Chapter 9

Xiao Gongyun smiled and nodded, his palm facing the blue-and-white porcelain plum blossom bowl on the table. His smile instantly vanished, and he said seriously, "Song Dynasty blue-and-white plum blossom bowl, absolutely genuine, made by the Hutian kiln. It is in perfect condition, with a starting price of two million yuan. Each bid must be at least one hundred thousand yuan higher. Those interested, please come forward to inspect the item."

The fact that Xiao Gongyun used the word "absolutely" meant that this blue-and-white porcelain bowl was one hundred percent genuine. Two million was just the starting price. A Song Dynasty porcelain in such good condition could easily fetch over five million yuan at an international auction, or even more.

Seeing the genuine Song Dynasty porcelain, the people in the room could hardly sit still. One by one, they got up to inspect it, but they could not touch it with their hands. They could only get a closer look. This was the rule. If someone really liked it and bought it, even if they smashed it against a wall, no one would say a word.

"Two point two million... No, add another one hundred thousand, two point three million." Finally, an elderly man in Tang costume offered a price, raising it by three hundred thousand yuan at once.

"Two point six million..." Another middle-aged man in a suit and tie quoted a price, raising it by another three hundred thousand yuan.

"Three million." This time, it was an elderly man with silver hair who quoted a round number. Just three people had raised the price by one million yuan, which was enough to prove the value of the item.

In fact, at any auction, it was not wise to bid on the items presented at the beginning. According to common practice, the auctioneer would save the best items for last. However, this private auction was clearly different. A fine Song Dynasty porcelain from the Hutian kiln was presented at the beginning, and the starting price was so low that it gave people the feeling of finding a bargain. Many were secretly speculating about the hidden intentions behind this.

"Three point five million." The first elderly man in Tang costume bid again, this time adding five hundred thousand yuan, showing a determined attitude to win the porcelain at all costs.

"Old Zhuang, you're too stingy. Why don't you let me add some for you?" The elderly man with silver hair, who had bid earlier, smiled and glanced at the elderly man in Tang costume, pointing to the plum blossom bowl on the table. "I'll offer five million. That's about what it would fetch at an auction house."

"Old Sun, you're just showing off. You're destined to be a loser. Gongyun, note it down, eight million."

A porcelain bowl was bid up four times by two elderly men, who together were at least one hundred and fifty years old. This left those hoping for a bargain with no hope, and they could only shake their heads and withdraw from the 'coffin board' battle.

Two old men, who were almost buried up to their necks in the earth, were fighting, which was indeed a 'coffin board' battle. The happiest people were Xiao Gongyun and the owner of the collection, who hoped these two old men would fight to the death, ideally driving the price of the Song Dynasty porcelain bowl to an astronomical level, ensuring the success of the auction.

"Is eight million a lot? I'll offer ten million. This bowl will make a great cat food dish." Old Sun, nearly seventy, still had a competitive spirit.

Not only did he directly add two million yuan, but he also subtly mocked Old Zhuang, implying that the bowl was for a cat food dish, and even if someone else won it, they would only get a cat food dish.

"Hmph! What a big spender. Do you think only you have cats? I'll offer eleven million." Old Zhuang was not to be outdone, adding another one million yuan.

"Thirteen million." Old Sun glared and added another two million yuan. This price had already far exceeded the actual value of the antique, turning into a battle of pride between the two old men.

Everyone in the hall began to expect Old Zhuang to raise the price again. Most people present knew that the Zhuang and Sun families had been rivals in business for decades, and it was reasonable for them to fight in such a setting. The organizers had likely invited these two fiery-tempered old men with the intention of having them fight.

Just as everyone was waiting with a sense of watching a show, Old Zhuang smiled, spread his hands, and walked back to his seat, saying calmly, "Congratulations to your cat, it will have a good food dish."

At this critical moment, Old Zhuang chose to give up rationally, a result that no one had anticipated. He leisurely sipped his tea, his face full of satisfaction, as if he were the true winner.

In contrast, Old Sun's face turned sour. He gritted his teeth, coldly snorted, took out a checkbook, scribbled a few lines, tore off a check, and slapped it on the table.

Xiao Gongyun smiled faintly and said, "Congratulations, Old Sun, for winning the Song Dynasty plum blossom bowl. After the auction, someone will deliver the item to your residence."

Old Sun nodded expressionlessly and walked back to his seat, giving Old Zhuang a fierce glare.

Xu Qing, who had been half-asleep, was now wide awake, his eyes fixed on the porcelain bowl on the table. He could not believe that such an item could fetch a price of ten million yuan, which was simply unbelievable.

"Bro, let me tell you a little secret." Tang Dashao turned his head and winked mysteriously at Xu Qing.

"What?" Xu Qing leaned closer, and Tang Dashao covered half his mouth with his hand, whispering, "This Song Dynasty porcelain bowl was bought by my father for sixty thousand yuan, along with the fake bottle that was smashed, for a total of one hundred and twenty thousand yuan."

Xu Qing was slightly shocked. An item worth one hundred and twenty thousand yuan had been sold for thirteen million yuan. This was too outrageous. The problem was that one of them was smashed, which meant the value had increased twentyfold. This money was coming in faster than robbing a bank!

At this moment, Xiao Gongyun had already had someone take the porcelain bowl away. He bent down, took another item from a box at his feet, and placed it on the table. It was a twenty-centimeter-tall three-legged bronze jue, already covered in green patina, but its shape was still clear, making it a rare and fine piece.

Xiao Gongyun spread his palm, his finger pointing at the bronze jue, and said calmly, "A bronze jue from the Shang Dynasty, starting price of three hundred thousand yuan. Each bid must be at least twenty thousand yuan higher. Those interested, please come forward to inspect the item."

"Bro, shall we go up and take a look?" Tang Dashao was interested in the bronze jue and casually invited Xu Qing to inspect it.

"Sure, it's like visiting a museum." Xu Qing did not hesitate, got up, and walked to the front of the table with Tang Dashao. Old Wu also followed at a leisurely pace, as he naturally wanted to authenticate the item that Tang Dashao was interested in.

"Three hundred and fifty thousand."

Before Xu Qing and Tang Dashao could get a good look at the bronze jue, someone had already bid.