"Young friend, are you also interested in antiques?" the elderly man asked Jake.
"A bit," Jake replied. He felt somewhat grateful to the elderly man for helping him out.
"In the world of antiques, it's all about experience and discernment. I've been immersed in this field for many years, so I have some experience. It's rare for me to make a mistake. If you have time, we can exchange thoughts," the elderly man said to Jake.
The elderly man was quite confident, but I wonder, what did you do for the ceramic plate that's obviously a replica? Jake thought sarcastically.
"Sure, if I have the chance, I'd love to learn from you," Jake said.
"Learn from? Let's just discuss and learn from each other," the elderly man chuckled. Judging by his confident expression, he was certainly confident in his appraisal skills.
"I say, old sir, you've been looking at this ceramic plate for quite a while. Are you buying it or not? Give me an answer," the shopkeeper said impatiently, sounding a bit displeased.
"What's the rush?" The elderly man seemed somewhat annoyed at being hurried by the shopkeeper, "I'm buying an antique here, not a cabbage. Shouldn't I take a good look? Are you so eager for me to buy because you have something up your sleeve? Afraid I'll scrutinize it too carefully and find some problem?"
"All the items on my stall are genuine. What do I have up my sleeve?" The shopkeeper retorted, "You don't have to buy it, but you can't accuse me of anything."
At this moment, a middle-aged man crouched down beside the elderly man. Seeing the ceramic plate in the elderly man's hands, his eyes lit up. "Shopkeeper, can I take a look at this?"
"Of course," the shopkeeper said. Then, he turned to the elderly man and said, "If you're not buying, put it down. We have a customer interested."
The elderly man suddenly became anxious and said, "Who said I'm not buying it? Buying something still follows a first-come, first-served principle, doesn't it? I was the first one to look at this plate. I never said I wasn't buying. How can you sell it to someone else?"
"Well, are you buying it or not? I think this plate is nice. If you're not buying, I'll buy it," the newcomer said, his eyes occasionally glancing at the ceramic plate as if he was truly interested.
"That's right. You've been looking at it for quite a while. Are you buying it or not? Give me an answer. If you're not buying, say so now. Don't delay my business," the shopkeeper chimed in.
With both of them urging him, the elderly man seemed a bit flustered. He was afraid the shopkeeper would sell the plate to someone else. He quickly said, "Eight hundred thousand, alright? I'm buying!"
Hearing the elderly man's words, the shopkeeper's face lit up. He immediately said, "Great!" Even the middle-aged man next to the elderly man showed a trace of excitement.
"Wait a minute!" Just then, Jake, who had been observing from the sidelines, suddenly spoke up.
"What's the matter? Are you also interested in this plate? This old sir bid eight hundred thousand. As long as you bid higher than him, the plate is yours," the shopkeeper thought that Jake was interested in the plate too and promptly sold it to the elderly man. To him, it didn't matter who bought it; as long as the price was high, he was fine with it.
"How can you do that? Didn't we agree that I was going to buy this plate?" The elderly man became anxious. He seemed to genuinely like the ceramic plate. He looked at Jake and said, "Young friend, I saw this plate first. You can't snatch it away."
"I'm not buying this plate," Jake shook his head.
The elderly man seemed to let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Jake's words. The shopkeeper, however, lost the pleased expression on his face and his demeanor turned stern. "If I knew you were a penniless beggar, you shouldn't have come here causing trouble. Get lost."
Jake paid no attention to the shopkeeper and instead looked at the elderly man, saying, "Old sir, not only am I not buying it, you shouldn't buy this thing either."
"Why?" the elderly man asked.
"Because it's fake," Jake said.
"Kid, I'm warning you, don't spout nonsense here. This is an authentic Qing Dynasty blue and white porcelain. Selling it for eight hundred thousand is already very cheap. If you don't understand, don't blabber here," the shopkeeper warned Jake.
"Yes, young friend, after my appraisal, this is indeed authentic. You've misjudged it," the elderly man seemed confident in his appraisal abilities.
"It's you who misjudged it," Jake said with a slight smile. "This isn't a Qing Dynasty blue and white porcelain at all. It was crafted just last month in a small workshop owned by Jiang Li. The master who made this ceramic plate is named Li Gufei. He's already produced more than a hundred high-quality replicas. Although they're fake, his craftsmanship is outstanding, often making them nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. Few people can tell the difference."
Jake paused for a moment and continued, "Unfortunately for you, I happen to be one of the few who can tell." Jake's tone was calm yet filled with confidence.
"You're talking nonsense!" The shopkeeper grew angry and even a bit flustered. Though he didn't know the name of the craftsman behind this ceramic plate, he was well aware that the plate in his hands had come from Zhejiang Li City. It had been crafted just last week, making it far from an antique from the Qing Dynasty.
However, very few people knew about this matter. Aside from himself, only a handful of individuals knew where he obtained the plate. How could Jake know? Did someone leak the information? Or had Jake seen similar plates before?
As for Jake's ability to authentically identify it, the shopkeeper didn't believe it. Items from that workshop were incredibly well-made, and even renowned antique appraisers couldn't distinguish them. Could this young man really see through it? Was he more skilled than those experts? The shopkeeper didn't buy into this idea.
"Is it really fake?" The elderly man hesitated after hearing Jake's detailed explanation.
"Don't listen to his nonsense. Mine is definitely authentic," the shopkeeper said urgently, noticing the elderly man's doubts. He signaled to the middle-aged man standing beside the elderly man.
The middle-aged man understood and said, "What can a young kid possibly understand? If you don't want it, I'll buy it. Eight hundred thousand, right? I'll pay."
Saying so, the middle-aged man gestured as if he was about to pay. The elderly man, who had already been doubting the authenticity, hesitated even further.
Jake sighed inwardly. If it wasn't for the fact that this elderly man had stood up for him earlier and he didn't like the shopkeeper's attitude, he might have left this situation alone.
However, in the end, Jake didn't leave. The shopkeeper's previous attitude had rubbed him the wrong way.