Chapter 34: Take Action?

Inside the Authentic Antiques Shop.

"Lao Chen, show me this Yuan blue-and-white."

"I'll take it to Fan Haibo later; I don't think it's fake."

"Alright."

Shop owner Chen Jianhua took the so‑called Yuan blue-and-white porcelain from his longtime customer, and after a single touch he roughly knew it was fake.

But the person in front of him is his regular client; saying it too bluntly…

He can't claim it's genuine either—if he later brings it to Fan Haibo for appraisal and says he judged it authentic, what then?

Wouldn't that label him a "brick expert"?

"Ugh, how should I say it…"

Chen Jianhua thought for a moment, then, with a serious face, pointed at the Yuan blue-and-white porcelain and said:

"It looks real."

"Hm? Lao Chen, are you sure?"

"Don't get excited yet; I see a few spots that seem real and a few that seem fake. You know, in our appraisal, one fake makes the whole piece fake, only a complete genuine counts as real!"

"Come on, stop beating around the bush and tell me where the problems are."

"Look at the Su Ma Li Qing glaze; it's rich, but something feels off. However, the iron‑rust spots diffuse naturally, as if naturally rusted…"

After Chen Jianhua briefly listed the issues he saw, noticing the customer's pale face, he quickly added:

"Of course, the body is definitely hemp‑firing clay; the body is heavy yet coarse, the cross‑section is straw‑yellow, and the base shows obvious fire‑stone red—no mistake!"

"It could very well be authentic, but my skill is still lacking; I suggest you take it to Teacher Fan for a look."

"Alright?"

Hearing that, the customer's complexion brightened considerably, and he laughed:

"Fine, I'll take it to him right now."

"If it's genuine, I'll give you a big red envelope!"

"I'm leaving, okay."

"Hey, take care." Chen Jianhua saw him out, pursing his lips.

He hadn't told a single lie just now.

The body is genuine.

The surface is fake.

"Tsk tsk, after all these years I still don't know what I'm playing at… whatever, it's fine."

"The more, the better."

Chen Jianhua muttered something, shook his head, and turned toward the counter.

He hadn't reached it yet when the door opened behind him.

"Welcome, thank you for coming."

Chen Jianhua instantly stopped, turned back, and his smile widened:

"Hey there, what do you two lads want?"

"Everything here is top‑quality!"

The chubby kid who walked in clearly wasn't short on cash; the Jade Ornament on his chest was pure ice‑type, easily worth several hundred thousand at least!

The young man beside him dressed simply, looking like a pauper, but simplicity is the ultimate principle— the simpler, the less you should underestimate.

Who knows what family background he has?

This is the Capital City! One brick can topple a whole district chief!

Chen Jianhua naturally showed some enthusiasm.

Zhang Youwei gave him a slight smile: "We'll take a look first."

"Alright?"

"Sure, look around as you wish!" Chen Jianhua, hearing that, politely moved to the counter to wait.

He watched Zhang Youwei and Yu Lin idly browsing inside.

Outside stood a man in a casual suit, looking like a butler.

That made him even more certain the two weren't ordinary.

But… what does "not ordinary" really mean?

His Authentic Antiques Shop guarantees all crafts are genuine and fairly priced, but doesn't guarantee they're ancient relics…

These are high‑quality reproductions he painstakingly sourced elsewhere, arguably the pinnacle of replicas.

Selling half a piece is pure profit!

Chen Jianhua's lips curled up, showing a faint smile.

He was calculating how to give them a discount, sweet‑talk them, and see if they could become long‑term clients.

What does a youngster know about antiques? You only understand after playing with them for years! Now taking a loss…

"Boss!"

Zhang Youwei's words snapped his thoughts back, prompting him to quickly step out from behind the counter and smile:

"Hey, what's up? Did something catch your eye?"

"Yes." Zhang Youwei raised his hand and pointed at three antiques on the display shelf.

Seeing this, Chen Jianhua immediately approached:

"You want those three, right? Young man, you have great taste! Not to mention the other two, that Tang three‑color piece is called…"

"No, I don't want those three; I want everything else on this side."

"You want the whole thing, right... huh? The whole thing?!"

"Right."

"These are worth 1,113,000; are you sure, young man?"

"Swipe the card."

Zhang Youwei took out a black card.

Chen Jianhua, seeing this, knew he was serious and truly not short of money.

That million could be just a month's pocket money for him.

So Chen Jianhua immediately fetched the card reader, thumping his chest:

"Since you're so generous, I can't let myself be looked down upon!"

"Round down the change and charge you, young man, a hundred. How about that?"

Zhang Youwei had no objection; it made no difference to him, so he nodded and swiped the card:

"Boss, give us an invoice so there's no dispute later."

"I see it says here that once sold, it can't be returned or exchanged, right?"

Chen Jianhua was about to say no returns, but Zhang Youwei said it first, which pleased him, so he nodded and laughed:

"Okay! Hold on a sec."

"I'll also pack these for you, young man."

"You keep watching..."

A moment later.

"Take care, okay!"

"If you liked it, come back next time!"

Chen Jianhua saw off the three, watching Zhang Youwei and Yu Lin's backs as if they were two fat lambs.

"If this happened every day, that'd be great!"

Doo.

Zhang Youwei's phone popped up a message; he looked down:

【Hello, you have won a prize; please come promptly to claim it.】

He jerked his head up and shouted at Yu Lin, who was picking at the stall: "Yu Lin! You really won!"

"I knew you could do it!"

Yu Lin was pinching a rust‑stained Copper Coin, and without looking up, said:

"Go claim the prize; I'll keep looking."

"Ah, stop looking."

Zhang Youwei grabbed his arm:

"I only intended to buy one item, and this much is already enough."

"Let's go together."

"It's a good chance to have Fan Haibo appraise what you bought."

"Alright?"

"Fine then, let's go." Hearing that, Yu Lin set down the half‑real, half‑fake Copper Coins in his hand.

He turned and walked with Zhang Youwei toward Fan Haibo's location.

Before they could push into the crowd, from far away they heard:

"What do you call my one‑glance fake, his big opening?"

"Look closely, mine is identical to his, even better! If you today..."

"Please calm down, let me explain. Your vessel looks the same, but on close inspection there are slight differences; the core material is overly interfered, and this mouth doesn't have that—it's fabricated.........."

"What nonsense fabrication? I won't let you see, you basically......."

"You may refuse to show me, but I'm telling you, this is brand‑new, unquestionably new."

"You, you, to your mother! Laozi and you, I'm fighting!"

The crowd instantly erupted, screams rising everywhere.

The enraged appraiser brandished a dagger, its cold glint aimed at Fan Haibo's chest—

"Die!"

Just as the dagger tip was only three inches from Fan Haibo, Yu Lin suddenly flicked his foot.

Clap!

A sandal struck the dagger precisely, producing a crisp metallic clang. The dagger flew out, tracing several silvery arcs in the air.

Before anyone could react, Yu Lin flicked his other foot again.

Swish—clap!

The second sandal spun like a dart and struck the man's face. He let out an "Ow!" and fell backward onto the ground.

Yu Lin sauntered forward, first bending to pick up the fallen dagger and casually placing it on a nearby table.

Then he crouched, took his sandal from the man's face, and put it on.

The whole market fell silent instantly.

Everyone stared wide‑eyed at the young man in sandals.

And there were two people pushing carts, walking toward him.

"If you have something to say, speak calmly; why brandish a knife? You don't want to appraise, yet you still want to appraise others!"

"Right, it still has to be me, Yu Ge, taking action. You're just a plain 19‑yuan free‑shipping Pinduoduo item, getting all worked up about calling you fake."

Li Shu, make a phone call, and send him in.

Yes.