As If They'd Won

Wang Bin, who had been helping his father, wiped his hands and trotted off to the garage. He took a box and a scroll from the trunk of the car he had driven back earlier, then brought them over and set them on the dining table.

Liu Jinyou cheerfully fiddled with the items. "Son-in-law, Wang Yan, come take a look. These are treasures I picked up a couple of days ago. Tell me what you think."

Ragpicker Hou still looked as frivolous as ever. Under the puzzled gazes of Su Meng and the others, he examined the pieces inside and out. Gradually, his brow furrowed, and his usual unserious manner vanished as he grew solemn.

Wang Yan did not even need to look at the object. Just from Ragpicker Hou's expression, he knew the jar was fake. He washed and dried his hands, then walked to the table. Looking at the ink shrimp painting spread across it, he touched the paper and examined the inscription and signature before nodding. "It's genuine. How much did you pay for it?"

"One hundred and fifty thousand." Hearing confirmation from Wang Yan, an expert in paintings and calligraphy, Liu Jinyou smiled at Hou Su'e beside him. "See? I told you my eye was fine, but you wouldn't believe me."

Hou Su'e curled her lip and snorted. "Just look at my dad's face. Don't you get it? There's something wrong with that jar."

"What could be wrong with it? Son-in-law, I had it appraised by a machine a couple of days ago. The certificate is right here."

"A machine appraisal? Was that machine not made by people? Old son-in-law, you really underestimate what people are capable of." Ragpicker Hou snorted disdainfully and casually pushed the jar in front of Wang Yan. "Take a look."

Wang