Chapter 68

The Ye family members were all filled with shock, watching as Yang Bo and Yu Da greeted each other warmly and chatted happily.

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat quiet until the two of them sat down. Only then did Yu Da turn to look at Ye's father and others, asking in confusion, "Everyone, sit down. What's going on?"

"Nothing, nothing," Ye's father waved his hand and then called to Ye Xiaoli, "Xiaoli, bring some tea!"

Ye Xiaoli glanced in Yang Bo's direction, responded with an "Ai," and turned to fetch the cups.

Yu Da also noticed the awkward atmosphere and could roughly guess the reason. Hadn't he also underestimated Yang Bo at first because of his young age? But Yang Bo's later performance had won him over; that painting alone was truly astonishing!

Yang Bo and Yu Da exchanged a few pleasantries, and then Yu Da humbly said, "Brother Yang, your skills are so high. I wish I had known earlier; it would have saved me the two-hour trip from Guangling!"

Before Yang Bo could respond, Yu Mingwei felt that the other party's words had a hidden meaning and quickly explained, "Uncle Da, I'm really sorry. Yang Bo was invited by my sister-in-law. She didn't inform us beforehand, so the family didn't know!"

Yang Bo smiled lightly, not taking it to heart.

Yu Da, however, shook his head. Yu Mingwei's words were clearly belittling Yang Bo, but would that elevate his own status? Appraisal is a technical skill, and ultimately, it comes down to the abilities of both parties. If he was inferior, then Yu Mingwei's words would just be a joke!

Yu Da waved his hand, "Let's not talk about it. Let's take a look at your item first."

Yu Mingwei nodded and hurriedly went into the inner room, quickly bringing out the Buddha statue in the shrine.

Yu Mingwei placed the shrine in the center of the coffee table and gestured to Yu Da, "This has been passed down from our ancestors. Please take a look!"

Yu Da didn't move but turned to Yang Bo, "Brother Yang, why don't you go first?"

Yang Bo quickly waved his hand, "You go first. I'll watch."

Yu Da didn't insist, leaned forward, and began to examine the shrine.

The shrine, blackened by incense and fire, had a Buddha statue made of copper with faint traces of gilding on the edges. The Buddha statue had a high bun, a jeweled crown, a square face, round cheeks, arched eyebrows, and a serene expression, looking down at the world with a beautiful and peaceful demeanor.

Yu Da examined it for a long time before putting the statue down and glancing at Yang Bo.

This statue, with its gilding completely worn off, had a very low chance of being a fake. The most important thing was to determine its age.

Yang Bo carefully examined it for a while, then put it back. A light began to flow before his eyes, gradually converging on the Buddha's chest, thickening until it stabilized.

Yang Bo determined it to be from the mid-Ming Dynasty.

Just as Yang Bo was about to stop, another light appeared before his eyes. He was startled to see that a light circle had also formed on the shrine, and its thickness was not much different from the Buddha statue. The light stabilized, indicating the late Ming Dynasty!

Yang Bo was surprised. After putting the Buddha statue down, he moved the shrine. The shrine felt much heavier than a typical one. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a chip on the side, revealing a bright yellow material inside!

Yu Da didn't pay much attention to Yang Bo's actions. When he saw Yang Bo sit back down, he asked, "What do you think?"

"It's genuine," Yang Bo said.

Yu Da nodded, "Mingwei, you're quite fortunate. This copper Buddha statue is a genuine Ming Dynasty piece, and it's quite valuable!"

Yu Mingwei, who had been waiting for a long time, couldn't help but show his joy.

Ye Xiaoli even patted her sister, too excited to contain herself.

Following the routine of appraisal shows, this was the moment to ask for a price. Yu Mingwei couldn't resist the tradition; he had run all the way from Guangling to bring Yu Da here for this final step.

"Uncle Da, since it's a Ming Dynasty Buddha statue, it must be quite valuable, right?" Yu Mingwei asked with a smile.

Yu Da fell silent for a moment. He knew before coming that Yu Mingwei wanted to appraise the Buddha statue to buy a house. The statue was genuine, but he hesitated to speak.

Yu Da's silence made Yu Mingwei's smile freeze, "Uncle Da, just say it. Is it very valuable? Can it be worth a few million?"

Yu Da couldn't help but laugh, "In such situations, shouldn't you guess a lower value? The antique market has been booming in recent years, leading many to believe that every artifact is worth millions. But in reality, most items are only worth a few thousand to tens of thousands!"

"Brother Yang, what do you think?" Yu Da asked.

Yang Bo, who had initially wanted to stay out of it, saw that Yu Da was directing the question to him. He didn't need to consider Yu Mingwei's feelings and said directly, "A Ming Dynasty copper Buddha statue isn't that valuable. This one is probably worth around 200,000 yuan."

Yu Mingwei was stunned, unable to believe it, and asked, "How can that be?"

Yu Da frowned, disliking this moment but emphasizing, "That's the price! Antiques aren't as valuable as you think!"

Yu Mingwei slumped onto the sofa, his eyes vacant. He found it hard to accept this reality because the figure was far from his expectations.

The current housing prices in the city were close to 20,000 yuan per square meter. To buy a house, he would need at least 1.7 million yuan, with a down payment of around 500,000 yuan. He had hoped to use the Buddha statue to buy a house, but now, he could only afford a down payment for a house in the suburbs!

Ye Xiaoli, heartbroken, quickly asked, "What if we auction it? How much could it sell for at an auction?"

Yu Da shook his head helplessly. The couple's expectations were too high, making it hard for them to believe, "I'm not lying to you. You can check any auction house's website for a mid-Ming Dynasty Buddha statue. Most are valued around 150,000 to 160,000 yuan. This one is slightly more valuable because it's well-preserved and comes with a shrine!"

"You can certainly auction it, but I can assure you that you might not even get 200,000 yuan after the auction, due to various fees!"

Ye's mother, sitting nearby, was anxious, "Mr. Yu, can you help my daughter and son-in-law find a buyer? 200,000 yuan is fine!"

"Mom—" Ye Xiaoli was reluctant, seemingly unwilling to sell the Buddha statue.

Yang Bo, sitting to the side, remained silent, hesitating.

Ye Xiaoxuan, sitting next to Yang Bo, whispered, "Yang Bo, can you give us some advice?"

Hearing her soft, sweet voice, Yang Bo's heart softened. After all, Ye Xiaoxuan had taken care of his parents for so long!

"Actually, there is a way!" Yang Bo said.

This statement immediately caught everyone's attention!