Chapter 19 of 100

Chapter 19

13 min read3,347 words

Chapter Nineteen: 'Money Man'

"Xiao Dong, your eye for detail is quite impressive! If I'm not mistaken, this should be a Qing Dynasty Kangxi period imperial snuff bottle made by the imperial workshop. It's quite rare nowadays, and even more remarkable is that this piece is in excellent condition with almost no damage." He paused, "Back then, I only saw one similar to this at the Palace Museum, but its condition wasn't as good as yours!"

After hearing the old man's words, Liu Dong couldn't help but admire him inwardly, because the appraisal result displayed on the treasure bead in his芥子空间 (Jiezi Space) matched exactly what the old man said: 'Qing Kangxi Imperial Copper Enamel Snuff Bottle with Lotus Pool Pattern'!

"Hehe, since Old Li says so, this thing must be genuine. Xiao Dong, you've really found a treasure this time!" Uncle Long, sitting beside him, said with a smile. Liu Dong was like a nephew to him, and seeing him find such a valuable item, the old man was naturally pleased for him.

"Old Li, I bought this thing from a street stall for fifty yuan. I want to ask how much it's worth now?" Liu Dong touched his nose, his expression slightly embarrassed.

Although he knew this item was very rare and wanted to keep it for himself, Liu Dong was also aware that collecting first required capital, which simply meant having money. And he was currently most lacking in money. So after hearing Old Li mention the origin of the snuff bottle, Liu Dong had decided to sell it.

Moreover, with his newfound ability, he believed he would definitely have a bright future in treasure hunting and finding bargains. He was confident that he could acquire fine antiques, even national treasures, so if he could sell this valuable snuff bottle for a good sum, Liu Dong was very willing to do so.

"Fifty yuan?" Old Li's face showed surprise, "Then you've really found a great bargain. Most fine snuff bottles on the market today are from the Qianlong period, while those from the Kangxi period are relatively rare. A fine piece like the one you have is even rarer. Conservatively, it should be worth around 2.5 million yuan. If it goes to auction, the price might be even higher, but after deducting the fees, it won't be much different!"

"2.5 million yuan!" Although he had known this item might be very valuable, when he heard the exact figure from Old Li, Liu Dong couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

After all, from a young age, the largest sum of money he had ever seen was less than 100,000 yuan. One million yuan was already an astronomical amount to him, and 2.5 million yuan was a figure that seemed impossibly distant. Now, he could get 2.5 million yuan just by selling this snuff bottle he bought for fifty yuan, which made Liu Dong, who had endured many hardships in life, lose his usual composure.

"Look at you, getting so excited over 2.5 million yuan? If you focus on learning carving, you could earn this much in two or three years!" Uncle Long, sitting beside him, was also surprised by the high price of the snuff bottle.

Although he wasn't in the antiques business, he was well aware of the huge profits in it. Seeing Liu Dong's expression, Old Long was worried that he might lose his determination and perseverance in carving after suddenly acquiring such a large sum of money. That would be a real loss.

Hearing the old man's words, Liu Dong took a deep breath, and his expression gradually calmed down.

Seeing this, the two old men exchanged glances and nodded with a smile. They had seen too many people lose their minds over huge sums of money, leading to family feuds and even father-son conflicts.

Liu Dong's composure made them look at him with higher regard and truly recognize him, especially Old Li, who now truly admired Liu Dong. Uncle Long also made a decision at this moment.

"Xiao Dong, if you're not in urgent need of money, don't sell this item. Fine Kangxi period snuff bottles are already rare. Besides, the antique and art market is currently booming, so keeping it for your collection would also be a good choice!" Old Li said.

Hearing his words, Liu Dong was tempted. To be honest, he loved collecting, and he really liked this Kangxi copper enamel snuff bottle.

But in the end, Liu Dong shook his head firmly, "Old Li, thank you for your advice, but I've decided to sell it!" With this money, not only could he achieve his goal of opening a shop in the antique market, but he could also bring his parents and sister from the countryside to the city to enjoy a better life!

Hearing his words, Old Li and Uncle Long didn't say anything more. They could see that Liu Dong had made up his mind. Further persuasion would only be annoying!

"Alright, since you say so, I won't say more!" Old Li paused and continued, "If you trust me, I'll find someone to look at it tomorrow. He really likes such items, and I'm sure his offer won't be lower than at an auction!"

"Thank you, Old Li!" Liu Dong said gratefully.

"Old Li, are you talking about Mr. Zhao, known as 'Money Man'?" At this point, Uncle Long, who had been thinking for a few minutes, suddenly asked.

"Yes, that's him!"

Getting a positive answer, Uncle Long couldn't help but laugh, "Haha, Xiao Dong, you're going to make a fortune this time!" He paused, "Remember tomorrow, don't let go of 3 million yuan. Mr. Zhao is the chairman of Huatai Group, and a few million yuan is nothing to him, so don't be shy!"

Hearing Uncle Long's words, Liu Dong couldn't help but take a deep breath. Although he usually focused on learning carving and didn't watch much TV, he knew about the famous Huatai Group.

This year, Huatai Group was rated as one of the 24 key large backbone enterprises and one of the 20 key brands cultivated by the provincial government of Dongshan Province. It is also the world's largest newsprint production base and ranked third in the first list of the top 500 competitive large enterprise groups in China, published by the National Bureau of Statistics. The group, which covers industries such as papermaking, chemicals, printing, thermal power, forestry, logistics, and trade services, has total assets of no less than 10 billion yuan. As the group's chairman, one can imagine how wealthy he is. He truly lives up to the name 'Money Man'!

Hearing his old friend's words, Old Li couldn't help but smile.

In the Quancheng antique market, the shopkeepers were almost all familiar with Huatai Group's chairman, Zhao Defa. This self-made millionaire, like all those who rose from the grassroots, had a deep love for collecting. However, his collecting wasn't just for show like most wealthy people; he genuinely enjoyed it.

But he had a flaw, which wasn't really a flaw: he loved treasure hunting and finding bargains, but his eye for detail wasn't good. As a result, he often spent hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan, only to buy mostly fakes.

However, even with these losses, which were just a small fraction of his wealth, Zhao Defa's interest in treasure hunting remained undiminished. Despite many setbacks, he continued to enjoy it. Over the years, he earned the nickname 'Money Man' in the Quancheng antique market!

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