Chapter 10

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This kid, being the grandson of an old friend, truly lives up to the family name; he indeed has a natural talent in this field. Don't think that his luck in finding a bargain this time was just a stroke of fortune. Isn't luck itself a form of talent?

Uncle Fang usually spends most of his time sitting in his shop. With a store as big as his, he doesn't need to go out on the streets to collect items frequently. People who need to sell their belongings naturally bring them to his shop.

So, Jin Muchen's experience of finding a bargain piqued Uncle Fang's great interest. Jin Muchen recounted the story of how he acquired the bowl, and Uncle Fang, after listening, couldn't help but slap his thigh.

"Kid, do you know what a great bargain you found? To get something so good for just a thirty-five yuan meal these days, do you realize how lucky you are?"

At this moment, Jin Muchen felt a surge of joy. Uncle Fang's confirmation basically validated his suspicions: his eyes could indeed identify treasures and distinguish ordinary items from antiques.

With this ability, doesn't it mean he has the golden eye? In the future, he wouldn't need to work as a laborer or deliver food anymore, right?

"Uncle Fang, stop teasing me. Tell me, what kind of treasure is this?"

Seeing Jin Muchen's anxious face, Uncle Fang felt a small sense of satisfaction. "You're just lucky, but when it comes to antique collecting and appraisal, you're still a novice!"

"Look at the patterns on this bowl. It's a five-clawed dragon design, and the yellow background with pink enamel is correct. The body of the bowl is also right. It can be determined that this is a Qing Dynasty Yongzheng period yellow-ground pink enamel five-clawed dragon open-mouthed bowl. The inscription at the bottom, 'Made in the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty,' confirms this."

Uncle Fang confidently identified the bowl's origin. With his experience, he wouldn't make a mistake.

Jin Muchen scratched his head. "Uncle Fang, this bowl is clearly a product of the Yongzheng imperial kiln. Why does it have the inscription 'Made in the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty' at the bottom?"

"Ah, that's because the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty was famous for its pink enamel. So, this is a batch of imperial kiln products imitating the Chenghua period, hence the inscription."

So, it's a fake product from the imperial kiln! But this item is no ordinary one, especially with the five-clawed dragon design. According to Uncle Fang, such designs were typically used only by the emperor.

Hearing that the bowl was an imperial dining utensil, Jin Muchen felt even more excited. If this bowl is valuable, wouldn't it solve his financial problems?

He had been worrying about when he would save enough for living expenses and tuition. If this antique is valuable, it would solve his biggest problem.

Thinking about this, how could Jin Muchen not be happy?

"Uncle Fang, how much is this worth?"

Uncle Fang turned to look at Jin Muchen, then touched the bowl again.

"If this bowl were to fall into the hands of those foreigners, especially those who don't understand it, it would be a waste, no different from junk. But if it falls into the hands of someone who knows its value, it would be worth a lot. Your bowl has a correct inscription, is a genuine piece, and is an imperial utensil. Even though it's a practical item and not a decorative one, its price is still high."

Uncle Fang caressed the pink enamel open-mouthed bowl in his hand and continued.

"Yongzheng period pink enamel porcelain is known for its refined and elegant craftsmanship, highly praised by many. It is always in high demand in the auction market, so its value has a lot of room for appreciation. In recent years, the domestic antique market has grown rapidly, and the prices of various porcelains, especially those from the Ming and Qing dynasties, have been rising. So, your piece won't be cheap. Even though the bowl has a minor chip and has been repaired, and it's a single item, it's still a royal treasure. I estimate it would start at around ten thousand US dollars, and the final price would depend on how much the buyer likes it."

"Ten thousand US dollars? That's a lot!"

Jin Muchen was taken aback. He never expected that a small bowl could sell for ten thousand US dollars. He had worked hard for a month at the distribution center and only saved three thousand yuan.

Plus, the thousand yuan he earned from delivering food was hard-earned. The effort he put in was less valuable than this one bowl.

"Is that a lot?"

Uncle Fang gave Jin Muchen a look of surprise.

"Yongzheng period pink enamel porcelain is mostly small, delicate items like plates, bowls, cups, and boxes. Your piece is a practical item. If it were a decorative item, the price would be at least double. And the bowl is too small. If it were a pink enamel globe vase or a large plate over fifty centimeters in diameter, the price would skyrocket. A few years ago, a Yongzheng period pink enamel globe vase was auctioned in China for over eleven million yuan. Do you know how much that was?"

Seeing Jin Muchen's interest in antique collecting, Uncle Fang couldn't resist fueling his enthusiasm.

"How much?"

Jin Muchen knew that the domestic collection market had been booming in recent years, but he hadn't paid much attention to the news. Now, with Uncle Fang's expertise, he was genuinely curious.

"It was auctioned for over eleven million yuan!"

"Wow, that's a lot!"

Jin Muchen was so excited that he almost wanted to rush back to the old man's house to see if there were any other dog-washing basins or large water jugs.

"You were lucky this time. The person who gave you the bowl probably didn't know its value, otherwise, you wouldn't have found such a bargain. If you're really interested in this path, you should learn from Uncle Fang. It would be a way to carry on your grandfather's legacy."

Uncle Fang continued to persuade Jin Muchen, hoping he would learn the art of Chinese antique appraisal.

This time, Jin Muchen didn't immediately reject Uncle Fang's suggestion as he had before. Instead, he nodded and said, "Uncle Fang, give me some time to think about it."

"Alright, take your time. No rush."

Uncle Fang was pleased that Jin Muchen didn't outright refuse as he had in the past.

"By the way, do you want to sell this bowl?"

"Of course, I'm short on money right now."

"Good, come back to the shop with me. A customer will be here soon."

Uncle Fang smiled and said to Jin Muchen, who was curious about why buying antiques required an appointment.

Uncle Fang explained, "In recent years, more wealthy people in China have been traveling abroad. Many of them are knowledgeable collectors. China has a history of over a hundred years of humiliation, during which many treasures were lost overseas, especially in the United States. Now, these collectors are savvy. The prices of domestic antiques are too high, so they prefer to come to the United States to hunt for antiques. Even if they can't find them, they often委托像我这样的古董商人帮他们寻找，然后定期来我这里收货。今天下午，就有一批国内的客人要过来，正好可以帮你把这只碗推销出去。”

听了方伯的解释，金沐晨明白了，当即也不拒绝，直接和方伯一起回到了方伯的店里。

方伯的古董店位于联合大街的中间，位置不错，一层的店面有一百多平方米，前面都是展品区，外面开放式摆放的大多是从国内进来的高仿瓷器，还有一些不值钱的破烂。

真正的好东西，其中一部分不太值钱的放在店面靠后面的玻璃柜里展示，而这部分和前面是用防弹玻璃隔开的，平时方伯就在防弹隔间的后面工作。

美国的治安状况不算很好，很多人都有枪，而且这里还是皇后区，虽然是治安状况相对较好的法拉盛，但还是不能不小心。

金沐晨跟着方伯回到店里，帮忙打扫了一下卫生，然后和方伯坐在后面喝茶聊天。大概过了一个多小时，外面的门铃响了，从后面走出来一看，店里已经多了几个黄皮肤的中年人，操着一口地道的普通话，正在对这家小店品头论足。

方伯笑呵呵地走出去，和几个人打了招呼，显然他和这几个人中的领头人很熟悉。

领头的是一个五十多岁的中年人，身材中等，保养得很好，后面还跟着三个，其中两个是四十多岁的中年人，体态偏胖，一看就是国内的新富豪，学人家玩收藏，看起来也是刚入这个圈子的样子。

不过金沐晨能够看出，这几个人中真正的核心应该是他们圈子中间的那个人，那人三十岁左右，身材瘦高，脸色有些苍白，一看就是平时养尊处优惯了的那种人，身上自然带着一股说不出的威势。

其他几个大老板把他围在中间，说话间也都是小心翼翼的，有点众星拱月的架势。

“来来来，方伯我给你介绍一下，这位是我国内的一个好朋友，王学明王总。王总是国内一家大公司的主要领导，而且他也非常喜欢收藏，听说你这里有很多好东西，这次是千里迢迢非得跟着我一起过来看看。王总，这位呢就是我之前给您说起过的那个方老板……”

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They often entrust antique dealers like me to help them find items, and then they come to my shop regularly to collect them. This afternoon, a group of domestic guests is coming, and they can help you sell this bowl."

Understanding Uncle Fang's explanation, Jin Muchen didn't refuse and went back to the shop with him.

Uncle Fang's antique shop was located in the middle of Union Street, a prime location. The first floor of the shop was over a hundred square meters, with the front area dedicated to displays. Most of the items openly displayed were high-quality imitations from China and some worthless junk.

The truly valuable items, including those that were less expensive, were displayed in glass cabinets at the back of the shop, separated from the front by bulletproof glass. Uncle Fang usually worked behind this bulletproof glass.

The security situation in the United States wasn't great, and many people had guns. This was especially true in Queens, even though Flushing had a relatively better security situation, caution was still necessary.

Jin Muchen followed Uncle Fang back to the shop, helped clean up, and then sat with him in the back, drinking tea and chatting. After about an hour, the doorbell rang. When they went to the front, they saw that several middle-aged men with yellow skin and fluent Mandarin were already in the shop, evaluating the items.

Uncle Fang walked out with a smile and greeted the group. It was clear that he was familiar with the leader of the group.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his fifties, of medium build, and well-maintained. He was followed by three others, two of whom were in their forties, slightly overweight, and had the air of newly rich domestic tycoons who were just getting into the world of collecting.

However, Jin Muchen could tell that the true core of the group was the man in the middle, who was around thirty, tall and slender, with a pale complexion, indicating a life of luxury. He exuded a natural aura of authority.

The other tycoons surrounded him, speaking to him with great care, creating a star-like formation around him.

"Come, come, let me introduce you. This is my good friend from China, Mr. Wang Xueming, the head of a major company. He is also a passionate collector and heard that you have many valuable items. He insisted on coming all the way here to take a look. Mr. Wang, this is the Mr. Fang I mentioned to you before..."