As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 74

Jamie’s confidence wasn’t unfounded.

He inherently believed in Su Fan, considering him deeply knowledgeable.

Add to that how Karl had extravagantly praised Su Fan’s performance at the police station that day.

‘Appraisal expert’ was an understatement.

Su Fan thought so himself, which was why he took this appraisal event quite seriously.

In the days leading up to it, he even paused his cultivation practice for half a day to review and consolidate the antique knowledge Old Man Su had taught him, poring over relevant books.

The weekend arrived in the blink of an eye. Su Fan gathered his set of tools and took a taxi to the museum.

Upon arrival, the organizers led him to a designated spot.

According to the on-site coordinator, this was the dedicated station for appraising Chinese antiques.

They had divided the appraisers specializing in different cultures and countries into separate areas to better utilize their expertise.

Su Fan acknowledged the efficiency of their setup and silently nodded in approval of Jamie’s reliable work.

Not far away, several cameras were set up, clearly intended to record the appraisal process for later editing and broadcasting.

It was evident this wasn’t just a simple exhibition; the scale was quite formal.

Su Fan took his seat and began waiting.

A long queue had already formed in front of the expert appraising modern paintings and artifacts nearby.

In contrast, Su Fan’s area seemed rather quiet.

He had anticipated this situation.

Westerners often considered their own civilization superior, typically valuing only famous paintings and artifacts from countries like Italy or France. They showed little interest in the cultural history and value inherent in antiquities from other nations.

For instance, when the Ox Head bronze from the Old Summer Palace’s twelve zodiac animal statues was discovered, its owner was using it as a towel rack decoration in his bathroom.

However, after waiting for a while, Su Fan finally welcomed his first item for appraisal.

A piece of porcelain.

Its owner was a middle-aged man dressed very formally.

“Sir, could you please take a look and tell me what era this porcelain is from?”

The man carefully took out a box, placed it on the table, and opened it.

“When I bought it, the seller told me it was exclusively made for the emperor of an ancient Eastern dynasty, very rare…”

Hearing this, the first thing that popped into Su Fan’s mind was official kiln porcelain from the Xianfeng era.

During that period, the Qing Dynasty was in decline, plagued by political corruption and economic recession, dealing with both the Taiping Rebellion and the Anglo-French invasion—truly, beset by internal troubles and foreign invasions.

Furthermore, Jingdezhen, the center of porcelain production, was located in a conflict zone and ceased production in the fifth year of Xianfeng’s reign, making such pieces exceedingly rare.

It made sense that some might find their way overseas.

Thinking this, Su Fan straightened up a bit and took the porcelain piece.

But after just one glance, the anticipation in Su Fan’s eyes vanished. When he saw the base of the plate, he almost lost his composure, covering his mouth with his hand.

Across from him, the middle-aged man saw Su Fan cover his mouth, his facial expression seeming to falter, and immediately perked up!
“Sir, what’s the verdict?”

“I paid over ten thousand dollars for this. It can’t possibly be fake, right?”

Over ten thousand dollars?

Hearing that, Su Fan’s hand, which was about to lower the piece, shot back up to cover his mouth again.

After a long moment, he cleared his throat and spoke.

“Ahem, this… how should I put it… Judging from the body and the glaze color, this isn’t porcelain from the Qing Dynasty, nor is it from an official kiln.”

“It’s new.”

Upon hearing Su Fan’s words, the middle-aged man across from him froze.

“Really? But it looks just like the pictures of the porcelain I saw…”

“I have no reason to lie to you.”

“It’s really not an antique?”

“Really not.”

After repeated confirmation, embarrassment flashed across the middle-aged man’s face, quickly followed by anger.

“That damned swindler actually cheated me…”
“I’m going to settle this with him!”

“Before you settle accounts, I think you should perhaps brush up on some relevant knowledge first… If you want to deal in Chinese antiques, you should at least learn a little Chinese…”

Su Fan turned the porcelain piece over, revealing the black characters on the base.

Stamped clearly in bold font were three small characters:

Master Kong.

“And this is…?”

“Currently the most famous instant noodle manufacturer in China.”

“…”

The white middle-aged man’s face turned a shade of purplish-red. Furious, he turned and strode away without another word.

“Sir, your plate…”

Su Fan called out after him a couple of times for form’s sake, but the man’s pace only quickened, until he finally loosened his tie and broke into a full sprint.

“Sigh…”

Wanting to get into the business without understanding the basics, just dreaming of stumbling upon a treasure by luck… if guys like this don’t get scammed, who will?

Abstract.

After seeing off the ‘Master Kong’ enthusiast, Su Fan patiently began waiting for his next appraisal client.

He didn’t have to wait long for the second appraiser.

This time, it was an elderly man with graying hair.

Judging by his appearance and skin tone, he seemed to be of Asian descent.

Unlike the previous client, this man arrived carrying large and small bags, making quite a scene.

But the moment Su Fan saw him, he narrowed his eyes.

The reason was simple: the man’s attitude and gaze were off.

Although the old man appeared somewhat stooped, his eyes darted around, radiating a prickly, hostile intent.

He walked straight up to Su Fan’s table and unceremoniously dropped his bags onto it with heavy, dull thuds.

“Help me take a look at these. Tell me if they’re genuine or not.”

While his words said ‘help,’ his expression held no trace of gratitude or politeness. Instead, he stared intently at Su Fan’s every move.

“Alright, open them up,” Su Fan said, seemingly unaffected by the hostile gaze, his tone neutral.

The old man swiftly unwrapped the bundles.

Inside were porcelain, jade pieces, and even ink wash paintings…

Su Fan picked up each item one by one, examining them, but never for very long before putting them down.

“Well?” the old man demanded almost immediately after Su Fan had looked over the last piece.

“New,” Su Fan stated bluntly.

“New? Which one is new?” The old man pressed, his eyes locked on Su Fan’s face.

“All of them. Every single one is new.”

Hearing this, the old man’s eyes bulged, and he slammed his hand on the table!
BANG!

The loud noise instantly drew the attention of everyone nearby, including the other appraisers and their clients.

“You’re talking nonsense! You don’t know anything! What kind of appraiser are you, pretending to be an expert?!” the old man shrieked, his voice hoarse and strident, the veins standing out on his withered skin. The sound carried throughout the venue.

“Do you even know what era this porcelain is from? Do you understand how to appraise jade? Can you even read ancient paintings?!”