Chapter 48

Shi City is the capital of Ji Province, serving as the political, economic, cultural, transportation, technological, financial, and information center of the entire province. It is a region with a long history of human civilization and a rich cultural heritage.

The Baisifu culture, Zhongshan Kingdom culture, and Xishang culture all originated in Shi City, creating a civilization that has attracted worldwide attention. Due to its convenient transportation and abundant natural resources, it has rapidly become a pearl on the North China Plain.

As an ancient city with a rich cultural heritage, the antique market here has always been very prosperous. In recent years, with the growing popularity of Chinese art in the international investment market, the domestic antique market has also flourished.

In places like Baisifu Street and Hongqi Street in Shi City, several antique markets have been established. On weekends, it is common to see people with magnifying glasses and small flashlights searching for treasures.

"Brother Feng, this place is full of old men. Why are we here?"

Walking through the antique market on Baisifu Street, Li Tianyuan was getting impatient. Earlier, he had seen a jade-carved Pixiu that he liked and wanted to examine it, but the stall owner stared at him as if he were a thief, making Li Tianyuan feel very uncomfortable.

However, Li Tianyuan wasn't entirely wrong. At this time, the CCTV appraisal programs hadn't yet emerged, and the nationwide treasure-hunting craze hadn't formed. The prosperity of the antique market was limited to specific circles.

Now, most collectors were middle-aged people with some economic foundation or retired elderly people. Qin Feng and his two young companions were indeed quite noticeable.

"Big Brother Li, you don't understand. This is all about discernment. If you can find a good deal, you might make thousands of yuan from a single item."

When people have money, they seek refinement. Before Xie Xuan's father went bankrupt, he also wanted to indulge in highbrow art and spent a lot on antiques, though most of what he bought were fakes. However, Xie Xuan understood the nuances of the trade.

"You're just talking nonsense. The boss bought a lot of things, but they were all identified as fakes later."

Li Tianyuan sneered at this. Xie Xuan's mention reminded him of a time when Xie Dazhi had invited a famous appraiser to their home, treating him with the best tea and wine. But when the appraiser left, Xie Dazhi's face turned black. Everything he had bought was fake, and he was so angry that he smashed everything in the room.

"Yuanzi, what Xiaopang said is right. This is all about discernment..."

Seeing Li Tianyuan's tall and strong figure standing beside him, Qin Feng said, "Yuanzi, if you don't like it, go wait for us at the entrance!"

"Alright, Brother Feng, I'll wait for you at the exit!"

Hearing Qin Feng's words, Li Tianyuan was happy. He turned and ran to the entrance of the antique market, lit a cigarette, and squatted there, finding it more comfortable to watch the girls on the street than to accompany Qin Feng.

After Li Tianyuan left, Qin Feng became even more meticulous in his browsing. He stopped at almost every stall, from jade to bronze coins, chatting with the stall owners for long periods.

Although he looked young, Qin Feng could speak knowledgeably about each item, often leaving the seasoned dealers speechless. Before long, Qin Feng was adorned with various antique trinkets around his neck and wrist.

"Brother Feng, you like wearing these things? But... but they're all fakes!"

Looking at the ivory bead necklace and small-leaf rosewood bracelet on Qin Feng's neck and wrist, Xie Xuan's expression became very strange. He didn't understand why Qin Feng would buy them after identifying them as fakes.

Although these items weren't expensive, costing only about 30 to 50 yuan in total, Xie Xuan knew that after giving them 500 yuan, Qin Feng only had about 600 to 700 yuan left.

"They are fakes, but the craftsmanship is good. You can't tell at a glance unless you examine them closely."

Qin Feng smiled and said, "Xiaopang, what kind of antiques does the Nie family mainly deal in? Paintings, jade, ceramics, or bronze?"

"I heard they deal in jade. Li Dazhi mentioned once that they bought a jade mine somewhere."

When Xie Xuan entered the juvenile detention center, Nie Yuanlong had already been released. He only learned about the Nie family from Li Tianyuan and wasn't very familiar with the details.

"Jade?"

Qin Feng nodded, saying nothing more, but his attention was clearly focused on jade items as he continued to browse the stalls.

The sellers on the antique street generally fall into two categories. One type sets up a stall with a newspaper, which is a low-cost business, requiring only a 5-yuan market management fee per day.

These stalls often display ancient coins or jade pendants, most of which are covered in dirt, giving them an aged appearance.

The second type of seller has a much higher investment, operating in shops that require monthly payments for utilities and rent.

These shops specialize in various categories, such as paintings, jade, ceramics, and bronze. The items inside, illuminated by the lights, appear exceptionally exquisite.

Of course, the prices in these shops are also staggering. An item that looks similar to one on the street can be hundreds or even thousands of times more expensive.

After browsing the stalls, Qin Feng began to visit the antique shops. However, the shop owners were much less friendly than the stall owners. Seeing two young men, they ignored them and continued with their own business.

Leaving one of the antique shops, Xie Xuan said unhappily, "Brother Feng, can they make money by doing business like this?"

In business, the key is to welcome customers, but these shop owners treated them as if they were invisible. Xie Xuan, who still had some of his young master's temperament, couldn't stand it.

"Xiaopang, in the antique business, it's often the case that a shop doesn't make a sale for three years, but one sale can sustain them for three years. Shop owners also accumulate a base of regular customers or collectors, and retail sales don't make much money."

Seeing Xie Xuan's indignant expression, Qin Feng laughed and said, "Why don't you go find Yuanzi? I'll finish browsing and come out soon."

To Qin Feng's surprise, Xie Xuan shook his head and said, "No, Brother Feng, I'll stay with you. I can learn a lot from you."

"He's more suited for this line of work than Li Tianyuan."

Seeing Xie Xuan suddenly become quiet, Qin Feng nodded inwardly. "Observe more, speak less, and remember well" are golden rules in the antique business.

Before the liberation, the antique business was considered one of the eight unconventional trades. No matter the size of the antique shop or pawnshop, it always involved the character "thousand" (千).

Antique dealers always tried to pass off fakes as genuine, and the shops naturally didn't want to receive fakes.

In this process, all sorts of bizarre stories often occurred, and the old con artists of the Thousand School often stirred up trouble, with some shops even run by members of the Thousand School.

Unlike traditional businesses, the most important thing in running an antique shop is discernment. Whether buying or selling, a mistake can result in significant losses.

Before the liberation, regardless of the size of the antique shop, there was always a chief manager whose status was no less than the owner's, and many even held shares in the shop.

There were also apprentices, but they could only observe and not ask questions. The chief manager wouldn't teach them anything unless they were accepted as disciples. To learn, they had to observe carefully.

Although Xie Xuan was impulsive, his discernment was much better than Li Tianyuan's. At least in the bargaining earlier, Xie Xuan spoke fluent Shi City dialect, helping Qin Feng save some money.

Seeing Xie Xuan's performance, Qin Feng had the idea of bringing him into the business. According to his master, in times of chaos, gold is valuable, and in times of peace, antiques are valuable. This business would have a bright future!

The current Qin Feng was no longer the one who would be content with running a scrap recycling station. That would be a waste of his knowledge.

Qin Feng was well-versed in the Three Kingdoms but disliked Zhuge Liang, who was literally worked to death. Now, Qin Feng was thinking about building his own team.

With this idea, Qin Feng became more talkative, intentionally imparting some knowledge about the antique business to Xie Xuan.

PS: This is the second chapter. Da Yan and Yue Guan, along with some good friends, have started a new project. The number is 40336. If you have time tonight at 8 PM, come and join us!