Chapter 10

The elderly woman, who was already somewhat nervous and uneasy, suddenly saw Boss Wang and immediately showed a look of panic on her face, "No, I'm not lying, this is really my family's heirloom."

Uncle Liu looked at Boss Wang and asked with some doubt, "Boss Wang, has this sister been to your store?"

"Yes, I was just about to talk to you about this. It's something that looks like a gemstone or crystal. After some processing, they tried to deceive people here. Fortunately, my level in jade is high enough, and I could tell at a glance. Elderly woman, don't try to deceive people here. Go home quickly. This isn't an heirloom; you can pick something like this up for one or two yuan on the street."

Hearing Uncle Liu's question, Boss Wang smiled and then mocked the elderly woman beside him.

"Hehe, Xiao Yi is here too. You must follow Boss Liu and learn well. Don't be afraid of failure; ask more questions. When you have enough knowledge, you can think about finding treasures. Look at Chen Yi," Boss Wang suddenly smiled and educated him in a condescending manner.

Uncle Liu looked at Chen Yi with doubt, not understanding the significance of Boss Wang's words to Chen Yi.

Chen Yi secretly sneered. He really wanted to tell the story from yesterday, how the jade he casually threw away for 300 yuan was resold for 28,000 yuan. If this news spread, how would Boss Wang still be able to operate in this area? Looking at the gourd in Uncle Liu's hand, he glanced at Boss Wang and had a sudden thought.

Boss Wang's level isn't high. Just because he thinks something has no value doesn't mean it's fake. Just now, Uncle Liu was also uncertain about the material of this item. Moreover, the elderly woman doesn't seem to be pretending. Perhaps this really is an heirloom.

At this moment, Uncle Liu had no interest in the matter between Chen Yi and Boss Wang. He looked at the item in his hand, touched it, and then shook his head, "Sister, I can't tell for sure. You should take it home and keep it properly, or you can try asking someone else."

"I beg you, I'm not here to deceive anyone. This is really an heirloom. My child is sick and needs 3,000 yuan for treatment. I just need 3,000 yuan for this item." Hearing these words and after Boss Wang's repeated mocking, the elderly woman couldn't help but cry and kneel in front of Uncle Liu.

Uncle Liu sighed. In the antiques business, stories are never in short supply. Even if the elderly woman really needed the money, he was running an antiques store, not a charity.

Seeing the elderly woman's appearance, Chen Yi also shook his head. In just one month at the antiques store, he had encountered similar situations like this at least three times. The truth of the story wasn't important; what mattered was the authenticity of the item. After some thought, he decided to examine the item Uncle Liu was unsure about, to better understand antiques.

"Should I appraise the gourd-shaped item in front of me?" Chen Yi looked at the gourd on the table and silently appraised it. After the system's prompt, he confirmed it in his mind. If this item had even a little value, he wouldn't mind helping the elderly woman. Of course, if it was fake, he couldn't do anything.

"Appraising... Appraisal successful. Item information: Qing Dynasty Tourmaline Gourd Pendant, manufacturing age: approximately 135 years ago."

"Material: Medium-grade purplish-red tourmaline."

"Artistic features: Tourmaline, also known as tourmaline, is a precious gemstone crystal. In Chinese culture, tourmaline first appeared in the Qing Dynasty and is recorded in various historical texts, also known as bixiaxi or bi xi."

"In Chinese culture, tourmaline is far less prestigious than Hetian jade and jadeite, so it is not well-known to the public. However, it was highly valued in the imperial court. Tourmaline gems were present in the court beads and head ornaments worn by officials in the Qing Dynasty."

"Material characteristics: Its value is second only to diamonds and emeralds. Compared to crystal, tourmaline has a slightly lighter color and a much higher density. Compared to fluorite, tourmaline is much harder. Compared to glass, tourmaline contains only cotton-like inclusions and no air bubbles. The material has electrical properties and releases charges when heated, attracting dust and paper scraps."

"Item value: Medium-grade purplish-red tourmaline with some cotton-like inclusions. The carving is natural and mature, but the gourd model is somewhat stiff, with slight value."

Hearing the system's automatic voice in his mind, Chen Yi was stunned. Tourmaline, was there such a gemstone in the world? He had never heard of it before. Apart from Hetian jade and jadeite, he didn't know of any other famous gemstones.

After listening to the system's appraisal information, Chen Yi was delighted. No wonder Uncle Liu and the despicable Boss Wang couldn't recognize it; this gemstone was not well-known.

Its value was second only to diamonds and emeralds. Although the appraisal had some flaws, the slight value gave him some motivation. The slightly valuable jade pendant he had sold for 28,000 yuan was a good example.

"Sister, it's not that we don't want to help you, but this item is simply not valuable. So, don't pin your hopes on the heirloom. You should quickly borrow money from relatives and friends," Uncle Liu shook his head. He couldn't be as cold and mocking as Boss Wang to these pitiful people.

Boss Wang added, "Yes, as Boss Liu said, go home and borrow money. This thing isn't worth 3,000 yuan; it's not even worth 30 yuan."

Hearing Boss Wang's mocking, the elderly woman wiped her tears and struggled to get up from the ground. Her eyes, which had been full of hope, turned to despair. Looking at the heirloom handed to her by the store owner, she showed pain, took it carefully, and seemed to treat it as a real heirloom. She took out a cloth bag to wrap it and walked heavily towards the door.

Seeing this, Chen Yi suddenly said, "Elderly woman, please wait. I'll take this item."

"Xiao Yi, don't be impulsive. Can you help one person, can you help ten?" Seeing Chen Yi's actions, Uncle Liu quickly said.

"Uncle Liu, I think this item is a treasure," Chen Yi said seriously. Seeing that the elderly woman didn't hear him and continued walking, he quickly walked over. He had to be quick; with his mediocre speed, he might not catch up with an elderly person. "Elderly woman, I'll buy this item. How much do you want?"

The elderly woman looked up, her tear-streaked eyes somewhat dazed, "Sigh, young man, you work hard too. As they said, this thing isn't valuable. Forget it."

"Elderly woman, no, I think this is a treasure. I really want it. It's not because I feel sorry for you, but because this might be a treasure. How much do you need for your child's treatment?" Chen Yi said without hesitation, but at that moment, he had no intention of finding a bargain.

"My child's treatment costs 3,000 yuan. If you really want it, give me 2,000 yuan, and I'll sell you this heirloom," the elderly woman looked at Chen Yi, somewhat uncertain.

Chen Yi nodded, took out the money Uncle Liu had given him from his inner pocket, counted out 3,000 yuan, and handed it to the elderly woman, "Elderly woman, how can we skimp on the money for your child's treatment? Here, this is 3,000 yuan. Count it."

"Thank you, child, thank you." Seeing the thick stack of RMB in Chen Yi's hand, the elderly woman couldn't hold back her emotions and knelt down to Chen Yi.

Seeing this, Chen Yi quickly helped her up, but his strength was very weak, and he couldn't lift her. He smiled bitterly, "Elderly woman, get up. I can't bear such a big gesture. Quickly take the money and treat your child."

Under his persuasion, the elderly woman nodded repeatedly, finally stood up, carefully took the money from Chen Yi, and reluctantly handed him the heirloom, "Young man, thank you. This is really passed down from my grandfather. If I say even half a lie, may I be struck by lightning."

"Alright, elderly woman, quickly treat your child," Chen Yi said weakly. After helping her up, he felt as if all his strength had been drained.

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