eurekapd Chapter 437 Checking in on classic plot points from an antique novel.
Chapter 437 Checking in on classic plot points from an antique novel.
After the meal, Fu Ziyan did not leave with her uncle and aunt. Going out to eat together can be seen as a sign of a close relationship, but being overly intimate is not appropriate.
There was an antique shop near the small, privately-run restaurant, and Fu Ziyan casually strolled in to browse while taking a walk to digest her food. With the shop assistant's enthusiastic introduction, she picked out a pastel vase that looked appealing, perfect for arranging flowers later.
Although the hotel she was staying at had improved in terms of furnishings and decor compared to two years ago, the improvements were still quite limited due to the limited space. Adding a vase would make the room look more comfortable.
"Ms. Fu, would you like to take a look at these? They're quite exquisite and beautiful." The sales clerk was exceptionally enthusiastic. The quarterly settlement was coming up soon, and the person with the highest sales would receive the title of "Outstanding Salesperson," with a bonus of a full eighty yuan.
Fu Ziyan smiled and shook her head, politely declining.
To protect cultural relics, antique shops only sell items from the Ming and Qing dynasties, which are subject to age restrictions; the best pieces are not sold. Fu Ziyan wasn't interested in these items, which couldn't compare to the antiques in her family collection. She would have liked to buy official porcelain for her collection, but unfortunately, official porcelain is quite rare, and she hadn't come across any today.
The shop assistant could only regretfully give up.
What a great buyer! It's a pity there's nothing in the store that would catch the eye of this foreign heiress!
Unlike the shop assistants, Fu Ziyan had no regrets at all. She was just browsing casually and didn't care whether she found anything good or not.
Perhaps the less you expect, the more pleasant surprises you'll receive.
Not far from the antique shop, Fu Ziyan saw a boy, about half a year old, carrying a basket on his back by the alley. His hair was messy, like it had been chewed by a dog, with his bangs covering his eyebrows. His face looked dusty, probably smeared with wall plaster. He peeked out like a little bird, his voice low but his tone very polite.
"Sister, do you need anything good?"
Fu Ziyan paused in her steps.
The "good stuff" naturally refers to antiques. The child probably saw her coming out of an antique shop, so he came to ask about it.
Fu Ziyan didn't care how good the antiques the child was talking about were. She stopped simply because she encountered a common plot point in period dramas.
"Painting his face with plaster," "carrying a basket on his back to find his target audience," "his hair covering his face, leaving only a pair of bright, honest, dark eyes"... What a classic scene of a scholar encountering a benefactor while selling antiques from that era!
I also got her to check in!
Of course, Miss Fu would never squat down under the wall of this alley to make a deal with this child.
Fu Ziyan thought to herself: That would be so damaging to my image!
"Mu Mu".
As her longtime personal assistant, Mu Mu knew what the young lady meant the moment Fu Ziyan spoke. She smiled and invited the seller, "Young man, our car is parked at the intersection ahead. Why don't we get in and talk in detail?"
Mu Mu knew at a glance that the child was a girl, but she didn't point it out. The child was deliberately dressing herself up to be androgynous, so why expose her identity?
boarding?
Qiu Ping'an hesitated for a moment, but thinking of his family's situation, he steeled himself and nodded heavily.
The man in front of me is a foreign businessman. Just by looking at the people he's with, you can tell he's rich. I don't think it's worth making a big fuss over cheating a country bumpkin like him.
If she could sell that thing for a good price, she could use the money to go south and buy more to sell back home. Then her family would never lack meat again. Thinking of the tuition fees that were causing her younger siblings worry, Qiu Ping'an made up her mind that she had to get a good price for that thing!
Qiu Ping'an walked forward step by step, his palms slightly sweaty, which he secretly wiped on his body when no one was looking.
You can't sweat, otherwise you might get your baby dirty!
Qiu Pingan took a deep breath, but was still stunned when the car door opened.
A cool, refreshing breeze, carrying a subtle scent of leather and delicate perfume, wafts towards you; soft white cashmere carpet, smooth brown leather chairs...
My God, is this a car?!
Qiu Pingan looked down at her patched-up cloth shoes. The dust and dirt spreading from the soles to the uppers made her stiffen, a moment of panic washing over her. This white, soft, obviously expensive carpet—she dared not step on it! What if someone got it dirty? She couldn't afford to pay for it.
"I...I think I'd better not get on the bus."
Fu Ziyan looked up and could tell at a glance what the young man was worried about. She smiled gently and said, "It's alright, please sit down."
Although his tone was gentle and calm, his elegance and the aura he had developed over the years intimidated Qiu Ping'an. He subconsciously followed the instructions of the distinguished person in front of him and sat down, unable to refuse.
Qiu Ping'an sat upright, his hands resting properly on his thighs and knees. At first glance, his entire body exuded restraint.
She glanced at Fu Ziyan, then mustered her courage and took the treasure out of the basket.
In order to get a good price, Qiu Ping'an carefully wiped it clean with a soft and delicate cotton cloth before setting off, and wrapped it in several layers of gauze to ensure that it would not be damaged before daring to take it out.
Fu Ziyan, who had initially only intended to join in the fun, found her gaze drawn to the antique after it was taken out.
This is a white porcelain pillow shaped like a beautiful woman. The glaze is white and lustrous like jade, with a bright sheen. Where the glaze is thicker, the color is white with a hint of blue. The craftsmanship is exquisite.
Fu Ziyan's knowledge of antique appreciation was only so-so, but her family had a fairly rich collection of antiques, including antique porcelain from the five famous kilns. Having been exposed to them a lot, she could easily tell that this piece of white porcelain was also from the Ding kiln.
I may not be familiar with the term "beauty pillow," but I am very familiar with the term "Ding kiln child pillow"!
A beauty pillow is certainly not as good as a child's pillow, but only relatively speaking. In fact, it is still a valuable item worth collecting.
Fu Ziyan's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly she let out a small "wow," marveling at her luck. To stumble upon someone offering her a treasure just by strolling around—in a novel, this would be a heroine's buff!
Qiu Pingan tried hard to observe Fu Ziyan's expression, but couldn't tell anything. He couldn't help but feel uneasy. Could it be... that she didn't like him?
"Comrade, what do you think of this?"
Fu Ziyan raised her eyes, her expression calm: "How do you plan to sell it?"
Qiu Pingan thought for a moment. He figured that the person who was willing to ask the price probably intended to buy it, so he boldly held up five. Foreign businessmen are so rich, five hundred shouldn't be too expensive, right?
Fu Ziyan glanced at the number five she was gesturing to, thinking that although Ding kiln porcelain could fetch tens of thousands of US dollars at auctions, given the prices in mainland China, it would be impossible for it to reach tens of thousands. So, the young man meant five thousand or five hundred.
Qiu Pingan bit his lip tightly, feeling extremely nervous.
Fu Ziyan looked at Qiu Ping'an's undisguised nervousness and unease, and smiled gently: "Five thousand?"
Qiu Ping'an couldn't control his emotions, and his eyes immediately lit up.
Five thousand! It actually sold for five thousand!
Antique shops usually lower the price when buying goods; if she sold them there, she'd only get a hundred at most. She risked everything to find a customer herself to sell them for a higher price, and she never expected to get five thousand!
Five thousand yuan! Their family has only saved a little over a hundred yuan in savings over the years, and this antique can actually sell for five thousand.
Qiu Pingan felt like he was going crazy with joy. After catching his breath, he hurriedly asked, "Do you think this is okay?"
Fu Ziyan could see Qiu Pingan's emotions, and she knew that Qiu Pingan had originally prepared a price of five hundred. At this point, she could easily lower the price, even to one thousand.
But she still nodded and answered Qiu Pingan in a calm and gentle tone, "Okay."
Although this porcelain pillow could fetch 50,000 at an auction, perception determines price. In the mainland market, selling it for 5,000 is already considered a rare high price.
She wouldn't offer Qiu Ping'an a high price of 50,000, but she also wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for the child. She would lower the price to 1,000, which would be a very reasonable price for Qiu Ping'an.
Fu Ziyan believes that with this starting point of 5,000 yuan, this young man, who dared to stake out an antique shop and secretly look for potential customers, will be able to soar even higher in the future.
Qiu Ping'an was overjoyed and was so excited that he lost his voice.
Fu Ziyan looked up at Mu Mu, who understood and took out a stack of foreign exchange certificates from his handbag and handed them to the girl: "Young comrade, we have limited cash on hand. Here's five hundred for you, and you can use foreign exchange certificates for the remaining four thousand five hundred, is that alright?"
"of course."
Qiu Pingan nodded hurriedly.
Those are foreign exchange certificates, which are worth more than RMB for the same face value!
She immediately intended to hand the porcelain pillow to Fu Ziyan, but upon seeing Fu Ziyan's demeanor, she quickly changed her mind. She carefully handed the porcelain pillow to Mu Mu before taking the foreign exchange certificate, wrapping it up, and putting it into her basket.
Qiu Ping'an suppressed his overflowing excitement and politely said goodbye: "This is the only good thing I have. Thank you for buying it, comrade. Well then, I'll be going now."
Fu Ziyan glanced at Qiu Ping'an's basket and said, "Wait a moment, I'll give you a ride on my way."
A teenager carrying a large sum of money is bound to encounter danger.
Qiu Ping'an wasn't stupid. After the initial excitement wore off, she quickly realized she'd encountered a very kind buyer. She repeatedly thanked him, saying, "Thank you so much, comrade. I'm very grateful for your help. My home is at..."
Although it would be troublesome for others, Qiu Pingan still wanted to get home safely.
She had just received a large sum of money. What if some malicious person saw her getting out of such a nice car, followed her, and tried to rob her? But she wasn't stupid enough to let the car take her to the village entrance; that would be another disaster.
After dropping Qiu Ping'an off at a secluded ridge near the village, Mu Mu watched the young boy quickly walk away with his basket on his back and asked in confusion, "Why did Miss ask for five thousand?"
Even she could tell that Qiu Ping'an's target price was only five hundred.
Fu Ziyan watched the boy's receding figure outside the window and smiled, "Give her a good start and see how far she can go." In fact, if Qiu Ping'an really achieves success one day and comes to her again, as long as Qiu Ping'an can afford the price, it wouldn't be bad to sell this beauty pillow back to him.
Fu Ziyan smiled slightly; she had essentially cosplayed a "noble person" character commonly found in period dramas.