Chapter 408: The Deal is Set

The Expert looked very carefully, sometimes turning the angle, sometimes tilting the light.

After a slight pause, he opened his coat, covered the Brush Washer in his embrace, and shone the Flashlight on it carefully.

After watching for a good while, the Expert handed the Brush Washer to the student beside him.

It was a woman, a bit younger, in her early forties, still possessing charm.

The woman took it, first looked at it with side-lighting, and muttered in a low voice: "Teacher, side-viewing reveals a floating glass luster, and it seems to carry a hint of Cobalt Blue?" The Expert nodded: "Correct!"

If it were genuine Ru, a side view would necessarily reveal a Wax-Fat Luster, and it would be suffused with a Clam-Colored Halo.

The woman turned the angle again: "The tone is a bit stiff, there's no change, and there's certainly no flowing color halo?"

The Expert nodded again: When a genuine Ru vessel is rotated, there must be a flow of color halos. If it is Sky Blue Glaze, it must be three of the five colors: green, blue, gray, pink, and gold.

The woman picked up a high-magnification Magnifying Glass: "The Ice Crackle is too square, like a chessboard grid. There is Gold Powder Infiltration, but it floats on the surface..." As she spoke, the woman touched it again, then exhaled onto the Brush Washer: "The cracks are slightly raised, scratching the hand when touched, and after the water vapor condensed, there was no color change..."

The Expert nodded: If it were genuine Ru, the Ice Crackle would necessarily be branch-like, just like a tortoise shell. The gold threads would necessarily infiltrate deep into the cracks, and it would change color the instant one exhaled on it.

If touched by hand, it would be absolutely smooth as a mirror, without the slightest scratching sensation.

The Expert smiled: "And the body?"

The woman paused, flipped the Brush Washer over, first looked, then touched: "The body color is too white, the trimmed foot is too sharp, the body texture is too slick... Hmm, it should be a Ming Imitation!"

Correct again.

Although it was just following a pattern, being able to speak so logically showed that his student's foundation was quite solid.

The Expert nodded: "Not bad!"

Before the words had faded, the middle-aged man beside them asked impatiently: "Mr. Liu, what is the real price?"

"Boss Chen, it's about what you expected!"

"Is it reliable?"

The Expert replied without hesitation: "At least ninety percent!"

The man's eyes brightened slightly.

Although his own eye for antiques wasn't enough, he was definitely an insider: the Expert's so-called ninety percent was no different from one hundred percent. The reason he said it that way was just to be safe and leave himself some leeway.

He then explained that this Brush Washer was indeed a Ming Imitation. He had estimated the price before; it was at least around seven million. And the seller was only asking for two million, meaning one could earn five million in a single flip.

That's not a small amount...

Seeing he was moved, the Expert smiled: "Boss Chen, it's best to be cautious!"

As the old saying goes: take people's money, resolve their troubles; besides, this Boss Chen was very generous, so it was better to offer a reminder.

"No problem, I understand!" Boss Chen smiled and pointed to Rao Yu Zhai, "Mr. Liu, you are familiar with the boss, ask him to treat us to a cup of tea~" "Of course, no problem!"

The middle-aged man's speech was extremely fast and very convoluted; few people could understand it.

But that did not include the master craftsman of Rao Yu Zhai: having worked in this trade for half a lifetime, who hadn't he seen from all corners of the country?

One listen and he knew that this Boss Chen was tempted and wanted to use their place to slow down and probe the bottom of the deal.

He gave his boss a look and pointed inside: "Little Wu, brew some tea... Professor Liu, Boss Chen, please!"

Expert Liu nodded, the woman put down the Brush Washer, and the group bustled into the shop.

A group of onlookers looked at each other: listening to the conversation between that expert and the student, there shouldn't be any problem with this item; although it wasn't genuine Song Ru Porcelain, it was at least a Ming Imitation.

The problem was, this group didn't even ask the price?

The stall owner was also a bit confused, his face full of disappointment, and even some surprise. It was as if he hadn't expected: these people looked for so long and so carefully, yet they didn't buy it?

Only Lin Sicheng couldn't help but want to sneer: this guy looked pitiful, but was actually as cunning as a ghost. He appeared bewildered, even at a loss, but deep in his eyes hid the joy of a big fish taking the bait, and the relief that his scheme had finally succeeded.

No need to guess: one hundred percent, this was a trap. If nothing went wrong, the trap was likely set for that expert surnamed Liu and that Hong Kong businessman surnamed Chen. Therefore, there should be something wrong with the item.

But Lin Sicheng couldn't figure it out: judging by the technique, that expert surnamed Liu was very experienced; his eye might not be top-tier, but it wouldn't be too bad either. And he had looked for so long, yet he didn't even suspect it and dared to say he was ninety percent sure?

So, how high must the simulation of this item be?

Just as he was pondering, Jing Zeyang stretched his neck: "Cousin Lin, is that a Cantonese?"

"No, a Hong Konger; to be precise: a Meizhou Hakka who fled to Hong Kong before the liberation."

"No wonder I couldn't understand a word?" Jing Zeyang looked strange, "But why didn't they buy it? Could they not tell?"

No, they saw it clearly, and were ninety-nine percent sure.

The reason they didn't even ask the price was just to slow down and see if there were any tricks: after all, this was Panjiayuan; there was no shortage of anything else, but fake goods were the most abundant.

The second most abundant were scammers: a trap every three steps, a pit every two steps; one slight carelessness and you could lose everything. Therefore, one could never be too careful. Secretly changing his mind, Lin Sicheng pointed at the Brush Washer: "Let's go over and take a look!"

Jing Zeyang nodded vigorously: to be honest, having watched for so long, his curious heart was about to explode.

But just as the two lifted their feet and hadn't even walked two meters away, a man in his thirties took a step ahead and squatted in front of the street stall.

"Let me see!"

As he spoke, his hand reached out, just barely touching the Brush Washer, with a "slap."

The man gave an "ouch," clutched his hand, and glared at the seller: "What are you doing?"

The seller glared at him: "I should be the one asking you, what are you doing?"

"Nonsense, I'm looking at the item, aren't I?"

"Did I let you look?"

The man was baffled: "You put this item on the stall, isn't it for sale? If you don't let me look, how can I buy it..."

Before he could finish, laughter came from around them: "Is this guy an outsider?"

"Yes, a pure novice (someone without any eye for antiques)."

"An item worth over a million, you want to look just because you want to?"

"Taking it without asking, you deserve to be hit!"

The man finally realized: you can't just look at items on a stall whenever you want; you have to get the seller's nod first.

He rubbed the back of his hand: "Fine, can I look now?"

The seller shook his head and pulled the Brush Washer back: "Stop looking, you won't buy it."

"Hahaha..." The jeering laughter grew louder.

To translate: You can't afford it.

It wasn't the seller's fault for being blunt: he wouldn't even look at it, so how could he possibly pull out two million?

The man turned a Bright Red: he truly hadn't intended to buy it, he was just curious and wanted to see what an item worth over a million looked like. But it didn't matter, he wouldn't lose a piece of flesh if he didn't look, would he?

He glared at the stall owner and stood up.

Jing Zeyang's eyes lit up: was it finally his turn?

As soon as the man left, he took two steps in one and blocked the stall: "Boss, bring the Brush Washer over for a look!"

The seller didn't move, but looked him up and down: "Stop looking, you won't buy it either!"

"Hahaha..." The people around started laughing again.

"Hey, who are you looking down on?"

Jing Zeyang pursed his lips and pointed behind him: "It's not me looking, it's my friend looking!"

The stall owner glanced behind: two men and two women, all dressed quite spiritedly, especially the man and woman walking side by side in front, who looked like celebrities. And they were extremely young; the woman might be twenty-three or twenty-four, the man at most twenty-one or twenty-two.

At this age, they were truly rare in Panjiayuan, and even fewer were willing to pay money when they knew they would be paying "tuition fees." So, nine times out of ten, they were just like the one before, purely here to join in the fun.

Thinking this over secretly, the stall owner prepared to shoo them away, but just as he opened his mouth, before he could speak, he was suddenly stunned: No... this woman is so young, why are her hands so rough?

It was just like the rural areas in the Northwest during the eighties or nineties; come winter, children's hands would be chapped and peeling.

Not only rough, but also black and yellow, as if they had been soaked in some medicinal liquid.

But looking at her face, it was not only beautiful, but so tender it could drip water.

The stall owner was suspicious and looked at Lin Sicheng again. At the very first glance, his pupils couldn't help but shrink: this one was the same, with handsome features and delicate skin.

But the problem was, those hands were even rougher, with more rust, and even calluses everywhere?

It wasn't strange to have calluses on one's hands; many people had them. What was strange was the location of the calluses: the inner side of the thumb, the web of the hand, the longitudinal groove of the index finger pad, and the outer side of the little finger.

If it were just one spot, it wouldn't mean much, but if it were four spots, and the calluses were not only even but almost the same thickness, there was only one possibility: long-term use of carving knives, mounting knives, sandpaper, and brushes.

The number of professions that could use these four tools at the same time was pitifully small, and combined with the old rust—black, yellow, white, or green—that had already seeped into the finger pads, the answer was obvious: Scavenger of Broken Pieces.

Especially that callus on the outer side of the right little finger: which normal person would have a callus grow there?

The key was, there was even blue rust inside the callus?

Only by frequently repairing Blue and White Porcelain, with the little finger pressed tightly against the porcelain, would such a callus be left behind. The blue rust that had seeped into the callus was the blue-and-white pigment. But how could that be?

This kid was at most in his early twenties; at this age, let alone Artifact Restoration, it would be good enough if he could recognize all the types of antiques. Not to mention Blue and White Porcelain Repair... In his shock and suspicion, Lin Sicheng walked to the stall, and the stall owner raised his eyelids.

Very young, and very handsome, with a natural expression and a gentle gaze. But for some reason, when their eyes met, the stall owner's heart couldn't help but skip a beat, and his eyelids suddenly drooped.

It was as if there were a Needle hidden in this young man's eyes, pricking him.

Seeing the seller avert his gaze, Lin Sicheng sighed inwardly: If one were to ask, as a con artist, what is the most basic professional quality? Or to put it another way, as a con artist, what should one be best at?

Many people might say: it is status, brains, glib talk, or even professional knowledge.

Actually, none of these are, or rather, they are only secondary.

A con artist's most basic professional quality is the keen eye to observe facial expressions, the judgment to discern psychological changes, and the ability to adapt to circumstances. Without these three basic skills, if one still wants to be a con artist, one will only end up getting beaten.

For example, this person in front of him: his eye for detail wasn't bad; he could tell at a glance that he was an insider, and an extremely rare one at that—a restorer.

But he discovered that when he wanted to proceed to the next step, he was unable to judge his own intentions? Or rather, he was unable to discern his psychological changes based on his expressions and eyes.

This wasn't his fault: having lived two lives, Lin Sicheng wouldn't dare say he had cultivated his heart to be as firm as iron, but at least he could remain composed.

The problem was that this man didn't know, so he was extremely confused:

Even the master craftsman of Rao Yu Zhai, that Expert surnamed Liu, as well as the Expert's female apprentice and that wealthy Hong Kong businessman, he could fathom a thing or two about them. It made no sense that a kid in his early twenties could be so watertight in front of him?

And compared to that, this was only secondary; the point was: could he actually repair blue and white?

Ask that Fujian woman from before; she had been learning the craft from a master since she was a teenager and had been repairing porcelain for half her life. Could she repair Blue and White Porcelain? It could be said: for those who can repair blue and white, there isn't a piece of porcelain from the Han Dynasty to the Republic of China that they can't handle.

So, how high must this person's eye for detail be?

For a moment, the man was both shocked and suspicious: could this person be here to wreck the stall?

As the saying goes: better safe than sorry...

Just as Lin Sicheng stood steady and was about to squat down, "Whoosh," a flash appeared before his eyes.

Very quickly, as if a Wind had blown past, the Brush Washer that had just been sitting in the center of the blue cloth, inside a box lined with sponge, was suddenly gone. Even the box was gone?

Looking up again, the box and the Brush Washer were being held in the seller's arms.

He had just glanced at it when "Clap," the seller snapped the lid shut.

Lin Sicheng was left bewildered: "What's the meaning of this?"

"No meaning!" The seller shook his head, "You don't look like you're here to buy things!"

"Hahaha~" The people around started jeering again.

They really didn't look like it: too young.

Being young meant having no experience, and it also meant having no ability to make money.

Lin Sicheng stared at the box: "Can't I even look?"

The seller had a strange look on his face: "Since you're not buying, why should I let you look?"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "What if I buy it?"

The seller was stunned instead, not knowing how to respond: what if you see some problem with it?

Just then, someone nearby chimed in: "Young man, look clearly, is this thing worth two million?"

"That's right, if you want to buy it, you have to be able to afford it, right?"

"If you don't have money, don't join in the fun blindly..."

Jing Zeyang was immediately displeased and was about to start cursing, but Lin Sicheng reached out to stop him: with so many people, he wouldn't win an argument and would only end up full of anger. He smiled: "Really won't let me look?"

What are you looking at, you hammer?

Turning this thought over, the seller shook his head.

Lin Sicheng nodded and patted Jing Zeyang on the shoulder: "Brother Jing, forget it, let's not look anymore!"

As he said this, Lin Sicheng turned around and returned to his original position.

The seller was suspicious: Didn't he say he was leaving, why is he standing there again?

It couldn't be that he's waiting to set a trap, could it?

Nonsense.

He hasn't even seen the item, how could he set a trap?

Besides, maybe he's just scaring himself: so young, no matter how you look at it, he doesn't fit the word "expert" at all... Although he thought this, the man became increasingly panicked. He stared at Lin Sicheng for a few moments, took out his phone, and quickly sent a text message...

"Things that judge people by their appearance..."

Staring at the seller and cursing, Jing Zeyang looked left and right, "Cousin Lin, why aren't we looking anymore?"

Weren't you so curious just a moment ago?

Actually, Lin Sicheng was even more curious at this moment, more curious than Jing Zeyang, otherwise he would have left directly and wouldn't have needed to wait here.

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Because I can't see it."

"Why, do you think we don't have the money?"

Of course it wasn't because of that, but because that person was suspicious: if he let him see it, today's business might fall through.

It was hard enough to get the fish on the hook; better to avoid extra trouble.

But there were too many ears around, and it wasn't easy to explain, so Lin Sicheng nodded ambiguously.

Jing Zeyang looked suspicious, "Then we can't see it even more now, why are we still waiting here?"

Lin Sicheng was exceptionally firm: "Don't worry, we will definitely be able to see it in the end!"

Because this setup today had already mostly succeeded.

Turning this thought over, Lin Sicheng glanced at the opposite side: through the glass, he could see the lobby of Rao Yu Zhai. That master craftsman and the merchant from Hong Kong were sitting opposite each other, chatting and laughing.

On the left, the boss of Rao Yu Zhai was leaning against the cash register with a phone tucked against his ear.

On the right, near the stairs to the second floor, that Expert Liu was also holding a phone.

They were likely pulling strings to inquire about the seller's background. But there was no need to doubt: no matter who they asked, no matter how they checked, it would be exactly as the man said...

After a glance, Lin Sicheng turned his head back and looked again at the man leaning against the wall with his hands tucked into his sleeves.

He appeared to be squinting in the sun, but when he saw Lin Sicheng looking at him, his expression stiffened slightly.

Lin Sicheng sighed inwardly: This man... no, to be precise: this group of people is not simple.

Just in the time it took to say a few words earlier, he had observed carefully:

There was the smell of disinfectant on the man, as well as the sour stench of someone who hadn't bathed for many days.

His cuffs were black and oily, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, and his eyes were covered in bloodshot veins... he looked exactly like someone accompanying a patient in a hospital for many days. Lin Sicheng concluded: in the pocket of his cotton-padded jacket, there were definitely invoices for hospital renewals, and perhaps even a hospital payment reminder notice. You could even follow him to the hospital and would certainly be able to see his wife, who was suffering from a serious illness and required surgery as soon as possible. If you checked further, everything would absolutely match up: medical records, condition, and doctor's orders.

But don't doubt it: the medical records were certainly real, but the wife was absolutely fake. The method was simple: it was nothing more than taking a real patient for an examination and then arranging for a fake patient to be hospitalized.

If you insisted on getting to the bottom of it, he could absolutely tell you the origin of this Brush Washer in full detail: it certainly wasn't an heirloom, but it definitely came through legitimate channels, at least there would never be any legal issues.

But don't doubt it: just like the person, it was merely wearing another layer of identity.

You could even check his Identity Card and his household registration, and you would absolutely not find any problems: in this era before a complete Database, stealing a real identity and replacing it with your own photo to get an Identity Card only cost fifty yuan...

Therefore, this group was very cautious and very careful, but it wasn't strange: because this was two million, not twenty thousand, and certainly not two thousand.

This was 2008, when the average housing price in the second ring of Beijing was only about thirty thousand, and the third ring was even lower, at fifteen or sixteen thousand per square meter.

And the wages for workers in Xijing were less than two thousand; imagine what the concept of two million was.

Either don't do it, or do it to the best of your ability.

Good enough that no matter how this group of people who fell into the trap checked, they wouldn't be able to find a single flaw.

Therefore, they were definitely going to fall for this scam today...