Chapter 417: Sale

Gu Anran thought Wu An was a bit divine.

How did you tell?

She didn't notice.

She thought the elder was speaking Mandarin, and quite standard.

Unlike them, whose Mandarin always carries a hint of accent that can't be corrected.

The elder said, "When I was young I ran to Jinmen to make a living and stayed for decades."

"When one grows old, one thinks of leaves returning to their roots."

"People do return, but this way of speaking takes a while to find again."

Wu An thought, the elder is a man with stories; no wonder he can open a storefront here that looks unprofitable.

He looked at the wood in the elder's hand and asked, "Elder, is this also an antique?"

The elder nodded, "I suppose so."

"Agarwood."

"Ah, I have been negligent."

"Come, sit here."

The elder said this while walking toward a tea table nearby.

Wu An was a bit surprised, couldn't help glancing at the wood a few more times; he knew agarwood is a very precious fragrance.

He hadn't expected it to look so unassuming.

In fact its value was considerable.

No wonder the antique trade tests one's eye; someone like him can't spot a treasure even when it's before him.

A sea turtle expelled ambergris; he thought it was trash, but thanks to Lao Fu Tou's tip, he didn't lose the treasure.

Gu Anran pulled him to sit opposite the elder.

The elder poured tea.

Wu An and Gu Anran quickly said "no need for formalities," the elder poured good tea and, smiling, said, "You came to sell items, right?"

Wu An retorted, "What makes you say that?"

The elder replied, "Just a guess."

"People your age don't often browse antique shops."

"From the way you hurriedly looked around just now, you don't seem to be here to buy anything."

Wu An complimented, "Elder, your eyes are like torches."

The elder smiled and said, "Come, have some tea first."

Wu An lifted the cup and drank it all in one go.

He set the cup down, wiped the sweat from his hand, took out the ambergris and said, "Please, elder, have a look."

Seeing the ambergris, the elder's eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly called Wu An, telling him to hold the ambergris rather than place it directly on the table.

He then fetched a wooden tray nearby and let Wu An set the ambergris on it.

He examined it carefully, leaned in to smell, gave it a slight flick, rubbed it in his hand, and said, "It's ambergris."

"The quality isn't top grade, but it's decent."

"Rare, indeed."

"You are lucky; this piece of ambergris has floated in the sea for at least several decades."

He seemed a bit excited, turning it over in his hand.

Wu An felt considerably relieved upon hearing that.

Having visited so many shops, only this old man's words were very sincere.

The old man weighed it and said, "68 grams."

"This is still wet material."

"If it were dry, I estimate it would shrink by a third."

Wu An nodded, "You seem like a seasoned expert; please give a price."

The elder set the ambergris down, looked up and asked, "Handsome guy, what should I call you?"

Wu An introduced himself as Wu An, also introduced Gu Anran, and the elder gave his own introduction.

Surname Zhang, Li Zao Zhang.

Zhang Lao thought for a moment and said, "I'll give 60,000 yuan for this piece."

"Although ambergris is used as a fixative for perfume, it is actually better suited for collection."

"Since it's for collection, its price fluctuation can be quite large."

"Your piece is relatively small; in business terms, if it's for investment or resale, I wouldn't offer such a high price."

"But I find it appealing, so I plan to keep it for myself."

Hearing the price, Gu Anran, though she restrained herself, showed excitement in her eyes; Zhang Lao's words were hard to judge, but she personally thought the old man's statements were highly credible.

But she said nothing.

She left it to Wu An to decide.

Wu An didn't reply immediately, but knew the old man wasn't deceiving.

Why?

Before coming, he had done his homework; he searched Baidu for some ambergris auction data.

The information was a mix of truth and falsehood, but could serve as reference.

Auction prices for ambergris varied, some high, some low.

Some are outrageously high, with one gram of Ambergris fetching several thousand.

There are also some at a few hundred yuan per gram.

Overall, the Ambergris that can be auctioned is measured at least in catty units; his piece is too small to qualify for auction.

Elder Zhang's quoted price is roughly 1000 yuan per gram.

That's quite good.

He already exceeded his expectations; originally he thought three pieces of Ambergris could sell for a decent 150,000–160,000.

Given the situation, it might fetch a little over two hundred thousand.

He could comfortably afford to buy a commuter vehicle.

Wu An asked, "How long can such a small piece last?"

Elder Zhang replied, "If used sparingly, it can last for a while."

Wu An took out the remaining two pieces of Ambergris and said, "Looks like you aren't short of money."

"Since there's good stuff, using it frugally will be more than enough."

"You agree, right?"

Elder Zhang, his face full of surprise, said, "There are still some left!"

"Ha ha, you're right."

"Put it down quickly, let me see."

Wu An set the two pieces down and said, "If you can use them, we'll stick to the previous price; if not, we'll go with the purchase price."

"I'm not hiding anything; we arrived early. The Antique Street is full of traps; we stumbled our way to your Shop."

"You are different from other antique shop owners."

"I trust you."

These compliments were as weighty as heavyweight flattery; anyone who heard them would feel uplifted.

Elder Zhang, of course, was no exception; he picked up the two pieces of Ambergris, looked at them, and said, "These two have the same quality as the previous piece."

"It looks as if they were broken off a larger piece of Ambergris."

"These three pieces of Ambergris were originally one!"

After speaking, his gaze fixed directly on Wu An.

Wu An waved his hand, "No, I didn't, Elder Zhang; how could I possibly do that?"

"It was like this when I obtained it."

Elder Zhang said, "It's a pity; if it were a large piece, the price could rise by at least a third, maybe more."

Wu An's face was expressionless.

It seems Elder Zhang doesn't intend to make money from the deal.

It's purely for leisure.

He doesn't know whether speaking in front of him is to get a higher price or to make him uncomfortable.

Elder Zhang weighed them one by one.

One piece, 73 g, sold for 65,000; another, 85 g, fetched 80,000.

The three pieces of Ambergris together sold for 205,000!

Wu An wasn't excited; if it were two million, he could still show some generosity.

But he was also quite pleased.

After all, it's a windfall.

And moreover.

Although there's no basis, he just feels that in the future he can still obtain Ambergris through Sea Turtles.

Elder Zhang looked up at the clock on the wall and said, "This is troublesome."

"I don't have that much cash in this shop."

"The bank at this hour is also closed."

"How about this: you come back early tomorrow."

Wu An nodded.

That's fine.

It so happens that he and Gu Anran have ample reason to stay in the county town.

That's good.