Chapter 15

After finishing up the final tasks in Xifeng City, Zhang Tianyuan and Xu Gang bid farewell to their hometown and family, and boarded the high-speed train to Shangpu.

The reason they chose the high-speed train was purely to save time. For businessmen, time is the most precious resource. To save a few hundred yuan by taking a slower train would be a form of self-torture.

From Xifeng to Shangpu, the total journey takes about five hours, which is the convenience of the high-speed train. It's almost as if you board in the morning and arrive in the afternoon.

Since Mou Ying had arrived in Shangpu first, Xu Gang entrusted her to find a place to stay. As a result, Mou Ying rented out one of her own apartments to the two of them at a low price.

The reason she still charged rent was to give an account to her parents. Otherwise, if the apartment belonged to her, she would have provided it for free.

Even so, it was much cheaper than a regular apartment, and the conditions were very good.

The two of them first went to see the apartment, settled in, and then went out for a meal. After that, they planned to head to the jade shop.

Since it was a new opening, there had to be people to support it. Mou Ying had already helped prepare for this. Her company knew some influential people in the industry in Shangpu, all of whom were experts in collecting. It took a lot of effort to invite these people, and even then, they were hesitant and unwilling to come. In the end, it was Liu Mengxun who stepped in to resolve the issue. It must be said that the Liu family's influence in Shangpu was immense, almost everyone in the industry knew about them.

On their first day in Shangpu, Zhang Tianyuan and Xu Gang hired people to clean the jade shop thoroughly. The next day, the goods transported from Xifeng arrived. After discussing with Xu Gang, they decided to open the shop on the third day, which also happened to be an auspicious day, a fortunate coincidence.

On the third day, the industry leaders all came, along with Mou Ying and Liu Mengxun. It must be said that these two women had really helped Xu Gang and Zhang Tianyuan a great deal with the jade shop. This favor would have to be repaid in the future.

The opening ceremony, the meal, and the drinking were all standard procedures, not worth mentioning.

After the meal, everyone gathered in the jade shop to drink tea and chat.

Today's guests, besides Mou Ying and Liu Mengxun, included eight others. However, after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, four of them left. Now, only four remained to chat.

Mou Ying stood up and smiled. "Tianyuan, we were too busy earlier to introduce you to these gentlemen. Let's get to know each other now."

Zhang Tianyuan stood up respectfully, bowed slightly to the four men, and smiled. As a junior, this was appropriate. The four men looked to be in their forties, with two of them over sixty. At twenty-five, Zhang Tianyuan felt he should be respectful.

Mou Ying pointed to an old man wearing a martial arts robe, with completely silver hair and beard, and a vigorous spirit. "This is Mr. Dong, a titan in the antique world of Shangpu! Mr. Dong is now the honorary president of Shangpu University and a guest professor. He often goes to the university to teach archaeology and history students. He is truly a man of great learning and talent! Have you heard of the famous True and False Eight Immortals case?"

"Yes, I have. Although I was young at the time, anyone interested in antiques and collections would know about it. It's said that two identical Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain vases appeared in Shangpu, both depicting the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea. This case was called the True and False Eight Immortals case. One of the vases was genuine, and the other was a forgery. With the technology at the time, it was impossible to determine the authenticity, so it had to be identified by experienced appraisers. The forgery was so exquisite that it baffled experts from all over the country and even abroad. In the end, it was identified by two people," Zhang Tianyuan replied after some thought.

"That's right. One of those two people was Mr. Dong, and the other is the current president of the Shangpu Antiques Association," Mou Ying said with a smile.

At this, Mr. Dong stroked his beard proudly.

However, his expression was modest, and he said with a smile, "I was also nervous back then. If I had made a mistake, it would have caused a serious international incident. Later, with the advancement of technology, it was proven that my judgment was correct, which relieved me greatly."

"Mr. Dong is too modest," Zhang Tianyuan hurriedly flattered.

If that was true, Zhang Tianyuan truly admired the old man. Without relying on technology or external aids, he could identify the authenticity of high-difficulty Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain based solely on experience and keen eyesight, which was truly remarkable.

After introducing Mr. Dong, Mou Ying pointed to another old man over sixty. He looked frail, wore sunglasses, and was as thin as a street fortune-teller.

"This is Mr. Li. He once blinded himself due to a single appraisal mistake but developed an astonishing sense of touch. His hands are a true treasure. Mr. Li has an antique shop in Shangpu, which is now managed by his children. What he enjoys most now is making friends in the industry and seeing more treasures."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tianyuan was deeply impressed. Blinding oneself due to a single appraisal mistake might seem foolish to some, but to Zhang Tianyuan, this old man was a man of integrity. Doing business with such a person, you never had to worry about being cheated.

"Hello, Mr. Li!" Zhang Tianyuan bowed and said.

"Hmm." Mr. Li, who seemed to dislike talking, merely nodded and grunted.

Then, Mou Ying introduced the other two men to Zhang Tianyuan. Both were in their forties, strong and vigorous, but one had a rough and bold personality, dressed in sportswear, while the other was neatly dressed in a suit, with a refined and dignified demeanor.

"The bearded one is Mr. Xiao, who does jewelry business in Shangpu. He also collects, purely out of interest! The other is Mr. Murong, who also does jewelry business but also deals in antiques and calligraphy. Both are well-known figures in the Shangpu collecting world. For their collections, they have traveled far and wide, almost everywhere in the country, and even abroad to bid on items."

"Hello, Mr. Xiao and Mr. Murong!" Zhang Tianyuan continued to greet them respectfully. Regardless of the future, he was a junior now, and there was no need to talk about face or self-respect. It was appropriate to show respect to his seniors.

Xu Gang also kept inviting everyone to drink tea. He was a rough man, not as meticulous as Zhang Tianyuan, so he didn't have so many formalities, just being straightforward.

Zhang Tianyuan understood Xu Gang and apologized to everyone. These people were not to be offended; they were all influential figures in Shangpu, and he would rely on them in the future. Offending them would mean closing off his business opportunities.

"Your presence today in our small shop truly adds luster to it. We will rely on your support in the future," Zhang Tianyuan said, using the polite phrases he had learned from books, which were quite fitting.

"Kid, let's not beat around the bush. A few days ago, a jade shop much larger than yours opened, but I, Mr. Xiao, didn't go to support it. Today, I came here for a reason," the bearded Mr. Xiao said.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tianyuan knew there was something going on.

"Mr. Xiao, you..." Liu Mengxun was a bit awkward.

"Miss Liu, you don't need to say anything. We didn't come here to cause trouble. We just heard that Mr. Zhang once acquired a copy of the 'Shangyangtai Post,' which was traced by Mr. Qi Gong. We would like to see it. Is that possible?"

Hearing this, Zhang Tianyuan was relieved. He had originally planned to sell the 'Shangyangtai Post' but hadn't found the right buyer. Today, with someone who appreciated it, he was more than willing to show it. Why would he object?

However, the item was too valuable, and he had placed it in a safe at the rented place, not bringing it out.

So he said apologetically, "Mr. Dong, Mr. Li, Mr. Xiao..."

"No need to be so formal, call me Brother Xiao."

"Me too!" Mr. Murong added.

"Ah, Mr. Dong, Mr. Li, Brother Xiao, Brother Murong, it's not that I'm being stingy, but I didn't bring the item with me today. How about we arrange for you to appraise it another day?" Zhang Tianyuan said. Mentioning the appraisal was a polite gesture; he was confident about the item.