As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 75

The old man’s shouting drew the attention of even more people.

Both the treasure appraisers and the authenticators nearby looked intrigued.

Most items brought here for appraisal were purchased at high prices from the outside market.

While the world of antiques and cultural artifacts is a mixed bag, there are genuine pieces among them.

If this young man had truly made a mistake, this promised to be quite a spectacle.

Compared to the old man’s fury, Su Fan’s expression remained calm and peaceful from start to finish, even carrying a faint trace of a smile.

“Of course I understand. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I can assure you, this is new.”

“Bullshit!”

The old man snorted coldly, picking up one of the blue-and-white porcelain vases.

“Look at this cobalt blue, this material, the patterns, the patina, the iron-rust spots… Can you even understand what you’re looking at?”

“Trying to pose as an authenticator without even a hair on your chin, are you? A fraud peddling lies here? Is that how your elders taught you to behave?”

Hearing this, Su Fan’s face showed no change, but the last trace of warmth vanished from his eyes.

While he shared no blood relation with Old Man Su, the latter had adopted and raised him for over a decade. They were closer than family.

The other party dragging elders into his insults had undoubtedly touched a nerve for Su Fan.

“You look at these patterns and dare tell me it’s new again?”

“This is typical Sumali blue cobalt, what the industry calls ‘Kaimen’—undeniable proof. It can’t be faked.

A standard Yuan Dynasty ‘Kaimen’ piece, and you call it new?

What the hell do you know?”

“I brought a genuine piece specifically to test you, you fraud!”

“New. Purely new. Undeniably new.”

Before the old fool could even finish his sentence, Su Fan hit him with another triple-whammy of verbal annihilation, infuriating him further.

“Fine! Fine! Since you insist it’s new, then tell me! Where is it new? How exactly is it new?”

The old man rolled up his sleeves as he spoke, looking ready to fight Su Fan if he didn’t get a satisfactory explanation.

The argument between the two prompted the camera crews to swing their lenses towards them.

An ordinary, run-of-the-mill appraisal show naturally wouldn’t attract many viewers.

Experts appreciate the finer points, but laypeople just want a good show. And when making a program for laypeople, the more drama, the better, right?

Inside the venue, the program director’s grin threatened to split his face in two.
Ready-made material, just like that!

Fight, fight, fight!
But Su Fan wasn’t about to brawl with a wretched old man in public.

Mainly because he was worried he might accidentally kill him on the spot. How bothersome.

“First, this Sumali blue cobalt of yours doesn’t match the historical context of the late Yuan Dynasty. Then, look at the patterns.”

“The painted figures aren’t consistent with Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain; they’re in the style of the Ming Dynasty’s ‘Interregnum’ period. The ‘coiled spring’ clouds, the transcendent, ethereal figures—all hallmarks of the Ming Interregnum style. They have nothing to do with the Yuan Dynasty.”

“The iron-rust spots on it are also faked.”

“To put it bluntly, this thing of yours is a fantasy piece—a fabrication.”

After Su Fan finished, the old man grew even more incensed.

“I spent three hundred thousand US dollars on this! I even had it appraised by a professional institution! I showed it to experts before, and they all said it was genuine! And you alone claim it’s fake?”

After saying this, he raised his voice in a shout.

“Everyone, come look! Come see! There’s a fraud here, a swindler posing as an authenticator! Don’t let yourselves be deceived!”

Gradually, many people originally waiting in line for appraisals gathered around.

Loving a spectacle is human nature, not to mention such a explosive confrontation. It was simply too entertaining.

Su Fan remained completely unruffled by the scene and didn’t attempt to stop the old man’s loud protests.

If the old fool wanted to make a fool of himself, let him!

He’d been given face but didn’t want it. Old bastard.
“You dare spout nonsense to my face? Do you dare spout such nonsense in front of all these people?”

The old man’s face was flushed red, his neck thick with anger as he pointed at Su Fan and roared.

“You’re so certain this is late Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain. Where does your confidence come from?”

Su Fan asked, unhurried.

“You ask me where? My confidence comes from this!”

The old man took a box from another bag, then pulled out a cup from inside.

“This is a blue-and-white porcelain piece passed down through my family! My great-grandfather bought it in Beijing, China—a genuine piece! Look at it, isn’t it exactly the same?!”

He slammed it down authoritatively in front of Su Fan.

Su Fan remained unmoved, glanced at it, and sighed softly.

“So your great-grandfather bought it, as expected.”

At Su Fan’s words, the surrounding onlookers were taken aback.

What was this? Was the young man admitting he’d misjudged it?
The old man snorted disdainfully through his nose.

Trying to back down now? Too late!
“Birds of a feather flock together. Your ancestor was just as blind as you are.”

“For this thing to be passed down three or four generations… does your whole family combined lack a single complete brain?”

Su Fan tapped his finger on the cup and spoke again.

“This one is also new.

You’re using a new piece for comparison, so of course what you bought is also new.”

“You… what did you say?”

“I said this one is also new.”

“You… Say that ag…”

“I know you’re upset, but don’t get ahead of yourself. Listen to me. This really is new. And not just this one—everything you brought is new.”

The old man was breathing heavily, puffing and wheezing, even starting to show the whites of his eyes.

“Getting all worked up over the truth? I’m just kindly helping you identify new products. Saving you from treating worthless junk like treasure.”

“If you really want something with Sumali blue cobalt, I suggest you take a taxi to the airport right now, catch a flight from LA to Shanghai Pudong Airport, then get a car to the train station and buy a direct ticket to Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province.”

“Spend a few hundred dollars and you can buy one.”

Su Fan’s relentless barrage of verbal blows finally shattered the old man’s mental defenses completely. His eyes rolled back, and he stiffened, toppling straight backward.

Security personnel maintaining order immediately stepped forward, catching the old man as he fell.

“Sir, sir, please calm down first, sir?”

One of them looked up immediately at his partner.

“Call an ambulance, quick!”

After saying this, he turned to look at Su Fan, only to meet a gaze of pure disdain, which gave him pause.

Was he… annoyed that I interfered?

Actually, he was right. Su Fan was indeed annoyed at the unnecessary intervention.

Should’ve just let the old fool drop dead. All that yapping was disturbing the peace.

Su Fan took a tea set from the case he’d brought, followed by a thermos and some tea leaves.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he unhurriedly brewed himself a cup of hot tea, waited for it to cool slightly, took a small sip, and then finally spoke leisurely.

“Next.”

Hearing this, the surrounding onlookers glanced at each other, then simultaneously dispersed.

The bustling crowd that had gathered around Su Fan moments earlier instantly cleared out, leaving a vacuum around him.

Su Fan: …