Chapter 41

"Ah, these tables and chairs must all be made of rosewood, I've heard that this kind of wood is very precious," Xu Gang took a deep breath, as if trying to absorb the scent of the rosewood in the room.

"The only piece made of rosewood is that Eight Immortals table. The rest are made of huanghuali wood, but they are all antiques. My grandfather had a hard time collecting these things," Liu Mengxun explained.

"Huanghuali? I've only heard that rosewood is more valuable. How about huanghuali wood?" Xu Gang asked with a disappointed look.

Zhang Tianyuan smiled and said, "You, go back and read more books. Don't say you know me!"

"What's wrong with that!" Xu Gang said, dissatisfied.

Zhang Tianyuan said, "According to records, as early as the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the Hainan huanghuali species was almost extinct. In the following centuries, 70% of the huanghuali furniture in China was exported abroad, and the remaining small amount of huanghuali wood was used for house construction, made into pot lids, abacus beads, and even hoe handles, scattered among the people, facing destruction. The huanghuali wood commonly found in the market today comes from Vietnam and Myanmar. It has a brighter color and a stronger smell, but the texture and layers are more chaotic. Compared to Hainan huanghuali, the price of huanghuali wood is ten times lower."

"After all that, you still haven't said how huanghuali is," Xu Gang said.

Zhang Tianyuan was too lazy to explain and directly opened a webpage on his phone for Xu Gang to see.

"According to market research, the market price of Vietnamese huanghuali (scented rosewood) in December 2010 was: (unit: ton)

Ordinary material: Southern market: 2.1 million - 2.5 million RMB

Northern market: 2.6 million - 3.0 million RMB; Medium-grade material: Southern market: 3.4 million - 3.8 million RMB

Northern market: 3.3 million - 3.6 million RMB; Premium material: Southern market: 4.5 million - 4.9 million RMB

Northern market: 4.6 million - 5.0 million RMB."

"Wow, this is gold! So expensive! What did you say, Hainan huanghuali is ten times more expensive than this? That means ordinary material costs over 20 million to 30 million RMB per ton!" Xu Gang said in surprise after reading it.

"The information you saw is outdated. According to the latest news, the top-grade Vietnamese huanghuali can now sell for nearly 60 million RMB per ton. If it were the almost extinct Hainan huanghuali, it would be 50 to 60 million RMB," Liu Mengxun said with a smile.

"Good grief, can I even sit on this?" Xu Gang swallowed and said, "I feel like I'll go bankrupt if I touch it slightly."

It's like when someone driving a 50,000 RMB car sees a Bugatti Veyron passing by, feeling terrified of any scratch, which they can't afford to pay for.

"It's fine, sit down. These things are here for people to sit on. Just be careful," Liu Mengxun said with a smile.

But after knowing the value of these items, Xu Gang refused to sit, smiling at Liu Mengxun, "Just get me a stool. I don't dare sit on this stuff; it makes me uneasy."

"Look at you, you're such a coward," Mu Ying said with a laugh.

"Dear, if I break a chair, I'll have to hang myself. Then you'll be a widow," Xu Gang sighed.

"Who would be a widow? I'll just find a rich man to marry," Mu Ying said with a laugh.

"Alright, stop flirting. Mengxun, you said you invited some experts. Where are they?" Zhang Tianyuan asked.

"They're like Gangzi, afraid of damaging the furniture. They all went to a small house in the back yard. The things there are also expensive, but they don't match the garden," Liu Mengxun said, a bit embarrassed.

"Are they all sofas and modern appliances?"

"You guessed it. That place is where I watch movies and listen to music, probably the most modern part of the entire garden. But the sofas are also expensive, made of real leather. Of course, compared to the furniture here, they are much cheaper," Liu Mengxun said, blushing slightly.

"Come on, I don't understand why you rich people do this. Let's go there," Xu Gang said, rubbing his hands. Compared to these hardwood pieces, he clearly preferred the soft sofas.

Actually, the small house was not small at all, almost as big as a 3D IMAX cinema.

As soon as they entered, they saw several people gathered around a table, chatting and laughing. Among them were an elderly man with white hair and a young woman in her prime.

Seeing Liu Mengxun enter, they all stood up. One of the elderly men smiled and said, "Miss Liu, are these the people you found?"

"Yes, Zhang Tianyuan and Xu Gang are my friends. Zhang Tianyuan is an expert in antique appraisal and a top student in the archaeology department at Nandu University," Liu Mengxun nodded.

"Oh, Zhang Tianyuan, I remember you! I remember you! I wonder if you remember me?" the old man asked with a smile.

Zhang Tianyuan frowned slightly but quickly smiled, "You are Professor Wang!"

"Ha ha, I didn't expect you to remember me. When I gave a lecture at your school, the questions you asked really stumped me. I didn't think we'd meet again," Professor Wang laughed heartily.

"At that time, I was young and impulsive, asking some nonsensical questions. Please don't take them to heart, Professor Wang," Zhang Tianyuan said with a bitter smile.

"No, no, no, how could I not take them to heart? To be honest, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made a breakthrough in my field. I've always wanted to find you to thank you, but I couldn't get in touch with you. Your classmates didn't know your contact information," Professor Wang shook his head.

Zhang Tianyuan felt a bit awkward. After graduation, he had faced many setbacks in job hunting and eventually gave up, changing his phone number. Coincidentally, his QQ account was also hacked, and he lost contact with all his classmates. Thinking back to those days, he felt quite depressed.

"Professor Wang published a paper in the world-renowned archaeology magazine 'Roots' last year, shocking the world. He won the first prize of the Japanese Xia Nai Archaeology Research Achievement Award and the Prince of Asturias Award in Social Sciences, known as the Nobel Prize of archaeology! This is the second time China has won this award, the first being the discovery of the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin. This shows the value of Professor Wang's paper," Liu Mengxun explained with a smile.

"To be honest, I owe my award to the inspiration from Zhang Tianyuan. His questions were truly enlightening," Professor Wang said frankly.

"Hey, how much did you win?" Xu Gang laughed.

"Gangzi, all you think about is money!" Zhang Tianyuan said, dissatisfied.

"The prize money isn't much, just under 2 million RMB. If Zhang Tianyuan is in need, I can give you half of it," Professor Wang smiled.

Regardless of whether he was sincere or not, Zhang Tianyuan definitely didn't feel comfortable accepting it. His questions were just a momentary impulse, and it was Professor Wang's ability to turn those questions into research achievements. Zhang Tianyuan wasn't so shameless as to take this money.

"Don't listen to Gangzi. Your award is due to your ability, Professor Wang. I'm nothing," Zhang Tianyuan waved his hands quickly.

"Ha ha ha, Zhang Tianyuan, how about this: if you don't want the money, would you consider being my assistant in the future? I need someone with your professional knowledge, who is responsible and not arrogant," Professor Wang laughed heartily, clearly very satisfied with Zhang Tianyuan's performance.

Zhang Tianyuan smiled bitterly, "To be honest, Professor Wang, Gangzi and I have opened several stores in Shangpu, and business is good. I'm afraid I won't have time to help you."

"What a pity! If you go into business, you're wasting your talent. What a pity!"