Success

The middle-aged man, upon hearing this, didn't seem pleased. Instead, he said indignantly, "Hey~ What's wrong with you? Even we farmers know about first come, first served. How can you be less polite than a farmer!"

Chu Chen watched them put on such a show and chuckled inwardly, but he maintained a poker face and said, "Since this gentleman thinks it's a good item, I'll let you have it." Without another word, he turned and left.

At this scene, the two men were stunned. They looked at each other, completely bewildered about what had just happened. Didn't Chu Chen seem to think the printed plate was quite good earlier? Why was he scared away by a mere hundred thousand? Had he asked for too much?

However, having come this far, they were unwilling to give up. The middle-aged man quickly reacted and yelled at the young man, "Hey, what's wrong with you? I was talking fine with that young brother, and you came to 'cut in'! You said a hundred thousand, can you even afford it? If you can produce a hundred thousand right now, I'll sell it to you immediately."

The young man, of course, couldn't and wouldn't produce that much money, so he put on a look of shame and turned to leave.

"Boss! Big brother! Wait!"

The middle-aged man shouted, stopping Chu Chen from a distance, and pulled him back to their original spot. Perhaps in his haste, he had forgotten a crucial detail and left the printed plate right there. Seeing this, Chu Chen chuckled inwardly.

It wasn't that Chu Chen wasn't anxious just now, but to gain the upper hand, he had to take a gamble. Fortunately, these two were greedy enough to stop him; otherwise, getting the item would have been much more troublesome.

Returning to their spot, Chu Chen frowned and asked, "What's going on, brother? Why didn't you trade with that person just now? I can't afford a hundred thousand."

The middle-aged man's heart leaped with joy. As long as he was willing to pay, that was all that mattered. So, he said indignantly, "That person is a scammer. How could he possibly afford a hundred thousand? I still think you, big brother, are more reliable."

Chu Chen smiled faintly and said, "I still think this is a good item, but forget a hundred thousand, I wouldn't even pay fifty thousand. Let me ask you a question, what do you call the item in your hand?"

"This... I don't know. I just heard others say it's from the Song Dynasty or something. But I really don't know when the Song Dynasty was," the middle-aged man replied somewhat sheepishly.

"Exactly. Think about it, the Song Dynasty was a thousand years ago. This printed plate is still so new and intact. After a thousand years, bumps and scrapes are common, not to mention wars. Do you think this could really be from the Song Dynasty?" Chu Chen retorted.

The middle-aged man was taken aback. That made sense. If it didn't look new, would he have bought it for two hundred yuan back then? It seemed this person wasn't so easily fooled. However, as long as he believed it was an antique, he could still make some profit.

So, he asked cautiously, "Then... big brother, you mean this item is only a few hundred years old?"

Seeing Chu Chen merely smile faintly, offering no definitive answer, he eagerly asked, "Big brother, how much can you offer?"

Chu Chen smiled and said, "Brother, you set the price, so I don't offer too little and make us both unhappy."

"Then... thirty thousand?" the middle-aged man said hesitantly after some thought.

Logically, thirty thousand yuan for a genuine Ding ware piece would be an incredible bargain. However, Chu Chen dared not agree to this price. If he accepted too readily, the middle-aged man might become suspicious. So, he directly shook his head:

"Brother, that's a bit too much. Thirty thousand is really too high. I can offer at most five thousand."

Hearing five thousand, the middle-aged man was somewhat satisfied. But it was a classic negotiation tactic: start high, settle low. He thought for a moment and pleaded, "Big brother, look at my situation at home. Five thousand is really too little. Please add a bit more. And you said yourself, this thing is a real antique, isn't it?"

"Sigh, brother, you really are in a difficult situation. How about this, I'll add another three thousand?" As he said this, a hint of compassion appeared on Chu Chen's face, as if he truly sympathized with the middle-aged man's circumstances.

"Big brother, can you add a little more? We still owe several thousand yuan in debt. If we pay that off, there won't be much left. I'm not asking for much, just fifteen thousand, what do you say?" the middle-aged man continued to plead, looking like he was about to kneel.

Seeing this, Chu Chen put on an annoyed expression and said impatiently, "Hey, what's wrong with you? Your family's debts have nothing to do with our transaction. I can't just pay an exorbitant price for it. How about this, twelve thousand, do you sell it or not? If not, I'm not buying!"

"Then... alright, big brother, can you pay immediately?" the middle-aged man agreed, feigning hesitation, and then asked somewhat uneasily.

Chu Chen patted his leather bag and affirmed, "Of course. I have the money on me. But before we trade, we need to draw up a simple agreement, so there are no misunderstandings later."

"Oh, people from the city are so thoughtful," the middle-aged man said, giving Chu Chen a thumbs-up. He felt a bit annoyed inwardly. What was the need for an agreement? Just give him the money quickly. Why was this young man so troublesome?

Afterward, Chu Chen quickly wrote an agreement. However, the agreement still listed the item's age as the Song Dynasty. The man just glanced at it and signed his name. Of course, Chu Chen didn't know if it was genuine or fake.

In fact, he had left a loophole at this point. A person with little education writing such good calligraphy was bound to raise suspicion. But Chu Chen just smiled inwardly and didn't expose him.

After signing the agreement, they exchanged money for goods. The man saw Chu Chen take out a stack of money from his leather bag, and it looked like there was more inside (taken out after yesterday's transaction). He felt both greedy and regretful. If he had known this person had so much money, why didn't he ask for more when he made the offer?

However, he didn't dare to rob him, as Chu Chen was much more robust. He couldn't win in a fight.

After the transaction was complete, Chu Chen said to him, "Brother, since your family is in such difficulty, why don't you leave your address? I have a friend who is a journalist. I'll ask him to visit your home one day and do an interview. We can also raise some funds for your family then and find better medical treatment for your wife and children. What do you say?"

The middle-aged man shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this and said gratefully, "Big brother, thank you for your kindness. My father taught me from a young age to be self-reliant. Now that I have this much money, my family can get by."

After saying this, the middle-aged man expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Chu Chen and then turned and hurried away.

After walking a distance away from Chu Chen, the middle-aged man immediately broke into a run. When he reached a secluded spot, the young man with glasses was already waiting there. Seeing him approach, he immediately stepped forward and asked, "Brother, how did it go? Was it successful?"

The middle-aged man panted and said proudly, "Of course! Who do you think I am? With my years of experience as an extra, this kind of thing is a piece of cake!"

"Ha, brother, how much did we earn this time?" the young man asked impatiently.

It was better that he didn't ask. The middle-aged man became angry and slapped him a few times on the head. He roared, "Don't you know that because of your immature performance just now, we only made a little over ten thousand? I told you, when you made the offer, could you have asked for less? Starting with a hundred thousand, who wouldn't run away?"

The young man said aggrievedly, "Brother, this is our first time, we don't have experience."

"Hmph, if it wasn't your first time, I'd break your legs."

After scolding him, the middle-aged man took out the money and said with a smile, "This job is really quite profitable. We bought something for two hundred yuan and sold it for twelve thousand. It's truly exhilarating. We need to study this further and strive to expand this business."

Watching the middle-aged man speak with such passion, the young man beside him also nodded flatteringly. If they knew that a Northern Song Ding ware porcelain piece worth at least a million had slipped through their fingers, what would their expressions be like?

Chu Chen's mood was undoubtedly exceptionally excited. Finding a genuine antique by stepping on a landmine was unheard of. However, now was not the time for careful appreciation. He bought a few newspapers by the roadside, carefully wrapped the item, and put it directly into his home. Only then did he turn back towards the antique street.

In the afternoon, due to the hot weather, the crowd on the antique street had significantly decreased. Walking along, he noticed that very few stalls were doing good business.

Returning to his own spot, he happened to see Zhou Wenping completing a transaction. So, he asked with a smile, "Brother Zhou, how's business this afternoon?"

"It's alright, a bit worse than the morning, but passable. Here, I sold a display vase for you." Zhou Wenping replied with a smile and handed him five hundred yuan.

"Oh, I didn't expect to have income even when I wasn't here. But I also have good news for you. After you hear it, Brother Zhou, you have to treat me today."

Zhou Wenping smiled and said, "What good news requires me to treat you? Could it be that the house you mentioned this morning has been settled?"

"Heh, what's a house matter? What I'm about to tell you is much more important than a house."

Chu Chen's words piqued Zhou Wenping's curiosity. He laughed and cursed, "You brat, if you have something to say, say it quickly. You're making me anxious and giving me a heart attack."

"Haha, Brother Zhou, then you'd better protect your heart." Chu Chen said jokingly and then briefly told him about Zhao Qirui agreeing to help him with his household registration.