Chapter 88
Song Jianshe chuckled, crossing his arms, and said, "It has nothing to do with me, but I saw injustice and decided to help."
He could tell that Qian Guangwen was a simpleton, easily fooled, so he egged him on, saying, "You really need to take a good look at this little two hundred yuan item?"
Qian Guangwen showed some hesitation.
Professor Bai's face showed a hint of anger. He said, "Guangwen, buying antiques is a test of one's eye for quality. It's always been a cash transaction with no refunds. Today you've come to cause trouble, and they're even trying to explain things to you. If you keep arguing, you'll lose your composure."
"Teacher, but this is four hundred yuan!"
Qian Guangwen was somewhat afraid of Professor Bai, but faced with the RMB, he couldn't help but harbor a sliver of hope.
He could tolerate a loss of 200 yuan at the beginning, but now that it has increased to 400 yuan, he can no longer afford it.
He was a college student, and the school only gave him an eighteen yuan subsidy each month. The first two hundred yuan was all his savings, and he simply couldn't come up with another two hundred yuan in his pocket.
"You!" Professor Bai was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged.
Gu Jinshui realized that Qian Guangwen was determined to succeed. He said to Professor Bai, "Professor, today I'll do a good deed and teach your student a lesson, Liancheng, out of respect for you."
"Hey, boss." Liancheng quickly ran over.
Gu Jinshui, "Go and get a bowl of alkaline water, and also a pair of chopsticks."
These items were already in the store, Liancheng quickly brought them over. Song Jian stood by, arms crossed, watching with amusement. "What are you doing? Trying to cook?"
Someone laughed out loud.
Gu Jinshui didn't even glance at him, but instead poured the bowl of lye water into the vase, swirled it around to distribute it evenly, and said, "Take a look."
Professor Bai waited until he put the vase down before picking it up with both hands and examining it carefully. Gu Jinshui, "It's possible to use an old base to create a fake, but such forgeries usually have a clue. As long as you use alkaline water to test it, you can clearly see whether the porcelain has been tampered with. If it's an authentic piece, there will be no clue."
Professor Bai exclaimed in admiration, "There's absolutely no connection here! The boss is truly erudite; I never knew he could distinguish between real and fake like this!"
Gu Jinshui smiled and said, "There's another way, which is to knock on it and listen to the sound. We'll have to ask Song Jianshe for help with that."
"What kind of help do you need?"
Song Jianshe became wary.
Over the years, he had never gained the upper hand over Gu Jinshui, otherwise he wouldn't hate Gu Jinshui so much and seize every opportunity to ruin him.
"Didn't your shop receive a Kangxi -era sky-blue glazed plum vase yesterday?" Gu Jinshui, "Why don't we bring it over as well, so everyone can see it?"
Song Jianshe said smugly, "Oh, you know that too?"
"Who doesn't know this? Yesterday, your boss Guo spread the word throughout Beijing," Gu Jinshui laughed. "I heard that a foreigner even wanted to buy it for three thousand US dollars. If it's sold, none of us will have the chance to see it. Why don't we go and get it so we can also broaden our horizons?"
If we're talking about Beijing, their biggest flaw is probably their love of watching a spectacle.
Those in the antique collecting circle especially like to join in the fun, partly to broaden their horizons and learn something new.
Immediately, many people started to jeer, "Boss Song, bring out something this good so everyone can see!"
"If this had happened during the reign of Kangxi, three thousand US dollars wouldn't have been considered expensive for this plum vase."
Song Jianshe was a vain man; a few kind words from someone would make him lose his bearings, and he immediately agreed to go back and bring the plum vase back.
Their shop is not far away.
Seeing that Professor Bai was standing there, Gu Jinshui simply asked Sun Liancheng to bring out the tea set, brew some tea, and served a cup to Professor Bai.
Professor Bai was a little embarrassed, "What kind of tea is this? It smells strangely fragrant."
"Jasmine tea," Gu Jinshui. "If you like it, I'll let you know where I bought it later."
Qian Guangwen and the others stared wide-eyed, never expecting that the two would actually start chatting and laughing.
Song Jianshe returned quickly, bringing not only the plum vase but also the foreigner and Guo Pu.
Guo Pu, dressed in a long robe and wearing a thumb ring, looking every bit the scholar, approached and asked with a smile, "Boss Gu, what are you going to do with our plum vase?"
"Nothing much. It's just that your Manager Song insisted our stuff is shoddy work. I'll show you all what shoddy work really is." Gu Jinshui rolled up his sleeves and said, "Please put the plum vase down. I guarantee it's absolutely foolproof."
Guo Pu felt a little uneasy.
He wanted to back out, but Song Jianshe acted quickly and impatiently placed the plum vase next to the flower and fruit patterned vase.
"I'll have to trouble everyone to keep quiet," Gu Jinshui said.
Everyone cooperated well, and the foreigner even spoke quietly to the translator, probably asking Gu Jinshui what to say.
"You are all experts here," Gu Jinshui. "In our line of work, we all know the saying, 'A fake is afraid of the real thing.' What does that mean? It means that no matter how good the imitation is, it will be intimidated when it sees the real thing." "Look at these two bottles, and listen carefully."
He picked up his vase and tapped it lightly; the sound was soft and crisp. The Kangxi blue-glazed plum vase, on the other hand, made a dull, muffled sound.
"These two voices are different!"
Professor Bai said in surprise.
Gu Jinshui glanced at Professor Bai with some surprise, "You have excellent hearing, sir; these two voices are definitely different."
"That's right, the voice up ahead is much nicer."
Someone said this, and immediately everyone agreed, "That's right, the voice in the back is rather deep."
"The sound of old porcelain is crisp and clear. If you're interested, you can take some pieces and tap them yourselves. Our old, high-quality pieces were excellent in every way. The glaze, needless to say, was thick and lustrous, and the sound was clear and bright. But if it's just shoddy work, it's a different story," Gu Jinshui. "Those shoddy workers don't have the same skill as the originals, and they're unwilling to put in the hard work, so the sound of newly made imitations is quite unpleasant."
Although Gu Jinshui didn't continue speaking after saying this, everyone understood what he meant.
"So your house has a genuine door, while theirs is a replica!"
Someone said this.
Song Jianshe and Guo Pu were immediately displeased.
"Gu Jinshui, what nonsense are you spouting? Our lineage dates back to the Kangxi, how could it be a fabrication!" Song Jianshe, enraged, snatched the plum vase.
Gu Jinshui chuckled and said, "I didn't say it was nonsense. I just said we're opening a door, and it's good stuff. Hey you, do you have anything to say?"
Qian Guangwen's face turned pale, then white, then pale again.
Professor Bai glanced at him, stood up, and said to Gu Jinshui, "I'm sorry about today. My student is new to this field and was just messing around. I can tell that you have some really good stuff here. I'll compensate you for this, four hundred yuan, including the vase, is that alright?"
Before Gu Jinshui could speak, the foreigner's translator quickly said, "Wait, we'll take this vase, six hundred US dollars!"
Guo Pu and the others were stunned.
Guo Pu hurriedly walked to the foreigner's side, "Mr. Hank, didn't you agree to buy our plum vase?"
The translator glanced at Guo Pu and said, "Mr. Guo, Mr. Hank said yours are fake, he doesn't want them, he wants to buy the real ones."
Everyone around burst into laughter.
Guo Pu is a bad person; he's cheated many people. Everyone finds it amusing that he lost what he thought was his.
Guo Pu's face darkened, and he turned to stare fiercely at Gu Jinshui.
Gu Jinshui was taken aback. Professor Bai felt a pang of regret, guessing that the owner was going to sell the vase to someone else.
"Sorry, Hank, our rule here is first come, first served. Since this professor wants to buy it, I'll sell it to him." To everyone's surprise, Gu Jinshui did something completely different without a second thought.
Not to mention Hank and his group were surprised, even Qian Guangwen and his group had changed their opinion of Gu Jinshui.
"Four hundred yuan, how do we trade?"
Gu Jinshui looked at Professor Bai, who was stunned.
Professor Bai snapped out of his daze, adjusted his glasses, and said, "I have two hundred on me. I'll get two hundred back for you when I get back to school."
"Alright, you can have this."
Gu Jinshui nodded.
Some people praised Gu Jinshui for his kindness, while others thought he was foolish.
But needless to say, people actually have a good impression of him; when doing business, it's always nice to encounter such a kind and honest person.
The foreigner couldn't buy a vase, and although he was disappointed, he still came in and browsed around. He bought two or three items, all from the Qianlong period: a mother-of-pearl inlaid green lacquer box, Yixing purple clay teapot with gold-painted flowers, and a sandalwood jewelry box.
The translator also told Gu Jinshui, "Mr. Hank likes porcelain and rosewood. If you have anything good, just leave it for Mr. Hank."
He also left a business card. This work is provided online by SiTu. com.
When Gu Jinshui saw them off, Guo Pu and Song Jianshe came up outside, glaring at Gu Jinshui while trying to coax Hank with kind words.
"Boss, we've really made a name for ourselves and gotten our revenge today!"
Sun Liancheng was overjoyed, his mouth agape in delight.
His salary is based on commission; the more he sells, the more money he earns. Guo Pu and his shop are dishonest; they're always poaching customers. Although the customers they steal aren't exactly high-quality ones, who wouldn't be angry if that happened to them?
Today, their boss ruined their business and even stole their customers. Sun Liancheng was happier than if he had made money himself.
"Brother, how do you know that their plum vase is a replica?"
Shanhu asked with great curiosity.
Gu Jinshui leaned against the counter with a smile, "The shovel that sold the plum vase to them was originally intended for us. I could tell there was something fishy about it at first glance. They even tried to trick me into asking what was wrong with it, but I brushed them off. Then I heard that they had gotten such a big bargain, so I figured it was probably the same thing. I didn't expect it to be true."
"Boss Gu is really something."
Professor Bai's voice came from the doorway.
Gu Jinshui looked over and saw Professor Bai walk in, sweating profusely. He pulled a wad of cash wrapped in a handkerchief from his pocket. "Here's two hundred yuan. Please count it."
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Gu Jinshui told Shanhu to count the money and invited Professor Bai to have some tea. "I haven't even been rushing you."
"Please let my students off the hook today. If I don't even try to pay back the money, I'll be too ashamed to face anyone," Professor Bai said.
Gu Jinshui chatted with Professor Bai for a long time, and he felt that Professor Bai wanted to ask him for help, but since Professor Bai didn't say anything, Gu Jinshui didn't ask.
However, since they only met today, it wasn't to the point that Gu Jinshui would offer to help.
Gu Jinshui had something to do at home today, so he left work early.
He rushed home, even buying two roast ducks, but when he got home, he found his wife with a sullen face, not even having changed her clothes.
Gu Jinshui went into the kitchen, put the groceries down, and pulled He Chunlian aside. "Mom, why does my wife look so upset? Has Liang Renyi come to cause trouble again?"
After the matter of exonerating Old Master Liang was settled, Liang Renyi's family came over and made a fuss, insisting that he was the only male in the Liang Family and that he had given birth to a son to carry on the Liang Family line, while Liang Ying had only given birth to a daughter. They argued that the Liang Family's possessions should belong to them, but He Chunlian chased them out with a big broom.
"No, I suspect it's not something that happened at the factory."
He Chunlian clearly understood her daughter-in-law's feelings. Liang Ying devoted herself to the factory all year round, so the only thing that could upset her was something happening at the factory.
"At the factory? Didn't their manager recently say they were going to promote her to director?"
Gu Jinshui said in a low voice.
He spoke very softly, but Liang Ying still heard him. She came in and said, "This deal is probably off."
Liang Ying picked up a piece of roast duck and put it in her mouth, but she couldn't taste anything.
He Chunlian and Gu Jinshui exchanged a glance.
Gu Jinshui said with concern, "Wife, how can you boast like that? Who else in your factory is qualified to Workshop Director besides you?"
Liang Ying's eyes held a hint of helplessness. "Who else could it be? Lin Lianhua, of course."
"She's even lazier than our Niuniu, how can she be a director?!" He Chunlian said subconsciously.
Gu Yousi had just gotten out of school when she overheard someone talking badly about her. She looked at her grandmother with a resentful expression and said, "Grandma, isn't it a bit inappropriate to talk about people behind their backs?"
He Chunlian chuckled and said, "Niuniu is out of school."