Chapter 130: Selling Separately?
The crowd automatically parted to make way as Mr. Tang, leaning on his cane, approached Xu Youyou, who was surrounded by people. When he saw the Zeng Gong letter in her hand, he couldn’t help but quicken his pace.
As he got closer, Mr. Tang immediately put on his reading glasses and carefully examined the letter for a long time. His face showed increasing astonishment.
“This letter is from Zeng Gong to his younger brother, am I right?” Mr. Tang asked Xu Youyou.
Xu Youyou nodded, saying, “You have sharp eyes, Mr. Tang. You can see it clearly.”
Mr. Tang lowered his head again, carefully scrutinizing the letter for a while longer. Under the eager gazes of many around them, he finally spoke his judgment: “This letter is indeed from Zeng Gong’s family.”
As an expert in antiques and a great admirer of Zeng Gong, Mr. Tang’s words were considered a definitive verdict.
Xu Youyou had also brought the Zeng family genealogy with her, but seeing the situation unfold, it seemed unnecessary.
“Little girl, I really like this letter. Name your price,” a corpulent middle-aged man said, taking the initiative to speak.
Xu Youyou thought the man looked familiar—he seemed like a well-known entrepreneur, but she couldn’t quite recall his name at the moment.
Before Xu Youyou could respond, someone else quickly interjected, criticizing him: “Old Liu, that’s a strange thing to say! When treasures of this level come out, they should be bid on by multiple parties. Why are you acting like you’re the only buyer? Don’t you think you’re disrespecting us?”
“Yes, we all want to collect treasures like this too,” others chimed in.
Old Liu helplessly responded, “Alright, alright, I can’t argue with you. Let’s have someone from the Lin family come over to conduct the auction process.”
Xu Youyou wasn’t very familiar with this small-scale gathering, but it was clear that these people were regular participants. They spoke about the process with confidence.
Soon, someone brought Lin Yashu over.
“Today is really lively. In Hall 1, we have the Yongzheng Famille Rose vase and the Qianlong enamel bowl, and here, we have a Zeng Gong letter,” Lin Yashu said with a smile.
Someone jokingly added, “The Lin family’s gathering is even livelier than the spring auction in Hong Kong! Why not have the Lin family switch to running auctions?”
Lin Yashu laughed and shook her head. “Our Lin family has no plans to enter the auction business, Mr. Li. Please spare us.”
As she said this, Lin Yashu seemed to have a certain authoritative tone.
Xu Youyou was surprised. Lin Yashu didn’t look old, probably not even 30. The respect everyone showed her suggested that she was likely a very important younger member of the Lin family.
Guided by others, Lin Yashu walked over to Xu Youyou. When she saw that the letter was from Xu Youyou, her face showed a look of surprise. “Miss Xu, such a precious item is from you? The invitation I sent you truly went to the right person.”
Lin Yashu had originally sent the invitation to Xu Youyou with the intention of returning a favor for Shen Ju’an. She thought it would be a good chance to broaden Shen Ju’an’s friends and social circles.
However, she hadn’t expected that Xu Youyou would bring such a valuable item, which ended up adding extra brilliance to the Lin family’s gathering. Lin Yashu felt a sense of indebtedness to Xu Youyou.
Xu Youyou smiled and replied, “Miss Lin, you flatter me. Since you kindly invited me, I naturally wanted to bring my most precious collection.”
Lin Yashu smiled slightly, clearly finding Xu Youyou intriguing. “Miss Xu, such high regard for me. Don’t worry, I will help you find the right owner for this letter.”
The formal auction process wasn’t simple. Before the item could be handed over, there would be a lot of authentication work. Xu Youyou noticed that Lin Yashu didn’t seem to have any plans for an appraisal, so she couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Lin, what’s the process for the auction? Do I need to hand the item over to you?”
Lin Yashu quickly shook her head and said, “For such an important collection, we wouldn’t dare take responsibility for keeping it. But our rules here are simpler than an auction house. If the buyer thinks there’s an issue with the auction item, they can refuse the transaction, and they’ll just compensate the seller five million.”
“If the seller regrets not selling, the buyer compensates the buyer. If the seller regrets before the item is auctioned, the five million compensation will be used for the tea fees at the gathering. Speaking of which, there are always kind-hearted people who cover the tea fees for each gathering.”
“But if both parties agree to the transaction, the deal is made right there, and afterward, even if either side feels something isn’t right, there’s no more trouble. No one can come to us, the Lin family, about it.”
Xu Youyou nodded. Although the Lin family was an antique family, they weren’t an actual auction house. She didn’t feel comfortable just handing over the item to them, but the process was designed so that both parties could feel at ease, knowing there would be compensation in case anything went wrong.
In the end, the Lin family wasn’t directly handling money or treasures—they acted more like auctioneers calling out bids.
As for how to ensure both parties would pay compensation if needed, it all relied on the Lin family’s reputation in the circle. In other words, the Lin family was confident that none of the people present would risk becoming a joke for the sake of five million.
“Miss Xu, if you’re willing to let your collection participate in the auction, I can register it for you first. How does that sound?” Lin Yashu asked with a smile.
Xu Youyou nodded.
“Starting price?”
Xu Youyou casually said, “One hundred million.”
Lin Yashu paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “The Zeng Gong letter is indeed worth that price.”
Xu Youyou had just glanced around at some familiar faces in the room. She didn’t know them from her previous life, but they seemed like people she had occasionally seen on TV or in magazines.
With these people present, the price of the item couldn’t be low, so she felt confident in setting the starting price high.
In any case, even if this group didn’t buy it, given how much Lu Jingyao valued the Zeng Gong letter, he would likely bid a high price for it.
After registering, Lin Yashu said, “Miss Xu, once all the items are registered, someone will notify you of the auction order for your collection.”
Just as Lin Yashu was about to leave, Xu Youyou asked, “Can I register other types of collections with you as well?”
Lin Yashu stopped in her tracks.
Xu Youyou took out a cloth bag. “I also want to sell these silver dollars.”
Though most of the items displayed in this room were paintings and calligraphy, there were also plenty of people who liked collecting silver dollars. Upon hearing this, people immediately showed interest and gathered around.
One glance, and they immediately saw the silver dollar on top.
“Ah, it’s still from the Ministry of Revenue, one tael! Little girl, you’ve got quite a collection, huh?”
Xu Youyou smiled without responding.
Lin Yashu politely asked, “Miss Xu, are you selling these silver dollars separately, or as a set? If you want to sell them separately, I can only register the one from the Ministry of Revenue.”
