“Hey, girl, why did you buy this ugly iron ball?”
At this moment, Liu Dequan walked over leisurely and looked curiously at the iron ball in Qin Xi’s hand.
Qin Xi said with a smile, “I bought it for Stone to kick. How was your shopping, Grandpa Liu? You’ve been shopping for a while. Is there anything you like?”
Liu Dequan’s mouth twitched. “What’s so fun about playing with this rusty iron ball?”
Qin Xi smiled mysteriously and threw the iron ball into the cloth bag before continuing to shop with Liu Dequan.
As for Deng Xinhe, the more he looked at the stalls, the more he frowned. In the end, he entered an antique shop called the Thousand Jade Pavilion.
To keep a low profile, Deng Xinhe dressed much more plainly. Although his clothes were cheap, it was not difficult to tell that he was not an ordinary person.
When the boss of the Thousand Jade Pavilion noticed him, he immediately went forward with a smile and greeted, “Sir, you look unfamiliar. This should be your first time here, right? What do you need? I can show you around!”
Deng Xinhe looked at the dazzling array of antiques and items in the shop, as well as the exquisite porcelain and some calligraphy and painting. He nodded and asked, “Do you have any authentic works?”
The antique shop owner said with an ingratiating smile, “Sir, you must be joking with me. I only sell authentic works. May I know what’s the price range that you can accept?”
Deng Xinhe waved his hand and said impatiently, “Don’t talk nonsense. Who doesn’t know the unspoken truth in antique shops? Nine out of ten works are fake. You actually have the cheeks to tell me you only sell authentic works.”
The antique shop owner blushed and said awkwardly, “Sir, you really like joking.”
“Give me some real stuff. It’s best if it’s calligraphy or painting. I want to give it to someone.” Deng Xinhe sat at the side calmly and warned, “You better not fool around. If it turns out to be fake, I’ll burn down your shop.”
Seeing that he did not seem to be bluffing, the antique shop owner was shocked and quickly smiled apologetically. “Alright, alright, alright. I’ll go get it now. Wait a moment, sir.”
After a while, the antique shop owner took out a small box and placed it on the table. After opening it, a scroll was revealed, wrapped in layers of silk.
He explained, “This is the treasure of our shop, Wang Xizhi’s authentic work. Please take a look.”
Wang Xizhi indeed lived up to the name as the “first master of calligraphy”. His handwriting was natural, majestic, and powerful. It was as smooth as flowing water.
Even Deng Xinhe, who did not know anything about calligraphy, could not help but praise when he saw this calligraphy. “Good calligraphy. It’s indeed good calligraphy.”
At this moment, a young man who was about the same age as Deng Xinhe walked in. He was dressed in branded clothes and had an expensive watch on his hand. He shouted in an extremely arrogant tone, “Hey, boss, I heard that you have Wang Xizhi’s authentic work here. Is that true? Let me tell you, it’s Old Master Dong’s birthday tomorrow. I want to give him a gift. If it’s not authentic, I’ll smash everything in your shop.”
They were the same age and equally arrogant, but the feeling they gave off was worlds apart.
The former had received a good education since he was young. Although he liked to mess around, one could tell he was well-mannered and had a good upbringing.
The latter was a typical rich second-generation who depended entirely on his father.
The antique shop owner recognized that this young man was the son of a powerful Bureau Chief and broke out in cold sweat. Although he was full of complaints, he still forced a smile and said politely, “Young Master Song, you must be teasing me. I do have Wang Xizhi’s authentic work here, but…”