Xiao Ke's Tuition

Although this two-handled vase looked exquisite and like a genuine piece, Chu Chen remained meticulous during his appraisal and first examined its mark on the base. The six vermilion seal-script characters, "Made in the Great Qing Dynasty Qianlong period," were neat and forceful, clearly displaying the typical characteristics of an imperial kiln.

Next, he examined its body. It was fine and clean. Since porcelain bodies from the Qianlong period tended to become coarser in the later years, it was apparent that this two-handled vase was a piece from the early or middle Qianlong period.

The body was the bone, and the glaze was the clothing. After examining the body, he naturally had to inspect the glaze. The glaze on this two-handled vase was firm and dense, smooth and lustrous like fat or jade, bright and flawless. It could be called one of the finest among painted vases.

Only then did Chu Chen examine the overall shape and the characteristics of its patterns and decorations. In six words, it was dignified and imposing, orderly and refined, lavish in style, made without regard for cost, with a natural patina and perfect condition. Judging from these points, it should be an expertly crafted piece from the early Qianlong period, with considerable collection value.

When appraising antiques before purchase, the greatest taboo was overreacting. The seller could be said to watch the buyer's every expression when setting a price. If one revealed any fondness for the item, the price would undoubtedly rise with the tide.

After carefully appraising the two-handled vase, Chu Chen's expression remained as calm as ever despite his special ability. Not a trace of his astonishment showed. He put away his gloves and magnifying glass, then said unhurriedly to Mr. Wang:

"Mr. Wang, I do like this two-handled vase. I'm just wondering how much you want for it."

This tone undoubtedly gave Mr. Wang the impression that if he quoted too high a price, the deal might well fall through. After thinking for a while, he finally said:

"Mr. Chu, if I weren't urgently in need of money, I definitely wouldn't sell this two-handled vase. I'll give you a fair price: five hundred and fifty thousand. How does that sound?"

It's good that you're in a hurry. If you weren't, how could I bargain you down? Chu Chen smiled faintly and said:

"I wonder if Mr. Wang knows that a similar two-handled vase was auctioned during this year's spring sale. Do you know what its final price was?"

He paused before continuing, "Six hundred and sixty thousand! Think about it. An auction would also involve commissions, personal income tax, and other expenses. After all that, it only fetched six hundred and sixty thousand. And an auction would take time as well. What do you think?"

"This..."

When Mr. Wang heard that such a thing had happened, he became somewhat at a loss. He did not actually doubt the truth of Chu Chen's words, because lying about such matters would ruin one's reputation. A trace of worry appeared on his face, and fine sweat even surfaced on his forehead, revealing his anxiety and concern.

Mr. Wang considered the matter for quite a while. Perhaps he truly needed the money urgently, or perhaps there was some other reason. Gritting his teeth, he said to Chu Chen:

"Mr. Chu, five hundred thousand. If you want it, we'll make the deal right now. I have to leave soon. If you don't want it, I'll go find someone else."

Chu Chen figured that Mr. Wang was probably not very familiar with antiques. Otherwise, he would know that even a difference of only a few months could cause a considerable change in antique prices. For a two-handled vase in this condition, the possibility of getting more than six hundred and sixty thousand at auction was vanishingly small.

Chu Chen did not agree immediately. If he had, Mr. Wang might change his mind. He thought for a moment before smiling and saying:

"Since you're in such a hurry, Mr. Wang, I'll buy it. We can sign the agreement now."

Hearing Chu Chen agree, Mr. Wang breathed a sigh of relief. The two of them then drew up a simple agreement, with Uncle Wu serving as its witness. After signing it, they went to the bank together and transferred the money before bidding each other farewell.

After seeing Mr. Wang hurry away, Uncle Wu happily slapped Chu Chen on the shoulder and said:

"Not bad! You've really learned how to do business. At the current market price, you couldn't get such an exquisite rouge-red piece for less than six hundred thousand. You made a good profit this time."

Chu Chen shook his head. "Uncle Wu, that's only because Mr. Wang was too eager to sell. Otherwise, I couldn't have gotten it for this price. Besides, I wasn't planning to make money from this two-handled vase."

"Oh! To be honest, I haven't even asked who you were brokering it for. And where did you get five hundred thousand? I know you paid rent and bought a computer recently. The money you made from your previous find wasn't enough to make up five hundred thousand, was it?"

When Uncle Wu brought this up, Chu Chen felt somewhat embarrassed. He still had not told Uncle Wu about what had happened over the past two days. Thus, the two of them talked as they walked, and it was only after they returned to Uncle Wu's shop that Chu Chen briefly explained everything that had happened.

After listening, the expression on Uncle Wu's face was remarkably colorful. He had never expected Chu Chen's experiences over a few short days to be so unbelievable. In only a few days, a millionaire had been born so easily, giving Uncle Wu a feeling that the world had changed completely. After digesting the astonishing news, he jokingly said to Chu Chen:

"Xiao Chen, you actually didn't tell me about such a good thing. Were you afraid I'd ask to borrow money?"

When Chu Chen heard Uncle Wu mention borrowing money, he remembered that it was almost time for the holidays in Britain. That also meant Xiao Ke's next semester fees would soon be due. Whenever this time came around, it was when Uncle Wu was most troubled.

Although the antique business seemed to make a great deal of money, business was often unstable. Sometimes one earned a lot, and sometimes one earned little. Otherwise, there would not be the old saying that one could live off a single opening for half a year. Although Uncle Wu had run an antique shop for nearly twenty years and had earned quite a bit, Xiao Ke's tuition and living expenses were likewise substantial.

Uncle Wu's savings over all these years had mostly been spent on Xiao Ke. Although she worked part-time abroad, it was ultimately only a drop in the bucket. Moreover, Uncle Wu did not really want Xiao Ke to work. He had always told her to prioritize her studies, saying, "As long as you finish your studies and return home sooner, the money you save will be far more than what you could earn from working."

Xiao Ke calculated it and realized he was right. If she skipped a year, she could save at least two hundred thousand. To earn that much through part-time work, she had no idea how hard she would have to toil, not to mention the impact on her studies.

Thus, she devoted all her energy to her studies. She was intelligent to begin with, and although skipping a grade was somewhat difficult for her, she could complete it as long as she worked hard. Last year, she finally achieved her goal. Her five-year combined undergraduate and master's program would now be completed by next year.

Even so, the tuition for this final year was still somewhat difficult for Uncle Wu to cover. It seemed he could only find a way to borrow the money.

Thinking of this, Chu Chen felt ashamed. Uncle Wu had always treated him so well, yet when Uncle Wu needed help, he had not thought of it at all. It was truly wrong of him. Somewhat embarrassed, he explained:

"Of course not. I've simply been too busy these past few days and haven't had time to come to your place. Something like this would be hard to explain over the phone. Uncle Wu, don't trouble yourself anymore. Leave Xiao Ke's tuition to me. I have so much money now that I won't be able to use it all for a while anyway."

Hearing this, Uncle Wu said with some relief, "At least all these years of caring for you weren't wasted. But how can I take your money? Besides, you're at the age when you should be starting a family and establishing a career. Shouldn't you also consider buying a house in the capital?"

"Uncle Wu, I'm only twenty-one, all right? How am I already at the age to start a family and establish a career? Besides, even if I wanted to buy a house, how could I spend over a million? I'm not planning to buy a courtyard house, and even if I were, I couldn't afford one with the little money I have. All right, Uncle Wu, stop talking about it. I'll take care of Xiao Ke's tuition. If you keep going, I'm going to get angry!"

Hearing the decisiveness in Chu Chen's voice and seeing his expression, as though he would not stop until Uncle Wu agreed, Uncle Wu could only nod. He joked, "All right, I agree, okay? But I don't have money to pay you back. Ask Xiao Ke for it later. If she can't repay you, just take her as collateral."

When Chu Chen heard this, he put on a bitter expression. "Uncle Wu, please spare me. Just consider this money my support for Xiao Ke's studies. Don't make her repay it."

In truth, having the money arranged also relieved Uncle Wu. Although he could sell some antiques and would not need to borrow much, he usually acted generous toward Chu Chen, yet he cared greatly about his pride in front of others. Whether asking someone to lend money to him or to his family, he truly could not bring himself to do it.

With nothing weighing on him, Uncle Wu now felt lighthearted. Seeing Chu Chen's worried expression made him want to laugh, but he liked him more and more and genuinely wanted Chu Chen to become his son-in-law. However, such matters could not be forced; he could only leave it to the two of them.

Afterward, Uncle Wu glanced at the two-handled vase on the table and turned to Chu Chen. "You said just now that Manager Zhao asked you to find this two-handled vase? Aren't you afraid your Uncle Zhao will resent you for taking his business?"

Chu Chen chuckled. "Uncle Zhao can't really blame me for this. Besides, I think Manager Zhao was probably using this opportunity to test me. In the future, I'll likely take over Old Master Dong's work. As for this kind of brokering, Uncle Zhao will probably continue handling it. After all, his connections are far more extensive than mine."

At this point, he raised another question. "By the way, Uncle Wu, do you know why Manager Zhao is so dissatisfied with Old Master Dong?"

"I do know a little about that."

Uncle Wu frowned and replied, "I heard Old Dong joined a newly opened auction house. Recently, he's been as elusive as a dragon, and people often can't find him. I suspect Manager Zhao became annoyed because he asked him for help several times and Old Dong refused. Only the two of them know the exact circumstances."

He then smiled and said, "This is also a good thing for you. From now on, you'll be at his side. Broadening your experience is one thing, but you must also hurry to build up your knowledge. When you appraise something, don't be completely in the dark, or you'll lose face terribly."

"As for this two-handled vase, it doesn't really matter whether you add a markup. Even if you don't, Manager Zhao won't let you lose out. You'll have to judge the specific situation for yourself."