Chapter 47

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As the middle-aged man was about to pass by, Jiang Ping couldn’t wait any longer and quickly patted his shoulder, saying, "Uncle, please wait a moment!"

The middle-aged man was startled by Jiang Ping, almost dropping the bundle he was holding. He quickly hugged it tightly and looked at Jiang Ping with caution, asking, "What do you want?!"

"Don’t be nervous, Uncle." Jiang Ping smiled innocently, "Are you planning to sell the things in this bundle? Can I take a look?"

Seeing that the person who stopped him was a young man who looked like a student, the middle-aged man relaxed a bit. He shook his head at Jiang Ping, "You’re just a kid, don’t get involved in grown-up matters. The things I have are worth thousands of dollars, and if you break them, you won’t be able to afford the compensation."

This wasn’t because the middle-aged man looked down on Jiang Ping, but because he looked too young. In 2002, several thousand dollars was a significant amount, and the middle-aged man didn’t believe that a young man who looked like a student could come up with that much money to buy his items.

Seeing that the other party didn’t trust him, Jiang Ping quickly pulled out a stack of hundred-dollar bills from his pocket and waved them in front of the middle-aged man, saying, "Uncle, I have money. Let me see your items. If I really like them, I’ll buy them right away!"

Seeing that Jiang Ping really had money, the middle-aged man no longer tried to drive him away. However, he still asked suspiciously, "Do you really want to buy my items?"

"I have to see them first to decide." Jiang Ping pulled the middle-aged man’s arm, "It’s quieter over there. Let’s go and take a look at your treasures!"

Jiang Ping’s high school appearance was quite deceptive. The middle-aged man felt that this young man posed no threat to him. Since he was indeed interested in buying his items, it was fine to let him take a look. After all, he came to the antique street to sell his items, and it didn’t matter who he sold them to.

Jiang Ping led the middle-aged man to a relatively secluded corner and said with a smile, "Let’s stop here. Let me see what treasures you have!"

The middle-aged man cautiously looked around and then carefully opened the bundle, finally revealing the item he had been carrying to Jiang Ping.

It was a gilded Buddha statue, about twenty centimeters tall. The Buddha’s face was full and dignified, with a solemn and gentle expression that hinted at a smile, showing very distinct characteristics of a Ming Dynasty gilded Buddha statue. The gilding on the surface was well-preserved, shining brightly in the sunlight, giving a truly eye-catching impression.

In fact, Jiang Ping had already known from a quick glance that the middle-aged man was carrying a gilded Buddha statue. Therefore, he wasn’t particularly surprised at this moment. However, he hadn’t had the chance to examine the statue closely before, so he couldn’t determine its age or authenticity.

Now, Jiang Ping finally had the opportunity to examine the statue in detail. After getting the middle-aged man’s permission, he picked up the statue and admired it carefully, asking softly, "Uncle, where did you get this item?"

"I found it under a water jar when my old house was being demolished recently." The middle-aged man didn’t hide anything from Jiang Ping and pointed to a small chip on the statue, "See that? I accidentally chipped it when I moved the water jar!"

"Ah, if it weren’t for this damage, the item would be nearly perfect. It’s really a pity now." Jiang Ping casually discussed the condition of the statue while carefully observing its details. With his rich experience, Jiang Ping quickly determined that this was indeed a Ming Dynasty gilded Buddha statue, and it was nearly perfect!

However, Jiang Ping also noticed that the middle-aged man wasn’t entirely honest with him. He said the chip was caused by the water jar, but from any angle, it was impossible for the chip to have been caused by the water jar. It looked more like it was made by a hoe or a spade.

Jiang Ping put down the statue without showing any emotion, clapped his hands, and said to the middle-aged man, "Uncle, this Buddha statue looks good. Tell me, how much do you want for it?"

The middle-aged man’s eyes darted around, and he held up one finger at Jiang Ping, "Ten thousand, not a penny less!"

Hearing this price, Jiang Ping’s eyebrows raised, and he smiled meaningfully. To be honest, even if he bought the statue for ten thousand, he would still make a good profit. However, the middle-aged man had previously said that the statue was worth several thousand. Now, seeing that Jiang Ping was really interested in buying it, he immediately raised the price to ten thousand.

Jiang Ping had no good feelings towards people who lacked integrity. Moreover, this transaction’s profit was at stake, so he certainly wouldn’t give in.

Jiang Ping’s face fell, and he shook his head at the middle-aged man, "Ten thousand is too expensive. This item isn’t worth that much!"

The middle-aged man was just asking for a high price, waiting for Jiang Ping to haggle. He immediately asked, "Then how much do you offer?"

"Three thousand!" Jiang Ping didn’t hesitate and immediately cut the price by a large margin.

"Too low!" The middle-aged man was unhappy now, and as he rewrapped the statue, he said, "I’ll take it to the store and sell it. Those big stores will definitely give me a fair price!"

Jiang Ping didn’t try to stop him but smiled, "Sure, those antique stores will definitely give you a fair price, but remember to prepare the provenance of this Buddha statue!"

"Provenance?" The middle-aged man was taken aback by Jiang Ping’s words, stopped his actions, and asked nervously, "Do I need to provide proof when selling my own items?"

Jiang Ping sneered, "Of course, otherwise how would they know where you got it? If it’s dug up from the ground, it belongs to the state and should be handed over to the government. If it’s from an ancient tomb, it’s a crime, and you’ll go to jail!"

In fact, antique stores wouldn’t require any provenance when buying items. However, Jiang Ping saw at a glance that the middle-aged man was a layman, and this gilded Buddha statue was definitely not found under his water jar as he claimed. That’s why he said this to him.

Sure enough, after hearing Jiang Ping’s words, the middle-aged man became even more hesitant but still insisted, "This is indeed what I found under my water jar. I’m not afraid of any investigation!"

"Is that really so?" Jiang Ping pointed to the small chip on the statue, "This is clearly caused by a hoe or a spade. Look at the base, there are obvious signs of soil infiltration, indicating that this Buddha statue was dug up from the ground. If you take this item to an antique store, they will definitely call the police to handle it! When the police ask you, will they believe your story or treat you as a tomb raider?"

Scared by Jiang Ping’s words, the middle-aged man looked miserable and said, "I’m not a tomb raider, I’m just a farmer. I found this Buddha statue near the land temple at the village entrance!"

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