to save my face." Before Zheng Bei could finish, Zheng Zheng interrupted him and said emphatically, "Moreover, I refuse to believe that you cannot tell that this is a fragment of Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain."

Zheng Zheng raised an eyebrow, smiled with a facade of politeness while his eyes betrayed no warmth, and after comfortably exhaling a puff of smoke, he put away the check.

Old Xu has been with Wang Qian for many years. Although he is still Wang Qian's driver now, he is indeed a trusted confidant. Zheng Zheng does not have a deep relationship with Old Xu and has only exchanged a few words with him, so one could only say that they share a familiar acquaintance.

He can employ certain means to persuade Zheng Zheng to sell these fragments to him, after which he will use the secret techniques passed down in his family to restore the antique to its original state

Hello to both of you, is there anything you need...

Oh, it's Brother Xu. I am currently at the store, please come over.

Zheng Zheng picked up a fragment and pointed to a small pattern remaining on it, saying: "Although blue-and-white porcelain has existed since the Song Dynasty and continued to be produced until the Qing Dynasty, the glaze formula for blue-and-white porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty is different. Moreover, the pattern on this piece... heh heh, this somewhat coarse and intricate design is precisely a representative characteristic of Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain. These coarse traces are a result of the different glaze choices made during the Yuan Dynasty."

My finger is injured, and I can no longer wash the bronze balance. However, the recent cleaning has nearly left the bronze balance spotless, so there is no need for Zheng Zheng to take action again

Zheng Zheng lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke, saying: "One hundred thousand, fixed price. If you want to buy, then buy; if not, the door is right behind you."

However, who would have thought that Zheng Zheng could see through his intentions so clearly, rendering his meticulously calculated scheme completely futile

This is a royal jade pot spring vase from the Yuan Dynasty... Hehe! Although it may not be considered a top-tier treasure, compared to ordinary Yuan blue and white porcelain, this is indeed a masterpiece among Yuan blue and white porcelain!

Less than ten minutes after the call was disconnected, Lao Xu arrived at Donglaige.

"Well, well, you are quite impressive, Zheng Zheng." Zheng Bei said through gritted teeth, "Indeed, your eye for antiques is not lacking at all. No wonder you are able to manage things here."

Zheng Bei's expression had turned extremely unpleasant, and he was silently gritting his teeth

However, this is sufficient...

"One hundred thousand? Hmph! Even if it costs one million to buy it back, I will never suffer a loss!"

Although I thought I would take a good rest for two days after completing this business deal with Zheng Bei, the next day happened to be a bright sunny day. Zheng Zheng, despite his desire to rest, still opened the shop door diligently.

A few days ago, the bronze balance scale had been left unattended, and it had not been properly cleaned, appearing quite dusty and dirty. Today, with some free time, Zheng Zheng decided to tidy up the bronze balance scale properly.

"Want to buy? Sure." Zheng Zheng glanced sideways at Zheng Bei and replied succinctly, "One hundred thousand yuan, take it or leave it."

It is strange... Zheng Zheng furrowed his brows as he looked at the bronze balance in his hand, yet he could not discern its meaning.

As Zheng Zheng was at a loss, his phone rang, prompting him to set aside the matter of the bronze balance for the time being

I thought the market would finally open today, but this man and woman didn't even buy anything; they didn't say a word to Zheng Zheng. They simply left after curiously looking at the various antiques displayed in the antique shop.

This bronze balance was purchased by Zheng Zheng from a door-to-door salesman a few days ago. The customer immediately claimed that it was an antique, asserting that it could be traced back to the Spring and Autumn period. However, Zheng Zheng noticed some issues with the bronze balance. Although it exhibits certain stylistic elements from the Spring and Autumn period, it surprisingly bears traces of ancient Egyptian casting styles.

Zheng Bei gritted his teeth and took out a checkbook to sign a check. He slammed the check down on the counter and, gritting his teeth, said to the smiling Zheng Zheng: "One hundred thousand yuan is really not a lot of money for me. Take it, at least it counts as me looking after the collateral branch of the family."

Wang Qian often travels around the country, so he cannot keep the antique by his side. Therefore, after the auction, he greeted Zheng Zheng and mentioned that he would have someone send the antique over in the near future, to be displayed in the store. If a customer wishes to purchase it, they may do so; if no one buys it, it will be taken back when Wang Qian returns.

He connected the call, and a voice filled with laughter came through the phone: "Is this Director Zheng? This is Old Xu."

He took a soft cloth to dry the bronze balance, simultaneously wiping away the bloodstains that had just dripped onto it, and then placed it back on the table

A guest arrived, and Zheng Zheng could no longer attend to the bronze balance. He casually tore off a piece of paper to wipe the blood from his fingers, then looked at the man and woman entering the shop with a friendly smile.

Zheng Zheng nodded, took the mahogany box, and casually opened it to take a glance inside

Seeing the weary old Xu, Zheng Zheng handed him a cigarette and greeted him with a smile

Blood dripped down, with several drops falling precisely and evenly onto the bronze balance.

Finally, it is done. Zheng Zheng lit a cigarette, looking contentedly at the cleaned bronze balance. However, the more Zheng Zheng looked at the bronze balance, the more he felt that something was amiss

Thank you, Xu Ge, for your hard work