Chapter 62

"Hey, I said, why are there only three books about the Dragon, Tiger, and Leopard? They're from last year, do you have any new ones?"

While Mr. Zhao was explaining the "Yellow Sash" to Nie Tianbao, the voice of "Ma Zibian" sounded again, tinged with impatience.

"Damn, your ancestors for eighteen generations were no good!"

Nie Tianbao cursed inwardly but plastered a smile on his face and said, "Brother Ma, what's so interesting about this stuff? If you like this kind of thing, I can arrange a few girls for you tonight? All fresh and lively..."

"That would be great, Old Nie, you're a good man!"

Hearing Nie Tianbao's words, "Ma Zibian" couldn't stop smiling and leaned in to say, "I heard there are Russian girls here. Old Nie, can you arrange one? I haven't tasted a foreign woman yet."

"Well... there really aren't any. You'd have to go to the northeast for Russian girls."

Nie Tianbao's face fell. If the other party had made this request a few months earlier, it wouldn't have been a problem. But with the recent crackdowns due to the return of Hong Kong, the Russian girls in the club he knew had all been deported.

"Small place, small place. No matter, then."

"Ma Zibian" waved his hand, squinting his eyes and looking at Nie Tianbao, "Old Nie, you're holding onto those two things, aren't you interested in them?"

"Hmm, this kid may be rough, but he's not stupid?"

The serious "Ma Zibian" made Nie Tianbao pause for a moment. He didn't hide his intentions and nodded, "Yes, Brother Ma, I'm interested in both items. If you want to sell them, it would be better to sell them to me than to someone else."

Since he had decided to enter the jade market, Nie Tianbao wanted to be the best.

This pair of earrings and the Maitreya Buddha pendant, the earrings could be sold to Mrs. Li of Tianhong Group, who had already reserved high-quality jade jewelry from "Jade Hall" half a year ago.

As for the pendant, Nie Tianbao planned to make it the centerpiece of "Jade Hall." With this treasure, not only would the old man from Shishi be overshadowed, but even jade merchants from neighboring provinces would be outshone.

Of course, to get these two items, he needed to persuade this rich kid and ensure that his elders wouldn't seek revenge.

"Sell them to you?"

"Ma Zibian" stared at Nie Tianbao for a while, then held up one finger, "If you can come up with this amount, I'll sell them to you!"

"Ten thousand?"

Nie Tianbao pretended to be confused, but his thick skin even made Mr. Zhao uncomfortable. He had seen ruthless people, but Nie Tianbao's heart was so black that even a dog wouldn't eat it.

"Old Nie, don't take me for a fool. This stuff was used by Empress Dowager Cixi. Nowadays, it's called an antique. Ten thousand yuan? That's like giving money to a beggar."

"Ma Zibian" seemed to be a dog, changing his attitude quickly. He snatched the earrings and the Maitreya Buddha pendant from the table and said, "Let's not talk about it. I'll take them to Hong Kong. Last time, someone wanted to buy them from my grandfather, but the old man didn't want to sell..."

"Damn, this kid isn't easy to fool!"

Nie Tianbao was startled and quickly held "Ma Zibian's" hand, forcing a smile, "Brother Ma, the origin of these items is unclear, and there aren't many people who would dare to buy them. I'm taking a risk by buying them. How about... you name a price?"

"At least one million!"

"Ma Zibian" wrapped the earrings and put them back in his pocket, "My grandfather has a jade ruyi, and a Hong Kong buyer offered eighty thousand for it. I have two items, so no less than one million!"

"Jade ruyi? Eighty thousand?"

Nie Tianbao's mind raced, quickly finding a way to counter, "Brother Ma, jade is priced based on quality and size. The ruyi uses more material, so it's more expensive. Your items use only one-fifth the material, so one million is too much, right?"

Nie Tianbao realized that although this rough kid knew the items were valuable, he didn't know their true worth. It seemed he might really get a good deal.

"Old Nie, don't fool me. These should be sold by piece..."

"Ma Zibian" seemed unsure about Nie Tianbao's words, his face turning sour, but he refused to back down, "A jade ruyi is eighty thousand, so my three items should be two million and forty thousand. I'm asking for one million, which is already cheap, okay?"

"Brother Ma, that's not how it works. If you insist, I can't do anything. How about... you ask someone else?"

Seeing the changing expressions on "Ma Zibian's" face, Nie Tianbao felt more confident. Despite his tough talk, the kid was just a fool, easily fooled by a few words.

Nie Tianbao's strategy was to retreat to advance. In Shishi, only he and Old Ge could handle such jade, and Old Ge's shop was on Baifujie, so he wouldn't let the items appear before Old Ge.

"Damn, I don't know anyone in Shishi. Who am I going to ask?"

"Ma Zibian" became agitated, muttering, "Old Nie, don't fool me. Tell me the real price. How much are these worth?"

"Two hundred thousand, Brother, I'm not taking advantage of you. This price involves a lot of risk for me..."

Nie Tianbao held up one finger and continued, "But I have a condition. You must sign a sales contract with me, and the transaction must be final, with no backing out."

"Final transaction?"

Hearing Nie Tianbao's words, "Ma Zibian" looked suspicious, "Old Nie, are you fooling me? This stuff is clearly expensive, and you're buying it cheap, so I can't seek revenge?"

"Damn, I was too eager, and this kid saw through me."

Nie Tianbao's heart sank, realizing he had been too hasty. But he kept his composure and said, "To be honest, I will make some profit, but not much. If Brother Ma feels it's too cheap, you can sell it elsewhere. There are many jade shops on this street. How about... you check around first?"

Nie Tianbao was confident because he was the only one on Hongqi Street who dealt in jade. Even if someone else was interested, they wouldn't dare to make such a large purchase, as it would still be a significant investment.

"Damn, without a butcher, I'll eat a hairy pig?"

"Ma Zibian" seemed embarrassed and angry, getting up to leave, "Old Nie, I don't believe no one can appraise this. Two hundred thousand? You're treating me like a beggar?"

Seeing "Ma Zibian" walk out of the shop, Nie Tianbao's eyes flickered, but he didn't call out to stop him.

Mr. Zhao, however, was anxious. Seeing "Ma Zibian" disappear out the door, he quickly said, "Boss, it's worth one million. If someone else buys it, we'll lose a lot."

"Old Zhao, no one on this street can handle this except me!"

Nie Tianbao gritted his teeth, "Few people play with jade now, and no one will spend one million on it. Get the finance department to prepare two hundred thousand, no... two hundred and fifty thousand, and bring it here. I'm buying these items!"

After instructing Mr. Zhao, Nie Tianbao raised his voice, "Zhou Bing, get in here!"

"Uncle Nie, what's up?"

Zhou Bing, who had been hiding at the door, cautiously entered, afraid of another slap from the boss.

Seeing Zhou Bing's pitiful look, Nie Tianbao's tone softened, "Follow that kid and see which shop he enters. When he leaves, find out what happened. Be careful and don't let him see you..."

Nie Tianbao wasn't completely unconcerned. He had a backup plan. If someone else wanted to buy the items, he would intercept them. After all, he was used to being dominant on Hongqi Street and had done unreasonable things before.

After sending Zhou Bing away, Mr. Zhao, who had just called the finance department, came over, "Boss, do you think that kid is setting up a honey trap?"

"Honey trap? I don't think so."

Nie Tianbao was surprised. He knew about honey traps, which originally referred to scams involving seduction, but later included various frauds.

"No, I don't think so either." Mr. Zhao pondered, "This kid mentioned the Minxue incident, so he's not just anyone. Scammers don't have that kind of knowledge."

Mr. Zhao's understanding of scammers was still from the 1980s, when scams were simple, mostly involving idle troublemakers, and there were no reports of scammers researching historical documents.

What Mr. Zhao didn't know was that Qin Feng had a real Qing dynasty royal tutor, a descendant of the seventy yellow sashes who were exiled. Qin Feng had heard his tutor talk about this many times.

"Old Zhao, as long as the items are genuine, we'll buy them with a written contract. In Shishi, even if his elders come, I won't be afraid!"

Nie Tianbao had done many shady deals to build his business. While he was wary of "Ma Zibian's" background, the potential profit of millions was enough to justify the risk.

Mr. Zhao nodded, "That's true. In the antiques business, the price is based on expertise. Even if his family knows they were cheated, they probably won't have the face to come forward."

Unlike other industries, the antiques business relies on expertise. Generally, after a mutually agreed transaction, neither party can seek compensation, even if the item turns out to be a fake. They would just have to suffer in silence.

PS: The new book is off the list, and we've lost a recommendation spot. Please, everyone, give your new day's recommendation to "Baojian." Thank you in advance!