Jiang Yifeng raised his hand, his half-closed, peach-blossom eyes naturally flirtatious. “Take care.”
Qiuyun acted as if she hadn’t seen him, nodding politely. “Thanks for the milk tea, Young Master Jiang.”
Before she left, the tea house handed Qiuyun a takeout bag of milk tea, packaged from a high-end local chain. And inside were two perfectly sealed cups.
The server gave an apologetic smile. “Our tea house doesn’t sell milk tea, so we had someone drive to buy it. We got three cups in total.”
As a fellow industry insider, Qiuyun instantly understood—having multiple flavor options was just being prepared.
“Thanks.”
Each cup of this milk tea cost 260 yuan. She wouldn’t normally buy two cups at once.
Carrying the milk tea, Qiuyun returned to the antique street. The little interruption didn’t ruin her rare holiday mood. In fact, after the antique street crowd saw her being invited up to the tea house by Young Master Jiang, the petty stallholders no longer dared to peddle fake goods to her.
“Miss, would you like to take a look at my wares? The real stuff, hidden away.”
With Young Master Jiang’s implicit endorsement, her expertise was indirectly validated, and many vendors wanted to make a sale.
“Let me have a look,” Qiuyun said, stopping in front of a stall.
The stall owner flicked her long braid, then dragged a wooden box out from under her bamboo chair. Opening it, she revealed a mess of cloth and newspapers, digging around until she pulled out a Heshi bi jade disc.
“Oh, an old piece?” Qiuyun took it for a closer look.
The stall owner chattered on, “This is a Warring States jade bi with grain patterns in greenish-white jade. It’s a family heirloom of mine. I’m only selling it because I find you, young lady, fated to see it, and my family really needs the money. Otherwise, I’d keep it as a treasure for generations!”
Qiuyun snorted with a laugh. “Sister, let’s skip the nonsense. If it were really a family heirloom, you’d take it to an auction house or an antique shop, not sell it at a street stall.”
The vendor grinned. “You little minx, you sure don’t mince words.”
“Warring States and Han dynasty grain patterns are plump, silkworm-like carvings, each grain with a raised ridge in the middle, like just-germinated seeds. Your grain pattern here is flat and stiff, a mediocre flat-carved imitation. The texture feels different too. But... looking at the material and the patina, it’s definitely an old piece over a century old—probably a Ming or Qing dynasty reproduction.”
Well, well.
She’d finally run into a young person who knew her stuff.
The vendor had no choice. “Girl, you’ve got sharp eyes! Alright, let’s be straightforward. You name a price for this thing.”
A reproduction piece, unless it had some historical fame, wasn’t worth an auction house’s time. Antique shops would just lowball you hard. Better to sell it at a stall to a half-educated beginner.
Qiuyun set the piece down on the red cloth. “You’re the seller—you want me to name a price?”
“Twenty thousand.”
Qiuyun stood up and began to leave. “Not happening.”
“Alright, alright.” The vendor had only been testing the waters anyway. “Eighty thousand.”
Qiuyun countered, “Thirty thousand. This kind of item has no collectible or auction value. It’s just a decorative piece for the home. Thirty thousand isn’t cheating you.”
“Thirty thousand is way too low! You’re cutting it in half and still losing ten thousand!”
“In my eyes, it’s worth exactly that. Take it or leave it.” Qiuyun shrugged. Her new video would be about Qi Dynasty clothing and makeup, and she was just looking for a jade piece to adorn her skirt hem. This round bi happened to fit the look.
“Fine, fine, fine. Since you’re cutting it in half, I won’t beat around the bush either. Forty thousand. Forty thousand and it’s yours.”
Qiuyun remained unmoved. “Boss, I don’t absolutely need this jade bi. Besides, selling it to someone who knows what it’s worth at a fair price is a lot more stable than ripping someone off, then skipping town for a year or two before coming back.”
Seeing the vendor still hesitant, Qiuyun pressed on. “Look, you’ve been in this trade a while. You must know this is Beijing. Throw a brick and you’ll hit either a director or a department chief. If you cheat them, you’ll be lucky if you only end up in jail.”
“Alright, alright!”
The vendor was swayed, mainly because what the girl said was true. Just a few days ago, a fellow stallholder who’d fled for two or three years had returned, only to get caught by his old customer.
People had money and time on their hands—they simply couldn’t swallow the insult.
“Girl, since you put it that way, I won’t play games. I bought this piece for thirty-two thousand. Give me thirty-three thousand—at least let me make a thousand in handling fees!”
The price wasn’t entirely out of line, and since she’d been blunt, thirty-three thousand was the absolute floor.
“How about this,” Qiuyun said, glancing over the other items on the stall. She picked up a silver bracelet and examined it. “Toss in this bracelet with the jade, and we’ll call it thirty-three thousand.”
The vendor took a look. It was a plain, carved old silver bracelet, probably thrown in as a bonus when she’d bought other items. Lifting it, it felt hollow.
“Fine, no problem!”
The deal was sealed, money and goods exchanged.
The vendor wrapped both pieces in red cloth. Qiuyun thanked her and continued browsing other stalls.
She found some suitable earrings and hairpins later. By midday, the sun growing fiercer, Qiuyun turned into an auction house.
“Sorry, sorry—I was just eating my takeout. Browsing, consignment, or appraisal?” The receptionist shut her takeout box, wiped her mouth, and stood up.
“Appraisal.” Qiuyun glanced at the employee introduction board beside her.
The receptionist said, “Appraisal is this way. Our expert was about to head out for lunch. Lucky you came ten minutes early.”
“Perfect timing.”
Qiuyun took the red cloth to the appraisal room. Inside, the expert was a short-haired middle-aged woman with a sharp, efficient look.
“What do we have here?” She took the offering, opened it, and inspected the piece in her hand. “This bracelet is old, but our auction house doesn’t usually handle this kind of thing. Turn right out the door—there’s a gold and silver recycling shop with fair prices.”
Qiuyun leaned in, pointing with a fine needle at a tiny hole under a carved flower. “Look here.”
The expert examined it with a magnifying glass and exclaimed with pleasant surprise, “It’s a secret compartment bracelet!”
In collecting, value came from three things: a calligrapher or painter’s legacy, a unique natural specimen, or a one-of-a-kind story. Anything with one of those had collectible value.
Qiuyun said, “I bought this from a street vendor. If you weigh it, with something hidden inside, it’s probably silver notes or letters.”
“Right,” the expert agreed, weighing it. “It’s probably very light. I’ll take it to the appraisal center for an X-ray.”
The bracelet’s secret latch was masterfully made. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary carved bracelet. The vendor who’d sold it hadn’t bothered spending money to verify a cheap item, so Qiuyun got lucky with this find.
She’d spotted it because she’d seen countless pieces of jewelry with hidden compartments during her time in the ducal mansion. Every maidservant had something—hairpins, necklaces, gold or silver bangles—usually for stashing their private savings.
As for herself, since she’d bought her own and didn’t have to pay tribute to her family elders, she only had a small silver badge for emergencies.
