Chapter 33: Antique Appraisal Expert

Inside the Fifth Ring Road of the capital, Wise Eye Antique Market.

Today, the crowd at the antique market is unusually large.

They are not here to buy; a large part are here for appraisal.

Because appraisal expert Fan Haibo has set up a stall today.

He brought thirty antiques, saying one among them is a genuine piece worth thirty thousand, while the other twenty-nine are such high-quality fakes that even with his years of experience, a moment's inattention could make one mistake them for real.

He said, whoever can spot the genuine article at a glance,

no money needed, it's free!

Now the crowd surrounds his stall, each stuffing their answer into the wooden box.

It's not yet time to open the box.

Fan Haibo set up another table and chair ahead, saying he'd give free appraisals for the afternoon.

At this very moment.

"Don't worry about it being microwave‑safe; look at this rubbing, look at the rust, feel the texture—touch it."

"This couldn't possibly be a modern craft!"

"Do you even understand? Use a magnifying glass!"

Facing the old man whose face flushed like pig's liver as he spat words wildly before him, Fan Haibo merely showed a standardized smile:

"Listen to me, please hear me out first."

"Go ahead, I want to see what you can say!"

"This one is new."

"Huh?!"

"Purely new."

"You're full of shit! I......"

"Undeniably new—it doesn't even qualify as a high‑grade fake!"

"You, you, you're talking nonsense! You're a damn expert! I won't let you see it!" The old man snatched the contrasting-colored chicken‑head cup from Fan Haibo's hand, shoved it into his own box, and muttered curses:

"You couldn't see shit!"

"Mine is identical to the one in the Palace Museum—except theirs has no lid, mine does!"

"You say something worth hundreds of millions isn't even a high‑grade fake—you're blind!"

"I........."

Fan Haibo just listened calmly, but the young man in his early twenties standing beside him couldn't take it anymore and sprang to his feet:

"What the hell are you spouting? Let me tell you......"

"Hey, Xiao Wang, forget it, forget it—spending a hundred thousand on a fake isn't easy, being angry is understandable; let him vent."

Fan Haibo pressed Xiao Wang down; his tone seemed gentle, yet each word hit home, leaving the old man unable to speak, forced to flee in embarrassment.

After he left, someone immediately stepped forward.

He was a middle‑aged man with half‑white hair.

He placed the bag he was carrying on the table and smiled:

"Master Fan, this piece has been passed down from my great‑grandfather."

"He said it's Ru ware, and I had it authenticated by Professor Lin Baiyun of the Jingdezhen Art Association—he said it's genuine and even offered to help me put it up for auction!"

"Take a look and tell me if it's real."

Saying this, he produced a sky‑blue porcelain bowl about the size of a palm.

Fan Haibo took it, glanced, and instantly broke into a smile.

Quite the find.

Although he saw at first glance that it was fake, he couldn't help laughing out loud.

The base inscription reads:

【Made in the Yongle era of the Great Song】

Fan Haibo lifted his head: "First off, let's not talk about how this isn't a Song‑dynasty Ru ware mark."

"Do you know when the Yongle period was?"

Upon hearing this, the middle‑aged man immediately waved his hand:

"Master Fan, never mind those—look at the crab‑claw pattern, look at the fish‑scale crackle, and the ash‑white body; it's exactly the same as what I saw at the museum!"

"If you say mine is fake, then the museum's must be fake too!"

Fan Haibo really wanted to curse the idiot, but years of cultivation kept him in check; he merely opened his mouth:

"Let me explain......"

"No need, just tell me if it's genuine! I'm not hiding anything—I came today specifically to test you! Someone once offered thirty million for it, and I didn't sell!"

"New, purely new, undeniably new—and moreover, this is worse than a low‑grade fake."

"Impossible! You're talking nonsense!"

The middle‑aged man suddenly flew into a rage, reaching to grab Fan Haibo's collar, but Xiao Wang beside him blocked him and shoved him away.

"Old fool, what are you trying to do?"

"Get lost!"

"You, you, you wait!" The middle‑aged man, not knowing what to say at the moment, wanting to strike but fearing Xiao Wang's retaliation, could only pick up his Ru ware and turn to leave.

Fan Haibo remained calm, gestured for Xiao Wang to sit, and spoke softly:

"Stay calm; once you truly enter the appraisal trade, you'll meet plenty like this and get used to it."

"Cultivate your temperament; I brought you here today so you could get a taste of it in advance."

"Yes, that's what the teacher taught," Xiao Wang immediately nodded in agreement.

He had previously watched it on video and found it quite fun; today, facing these old members of the National Treasure gang directly, he has truly exhausted all his strength to suppress his anger.

There's really nothing to do—watching these guys who have only a superficial grasp, not even that, flounder in their own field, what's the difference from watching them Ra shit Ra shit in one's own living room?

After taking a deep breath, Xiao Wang shouted, "Next, please step forward!"

The one who stepped forward this time wasn't a young man, but didn't look old either; he took a piece of porcelain out of his bag:

"Teacher Fan, could you take a look? I bought it casually."

At the first glance at the porcelain, Fan Haibo became interested; he took it, gave it a brief look, and laughed:

"Not bad, it's genuine; the date is around the Xuande period of the Ming, that's correct. Although it's quite good, it's not an official kiln piece but a folk kiln one. In my opinion... its value is at least twenty thousand."

"How much did you spend to acquire this?"

He smiled and said, "Oh dear."

"Not much, just three hundred yuan. I was just playing with it; my salary is that little."

"Spending more would also hurt the heart."

Fan Haibo nodded, "Yes, your attitude is spot on; antiques..."

Ding ling ling, ding ling ling.

He was halfway through his sentence.

The timing device set aside suddenly rang.

After quickly finishing the rest of his words, he and Xiao Wang stood up and walked toward the stall displaying thirty antiques.

Fan Haibo approached the stall of thirty antiques, cleared his throat, and said, "Everyone, it's time for the draw now."

"Please wait a moment, we'll look at them one by one!"

The crowd immediately stirred, everyone craned their necks and pushed forward.

Xiao Wang brought over a wooden box and took out the paper slips inside.

Then he and Fan Haibo began examining them one by one.

One out of thirty, the other twenty‑nine are all high‑grade fakes.

Unless a treasure appraiser of Fan Haibo's caliber comes over, otherwise...

"Hmm?"

Fan Haibo looked at the paper slip in his hand,

【South Province's richest】

Fan Haibo pulled out his phone and sent a message to the phone number left there:

"Hello, you have won; please come promptly to claim your prize."