Chapter 61: This Little Brat is an Expert

The seller had half-white hair and was in his early sixties. Seeing Lin Sicheng walk in with his mother, he looked completely incredulous:

The old lady had been blocking the door for three full days; seven or eight groups had come to see the bowl, and she had chased them all away with her cane.

Not to mention letting outsiders in, even he, her son, couldn't get out?

Then how did this group manage to get through the door?

Just as he was secretly wondering, the old lady pointed her cane at him: "Talk business properly!"

The seller hunched his waist and hurriedly squeezed out a smile: "Alright, alright..."

It was a six-room large tile-roofed house, the courtyard covered with a glass roof, the floor paved with ceramic tiles, and the aluminum alloy doors and windows reflecting silver light.

The interior was also quite imposing, furnished entirely with Rosewood. Although not antiques, they were worth at least over a hundred thousand.

The old lady remained seated on a small stool in the corner and told her son to go get the item again.

In a short while, the seller brought out a box. He opened the lid, unwrapped the soft cloth, and the eyes of Lin Sicheng and Wang Qi Zhi lit up in unison.

At first glance, it looked like a plate, a bowl, and a basin all at once, rather nondescript. But make no mistake, this was a genuine Ming Imperial Ware, and it had a specific name: He Bowl, also known as a combined bowl.

It had only one purpose: serving soup.

The key lay in the Five-Clawed Dragon Pattern on the bottom of the basin: the dragon's head was tilted to the side, its eyes bulging, its face strangely wide yet strangely short—very abstract.

The lines of the dragon's body were fluid, faintly revealing a sense of laziness; there was no sense of intimidation, but rather a great deal of docility.

The scales were carved neatly and arranged in order, but the knife work revealed a few traces of free-spiritedness, especially the five claws, which were quite casual.

Yet these happened to match the characteristics of the Hongzhi Five-Clawed Dragon Pattern.

The master and apprentice stared for a long while; Wang Qi Zhi silently took out his Flashlight and Magnifying Glass, and Lin Sicheng silently took them into his hands.

Museum Curator Du and the seller were confused, seemingly unable to figure out: why was this half-grown boy the one to examine it first?

The old lady's eyes, however, brightened.

Lin Sicheng was completely focused.

He first looked at the glaze: it was as Coquettish Yellow as it could possibly be; under the Flashlight, it was like a sunflower in first bloom—warm, elegant, and dripping with charm.

Then he used the Magnifying Glass: the glazed surface was covered with fine, dense Fish Roe Pattern, natural and uniform.

Then he looked at the craftsmanship: typical White Porcelain with Yellow Glaze, fired twice at low temperature. The glazed surface was like a mirror, the touch like jade.

The body was a typical Sticky Rice Body, delicate and white. The ring foot was smooth and short, forming a unique "Nest Plate."

Then he looked at the mark, in blue and white regular script: Ming Hongzhi Reign Mark, the "zhi" character's three water dots were lower than the "tai"... everything checked out, it was undoubtedly an authentic piece.

There was only one point: there was a small flaw on the bottom of the basin—greenish-blue, likely a bit of Cobalt Material splashed during Glazing.

Based on this, Lin Sicheng concluded that this plate should be an Imperial Gift, meaning an imperial ware bestowed by the emperor to a minister.

The key was that it had absolutely never been buried, otherwise that bit of cobalt glaze would have developed stains.

Therefore, there was no need to consider the provenance of the item at all. It was also thanks to that little flaw; otherwise, just based on the dragon pattern on the bottom, let alone 520,000, even two million would have been questionable.

After looking for about ten minutes, Lin Sicheng nodded and put down the Flashlight and Magnifying Glass.

This meant the item was fine, and the price was even more fine.

Wang Qi Zhi also felt there was no problem; 520,000 was definitely a bargain.

He just felt a bit unsatisfied: having traveled so far and encountered such a good item, buying only this one piece left him truly unwilling.

He thought for a moment and looked at the seller: "Boss Zhao, 520,000, right? We'll go to the bank in a moment... is there anything else?"

Boss Zhao, however, didn't make a sound, and didn't even nod.

Glancing at the old lady, he pulled down his sleeve and silently reached out his hand.

Everyone present was stunned in unison.

Du Hai was completely bewildered, not knowing what the seller meant. Wang Qi Zhi understood a little, knowing this was a unique trading method from the old Antique Trade: Hidden Gold in Sleeve.

But to be honest, he only knew the four words; he didn't know a damn thing about which specific gesture represented which code.

No, what kind of society is this?

You can't possibly still suspect that I am the Police, right? The problem is, there is nothing wrong with this item!

He stood there blankly, thinking the deal was going to fall through, when Lin Sicheng sighed.

Believe it or not: if you can't handle this move today, you really won't be able to take this bowl away.

Otherwise, the old lady wouldn't have needed to block the door, chasing away one group after another.

And there would be even less need for her to spout jargon one sentence after another: if you don't understand it, let alone buying the bowl, you wouldn't even be able to get through the door.

This was a case of not selling to anyone but an insider...

Seeing Lin Sicheng also pull down his sleeve and reach out his hand, Wang Qi Zhi was shocked: No way, you even know how to do this?

Subsequently, the two men's hands clasped together, their sleeves bunched up, covering their fingers tightly.

One could only see the sleeves constantly bulging; every time they bulged, the seller's brow would furrow.

Looking at Lin Sicheng, he was calm and composed.

As for what gestures the two were making inside their sleeves, heaven only knows.

Neither spoke, just pinching back and forth like this; Lin Sicheng remained calm, but the seller became increasingly agitated.

Finally, his eyes bulged, and he stood up with a start: "Damn you..."

Before the word "mother" could leave his lips, with a "thump," the old lady's cane struck the floor.

He hurriedly squeezed out a smile, called out "Mother," and made a gesture.

The old lady smiled: "Sell!"

The seller was stunned, gritted his teeth, and glared at Lin Sicheng: "Sell!"

"Good!"

Lin Sicheng smiled and withdrew his hand.

Wang Qi Zhi looked suspicious: "How much did you settle on?"

"Four hundred and twenty thousand!"

How much?

Wang Qi Zhi was shocked beyond belief: this Bowl was definitely a steal, and a significant one at that.

So it would be good enough if the seller didn't raise the price, yet Lin Sicheng actually managed to haggle it down by one hundred thousand?

Is it any wonder the seller would curse his mother?

Lin Sicheng was calm and composed: "Since we are talking about industry rules, then let us talk about industry rules."

"If the price isn't slashed ruthlessly, how would you know I'm an expert?"

As these thoughts turned in his mind, Lin Sicheng curled his fingers again and tapped a few times on the coffee table with his knuckles.

The seller was stunned for a moment, feeling some suspicion and even more surprise. Lin Sicheng tapped two more times, and only then did he snap out of it and turn his head to look at his old mother.

Seeing the old lady nod, he was finally convinced that Lin Sicheng meant exactly that: are there any more, whether porcelain, bronze, paper, or jade—if you have them, just bring them all out...

No wonder his old mother let this group in; could this kid actually be an expert among experts?

"How old are you?"

"Twenty!"

"What is your honorable surname?"

"No need for honorifics, my surname is Lin."

The seller thought for a long while: "Never heard of you!"

Lin Sicheng didn't speak: although the old man occasionally went into the pits, it was for official archaeology, so of course you haven't heard of him.

The seller was surprised for quite a while, then looked at Lin Sicheng: "What do you want?"

"As long as it's authentic and high-quality, I want it all!"

That's a bold claim?

The seller let out a "Heh": "Can you even handle that much?"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "You bring them out first!"

"Fine!"

The seller nodded and stood up.

Just as he was about to leave, he was called back by the old lady: "Tell your wife to pour some tea!"

"Alright, I will!"

Just based on those two taps he made on the coffee table with his knuckles, he deserves the best tea today...

Apologies, a little late!