Chapter 473: How would you know if you don't try?

The sun slanted over the roof, a streak of warm light filtering in through the back window.

Fine, scattered dust floated in the beam of light, mixed with the smell of oil and wax, irritating the delicate olfactory nerves.

The manager took out a tissue, dabbed at her itchy nose, and watched the backs of the group as they walked away.

A fake?

This wasn't a brand-name boutique; even if there were fakes, what could anyone do about it?

In the entire Xiguan Market, or even looking across the whole country, which antique shop didn't have fakes?

It would be a rarity if there weren't any.

Thinking this to herself, the manager still took out her phone and opened her contact list.

Although she wasn't afraid, as the saying goes: it's easy to see the King of Hell, but hard to deal with the little devils; it was better not to offend a figure like Yao Qiming.

Reasonably and logically, she had to report it up the chain.

While pondering, she dialed a number; the screen displayed two characters: General Manager Qu.

The warm sun lowered, and the city bathed in the afterglow of the winter day.

The woman stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the scenery below. The silver spoon in her hand stirred unconsciously, sending ripples swirling in the coffee cup. Suddenly, the spoon struck the side of the cup with a crisp "ding."

The woman paused, picked up the cup, and took a sip: the coffee was slightly bitter, hot, yet refreshing.

The office was large, like a small reception hall, and an old man of about sixty sat on the sofa.

His brows were furrowed, his face showing a trace of sorrow, his eyes conflicted and hesitant, staring intently at a document on the table.

To sign, or not to sign?

It could certainly make a lot of money, but the problem was, nine times out of ten, it would become a laughingstock in the industry.

Looking at it, half of his body was already in the grave?

But if he were to say he wouldn't earn money when it was there, he wasn't reconciled to it.

After hesitating for a long time, he sighed forlornly: "General Manager Fu, antiques aren't sold like this, nor are they collected like this!"

"Oh?" The woman smiled and turned around.

Both were collections; luxury goods were collections, and antiques were collections. She didn't feel there was much difference between the two.

"Uncle Li, is there any difference?"

More than just a difference? The difference was massive.

The old man nodded: "Yes, and a lot of them!"

"It's fine!" The woman walked over with her coffee and sat on the sofa, "Uncle Li, tell me slowly!"

The old man paused: the question was, would she listen?

Pondering this, he put down the contract and sat up straight:

"General Manager Fu, 'guwan' (antiques)—'gu' (ancient) comes first, 'wan' (play/appreciate) comes second: what one plays with is history, what one plays with is culture. But luxury bags and watches, one only plays with social status." "The value is different, the carrier is different, the attributes are different, and even the narrative methods, added value, distribution channels, etc., are all different..." "The most critical part lies in the person playing: the mindset is different, the concepts are different, and even the class is different..."

Hearing "class," the woman's eyes brightened, "What else?"

The old man sighed: "The reason antiques are expensive is because they were expensive in ancient times: first, the precious materials; second, the craftsmanship that transcends the era; third, the class of the user."

Put into the present, they will only be more expensive: because history and culture endow them with value, and more importantly, they are irreplaceable and non-renewable. If you smash one, there is one less; it cannot just appear out of thin air."

"Therefore, in this line of work, you cannot just treat it as a business; you must also consider the ritual systems, beliefs, and even the national memories carried by the antiques themselves, as well as the emotional connection passed down from the ancients and history to future generations..."

But what about bags? What about watches?

These things, you want as many as you can get. The reason they are expensive, the reason they are hard to buy, is nothing more than artificial hype and hunger marketing.

To put it nicely, they can highlight class and taste, and are even labels of personal achievement. But to put it bluntly: other than showing off, this stuff has no practical significance whatsoever.

Does it have any cultural value? Does it have any civilizational narrative?

No.

The reason they are pursued is entirely dependent on the brand's psychological suggestion and education of the consumer: those who can't afford them are all poor losers.

Seeing the old man disparage luxury goods as worthless, Fu Manshu had a massive headache.

Nanmu Wood Wood Studio had been open for nearly twenty years, and the old man had been the master craftsman for twenty years. Just the dividends he and his few Apprentices took from the shop amounted to over a hundred million.

And this was under the premise that the old man only had a 0.5% Dry Share. Calculate it: how much money had he and his disciples earned for the shop over these twenty years? It could be said that without Li Zhiyuan, there would be no Nanmu Wood Wood Studio. If she wanted to keep the shop running, she couldn't do without this old man.

However, Fu Manshu wanted to run it better, as well as she ran her luxury goods agency.

Both were high-end luxury goods, both involved collecting, and the main consumers were only that tiny sliver of top-tier people; why couldn't the marketing philosophy of high-end luxury goods be applied to antiques?

Pondering secretly, she pinched the bridge of her nose: "Uncle Li, tell me more about the class you just mentioned!"

Li Zhiyuan was stunned: it was very obvious that the boss hadn't taken his words to heart.

He couldn't be bothered to beat around the bush anymore: "The consumer base for antiques is the nobility, the gentry, or at the very least, Confucian merchants. So, General Manager Fu, your philosophy of 'teaching customers how to consume' simply won't work on them."

"The reason one plays with antiques is, first, to understand the ancient; the so-called 'observing the past to know the future,' 'mastering the ancient to adapt to change,' and 'seeing the subtle to know the manifest.' The contrarian marketing you insist on is only suitable for uncultured nouveau riche; in their eyes, it's just a joke meant to fool fools."

"They won't get angry, let alone annoyed; even if they were angry or annoyed, they wouldn't argue with you, but would just turn and leave... but that doesn't mean they don't hold a grudge." He paused, then sighed again, "I said before, those who collect are either noble or rich. So if you aren't careful, you'll offend someone one day, and by the time you know it, it will be too late."

Fu Manshu was taken aback, revealing a bitter smile: that was direct enough.

But the words were rough yet the logic was sound: the top luxury industry was all about judging people by their appearance. If a big shot came in, you let a shop assistant roll their eyes and see what happens? Seeing that she seemed to have taken it in a little, the old man changed the subject: "Let's say one more thing: luxury goods are exclusive agencies, you could say it's a unique business. If they don't buy from you, they have to travel thousands of kilometers to another city. The key is, the next shop's attitude might not be any better than yours. But antiques are not: if this shop is gone, I can go to that shop. Since there are so many choices, why should I suffer this bird-like treatment at your place?" Fu Manshu nodded: "Uncle Li, if I could make it an exclusive business, could I use this set of methods?"

The old man shook his head decisively: "Impossible."

Is Nanmu Wood Wood Studio the only one selling Guangzhou-style works in Guangzhou?

Expand it to the broad category of antique furniture, then expand it to the whole country, and there are more than a hundred thousand.

If you don't believe it, calculate it: how many antique markets are there in the country? If not ten thousand, then several thousand. How many sell furniture in each one?

And that's not counting the shady ones, the dust-wipers, the foreign ones...

Fu Manshu was exceptionally confident: "Uncle Li, what if?"

There is no "what if."

"If you can make it a unique business, you don't need to give me a one-percent Dry Share; just keep it as it was when the Old Chairman was here, 0.5% is fine... oh no, 0.2% is fine, and I guarantee I'll follow you until I die..."

The old man pointed at the contract, "Even if I die, my son and my apprentice will continue to follow you..."

Fu Manshu's eyes brightened slightly: "Uncle Li, it's a deal!"

The old man said decisively: "A promise is a promise!"

"Good!" Fu Manshu smiled, "Uncle Li, if I can guarantee that everything in my shop is authentic, and I can manage to offer a refund for any fakes sold, would that count as a unique business?"

Li Zhiyuan let out a "Ha": "General Manager Fu, that's impossible!"

"There is nothing impossible!" The woman leaned back gently, "Isn't that how Shengdazhuang does it?"

The old man was stunned, as if frozen: That's right, how could he have forgotten Shengdazhuang?

Shengdazhuang indeed did exactly that: refunding for fakes sold, and even refunding for fakes identified.

In fact, it was just two tactics:

First, following the model of luxury brands, developing gold card members to ensure perfect after-sales service.

To put it simply: as long as you are a member of Shengdazhuang, no matter which of their branches you shop at, if you happen to buy a fake, you will be refunded at the original price without exception. Even if it wasn't bought at Shengdazhuang, but merely entrusted to Shengdazhuang for appraisal, and you ended up buying a fake due to an appraiser's error, Shengdazhuang would still buy it back at the original price.

It can be said that whether at home or abroad, whether it is an auction house or an antique company, the only one that dares to play like this is Shengdazhuang. Second, engaging in Antique Finance.

Cooperating with banks, customers can take out loans from banks to auction or purchase antiques from Shengdazhuang in installments.

Furthermore, providing collateral loans to customers: pledging antiques to Shengdazhuang, with Shengdazhuang acting as a guarantor to take out loans from banks.

Since Shengdazhuang can do it, can it be done domestically?

Li Zhiyuan's answer is no.

Finance goes without saying: although private lending is common in Lingnan, this is only under the condition that the government turns a blind eye; if you try to do it on a large scale, they will teach you a lesson in minutes.

Otherwise, how did the crime of illegal fundraising come about?

Secondly, the hardest part lies in the appraisal: Li Zhiyuan has been an Apprentice since he was a teenager, has worked in Guangzuo Furniture for most of his life, and has appraised Guangzuo Furniture for most of his life. He wouldn't dare claim how high his eye for detail is, but when it comes to the category of Guangzuo Furniture, Li Zhiyuan's appraisal skills rank at least in the top three in Guangzhou.

Even so, Li Zhiyuan wouldn't dare say he would absolutely never make a mistake. In fact, he wouldn't even dare guarantee half of them.

Then why can Shengdazhuang do it?

One reason is that Shengdazhuang is willing to spend money; the appraisers they hire are all top-tier experts with extremely high appraisal skills and even more famous reputations. If this one can't see it clearly, they can invite that one; there will always be someone who can see it clearly.

It is even more because they are wealthy and powerful, backed by banks.

Just say this: sometimes, when money reaches a certain level, lies can also become truth.

For example: I say this painting was painted by Zhang Daqian, then it must have been painted by Zhang Daqian.

What, you don't agree? I have the inheritance documents and proof from Zhang Daqian's widow and children here; try disagreeing if you dare.

If you have the ability, go dig Zhang Daqian out of his grave and let him identify it himself...

But don't even think about it domestically, and Fu Manshu should think about it even less, because this is not just a matter of money.

Not to mention other things, just talking about antique furniture: the water here is deeper than the sea, and who knows how many people rely on this to get rich.

This isn't a watch, and it's not a bag... how many people are willing to spend money on such imported goods?

Compared to antiques, it doesn't even count as a drop in the bucket.

Want to do a unique business?

Perhaps the moment the wind of this news spreads this month, someone will come to the door to warn you next month. If she doesn't listen, at the latest within three months, Fu Manshu will go bankrupt for various reasons.

Or even end up inside.

Li Zhiyuan sighed deeply: "Manshu, listen to your uncle's advice: just forget it!"

"Wasn't it quite good when the Old Chairman was here before? Although the earnings weren't huge, they definitely weren't small; it was long-lasting and steady." "Uncle Li, the times are progressing, the wolves are getting more numerous, and the meat is getting scarcer. Don't you think business is getting harder and harder to do? Therefore, if you don't make changes, there is only one path: to be eliminated by the times."

Fu Manshu shook her head: "As for whether it works or not, how will I know if I don't try?"

Li Zhiyuan was stunned and let out a "Ha".

Is this a question of how many wolves or how much meat there is? You are pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth.

He had already foreseen the day Fu Manshu would go bankrupt.

Poor thing, the old boss's body is not yet cold.

And since words have reached this point, what is the need to continue talking?

The old man looked at the contract on the table again.

Money is indeed a good thing, but one must think clearly first: do you have the fortune to earn it, and do you have the fortune to spend it?

He sighed, shook his head, and stood up. The words "withdraw shares" were already on the tip of his tongue when a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

"Knock, knock... knock, knock... Boss!"

The old man paused and swallowed his words: "It's General Manager Qu."

Fu Manshu's brow furrowed slightly.

She had given instructions earlier that she was to discuss the contract with Master Li today and not to be disturbed unless it was something important. For the Assistant to knock at this time, something must have happened.

She paused slightly: "Come in!"

The door was pushed open, and a woman in her thirties entered, with delicate features and well-applied makeup.

"Boss, Manager Sun just called and said that Chairman Yao of the Guangcai Association has gone to the shop with several guests."

Guangcai Association, Yao Qiming?

Yao Qiming is quite famous, but Nanmu Wood Wood Studio sells furniture, and the Guangcai Association has no jurisdiction over them. If Yao Qiming goes to the shop, he can just browse; there is no need for the shop manager to specifically report it.

She thought for a moment: "Did they argue?"

"They didn't start arguing, but among the guests he brought, one asked Manager Sun to pass on a message: to tell the Master Craftsman and you, Boss: there are fakes in the shop."

Li Zhiyuan and Fu Manshu both frowned tightly at the same time.

After burying the Old Chairman, Fu Manshu had immediately re-appraised and categorized the collection in the shop.

At the time, not knowing that Fu Manshu had such great ambitions and thinking she was just taking inventory, Li Zhiyuan had been unusually diligent to clear his name and prove his innocence. Besides him, Fu Manshu had also invited Experts from Beijing, and they had gone over everything back and forth three times. Then, anything with even the slightest issue was locked into the Treasury. What is currently displayed in the showroom are basically authentic items.

As for whether there are still fakes in the shop, Li Zhiyuan wouldn't dare guarantee it. But the problem is, with Fu Manshu's sales model, the shop manager must have already offended Yao Qiming and his friends.

With this premise, when Chairman Yao says such things, is he ultimately bluffing, or has he really seen something?

While deep in thought, Fu Manshu stood up: "Uncle Li, I must trouble you again."

Li Zhiyuan nodded and stood up: "Let's go together..."