Chapter 23: Gambling on Wood

Seeing the gift on the table, Uncle Long couldn't help but smile faintly, his face showing little excitement.

In fact, at his age, he had seen and experienced a lot, and he well understood the principle that 'when someone gives a gift, they must have a request.' Therefore, before figuring out Zhao Defa's intentions, even if he liked the premium Da Hong Pao tea, he wouldn't easily accept such a valuable gift.

Similarly, Old Li understood this principle, so he didn't touch the ginseng on the table either.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Zhao Defa knew that if he didn't explain himself, the gifts would likely not be accepted. He decided to be honest, "Old Li, I want you to help me appraise something!"

"Oh, that's rare! I remember you rarely asked me to appraise things when you bought them in the past. Why the change of heart this time?" Old Li asked with a smile.

Hearing this, Zhao Defa couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. Although he was the chairman of Huatai Group, with assets worth more than hundreds of millions, and was respected by many, even the mayor of Quancheng City treated him with courtesy, the antique market was a different world. Here, respect was given to those who truly had the skills. Otherwise, no matter how rich you were, you would still be looked down upon if you lacked expertise. His nickname 'Moneybags' was quite telling.

So, even though he was being teased by Old Li, a respected figure in Quancheng's antique market, Zhao Defa didn't get angry. "This piece of porcelain is different. The seller is asking for twenty million, so I specifically came to ask Old Li to help me appraise it."

Although Zhao Defa enjoyed collecting and finding treasures, he wouldn't dare to buy a piece of antique worth millions based solely on his personal preference. Otherwise, even with his wealth, he couldn't afford such extravagant spending.

"Twenty million!" Hearing this, Old Li, Uncle Long, and Liu Dong, who was sitting on the side, were all greatly surprised.

In the year 2000, porcelain pieces priced over ten million were rare, except for the finest pieces from the five famous kilns of the Song Dynasty, Yuan blue-and-white, Chenghua斗彩, Xuande blue-and-white, Wanli polychrome, and the imperial kilns of the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong eras. Of course, other porcelains could also fetch millions, but they were relatively rare.

After hearing this, Old Li didn't immediately agree. He lowered his head and thought for a moment. Although he, as an outstanding appraiser, was eager to see a piece of porcelain worth millions, appraising for others was not an easy task. If he appraised correctly, he would receive a red envelope, and everyone would be happy. However, if he made a mistake, not only would the buyer suffer financial loss, but his reputation would also be damaged. Therefore, antique appraisers were always extremely cautious when appraising for others, especially for valuable pieces like this.

However, after a moment of hesitation, Old Li quickly nodded and said confidently, "Alright, I'll do it. When?"

Hearing Old Li's words, Zhao Defa couldn't help but feel elated. Among the antique appraisers in the entire Dongshan Province, Old Li was top-notch. With his help, he believed there would be no major issues.

Therefore, in his excitement, Zhao Defa quickly said, "Old Li, the time is in three days. I'll trouble you to come in person then."

Old Li waved his hand lightly and said, "No problem, my old bones are still agile. I can make the trip."

Seeing Old Li agree, Zhao Defa felt a great weight lifted from his heart. When he turned to Uncle Long, the old man waved his hand first and said, "Alright, no need to say more. If you want me to help with gambling on wood, forget it!"

Hearing this, Zhao Defa couldn't help but show a worried expression. His Huatai Group had a business in importing and exporting wood, especially valuable woods like small-leaf rosewood and huanghuali, which had a strong domestic demand and a huge market potential, with profits several to hundreds of times higher than ordinary wood. These valuable woods were a significant source of profit for Huatai Group each year. However, although these woods were valuable, their import prices from abroad were also high.

Therefore, to maximize profits, wood merchants and furniture manufacturers naturally turned to gambling on wood.

As the saying goes, 'nine out of ten rosewoods are hollow,' and not every piece of huanghuali has beautiful 'ghost face' patterns. This created a gambling element. With the Chinese wood merchants' pursuit of valuable woods like small-leaf rosewood and huanghuali, forest contractors in Vietnam, Myanmar, and India reduced their losses by making gambling on wood more popular.

However, since 'gambling' involves both winning and losing, and often more losing than winning, it was similar to gambling on stones. Despite the risks, wood merchants still pursued it for the potential to make a fortune.

If they won, they could get high-quality wood at a low price and make a significant profit. If they lost, they would suffer significant losses.

Thus, a skilled wood gambler who was proficient in the quality, texture, and other aspects of high-grade wood became crucial.

Uncle Long, who had spent his life dealing with wood, had created many pieces of furniture and decorations from valuable woods like small-leaf rosewood and huanghuali. With his family's long tradition, Uncle Long's expertise in these valuable woods was unmatched. Therefore, almost every time Zhao Defa needed to go abroad to gamble on wood, he would take Uncle Long with him, and they would always have significant gains.

"Uncle Long, why? If it's about the money, I can double your commission. How about that?" If appraising the porcelain was just a personal hobby, this was a matter of great importance to Huatai Group's profits, so Zhao Defa's expression was particularly serious.

A good wood gambler could bring in hundreds of millions in profit for the group each year, so he couldn't afford to take it lightly.

After hearing this, Uncle Long still shook his head firmly, "It's not about the money; I just don't want to go anymore." He paused and said calmly, "When you get old, you lose all your ambitions. Now, all I want is to spend my days with my grandchildren and enjoy my retirement. I don't want to think about anything else. So don't try to persuade me; it's useless." He looked out the window at the eastern sky, his eyes filled with longing.

"Ah!" Zhao Defa sighed heavily. From the old man's expression, he could see that Uncle Long was truly not planning to gamble on wood anymore.

"It seems the group needs to find a new wood gambler!" At this moment, Zhao Defa's joy over Old Li agreeing to appraise the porcelain had largely faded.

"Alright, Old Zhao, I have something interesting today. Are you interested?" Seeing the somber atmosphere, Old Li quickly changed the subject.

"Oh, there aren't many things you consider interesting. Can I take a look?" Zhao Defa asked with a smile.

As a social elite who had worked his way up from the bottom, Zhao Defa was naturally good at maintaining his composure. His previously gloomy face now wore a friendly smile. This skill in dealing with people earned him silent admiration from Liu Dong, who was sitting on the side.

"Xiao Dong, take out what you found this afternoon. I'm sure Brother Zhao won't let you down!" Old Li said with a double meaning.

Hearing this, Zhao Defa only smiled faintly and said nothing. He understood Old Li's meaning clearly. If it was a good piece, he wouldn't be stingy with money. After all, this young man had a close relationship with Old Li and Uncle Long.

Following the order, Liu Dong quickly took out the snuff bottle from his pocket and placed it in the center of the table.

Of course, taking it out of his pocket was just a cover. Such a valuable antique, along with the octagonal stupa by Uncle Wang and the 'Yinshen Guan Gong' statue, was stored in the Jiezi space, where Liu Dong felt truly safe.

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