Chapter 53

"Rip it up!" Wang Qingmin said.

"What situation would allow us not to rip it up?" Yang Bo asked again.

Everyone fell silent, as Yang Bo's meaning was already very clear. This painting was likely a discarded work by Jin Nong, a product of his painting process! It might have been forgotten and taken by a servant, or seen by a friend who took it away. Regardless of the situation, it allowed the painting to be preserved!

This would explain the inscription on the painting, as Jin Nong would not inscribe his discarded works! The inscriptions and colophons were clearly added later!

Liu Liangyu turned to look at Wang Qingmin, "Mr. Wang, you have always insisted that this painting is genuine. Have you done carbon-14 dating?"

Wang Qingmin hesitated slightly, then nodded, "Yes, it was tested. The results showed that the painting was likely created around the Qianlong period."

Yang Bo looked at the painting, inwardly surprised. Could his eyes have done carbon-14 dating as well?

Yu Da, with a frown, complained, "Mr. Wang, you're really not being fair. If you had the test results, why didn't you tell us earlier?"

Wang Qingmin remained silent, his face awkward. He probably wanted the appraisers to confirm it again, but he didn't expect the painting to be so misleading that no one would think of these possibilities.

Wang Qingmin turned to Yang Bo, "Brother Yang, do you mean that this 'Moonlight' is genuine?"

"Mr. Wang, this is a discarded draft! It's just that someone added inscriptions and seals unnecessarily, but now, these unnecessary additions have given the painting more story!" Yang Bo explained.

Wang Qingmin nodded quickly, turning to Liu Liangyu, "I really have to thank Mr. Liu for bringing such an expert here!"

Yu Da snorted coldly, saying nothing.

Wang Qingmin smiled, "Yang Bo is young and has been in the field for a long time, so he's not well-known outside."

"Oh? Is that so? That's really impressive!" Wang Qingmin, having gotten the answer he wanted, started to praise him.

Yang Bo was impatient with this talk, nodded slightly, and looked around again.

Soon, the conversation ended, and Wang Qingmin handed red envelopes to the three of them. Yang Bo was somewhat surprised but did not refuse. He felt the thickness of the envelope and smiled, thinking that this trip was not in vain!

Back in the car, Liu Liangyu asked, "Do you think that 'Moonlight' is genuine or fake?"

Yang Bo, still happy with the red envelope, replied, "Mr. Wang had already made his plans. If he did scientific testing, why would he need appraisers?"

"Isn't it to get us to say these speculations? I think he had already thought it through and just wanted us to go through the motions. Watch, I think this painting will be auctioned soon!"

Liu Liangyu looked at Yang Bo in surprise, "You figured it out! But if it weren't for you, I would have definitely considered this painting a fake."

Liu Liangyu took out the red envelope and felt it, "Twenty thousand yuan, not bad."

Yang Bo felt the red envelope, but without much experience, he couldn't tell, so he tore it open and pulled out the money, "Twenty thousand."

Holding the money, Yang Bo felt a bit emotional. He thought about how he used to earn only a little over twenty thousand a year, but now, just by talking, he could earn twenty thousand from one appraisal! The difference was truly vast!

No wonder Liu Liangyu said that the skills to make money were outside!

Next, the two of them did not stay and drove straight back to Jinling.

Yang Bo took care of his parents, found many professional books to study, and started the renovation work. He went to Cao Yuande's place and got the sign he had already written.

Two days passed quickly, and it was time for the ghost market again.

Yang Bo went to bed early in the evening. When the alarm rang, he did not delay and rode his bike over. He now understood the benefits of having a car, but without a driver's license, it was useless.

The ghost market was noisy. Yang Bo walked in, looking at various items along the street. This time, he was already familiar with the routine.

His eye ability still had a limited usage time, but he had time to pick carefully, so he was not in a hurry. He looked at the various ceramics, jade, and miscellaneous items, silently calculating.

"Yang Bo, you're here too!"

Yang Bo suddenly heard someone behind him and turned to see Guo Bapi standing there.

"Didn't Mr. Guo always refuse to come to the ghost market?" Yang Bo remembered that Guo Bapi had always refused to come to the ghost market.

Others might not know the reason, but Yang Bo understood very well. Guo Bapi rarely found good deals at the ghost market and often bought low-quality items at high prices, losing so much money that he was banned from going by his wife!

Guo Bapi grinned, "Is that so? Did I say that before?"

Yang Bo smiled and did not repeat it.

Then, Guo Bapi asked, "Little Yang, remember the stall where you found a good deal at the Confucius Temple Flower and Bird Market? Can we go there later?"

Yang Bo was taken aback by this, then realized that Guo Bapi had come to the ghost market because of him. After all, Liu Liangyu had revealed his secret, making Guo Bapi think it was easy to find good deals at the ghost market, so he had come.

Yang Bo waved his hand, "I already said that. I'm not sure if I'll have time later. We'll see!"

Yang Bo's words clearly rejected the offer, but Guo Bapi, being thick-skinned, said, "Okay, I'll call you later!"

"We'll see!" Yang Bo emphasized again.

"No problem, I'll call you later!" Guo Bapi repeated.

Yang Bo, feeling helpless, walked quickly forward to get away from him.

Not far ahead, a crowd suddenly gathered, noisy and bustling. Yang Bo did not pay attention and continued to look carefully.

The ghost market had too many fakes, and a large portion of them were obvious. Many items lacked technical skill. After looking around, Yang Bo's hands were still empty.

Noticing that the crowd had not dispersed, Yang Bo walked over and stood at the periphery. The crowd was three layers deep, and Yang Bo could only faintly hear words like "bronze tripod" and "heavy artifact."

Yang Bo was greatly surprised and pushed through the crowd. In the center, a man was slapping a heavy bronze tripod, making it hum.

"Everyone can take a look. I can only stay here for an hour, and after that, I have to leave!"