Chapter 89

It is said that modern thin-walled porcelain is just an ordinary craft, and it is not very precise.

After all, the production of thin-walled porcelain is very difficult and highly technical. The body of the thin-walled porcelain is thin and has low strength, making it very easy to crack or deform during the production process. When making it, one must have superb and proficient operational skills and strictly follow the process regulations.

The steps are complicated, the success rate is not high, and the items are quite valuable, so they can be considered relatively high-end porcelain.

However, no matter what, as long as this technology is fully mastered, expanding production is a natural thing. According to market rules, once there are more items, the price won't be too high.

Therefore, Qi Xiang pointed out that the value of the plate depends on its age.

The young man was not stupid; upon hearing this, he immediately insisted, "The item is an antique, passed down from my great-grandfather, it's definitely a treasure..."

Qi Xiang ignored his words and turned to ask, "Is the item an antique?"

"… You shouldn't have invited me to look at it. I thought you wanted me to look at a painting, who knew it was porcelain." Qi Xiang shook his head and said, "I don't know much about porcelain. Aren't you afraid I might make a mistake?"

"Aren't you an appraiser?" Zhu Qiao was taken aback, "How could you not know?"

"Haven't you heard the saying, 'specialization is the key to success'?" Qi Xiang rolled his eyes and said, "A truly professional appraiser usually only deals with one or two types of antiques. No one is an expert in everything."

"Right, right, that's exactly it." The young man, deeply convinced, immediately suggested, "Young Master Zhu, you should find another appraiser to look at it, to avoid any mistakes."

"… It's fine." Zhu Qiao, with a stubborn look, said, "If he makes a mistake, it's your bad luck."

"Ah?" The young man was stunned and said anxiously, "Young Master Zhu… you can't do this…"

"Why not?" Zhu Qiao said proudly, "If I say I can, then I can. If I want to, you can say whatever you want, but I won't buy it."

This arrogant attitude was indeed like that of a spoiled child, making people hate him but feel helpless.

Qi Xiang was also somewhat amused and suddenly asked, "Young Master Zhu, tell me the truth, what do you want to use this plate for?"

"Why do you need to know so much?" Zhu Qiao was a bit impatient but still answered, "It's a gift. I came to visit an elder today and realized I didn't bring a gift when I was almost at his house."

"Coincidentally, he called me and said he wanted to sell his family's treasure."

Zhu Qiao pointed at the young man and casually said, "It was quite a coincidence, so I came to take a look. By the way, I'm in a hurry, don't dawdle, quickly determine what the item is really like."

"Gift…"

Qi Xiang nodded, held the plate, and pondered for a moment before saying uncertainly, "Young Master Zhu, I'll be honest, I don't know much about porcelain… but I feel this item is genuine."

The young man's heart sank when he heard the first part, but the second part was a turning point, making him both surprised and delighted, and he was momentarily stunned.

"Real item?" Zhu Qiao blinked and said, "Since you don't know much, why do you think it's genuine?"

"I used the process of elimination." Qi Xiang smiled and said, "First, new items have a bright, glaring luster on the glaze. Second, thin-walled porcelain is generally for display, rarely for practical use."

"Mainly because the walls are too thin, making them prone to breaking and cracking, unsuitable for daily life." Qi Xiang continued, "But in this decorative plate, I found some signs of wear."

"Signs of wear?" Zhu Qiao was surprised, "Where?"

"Here, look for yourself…" Qi Xiang flipped the plate over and pointed to the outer wall, "If you observe carefully, you can see that the glaze is a bit thin here…"

"This isn't a manufacturing issue, but rather the result of long-term handling and viewing, where the fingers and the plate rub against each other, causing such wear marks."

Qi Xiang concluded, "It's through these two points that I feel the item is genuine, at least very likely."

"Right, very right."

The young man was very excited, waving his flag and shouting, "Young Master Zhu, this brother is absolutely right, his appraisal skills are very high, you should definitely listen to him."

"Tsk, have some shame, will you." Zhu Qiao was very disdainful, "If he says it's right, you're happy. If he says it's fake, you'd probably turn on him."

"Cough!"

The young man laughed awkwardly and said with a grin, "Young Master Zhu, I underestimated this brother's appraisal skills, which led to this misunderstanding…"

"Stop talking nonsense." Zhu Qiao waved his hand and asked directly, "How much for the item?"

"Not expensive, not expensive, just two million…" The young man's eyes darted around, "Two million five hundred thousand!"

"Two million…"

Zhu Qiao took out a checkbook from his pocket, scribbled on it, and then tore out a page and threw it over, "Take it if you agree, tear it up if you don't."

"…Thank you, Young Master Zhu, thank you, Young Master Zhu." The young man was overjoyed, quickly bent down to pick up the check, extremely excited and happy, grinning from ear to ear.

"Let's go!"

With the item in hand, Zhu Qiao didn't want to stay any longer and got up to leave. As for the plate, his assistant carefully packed it and followed him closely.

The young man thanked Zhu Qiao profusely and saw him off, then returned to the living room after a while.

"Huh?"

As soon as he entered, the young man was stunned, "You didn't leave?"

At that moment, Qi Xiang was calmly sitting in a chair, legs crossed, and smiled lightly, "Happy to make money, right?"

"…Of course, I'm happy." The young man was somewhat suspicious, "But… what does it have to do with you? You should leave, I have to go out and can't entertain you."

"Don't be in a hurry, I'm at least your benefactor." Qi Xiang glanced at him, "Even if you don't show gratitude, you should at least show some basic respect, right?"

"Benefactor?" The young man widened his eyes, "What nonsense are you talking? How did you become my benefactor?"

Qi Xiang crossed his arms and sneered, "I didn't expose your lies and even helped you cover them up, allowing you to sell the plate smoothly. Isn't that a favor?"

"You…" The young man's face changed, then he cursed, "What are you talking about, what lies did I tell? I don't know what nonsense you're spouting, get lost, you're not welcome here…"

"I knew you'd turn on me once you got what you wanted." Qi Xiang pursed his lips and said leisurely, "Tell me, if I go tell Young Master Zhu that you sold him a fake walking pearl plate, what do you think his reaction will be…"

"You…" The young man was somewhat panicked but quickly calmed down, huffing, "It was you who said the item was genuine, so he bought it. Now you say it's fake, which is contradictory and makes no sense. Would he believe you again?"

"Why wouldn't he believe me?" Qi Xiang said calmly, "I already said I don't know much about porcelain, so making a mistake is normal. But now I suddenly realized the flaw in the plate, isn't that possible?"

"What flaw?" The young man was both surprised and suspicious.

"Didn't you say the walking pearl plate was sunk in the river by your grandfather, thus escaping this disaster?" Qi Xiang asked, "Can you tell me how many years the plate was in the water?"

"…Why should I tell you?" The young man definitely wouldn't cooperate.

"I know even if you don't tell me. It was at least ten years, or even longer. Your grandfather probably only considered retrieving the plate after the society returned to normal after the opening up."

Qi Xiang analyzed, "Over ten years, the plate would have obvious signs of being submerged in water. But the plate we just saw had no such signs, which is enough to prove you lied."

The young man's eyes flickered, and he defended himself, "…The plate was wrapped in several layers of plastic and sealed in a jar before being sunk in the river, isn't that possible?"

"Possible, of course." Qi Xiang smiled and asked, "Then tell me, what era is your plate from?"

"Why should I tell you?" The young man huffed, "I also find it strange that you stayed here and talked a lot of nonsense. What do you want? Planning to extort me?"

"I don't want anything." Qi Xiang smiled and said, "I just want to tell Young Master Zhu that the plate we just saw looks like a replica. For safety, it's better to send it to a specialized research institution for testing…"

"Tell me, if Young Master Zhu finds out the item is a replica, will he come back and break your legs?"

Qi Xiang smiled slyly, "As for me… you don't need to worry. I'm from out of town, I'll just call him and tell him, then leave."

The young man's face changed, and he gritted his teeth, "You… what do you want? If Young Master Zhu finds out you deliberately tricked him… you won't have it easy either…"

"Do you think he'll believe you or me? Do you want to bet?" Qi Xiang said confidently. He was just this petty; Zhu Qiao had threatened and tempted him, so he shouldn't blame him for setting a trap.

He simply wanted Zhu Qiao to know that forcing someone to do something they don't want to do usually doesn't end well.

However, Qi Xiang was willing to bet, but the young man hesitated.

After all, the two million was his life-saving money. He only dared to deceive Zhu Qiao when he was in dire straits. Now that he had the money, he lost his nerve.

"Tell me, how much do you want to split?" The young man said with a dark face, "Don't be greedy, or we'll part ways. If I'm ruined, you won't have it easy either."

"I don't want money…" Qi Xiang's expression turned serious, and he said with interest, "I'm just curious and want to see what a real walking pearl plate looks like."

The young man was stunned, then said irritably, "Since you know the walking pearl plate is fake, how could I have a real one? If I had a real one, I would have sold it to Young Master Zhu directly, why go through all this trouble?"

"No, you definitely have one." Qi Xiang shook his head and said, "Young Master Zhu is arrogant but not stupid. He must have heard something and knew your family had a walking pearl plate, which is why he came in a hurry…"