Chapter 34

From picking up the broken porcelain pieces to restoring them, Su Xiaofan only took about an hour.

Looking at his phone, it was not yet eleven o'clock. Su Xiaofan was not in a hurry to find Zhao Zhengshan but instead mingled with the crowd again. Having spent a few years in the antique market in Luochuan, he felt as comfortable as a fish in water walking down such streets.

Compared to the antique market in Luochuan, the antique market in Yanjing clearly had a more comprehensive selection of goods. Even genuine items on the street stalls were not uncommon, and Su Xiaofan even saw several fine cultural artifacts.

However, the stall owners were all very shrewd. Su Xiaofan asked about the prices of a few items, but there was no room for a bargain.

But this was already much better than the antique market in Luochuan, where the street stalls mostly had modern crafts, and it was rare to see genuine items.

"Hmm?" Su Xiaofan stopped in front of a stall while browsing.

This stall sold a variety of antiques, with the most eye-catching being a few bronze artifacts. Among them, a set of bronze chimes looked ancient and elegant, and there was also a bronze sword with visible rust and discernible bronze patterns.

There were also some miscellaneous cultural artifacts scattered in the corners of the stall, but the main focus seemed to be on those few bronze artifacts.

"Boss, our country strictly prohibits the sale of bronze artifacts."

Su Xiaofan sat on a small stool in front of the stall and started a conversation with the stall owner, who looked to be in his forties.

"That's true, but the bronze artifacts I sell are different."

The boss glanced at Su Xiaofan. Perhaps out of boredom, he didn't mind Su Xiaofan's age and said, "The bronze artifacts that our country prohibits selling are those unearthed from before the Han Dynasty. I don't have any items from before the Han Dynasty on my stall."

"Take a look at these chimes. They were actually made during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, when the emperor wanted to revive the bronze craftsmanship of the Han Dynasty. See, there's even the inscription 'Ming Jiajing' on them."

"This bronze sword is actually from the Song Dynasty. It wasn't a primary weapon for combat but a decorative weapon for the emperor's guards."

"Look at how exquisite it is. I'll even throw in a sword stand. Place it in your study, and it will look very impressive."

The boss was quite talkative, introducing the items on the stall with great enthusiasm. What he said made sense, and he explained the origins of the bronze artifacts clearly while avoiding the issue of the prohibition on trading bronze artifacts.

"I didn't pay much for these items, and it's a hassle to auction them. If you want them, I can give you a fair price."

After the sales pitch, it was time to make a deal. Talking without selling would just waste his breath.

"How much for the two items?" Su Xiaofan asked with a suppressed laugh. He was wearing a set of sportswear that cost less than 500 yuan, and he didn't look like a wealthy customer.

The stall owner in Yanjing needed to improve his skills. His judgment of potential customers was off.

"Three thousand for the two items."

The boss said, "To be honest, I need the money for my child's education. Otherwise, these are heirlooms that I would keep. I don't even display them usually."

"Alright, brother, I won't hide it from you. These items might be heirlooms in a few hundred years, but now... let's forget it."

Su Xiaofan shook his head and said, "I shouldn't reveal your shortcomings, but these bronze artifacts are related to me."

"My bronze artifacts are related to you? Young man, what do you mean?"

The stall owner was taken aback by Su Xiaofan's words.

"These bronze artifacts are all from Su Family Village in Luochuan."

Su Xiaofan smiled and said, "I'm surnamed Su. Do you think these items are related to me?"

"Ah? You're from Su Family Village?"

The stall owner was a bit stunned. He knew where his goods came from.

"That's right, boss. The items we make in our village have marks."

Su Xiaofan picked up the bronze sword and pointed to a spot on the handle. "Here, if you shine a UV light, you can see the mark. Do you want me to borrow a UV light?"

"No, you're clearly an expert. Ha, your items from Su Family Village are really good."

The boss laughed nervously.

"The rules in Su Family Village are also strict, boss. You should know that."

Su Xiaofan's smile was cold.

"Ah, it's just to make a living, brother. It won't happen again, it won't happen again!"

The boss handed Su Xiaofan a bottle of drink. "Brother, it's not easy for anyone. Let's just let it go."

The boss wasn't trying to be humble; he knew the rules of Su Family Village. If they found out, they might cut off his supply and end the cooperation.

The bronze artifacts from Su Family Village were indeed well-made and could fetch a good price. Selling just one or two items a month could earn him a lot of money, and he didn't want to lose this channel.

"The bronze artifact business in Su Family Village has really grown."

Seeing the boss's anxious face, Su Xiaofan realized how big their business had become.

Actually, as he walked through the market, Su Xiaofan had seen bronze artifacts from Su Family Village on several stalls. He didn't stop because those stalls didn't have the items he wanted.

On this stall, Su Xiaofan saw something interesting. Pointing out the origin of the bronze artifacts was also a way to get a better price.

"Alright, boss, just be more careful in the future. I'm easy to talk to, but if you meet someone who isn't, they might stop buying from you."

Su Xiaofan was just scaring him. Su Family Village had rules, but it was impossible to monitor all the buyers across the country.

Besides, the boss wasn't being too unreasonable. The set of chimes cost him about 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, and the bronze sword about 1,000 yuan. Making a profit of seven to eight times wasn't too excessive.

"Thanks, brother. If you see anything you like on my stall, take it."

The boss was practical. Most of the items on his stall, except for the bronze artifacts, were cheap, with a cost of no more than 100 yuan.

"No, boss, I'll pay for what I buy."

Su Xiaofan picked up a black pen holder. The bottom of the pen holder was slightly charred, making it look unremarkable.

"Boss, this is African rosewood, right? The craftsmanship is exquisite, but the bottom is damaged. I'll take it for 150 yuan."

"You're an expert, alright."

The boss gave a thumbs-up. "150 yuan, no haggling. Take it."

The pen holder was part of a batch of items the boss had taken over from a friend's stall. The cost was only a few dozen yuan.

Due to the charring, the pen holder wasn't in good condition and hadn't sold for a long time. Now that someone was willing to buy it at a higher price, the boss was happy to sell it.

"Alright, boss, the money is paid. See you later."

Su Xiaofan quickly paid with his phone, asked the boss for a bag to put the pen holder in, and left.

Walking down the antique street, Su Xiaofan's lips curved into a smile.

If the Ding kiln carved flower pen washer was something he had restored from nothing, then this pen holder was a real bargain.

[Restoration Value: 6 points!]

[late Ming Dynasty Huanghuali high-relief Eight Loves pattern pen holder: damaged, can be restored, deduct 1 restoration point, restore?]

"Hehe, even without restoration, this is a great find despite the damage!"

Su Xiaofan was delighted. The Huanghuali pen holder from the late Ming Dynasty had a history of several hundred years, with excellent material and a long history. If not for the charred bottom, it could have been auctioned.

"Restore!" Holding the pen holder, Su Xiaofan decided to spend the restoration point. It was worth it for a Ming Dynasty item.

[Restoration Value: 5 points!]

[late Ming Dynasty Huanghuali high-relief Eight Loves pattern pen holder: cannot be restored!]

Seeing the information in his mind, Su Xiaofan noticed that the charred part at the bottom of the pen holder had disappeared, and the entire pen holder looked seamless and undamaged.

However, due to the lack of cleaning, the overall color of the old pen holder was still dark. If not for the restoration value indicating its age, Su Xiaofan might have thought it was a modern rosewood piece.

"These two are enough; I can't keep looking."

Using the restoration value was satisfying, but it was painful to use it up.

Before coming to Yanjing, Su Xiaofan had 13 restoration points after absorbing the Yin Sha stone.

He used six points to restore the inkstone for his sister, one point for the Song Dynasty Ding kiln pen washer, and one point for the pen holder, totaling eight points. He decided to save the remaining points, as he didn't know where to find more Yin Sha stones.

"Restoring ritual objects requires more restoration points than antiques. It seems ritual objects are more valuable."

Su Xiaofan pondered the pattern of using restoration points. The pen washer, which was broken into several pieces, only required one point to restore, while a well-preserved ritual object required at least three points. Clearly, in terms of value, antiques were inferior to ritual objects.

Checking the time, it was almost noon. It was time for lunch, so Su Xiaofan stopped browsing and looked for Zhao Zhengshan.

"Uncle Zhao, how was your hunt?" Finding a person was easier than looking for items. Soon, Su Xiaofan found Zhao Zhengshan squatting in front of a stall.

"Xiao Su, you did well."

Seeing the items Su Xiaofan was carrying, Zhao Zhengshan smiled and waved a bag in his right hand. "I also found something. Let's go find a place to compare our finds."