Chapter 131: Main Business
Xu Youyou raised an eyebrow when she heard Lin Yashu’s words. Among her silver dollars, in addition to the Ministry of Revenue one tael coin, there were others worth over a million. It seemed that Lin Yashu wasn’t particularly impressed by the other silver dollars.
Xu Youyou thought about the five million compensation mentioned earlier and had a new guess. It seemed that for items participating in the auction, their value must be above five million.
Not wanting to morally pressure buyers by bundling the items together, Xu Youyou said, “Then I’ll sell them separately. Please register this Ministry of Revenue one tael coin.”
“What starting price would you like to set?” Lin Yashu asked.
“Fifteen million,” Xu Youyou replied.
Lin Yashu looked at her with a slightly surprised expression. The starting price was quite high, but compared to the final price, it seemed relatively low. This pricing strategy clearly had an advantage: the final price would likely end up higher than expected.
Lin Yashu thought to herself that Xu Youyou must have a clear understanding of the actual value of the item. In a formal auction, this pricing could carry the risk of the item failing to sell, but the buyers attending this gathering were all quite wealthy, and they could afford a higher price.
After registering the silver dollar, Lin Yashu politely asked, “Miss Xu, do you have any other items?”
She hadn’t expected Xu Youyou to respond, but to her surprise, Xu Youyou nodded and took out a seal.
Lin Yashu looked at the six-sided seal with carvings and appeared a bit confused. Although she was in the antique business, her focus was mainly on ceramics, so she wasn’t very knowledgeable about seals.
However, Elder Tang, who was standing nearby, took a moment to examine it carefully and then spoke up: “It seems to be a work by Mr. Wu Rangzhi.”
“Wu Rangzhi!”
For a small portion of the people present, this name was unfamiliar. However, most of them, who were fond of calligraphy and painting, had at least heard of it, and soon someone began to explain Wu Rangzhi’s background.
Lin Yashu smiled and said, “Miss Xu, you’ve really broadened my horizons today. There’s still so much I need to learn.”
Xu Youyou felt a bit guilty when she heard this. If it weren’t for the system’s help, she wouldn’t have known who Wu Rangzhi was. She certainly didn’t know more about antiques than Lin Yashu.
Meanwhile, Elder Tang made a request similar to the one made by an elderly gentleman at the antique market earlier.
Xu Youyou agreed again and had Xu Fang bring out several sheets of paper with the seal’s imprint on them, which she had prepared earlier.
Elder Tang took one of the sheets and immediately looked pleased, saying, “Miss Xu, thank you. It’s been a long time since I’ve met such a considerate young person like you.”
Lin Yashu also received a sheet of paper, which she carefully put away. She gently asked Xu Youyou, “What starting price do you want to set for this seal, Miss Xu?”
Xu Youyou frowned and thought for a moment. Although Wu Rangzhi was famous, his reputation was mostly limited to a specific circle. He wasn’t as universally renowned as Zeng Gong, who had shone in an entire era.
“Six million,” Xu Youyou said.
Lin Yashu smiled and made a note. She felt that Xu Youyou had taken out three items at once, so she probably had emptied her collection for the day and was about to leave.
But Xu Youyou said, “Miss Lin, I’m not done registering yet.”
Lin Yashu widened her beautiful almond eyes in disbelief, “There’s more?”
Xu Youyou chuckled lightly, and then Xu Fang placed something she had been holding onto the table in front of them.
As soon as it was opened, the crowd gasped in shock when they saw the contents on the camel hide.
“Portrait of Emperor Gaozong!”
“Map of the Great Qing Empire!”
Xu Youyou glanced at the man who had immediately recognized the portrait of Emperor Qianlong. He was an elderly man with graying hair and tears in his eyes.
Someone nearby spoke to him, “Mr. Jin, you must buy this painting. It’s of great significance to your family.”
Jin Shanhe nodded eagerly, not realizing that the comment might have been said sarcastically. His eyes reddened as he said, “Heaven has eyes! To think I’d live to see the portrait of Emperor Gaozong in my lifetime!”
Xu Youyou overheard someone nearby whispering, “A relic of the old Qing dynasty, and now he’s seen the portrait of Emperor Gaozong. It’s like a mouse falling into a grain bin. After he buys it, he’ll probably enshrine it and offer incense to it every day.”
Xu Youyou didn’t care what the buyers did with the camel hide after purchasing it. She was just pleased that there was now a highly interested buyer.
Lin Yashu moved closer to Xu Youyou and said, “Miss Xu, bringing this treasure here today was truly the right choice. There’s no better place to sell it. What starting price would you like to set?”
Xu Youyou’s lips curved into a smile that almost seemed like she was asking for too much: “One hundred fifty million.”
Lin Yashu thought the price was a bit high, but Jin Shanhe kept nodding beside them, “It should be that much. To bring back the portrait of Emperor Gaozong, no price is too high.”
After registering, Lin Yashu, wanting to be cautious, asked, “Miss Xu, do you have any other treasures for auction?”
Xu Youyou hesitated. She did have one more treasure: the Guan Yu statue she had brought back from abroad. But for some reason, when she was about to speak, she felt a sense of regret.
Perhaps, as a Chinese person, there was a special feeling towards Guan Yu. Rather than auctioning it off, Xu Youyou felt she would rather keep it, place it on her desk, and offer her daily respects.
“Not for now,” Xu Youyou said.
Hearing this, Lin Yashu unexpectedly breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Youyou had taken out treasure after treasure, which made it feel as though she had dug up an entire vault of antiques, making everyone else look quite incompetent.
Now that Xu Youyou seemed to have emptied her collection, Lin Yashu felt like she had come down to earth.
Even though Xu Youyou had emptied her collection, she had become the center of attention at the gathering, having presented four well-preserved items.
There were even some people who approached her to buy the silver dollars she didn’t put up for auction.
When the price was right, Xu Youyou sold them on the spot. The transaction went smoothly, with no hitches, as there were many people watching.
Xu Youyou felt a bit regretful. Doing business with anyone was never as pleasant as doing business with Lu Jingyao. After all, Lu Jingyao always covered the taxes, while with others, she still had to go to the tax office to report and pay.
“Old Chen, congratulations on getting your prized possession,” someone congratulated the buyer of the silver dollars.
Since there was no competition, the other guests genuinely congratulated the man.
Old Chen smiled shyly and then asked Xu Youyou, “Miss Xu, you took out so many silver dollars at once. Do you specialize in silver dollar business? Do you have any other good items?”
Xu Youyou was stunned when she heard this. She had picked up all sorts of things over time. If she really had to talk about her main business…
“No, I mainly deal in porcelain,” Xu Youyou said.
