Chapter 769: The Collection

Among the other collectibles, there were also several porcelain vases, bowls, and the like, all of which were Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain. Although they could not compare to that Chenghua porcelain jar, it was evident that they were genuine, and twenty years later, they would also be of considerable value.

Among those scrolls, there were both calligraphy and paintings, all of which were works by famous ancient masters. Although he did not discover any other works of particularly high value, they were still considered quite good items.

As for those brush pots, inkstones, carvings, and other such scholarly playthings, Su Xinghui could not determine their value for the time being. After all, he was not a professional collector. He was only able to recognize that Chenghua porcelain jar because Chenghua *doucai* porcelain was so famous twenty years later; he had seen many pictures of it on the computer and knew its artistic style.

However, Su Xinghui had already made up his mind to acquire all these items. In any case, he needed these things for his own calligraphy and painting. He planned to decorate a study specifically once he bought a house in the future, using these items as ornaments to display in the room.

After looking through them, Su Xinghui nodded and said, "Alright, Uncle Hou, I intend to take all of these. Please name your price."

When it came to naming a price, Hou Dali hesitated. After pondering for a moment, he said, "How about I let you have them for the same price I paid to acquire them?"

Su Xinghui said, "That wouldn't be appropriate. You should add a little something."

Hou Dali said, "The fact that you can take all these items off my hands at once is already a huge help to me. You've always patronized my business in the past, so it wouldn't be right for me to ask for more money."

Su Xinghui said, "How about this: I'll take them all for 160,000. That extra 10,000 can be for your travel expenses."

Only then did Hou Dali nod and say, "Alright, it's a deal then. I'll hold these items for you; come and pick them up whenever you have the money."

Su Xinghui said, "Since you are in urgent need of the money, I will go raise it right now and strive to bring it to you this afternoon."

Hou Dali was overjoyed and said, "That would be wonderful!"

To tell the truth, Hou Dali knew that if these items were left for a few more years, the price would certainly be more than 150,000. The problem was that he was a businessman, not a collector; he needed capital for turnover. However, this batch of items in his hands was also very difficult to sell because the entire collectibles market was currently in a slump, and there were not many people who could come up with that much cash.

However, he did not want to sell these items piece by piece, and there were even fewer people who could buy so many things at once. Thus, he thought of Su Xinghui. Having met Su Xinghui today, he took these items out to show him.

Su Xinghui had bought tens of thousands of yuan worth of stamps and coins from him several times before. Moreover, looking at Su Xinghui's attitude toward money, it was clear that he was not the type of person who cared deeply about it. Such a person must have seen large sums of money before; therefore, Hou Dali felt that Su Xinghui must have the ability to buy these items of his.

Although Su Xinghui had always said that he was buying these stamps for a friend, Hou Dali always had a feeling that Su Xinghui was buying them for himself and just using his friend's name. Otherwise, why would his friend never appear when he bought so many things with so much money?

Of course, Hou Dali would not point this out. If Su Xinghui did not want to say, he must have his reasons. In any case, Hou Dali was convinced that Su Xinghui was a good person, and that was enough.

Su Xinghui left the Hou residence in a hurry. He found a public telephone and called Xu Haimin. Xu Haimin was at his construction company. He answered Su Xinghui's call, and when Su Xinghui said he had something to discuss, he told Su Xinghui to come to his office.

After hanging up, Su Xinghui rushed to the Haimin Construction Company. If there was anyone in Shangjun County who could come up with over 100,000 yuan in an afternoon, it was only Xu Haimin. Perhaps there were others, but only Xu Haimin could lend him the money with such peace of mind.

Upon arriving at Xu Haimin's office, Xu Haimin had already brewed tea for Su Xinghui. After sitting down and taking a sip, Su Xinghui said to Xu Haimin, "Uncle Xu, thank you for the design plan."

Xu Haimin laughed, "Don't be so formal. We're family, aren't we? What brings you to me today?"

Su Xinghui said, "Uncle Xu, I need a sum of money right now. Could you lend it to me?"

Xu Haimin nodded without hesitation, "No problem. How much do you need?"

Su Xinghui said, "160,000."

This huge number did not surprise Xu Haimin. He asked, "When do you need it?"

Su Xinghui said, "Right now, the sooner the better."

Xu Haimin nodded, "Alright, let's go to the bank together now."

Su Xinghui said, "Thank you so much, Uncle Xu. Let me write you an IOU."

Xu Haimin quickly said it was unnecessary, but Su Xinghui still quickly wrote an IOU and said, "Uncle Xu, I will pay you back as soon as possible."