Chapter 6

Just as the appraisal was successful, Zheng closed his eyes, ready to listen to the information, when suddenly his phone in his pocket rang. Chen Yi no longer cared about the information and hurriedly took out his phone. Seeing the number, it was from home.

Seeing the familiar number on the phone, Chen Yi hesitated for a moment, then pressed the answer button. "Xiao Yi, are you at work now? Is it convenient to take the call?" His mother's somewhat aged voice came through the phone.

Instantly, Chen Yi's mind conjured up the image of that wrinkled face. "Mom, it's fine. I have a lot of freedom at my job and can take calls anytime. What's up?"

All along, he had never told his parents that he was an apprentice at an antique shop. Instead, he told them that he had found a job as a manager in a large company, so they wouldn't worry.

"Xiao Yi, there's nothing much. I just wanted to ask how you've been recently." His mother paused for a moment, then spoke softly.

Chen Yi sighed inwardly. No matter what happened at home, his parents never wanted him to know, fearing he would be distracted by family matters. "Mom, I'm doing well recently. Is there something going on at home? Oh, right, isn't Xiao Mei starting school soon?"

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered his sister Chen Yating's upcoming school start. After graduation, he had hardly returned home, busy looking for a job to support the family. Even during his sister's high school entrance exam, he didn't go back.

He remembered that two months ago, his mother said Xiao Mei had successfully been admitted to a fully enclosed key high school, the best in their hometown. Now, with the start of school approaching, his mother's call was likely about this.

"En, Xiao Yi, Tingting has three more days before school starts. Recently, she said she doesn't like the enclosed school and is planning to go to the Third Middle School, which is not far from our home." His mother said with a smile over the phone.

"Mom, we can't let Xiao Mei go to the Third Middle School. That school is full of troublemakers. No matter how well she performs or how hard she studies, she will be influenced. Mom, how much is the tuition for the First Middle School? I'll get paid soon and can ask the finance department for an advance. We must ensure Xiao Mei goes to the First Middle School."

Chen Yi's expression turned serious. At the Third Middle School, even the best students couldn't excel, and it was filled with various thugs. Not only would her studies be affected, but her safety might not be guaranteed.

"Xiao Yi, it's fine. You haven't been home for years and don't know the situation. The Third Middle School has been renovated..."

"Mom, don't say more. I have classmates at home, and I know what the Third Middle School is like. How much is the tuition for the First Middle School?"

"Xiao Ting's total fees for one year are ten thousand yuan. We have three thousand at home. We'll borrow some from relatives tomorrow, and it should be enough. Xiao Yi, you just started your job, so don't pre-empt your salary. We'll definitely make sure Xiao Ting goes to the First Middle School."

Hearing his mother's words, Chen Yi realized that if the family had any other options, they wouldn't have called him. "Mom, don't worry. My boss has a good impression of me. I'll transfer ten thousand yuan to the family within three days. Don't worry. School is starting soon, so let Xiao Ting have some fun these few days. That's all."

With that, Chen Yi hung up the phone, cutting off his mother's words. He put the phone in his pocket and stood on the street of the antique market, looking up at the sky with a somewhat lost expression.

After getting into a third-rate university, he had received much admiration from relatives and friends in his small hometown. He could be said to have carried the hopes of the entire family. If not for supporting his education, the family's situation wouldn't have become so dire.

However, after graduating from university, he had not been able to bring hope to his family. Instead, when he first started looking for a job, he had to rely on living expenses from home.

Looking at the two pieces of jade in his hand, he sighed deeply. Even with the appraisal system, he couldn't solve the immediate problem. He had five thousand yuan on him, and he could borrow from Uncle Liu, given that he had saved eighteen thousand yuan. However, he had only been at the antique shop for a little over a month and didn't have the face to borrow money from Uncle Liu again.

"Since the host was in a communication state, the information after the successful appraisal was not conveyed. Do you want the system to read out the information, or do you want to view it directly?"

Chen Yi sighed. Even if the appraisal was successful, the jade pendant might be made of other materials, or even if it was real jade, its value might not cover the five thousand yuan gap.

But he couldn't give up. Before getting the appraisal system, he hadn't given up. Now that he had the system, what reason did he have to give up? Let the storm come more fiercely. Let's see if the jade he thought was good is a fake.

"View the information directly." Chen Yi chose to view the information directly in his mind rather than close his eyes to listen to the appraisal results.

"Appraisal result: Qing Dynasty white jade dragon pendant, manufacturing age: about 230 years ago."

Seeing the large text above the jade pendant, Chen Yi's face showed surprise. The despair in his heart suddenly turned into joy. Qing Dynasty, 230 years ago, this was ancient jade. He suppressed his excitement and continued to read.

"Jade material: medium-grade Hetian ivory white jade."

"Artistic features: In Chinese culture, jade is an extremely important symbol. Jade, the beauty of stone, has five virtues: smooth and warm, representing benevolence; during the Qing Dynasty, economic prosperity promoted the development of jade craftsmanship, leading to the most prosperous era of ancient Chinese jade."

"During the Qing Dynasty, white jade was particularly valued. Jade craftsmen drew inspiration from painting, sculpture, and other arts, combining various traditional carving techniques and artistic styles, and incorporating foreign influences..."

"Qing Dynasty dragon pendant: The dragon is majestic and robust, with a heavy and aged appearance. The carving is intricate, representing an old dragon. The dragon's head faces forward, with a large and square shape, a broad and full forehead, wide-set horns, a shorter head than in the Ming Dynasty, irregular and scattered whiskers, and protruding round eyes, similar to the Ming Dynasty but with polished edges around the eyes."

"Material features: Hetian jade is a soft jade, with a fine and smooth texture, unmatched by other jades. It is harder and more resilient than jadeite, with a beautiful sound when struck, unmatched by other jades."

"Jade value: Medium-grade Hetian jade, naturally and skillfully carved, but the dragon's aura is somewhat lacking, appearing to have form but no spirit. It has some value."

This... This piece of jade, casually given by the wicked boss Wang, turned out to be a genuine Qing Dynasty artifact. Chen Yi rubbed his eyes, not daring to believe the appraisal results in his mind.

Ha ha, this is truly a case of "searching high and low without finding, but unexpectedly obtaining it." After failing to buy an old object for 400 yuan, he unexpectedly bought one for 300 yuan. The frustration and despair caused by the phone call from home were instantly swept away, replaced by a sense of relief.

If he weren't in the crowded antique market, he would have burst into laughter, laughing at his hope, which had come so late.

The cunning boss Wang probably never expected that the jade he had placed in a corner, not caring about it, would be a genuine artifact. Chen Yi's face showed excitement and joy.

A Qing Dynasty dragon pendant, regardless of other factors, should be worth at least 3,000 yuan. This tenfold profit task was thus completed. Looking at the three remaining appraisal tokens in his mind, Chen Yi couldn't help but smile foolishly.

In the past month, he had visited Bao Yu Xuan many times with Uncle Liu, so Wang Boss knew him. He had some knowledge of the value of Qing Dynasty jade, which was definitely worth 3,000 yuan.

In that case, he would have 23 appraisal tokens. Even if the jade pendant could only be sold for 3,000 yuan, he could use these 20+ appraisal tokens to make up for the remaining financial gap.

However, since the jade pendant had been appraised as a genuine Qing Dynasty artifact, why didn't the appraisal system prompt the completion of the task? Chen Yi couldn't help but ask himself, but received no answer. He looked at the jade pendant, feeling depressed, and carefully studied the task conditions. The selling price must be ten times the purchase price, meaning he had to sell the jade pendant.

The first lucky find was very meaningful, but looking at the 20 appraisal tokens as a reward, Chen Yi naturally chose the latter. He glanced at the door of Bao Yu Xuan, his eyes filled with disdain.

He really wanted to take the genuine Qing Dynasty jade pendant to mock Wang Boss, but that would be an unwise move. Given Wang Boss's cunning in the antique market, he would be no match, and he might lose the jade pendant in the process.