Chapter 56

A single character "Su" clearly appeared under the illumination of the flashlight.

"The ancient character for Su is composed of the grass radical and the characters for fish and grain, written like this. There were no simplified characters back then," Su Xiaofan pointed at the bronze candlestick, holding back a laugh, and said that this was a unique anti-counterfeiting mark of their Su Family Village, which ordinary people couldn't recognize.

"This... I must have made a mistake."

With Su Xiaofan presenting the evidence, the person had nothing to say and awkwardly put away the bronze candlestick.

"Good job, Xiao Su."

An expert nearby gave Su Xiaofan a thumbs up.

Although Su Xiaofan was a disciple of Jing Shizhen, he was still too young.

Before the preliminary selection, the other two experts still had some doubts about Su Xiaofan's abilities.

However, Su Xiaofan's clean and efficient performance dispelled their doubts. In any field, capable people always earn respect.

Su Xiaofan's first appraisal was over.

But the awkward part was that his appraisal didn't cause much of a stir.

In front of Su Xiaofan's table, there was still no one, clearly indicating that the queue of collectors still lacked confidence in Su Xiaofan.

On the other hand, the tables of Jing Shizhen and the other two experts were exceptionally busy.

Although the venue had air conditioning, Su Xiaofan could see that Uncle Jing's forehead was already sweating.

"That expert is very professional in appraising bronze artifacts. Friends with bronze artifacts can come over here."

The staff of Yanjing TV were also trying hard to persuade the queue of collectors.

However, the effect wasn't very good. The collectors probably feared that Su Xiaofan wasn't professional enough and might misidentify their "priceless" treasures.

Uncle Jing clearly didn't expect this situation to arise.

He was so busy that he couldn't change the situation, after all, he couldn't force the collectors to seek Su Xiaofan's appraisal.

"Teacher Su, I'm really sorry, it's our fault for not arranging it well."

The Yanjing TV staff member ran over to Su Xiaofan and apologized in a low voice. This situation was indeed very awkward for Su Xiaofan.

"Teacher Su, how about this..."

The staff member thought for a moment and said, "I'll ask my colleagues outside to bring some items over for you to appraise?"

"Find a plant?"

Su Xiaofan couldn't help but laugh. This was a bit too much.

There were over a thousand collectors waiting with items to be appraised, and he still needed to find a plant, which was a bit too disrespectful to his "expert" status.

"Let's do this. Find a big sign."

Su Xiaofan said, "Fifty centimeters wide, about one and a half meters long, a white paper sign will do."

"Teacher Su, what are you going to do with it?"

The staff member was taken aback.

"You'll see in a moment. By the way, call your art designer over."

Today's situation made Su Xiaofan feel a bit embarrassed, and he was preparing to make a big move.

"Okay, okay, I'll get it ready right away."

The staff member didn't know what Su Xiaofan was going to do, but he could meet this small request.

In just a few minutes, a large sign was placed on the table in front of Su Xiaofan.

"Teacher, please write a few words."

Su Xiaofan politely asked the art designer, "Use a brush, that way the characters will be thicker. Color? Black will do."

"What should I write? Four characters will do, 'Wrong One, Pay Ten!'"

Su Xiaofan said the words he had been thinking about for a while, "Wrong One, Pay Ten."

"What? Wrong One, Pay Ten?"

Not only was the staff member taken aback, but the art designer was also a bit stunned. Usually, people say "Fake One, Pay Ten," but this person actually said "Wrong One, Pay Ten"?

The staff member and the art designer, although not experts in antiques, knew that Su Xiaofan's claim was a bit too bold.

"Teacher Su, please wait a moment?"

The staff member clearly couldn't make the decision and ran off.

"Teacher Su, is this appropriate?"

A few minutes later, the on-site director came over.

"Director Zhang, isn't your show all about creating an effect?"

Su Xiaofan smiled and said, "Once the 'Wrong One, Pay Ten' sign is up, the effect will be there."

"But... what if you really make a mistake?"

Director Zhang wanted high ratings, but he couldn't bear the consequences of "Wrong One, Pay Ten."

Antiques are not easy to price.

The same antique might be worth ten thousand to twenty thousand in the hands of a collector.

But if it goes to auction, it could soar to one hundred thousand or even several hundred thousand, which is why many collectors want to put their items up for auction.

If Su Xiaofan misidentifies an item, even if it's worth ten thousand, "Wrong One, Pay Ten" would mean paying out one hundred thousand.

"No problem, I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong," Su Xiaofan said firmly.

Su Xiaofan might not be able to explain why an item is fake, but he could identify the authenticity of items in a minute, and he wouldn't make a mistake.

"Teacher Su, do you need to think about it more?"

Director Zhang knew this was a double-edged sword. If it went well, the ratings would soar, but if it went wrong, there could be legal trouble.

"No need to think. As long as it's a bronze artifact, I'm confident."

Su Xiaofan shook his head. He didn't dare to say he would "Fake One, Pay Ten" for all antiques.

Although he could do it, it would be too showy and could bring him a lot of trouble.

"Uncle Jing, what do you think?"

Director Zhang, not daring to make the decision alone, ran to Jing Shizhen's table.

Jing Shizhen was the head of the expert panel. If he agreed, Director Zhang wouldn't be held responsible.

"What? Wrong One, Pay Ten?"

Hearing Director Zhang's words, Jing Shizhen frowned. He had been too busy to know what was happening at Su Xiaofan's table.

"Xiao Fan, this is no small matter. You have quite a bit of nerve, don't you?"

Jing Shizhen looked at Su Xiaofan. He didn't expect his disciple, who hadn't even been officially taken in, to pull such a move.

Of course, Jing Shizhen had to admit that the "Wrong One, Pay Ten" sign would change the situation where Su Xiaofan's table was deserted.

But if he really made a mistake, Su Xiaofan would bear a lot of responsibility.

Even Jing Shizhen wouldn't dare to make such a bold claim in a quick appraisal setting.

"Uncle Jing, I told you I have a big heart. Do you believe me now?" Su Xiaofan chuckled.

"I don't know if you're just bold or really capable."

Uncle Jing was a bit hesitant. This could be a big deal. If it was just for show, and it went wrong, it could affect Su Xiaofan's entire life.

"Uncle Jing, I'll only appraise bronze artifacts. No problem!"

Su Xiaofan said firmly.

Su Xiaofan had never encountered such an awkward situation before. Since the show couldn't resolve it, he had to think of a way himself.

"Alright, but don't overdo it. If you're not sure, call me."

Jing Shizhen, thinking of Su Xiaofan's background, nodded in agreement.

After all, the Bronze Village where Su Xiaofan learned his skills was a prestigious place, and Jing Shizhen could back him up, so there shouldn't be a big problem.

One person had the idea, and the other agreed. It had to be said that both Su Xiaofan and Jing Shizhen were bold.

With someone to take the blame, the show naturally agreed. This was a good way to boost ratings and attract attention.

Soon, the art designer wrote the four characters "Wrong One, Pay Ten."

Another staff member stood next to Su Xiaofan's table and held up the sign.

"Wrong One, Pay Ten? What does that mean?"

"Is it that if the appraisal is wrong, you pay ten times the value of the antique?"

"Wow, that's impressive."

"What? Only bronze artifacts? No porcelain?"

"Wrong One, Pay Ten, that's better than an auction."

The sign caused a stir in the crowd. People immediately started asking the staff.

When they learned that non-bronze artifacts wouldn't be appraised, many people disappointedly returned to their original queues.

But more people stood in front of Su Xiaofan's table, forming a long queue.

If not for the staff maintaining order, two people almost came to blows over a spot.

"The world is bustling with people seeking profit..."

Seeing this scene, Su Xiaofan couldn't help but think of this saying.

He believed that the people in the queue now wished he was younger, because only if he made a mistake would they get the "Wrong One, Pay Ten" compensation.

"There are too many people. I'll only appraise and give the result, no valuation, no explanation..."

Su Xiaofan looked at the crowded scene and told the staff, "Tell them first. If they accept, they can come for appraisal. If not, it's fine."

Identifying the authenticity of an item requires evidence.

But Su Xiaofan lacked this knowledge, so he made it clear that he would only identify authenticity and not explain further.

The crowd could accept this.

After all, with so many people in the queue, if he had to explain each one, it would take hours to appraise a few items.

[Repair Value: 106 points!]

[Han Dynasty General Seal, can be repaired, deduct 1 point of repair value!]

Su Xiaofan didn't expect that the first item he appraised was a genuine one.

It was a Han Dynasty bronze seal, only the size of a thumb, with clear engravings and well-preserved, but with a slight defect on the button.

After writing the appraisal result on paper, Su Xiaofan called the next person forward.

The show's crew specifically set up a camera to focus on Su Xiaofan's table, not wanting to miss any moment.

With the camera as evidence, if any disputes arose, the show could take the lead.

"Fake, modern craft!"

"Fake, modern craft!"

"This is too fake. Sir, do you know where the bronze money tree is? It's in the museum of Benzi."

Su Xiaofan's appraisal speed was fast. In ten minutes, he had appraised over ten items, but only one was a genuine bronze artifact.

This on-site appraisal also opened Su Xiaofan's eyes.

He didn't know where these collectors got their items, but someone even brought the famous money tree, which is a national first-class artifact. If it were real, the man would probably be arrested on the spot.

Of course, there were also many doubts. When their cherished items were identified as fakes, many people were cursing.

Su Xiaofan didn't argue. With the camera as evidence, they could take their items to authoritative appraisal institutions. If they could prove that Su Xiaofan made a mistake, the "Wrong One, Pay Ten" policy would still apply.

Of course, the so-called authoritative institutions must be recognized by Su Xiaofan, such as the National Cultural Relics Appraisal Center.

Otherwise, with so many "experts" around, anyone could give an appraisal result, and Su Xiaofan would be ruined.

Going to the National Cultural Rel