Chapter 4 Leak

While Zheng Zheng was examining the coarse porcelain bowl, the stall owner had another brief argument with the middle-aged man. However, it was still the same as before, with both parties holding their ground, and neither able to persuade the other.

Have you finished reading it? If you have, return it to me. If you want it, then bring the money.

This jade pendant appears to be well-crafted, but Zheng Zheng can tell that it is essentially a product of mass production, at best serving as a small ornament, not even qualifying as a craft. In terms of price, it would only be worth around one hundred to two hundred yuan at most

There are usually not many people here, but every Tuesday and Friday, antique dealers from the south and north come to set up stalls and collect goods, which can be considered an irregular regularity

What are you looking at?" The middle-aged man's tone softened, yet he did not back down: "I am conducting business here, and your abrupt interference is not in accordance with the rules.

My name is Zheng Zheng, and I run a shop on the street not far from here. Zheng Zheng was not angry and said this in a casual manner

Having finished speaking, Zheng Zheng did not wait for the stall owner to respond and said to the middle-aged man beside him: "Brother, this item is worth 2,000 yuan; you might as well just buy it."

Although the antique street is referred to as a "street," it is not limited to just one location; it is a collective term for two streets.

"What?" The middle-aged man's face suddenly changed upon hearing this. He frowned and said, "Young brother, since you run an antique shop, can't you tell? Or are you..."

Such a change was indeed within Zheng Zheng's expectations, but as a result, the issue of the previous coarse porcelain bowl not only remains unexplained but has become even more difficult to explain than before

This is a plan devised by Zheng Zheng. If one were to take a bronze balance to someone else's shop to examine antiques, it would inevitably seem somewhat peculiar. However, wandering around the street of miscellaneous goods with a bronze balance does not present this issue. When experimenting with the bronze balance, it can be conveniently and appropriately displayed, which is much more convenient than going to someone else's shop.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, the young man lowered his voice and said to Zheng Zheng: "Isn't this just an obvious scam? A rough porcelain bowl, even if it's a bit old, is not something that people collect much. It doesn't appreciate steadily like jade or fine porcelain. Such an item could be acquired for around five to six hundred yuan. Two thousand yuan... this price is quite unreasonable"

One of the middle-aged men appeared to be the vendor, holding a coarse ceramic bowl in his hand, and was persistently arguing with another middle-aged man. The latter, looking aggrieved, was continuously defending himself.

As the middle-aged man was on the verge of successfully establishing his business, an unexpected young man appeared, causing him to feel quite displeased. His manner of speaking was rather impolite.

In the antique business, the most dreaded situation is when items get damaged during a transaction. Once this occurs, the initiative is completely out of the customer's hands; regardless of whether you want to buy or not, you must take the item with you. The price will depend entirely on the seller's mood, as this is already a sealed deal, and everyone wants to make a little extra profit.

The stall owner watched as Zheng Zheng placed the coarse porcelain bowl down and picked it up again, feeling quite displeased. He was also worried that Zheng Zheng might reveal the true value of the item, so he urged Zheng Zheng a few times, wanting to quickly settle the matter.

Zheng Zheng listened for a while but could not make sense of it. He handed a cigarette to a young man beside him and asked with a smile, "Buddy, what is going on here?"

The young man took the cigarette and lit it. Although he did not know Zheng Zheng, he was happy to chat with him: "Hey, isn't it just like that? That person came to buy something, but accidentally bumped into that coarse porcelain bowl while taking the item, and it seems a crack appeared. The owner was relentless, insisting that he must buy it, but the price was indeed not low, demanding that he take out 2,000 yuan.

Zheng Zheng picked up the coarse porcelain bowl again, slightly furrowing his brow

Could this seemingly unremarkable coarse porcelain bowl really be worth 10,000 yuan? Have I misjudged it?

Thinking of this, Zheng Zheng did not hesitate. He walked out from the crowd and stood in front of the chattering vendor, smiled, and said: "Brother, may I take a look at this item?"

As soon as this sentence was spoken, the middle-aged individuals fell silent

"Is this bronze balance malfunctioning?" Zheng Zheng felt uncertain in his heart, yet he did not show a trace of it on his face. While he was pondering, his eyes caught a glimpse of a jade tablet on the stall.

This stall is referred to as a stall, but in reality, it is merely a piece of cloth spread on the ground, with items placed upon it. After Zheng Zheng took the coarse porcelain bowl, he did not hastily examine it; instead, he squatted down and placed the bronze balance he was holding in his other hand on the ground

On the bronze balance, the coarse porcelain bowl in Zheng Zheng's hand was projected precisely onto the right pan, while on the left pan, a small weight gradually materialized

This weight is significantly smaller than the previous one. The previous weight, which represented a value of 100,000, was approximately the size of a walnut, while the current weight is only one-tenth the size of the previous weight

On the bronze balance, the weight that had already become quite small has shrunk several times. Although the weight was somewhat small before, it at least had a certain form. However, the weight now placed on the bronze balance has become extremely tiny, at most only the size of a grain of rice

The current weight is approximately one-tenth the size of the previous one, which is roughly equivalent to ten thousand yuan. However, Zheng Zheng is well aware that the coarse porcelain bowl he is holding would be considered a stroke of luck if it could be sold for even one thousand yuan, as that would mean encountering an uninformed outsider.

As Zheng Zheng listened to the young man speak, he glanced at the coarse porcelain bowl in the vendor's hand. Based on his experience, Zheng Zheng could ascertain that this coarse porcelain bowl was likely from the Ming or Qing dynasty. Although it had some age, it was not a piece suitable for display; rather, it was a common household item from ancient times. Therefore, a price of five to six hundred yuan was about as high as it could go

Although Zheng Zheng was eager to experiment with the true power of the bronze balance, he was well aware of the situation in the street of miscellaneous goods. It is not to say that there are no genuine items here, but rather that the genuine items are exceedingly rare, while the rest are mostly counterfeit goods designed to deceive the uninitiated. However, this aligns perfectly with Zheng Zheng's intention for this trip; he aimed to test the bronze balance in a place where fake goods are prevalent.

This is not right, he thought to himself. It is not that this weight is too small, but rather that this weight now appears to be somewhat too large.

After much contemplation, Zheng Zheng tidied up the shop, closed the door of Donglai Pavilion, and headed straight to the Bulk Goods Street with the bronze balance in hand

The middle-aged man, who had been arguing with the vendor for quite some time, finally had a moment to catch his breath. He wiped the sweat from his face and smiled gratefully at Zheng Zheng

Those who have the ability to open a store and those who set up stalls on the street can be easily distinguished. Although the middle-aged man was suspicious of whether what Zheng Zheng said was true, he repeatedly scrutinized Zheng Zheng and found no trace of unease in him. Zheng Zheng exuded a calm and composed demeanor, indicating that he was accustomed to such situations

Before hearing these few words of urging, Zheng Zheng had not made up his mind. However, upon hearing these words, he gritted his teeth and made a decision: "After all, I came here this time to test the capabilities of the bronze balance. Since the bronze balance shows it this way, I will trust the bronze balance."

I just heard that you are planning to sell this item for two thousand yuan? I am a bit interested. Let me take a look, and if it is suitable, I will buy it.

In the eyes of others, Zheng Zheng is squinting and constantly examining this coarse porcelain bowl, but only Zheng Zheng knows what he is truly looking at

Thinking of this, Zheng Zheng no longer hesitated. He returned the coarse porcelain bowl to the vendor and then said with a smile, "Please don't rush, let me have a few words with this brother first"

The middle-aged vendor silently cursed his luck, but with so many people watching, he could not make the situation too obvious. While he handed the rough ceramic bowl to Zheng Zheng with an unfriendly expression, he made a decision in his heart: no matter what Zheng Zheng had to say, he would firmly insist on the price of 2,000 yuan, determined to make this middle-aged man buy it.

Today happens to be Tuesday, and there are quite a few antique dealers setting up stalls in the street market, as well as many people browsing the stalls. However, most are merely here to see something rare, and there are not many who are actually buying.

Holding a bronze balance in one hand, Zheng Zheng glanced roughly at two or three stalls before shaking his head inwardly. Although the items at those stalls appeared to be rich in antiquity, they were all fakes, with not a single genuine item among them. It would be quite a hassle to use such obviously counterfeit goods to verify the bronze balance.

The street where Donglaige is located can be considered a shop street, lined with antique shops on both sides. Adjacent to this street is another street known as the scattered goods street. As the name suggests, it is a place where merchants without fixed storefronts gather to set up stalls to sell and receive goods. By laying out a piece of cloth and displaying their items, they establish a stall.

Zheng Zheng gently placed the coarse porcelain bowl in his hand down, then picked up the jade tablet. After playing with it for a while in his hand, Zheng Zheng squinted his eyes and gazed at the bronze balance.

Next to the stall stood quite a few people, some were looking at the items, while others were drawn over by the sound of the argument to see the commotion. In the middle of the crowd were two middle-aged men who were engaged in a heated debate, their faces flushed as they argued incessantly

Ye Chu picked up the jade token to verify whether there was a malfunction with the bronze balance. However, based on the feedback from the bronze balance, its assessment of the jade token was accurate.

Seeing the middle-aged man being put in a very awkward position by the stall owner, Zheng Zheng felt a stir in his heart: "Coming to the wholesale market is to find something to test the bronze balance, and now this opportunity is right here"

Just as Zheng Zheng was shaking his head in silence, he heard a quarrel coming from a nearby stall. Out of curiosity, Zheng Zheng walked over to that stall.

Who are you? Go play, child