Chapter 126: Companions
Xu Youyou looked at the middle-aged man in front of her, still wearing the old Tang suit even in a situation like today’s, and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Wang Huaigu, nice to meet you,” the man in the Tang suit extended his hand.
Xu Youyou gently shook his hand. “Xu Youyou.” She then took the initiative to introduce the person beside her: “This is Mr. Lu Jingyao.”
Wang Huaigu chuckled lightly. “The youngest billionaire, Mr. Lu, standing next to Miss Xu, you two are quite the perfect match. Truly, seeing is believing.”
Lu Jingyao was pleased to hear this, but Xu Youyou quickly spoke up. “You’re mistaken. Mr. Lu and I are just ordinary friends.”
Wang Huaigu glanced at Lu Jingyao beside him, inwardly thinking that Lu Jingyao’s gaze didn’t seem like that of an ordinary friend, but he didn’t call out the young man’s little trick of pretending to be just friends. Instead, he swiftly said:
“Haha, so it’s not the case? I must have misread it. But, with such handsome men and beautiful women, it’s indeed a pleasure to the eyes.”
Xu Youyou smiled generously and said, “I’ll take that as a compliment to my looks.”
However, compared to Lu Jingyao, Wang Huaigu seemed more interested in Xu Youyou and said, “Miss Xu, you don’t seem to be frequently in Beijing. I haven’t seen you before. Are you from the Xu family of Guangcheng in the South? Speaking of which, I know a few of your elders. They are all well-known talents.”
Xu Youyou had never heard of the Guangcheng Xu family, and she didn’t have any intention of pretending to be someone else, so she replied, “You’ve misunderstood. I’m just an ordinary antique dealer, with no special background.”
Wang Huaigu shook his head upon hearing this. “Miss Xu, you’re being too modest. There’s no such thing as an ordinary person among those who come here.”
Not wanting him to control the conversation, Xu Youyou actively asked, “Mr. Wang, what collection did you bring today? May I have a look?”
Wang Huaigu, being generous, took out a wooden box.
Xu Youyou wasn’t very familiar with wood materials and couldn’t tell if there was anything special about it, but she faintly smelled a refreshing fragrance.
When the wooden box was opened, inside was a cup.
Wang Huaigu said, “Both of you, please take a look.”
The cup was not made of porcelain. The body of the cup was a translucent yellow, but it didn’t seem like yellow jade.
Xu Youyou focused and examined the patterns on the cup. “The Eight Immortals celebrating longevity?”
Wang Huaigu nodded slightly but didn’t elaborate further.
Xu Youyou thought of something. “It has a unique fragrance. Is this a rhinoceros horn cup?”
Wang Huaigu looked at Xu Youyou with approval. “Miss Xu, your eyes are sharp.”
Xu Youyou carefully examined the patterns on the rhinoceros horn cup again and said, “This seems to be in the style of Ming and Qing Dynasty art.”
Wang Huaigu’s gaze toward Xu Youyou grew even more admiring. “Miss Xu, just with one glance, without even seeing the signature, you’ve already guessed most of it. This shows that you, my dear, are naturally someone made for this profession.”
Lu Jingyao, who was listening nearby, felt a flash of pride in his eyes. When Xu Youyou was praised, he felt proud as well, as if the hidden gem had finally been recognized by someone else.
Xu Youyou humbly shook her head. “You overestimate me. I was just casually guessing. Who would have thought I’d be right?”
Wang Huaigu said, “You’re too humble. Many people your age are still out there serving tea and running errands. You only took one look, without even handling it, and were able to tell so much. That’s already impressive. Truly, talent emerges from the youth.”
Xu Youyou knew in her heart that she wasn’t as skilled as others made her out to be. She was just standing on the shoulders of giants like the system, and there was still much for her to learn.
She hadn’t worked with rhinoceros horn cups before, but she had vaguely heard that the country seemed to have banned this type of craft. Such treasures seemed hard to come by now, so she asked, “Such a fine cup, aren’t you planning to keep it for yourself?”
Wang Huaigu immediately said, “Of course I’m going to keep it. I brought this cup here to show others.”
Xu Youyou immediately understood—some people came to the exchange for business, while others came purely to show off.
Wang Huaigu continued proudly, “I found this cup in Panjiayuan. They always say that Panjiayuan has no real antiques, refusing to admit they lack the skill. I brought this treasure here to slap their faces!”
Xu Youyou naturally understood that “they” referred to other antique dealers.
For people in this business, buying a high-priced item at a low price was not only proof of their luck but also showed their strong eye for value. Once such a thing happened, they would want it to happen again—it was addictive.
Xu Youyou hadn’t been in the business for long, and she also felt a bit of an itch for a “find” since she hadn’t discovered any rare items in a while. Spending money had already become uneventful to her, but she enjoyed the excitement of finding a hidden treasure.
Wang Huaigu, proud of his “find” with the rhinoceros horn cup, seemed to want to test Xu Youyou and asked, “Little girl, guess how much I paid for this cup?”
Xu Youyou replied helplessly, “How would I know? If I had to guess, maybe 300.”
Wang Huaigu’s face immediately scrunched up like he was constipated.
Xu Youyou was surprised. “Did I guess right?”
Wang Huaigu, with a wooden expression, nodded. “The mind of the young is really sharp. Miss Xu, you just casually guessed, and it was spot on. Truly, the new generation surpasses the old.”
Xu Youyou felt a little embarrassed by the praise and said casually, “I was just guessing.”
Wang Huaigu said, “To guess so accurately means you have a good grasp of the value of items…”
At this point, Wang Huaigu suddenly stopped.
Xu Youyou had a bad premonition in her heart. Sure enough, the next second, he asked, “Miss Xu, you need to tell me the truth. Since you’re not easily fooled, when we were at Old Zhang’s shop, he sold you an item at double the price, and you accepted it without hesitation. There must be something I don’t know. Is that birdcage really a treasure?”
Xu Youyou gently nodded, surprised by how sharp this person was.
Wang Huaigu slapped his thigh forcefully. “I knew it! I knew something was off with you, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Old Zhang was calling that birdcage a treasure, but in reality, he was eager to get rid of it. Who would have thought it was a real treasure! Tell me more about it!”
Xu Youyou explained, “It’s a birdcage made by the imperial workshop during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty.”
Wang Huaigu nodded vigorously. “That’s it! Old Zhang said this was sold to him by a descendant of Prince Heqin. The Qianlong Emperor deeply loved his brother, Prince Heqin Hongzhou. This absurd prince was famous for his love of collecting, and it’s not surprising that his descendants still have a birdcage.”
Xu Youyou hadn’t expected this item to have such a verified origin, but unfortunately, because of the protective coating on it, even its descendants were uncertain about its provenance.
As for why there was a protective coating, it wasn’t to deceive outsiders—it was to fool even their own family members. The reason for this was something everyone in the room understood without any need for explanation.
Wang Huaigu asked again, “Miss Xu, has the birdcage been sold? Could you show me a photo?”
