Chapter 421: The Ancestor of Japanese Porcelain (Bonus for Alliance Leader Tuan Tuan Ba)

Thinking and thinking, Pangzi suddenly raised his head, just about to say something, but as the words reached his lips, he twisted his face as if he had a toothache.

If those pieces of junk were all treasures and extremely valuable, it would be more painful than killing him.

Because he had no way of knowing, and even less way of verifying, why those broken things were valuable. For instance: knowing there is a mountain of gold buried under your seat, but being unable to dig it out?

Come on, who wouldn't be miserable?

"You eat only as much as your appetite allows, you carry only as big a bowl as you can hold! If we had that kind of ability, we wouldn't be reduced to doing this kind of low-life work..."

Feng Laosan smiled, "Besides, it might not necessarily be so!"

Pangzi gritted his teeth: "What if it is?"

"If it is, then it is; we can only blame ourselves for being blind and lacking skill!" Feng Laosan said decisively, "What's more, the man paid the money!" Pangzi was lost in thought: that gentleman wasn't their father, so why pay them eight million for something only worth four million?

Checking the origin of those few Brush Washers shouldn't be a lie, but the bigger purpose was, just as he said at the time: it would be best to find a few more like them. He even guessed: did they have more of the same things in their hands?

And the man had guessed exactly right.

At least Pangzi and Feng Laosan could tell that although those were defective, they were definitely fired from the same kiln as the Brush Washers. Conversely, if those pieces of junk were indeed treasures, in their hands, they would only ever remain junk.

Only in the hands of someone who knows their worth are they treasures...

Seeing him silent, Feng Laosan sighed: "There is honor even among thieves; having been in this business so long, this is the first time I've been treated like a human being!"

Pangzi was stunned, speechless.

Why were they so afraid, so cautious?

Because no matter who it was, even if they put themselves in Lin Sicheng's position, there was only one outcome waiting for them: a massive bloodletting. Those who followed the code of the underworld would knock them for half their net worth; those who were ruthless could squeeze the very marrow from their brains.

Yet, Lin Sicheng not only didn't extort them, but also let them off the hook several times?

Not exposing them in front of Chen Weihua was the first time; not letting Yan Wenjing intervene, and perhaps even shielding them a little, was the second.

He not only didn't take the things they offered for free, but bought them back at twice the market price; this was the third.

That's benevolent and righteous enough, right?

Of course, it's also possible that this gentleman just treated them like normal people. But the problem is, having spent so many years in the underworld, many people knew their true identities, and which one of them had ever treated them like normal people?

They avoided them like snakes and scorpions, fearing them too much.

For con artists, reading people is a basic survival skill, and both Pangzi and Feng Laosan could see: even their fellow underworld peer Zhao Xiuneng, and his two sons, looked down on them just the same.

Only this gentleman was chatty, laughing and polite.

"Fine, let's give it to him!" A glimmer of hope appeared on Pangzi's face, "If those pieces of junk really become treasures, wouldn't that be the perfect pledge of allegiance?" A pledge of allegiance?

Feng Laosan was lost in thought: could it really be?

No one is born wanting to be a con artist; they were already sick of it, otherwise they wouldn't have decided to quit after this last job. As long as this man was willing, finding them a way to make a living would be as easy as flicking a finger.

Wouldn't that be better than this life of constant fear and anxiety?

Just as he was guessing, his cell phone buzzed, and Feng Laosan glanced at it, his spirits lifting.

It was a text message from Xiaowen, just one sentence: Third Brother, Master Lin says to thank you on his behalf...

Does that mean he accepted that junk-like Blue and White Bowl?

Pangzi glanced at it and suddenly shivered: Damn it?

It couldn't be that that piece of junk really became a treasure, could it?

No matter how he thought about it, it felt impossible.

But looking at it from another angle, just as he and Feng Laosan guessed earlier: Lin Sicheng wasn't their father; if there wasn't a reason, why pay them an extra three or four million?

The key is, there should be a dozen more pieces of junk like that Blue and White Bowl...

With a "whoosh," a greedy light appeared in Pangzi's eyes, and just as he was about to say something, Feng Laosan waved his hand to interrupt: "That's not how you offer a pledge of allegiance!" Pangzi moved his lips and nodded forcefully.

Speaking too deeply to a new acquaintance is a major taboo; let's finish this job first...

As the two were guessing wildly, the woman finished the procedures and walked over.

Feng Laosan let out a sharp breath: "Aqin, notify the Willow (beauty), Hook (martial), Ghost (official connections), and Wind (scouts), we're having a meeting tonight. Hmm, pick a nice hotel..."

The woman was stunned: Wait... going to a hotel openly?

And everyone is going?

"Third Brother, what if we get wiped out in one go?"

"Wiped out?" Feng Laosan was confused, "Who would wipe us out?"

"Chen Weihua..."

Before she could finish, Pangzi let out a "Pfft": "He couldn't wipe out a bird!"

Even a piece of junk like the Black Sand Blue and White Bowl became a treasure, let alone the one that ranked second in quality and craftsmanship among the six Brush Washers?

Thinking of it, Pangzi was so regretful he could spit blood: Why didn't he meet that gentleman sooner?

He even suspected: he only asked Chen Weihua for two million, he definitely asked for too little?

Therefore, even if Chen Weihua reported it to the police now, he wouldn't be the least bit afraid: I have items worth several million, and you say I committed fraud?

Pangzi rolled his eyes: "Laosan, should we think of a way to scam it back?"

Feng Laosan shook his head: "No need!"

Because Lin Sicheng didn't say so.

If it were necessary, he would definitely have reminded them.

From this, it can be inferred that even if that item is very valuable, it won't exceed two million...

With too many eyes around, the three left the bank, and only then did Feng Laosan and Pangzi give a rough explanation.

The woman's strength was her craft, her brain turned a bit slowly, and it took her a long time to understand.

"No wonder he didn't light the candle or report it to the authorities?" She suddenly realized, "Because the item is real, so even if he did, it would be useless?"

Pangzi and Feng Laosan were stunned: Wait... what kind of logic is that, Aqin?

The item only becomes real once it reaches Lin Sicheng's hands.

If you don't believe me, ask for that Brush Washer back from Chen Weihua and take it to every shop and firm to ask around; who would dare say it's real?

It's not at all how Aqin described it...

It is indeed not how a woman would imagine it.

The only reason Lin Sicheng didn't point it out was because he had no connection to either side and was complete strangers with them.

What's more, the Hong Kong businessman and Expert Liu even treated him like a swindler, returning kindness with enmity; was his brain kicked by a donkey?

Of course, it wasn't to the extent that Feng Laosan and Pangzi imagined: that he was so benevolent and so principled in the ways of the underworld that he made Yan Wenjing let them off the hook.

Discussing principles with underworld swindlers—was his head squeezed by a door panel?

It was simply because it wasn't worth it.

To put it bluntly: the net of Heaven is vast, with wide meshes, yet nothing slips through. Since there are "wide meshes," one cannot blame people for sharpening their heads to squeeze through them.

There is no need to speak on a grand scale; just look at Panjiayuan: every single day, even if there aren't a hundred such scenes, there are at least seventy or eighty. And let's talk about this recent case: five of the top experts in the country, without even lifting a hand, just walked around a glass cabinet once and dared to appraise two pieces of junk—made of broken stone shards glued together and worth at most a few thousand—at over two billion, and even issued an Identification Certificate?

Is that not outrageous?

Afterwards, the swindlers used the Identification Certificate they issued to swindle nearly a billion; how massive is that loss?

In the end, the swindlers were sentenced to life imprisonment, yet the five experts didn't suffer a single thing; does that feel quite magical?

But don't be surprised, the law focuses on evidence...

So, if you want to ask why Yan Wenjing didn't do anything even after seeing it with his own eyes? Because if the people don't sue, the officials don't investigate, and besides, this wasn't his primary job.

Furthermore, because there are priorities in all things, there are simply too many such cases; he couldn't handle them all even if he wanted to, and handling them wouldn't necessarily yield a result. Of course, unless Yan Wenjing did nothing else, sacrificing his promotion and merits, and even ignoring major cases like Grave-robbing and murder just to nail this gang of petty thieves and swindlers, then he could certainly nail them.

But Yan Wenjing's brain wasn't kicked by a donkey; why would he put aside the ministry-supervised Wang Chun Case to waste time, effort, and energy investigating a gang of petty thieves and swindlers without even knowing if he'd get a result?

Believe it or not, if he dared to suggest it, Yu Guang would give him two slaps on the spot: "You're a Branch Captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment, not a Police Station auxiliary squad leader." So, by a twist of fate, it was a lucky strike.

How does that saying go: one thought sows one fruit, one fruit opens a forest.

If he had even a shred of excessive saintly compassion, or if he had just been a bit more talkative, these five Brush Washers and this Blue and White Bowl—which couldn't be uglier—would absolutely never have ended up in his hands; what about the money spent, eight million?

Lin Sicheng could only say: eight million isn't even worth a single hair on this Blue and White Bowl.

Secretly sighing, he picked up the bowl again.

Zhao Xiuneng was right beside him, looking completely baffled: no matter how he looked at it, this was a piece of junk, the kind that no one would pick up even if it were thrown in a trash heap. Yet Lin Sicheng was fond of it, looking at it again and again, sighing time after time?

It was even more attentive and careful than when he looked at the first Brush Washer?

After watching for a long time and still unable to make heads or tails of it, Zhao Xiuneng was completely puzzled: "Senior Brother, is there something strange about this bowl?" Lin Sicheng shook his head: "Nothing strange, just a Blue and White Bowl that was fired poorly!"

"Then why are you looking at it so seriously?"

"Because I suspect this bowl has some history!" Lin Sicheng thought for a moment, turned the bowl over, and revealed the base, "Senior Brother, why don't you touch it?" It has history?

Zhao Xiuneng perked up, took the bowl, and touched it carefully: "It seems there is a character... tsk, it looks like... a 'Rain' character?" A 'Rain' character would be correct.

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Senior Brother, I suspect this might be the hidden mark of Li Canping!"

Zhao Xiuneng was stunned for a moment: Li Canping, why does this name sound so familiar?

Immediately, his whole body trembled, and his eyes seemed ready to pop out: Li Canping... is this the ancestor of Japanese porcelain?

But how is that possible?

Zhao Xiuneng leaned down abruptly, placed the bowl on the table, and then grabbed his Flashlight and Magnifying Glass.

He looked and touched, touched and looked, his two eyeballs unblinking, wishing he could stare right into the bowl.

Looking at the bottom of the bowl, he couldn't really see it, but he could vaguely feel it: a 'Rain' character about the size of a soybean.

As for whether it was Li Canping's mark, Zhao Xiuneng really didn't know.

Looking at the quality, it was a Blue and White Bowl with iron-sand spots, rust, and chipped edges; the date was indeed quite early, late Ming to early Qing.

But to be honest, at that time, even village kilns in the Xie wouldn't have fired blue and white porcelain like this.

The craftsmanship of the ancestor of Japanese porcelain, just this?

Zhao Xiuneng didn't believe it for a second...