Watching the Hong Konger's eyes gleaming with excitement, and then glancing at Lot 38, Jin Muchen felt elated. It turned out this person, who knew nothing about antiques, was just a nouveau riche trying to imitate others in collecting antiques.
During his earlier perusal, he had also paid attention to the export porcelain. Undeniably, these porcelains were quite exquisite in terms of style and the colorful patterns adorning them. Some could even be considered masterpieces among export porcelain.
Moreover, almost all the export porcelain items exhibited a shimmering brilliance, indicating their antiquity.
However, there were a few pieces of porcelain that lacked this luster, signifying what? It suggested that these porcelain items were not antiques; they might even be modern replicas or handicrafts.
Now, the famille-rose porcelain plate being auctioned was precisely one of them. According to Jin Muchen's estimation, this piece should be a recent export handicraft from the past few years. Despite being exquisitely crafted with a beautiful painting style, it was not an antique but a handicraft. Hence, its price should be merely a few dozen dollars, at most a hundred.
Glancing at the expression of the Hong Konger beside him, whose eyes seemed ready to pop out, Jin Muchen felt he should provoke him a bit.
"Humph! Daring to speak ill of others, yet unable to secure a single bid for yourself. Some people might have a few coins, but unfortunately, they are all spent on themselves, afraid that others won't notice. In essence, you are just a poor fellow who likes to pretend to be nouveau riche."
Though his voice was low, it ensured that the Hong Konger nearby could hear it. After speaking, Jin Muchen deliberately turned his head away, wearing an expression of disdain.
The Hong Konger, upon hearing these words, turned red in the face and glared fiercely at Jin Muchen, who, at this moment, wore a contemptuous smile.
"Why are you staring like that? If you dare, why not bid for that porcelain plate in front?"
"Shabby boy? Let me enlighten you!"
The Hong Konger almost gritted his teeth as he addressed Jin Muchen, while Jin Muchen responded with a disdainful smile. This action made the Hong Konger feel almost bursting with rage!
With a cold snort, he turned his head back to focus on the porcelain plate on the stage, as if determined to win it.
Candice, puzzled by the situation, glanced at Jin Muchen, who then grinned at her. "Watch and enjoy the show!"
Although Candice didn't understand the conversation between Jin Muchen and the Hong Konger, she could tell from the latter's attitude towards Jin Muchen that he was not a good person.
Considering the unpleasant exchange they just witnessed and recalling the lecherous gaze the Hong Konger cast upon her earlier, Candice's aversion towards him intensified. Then, she noticed the key to a Mercedes-Benz deliberately displayed in his pocket, and her eyes lit up.
"Darling, I'll go to the restroom!"
"Oh, sure, go ahead. I'll wait here for you."
Jin Muchen was brimming with frustration, eager to confront the Hong Konger.
"The next item up for auction is Lot 38, a famille-rose large porcelain plate, with a diameter of thirty-five centimeters. It features a magnificent appearance, complete integrity, and vibrant colored patterns depicting a scene of farmers harvesting fruits, belonging to the favorite type of ornamental ware in noble households in the 18th century..."
Josh Bentley, on stage, eloquently introduced the porcelain plate, seemingly unaware of its true nature, while the antique dealers below remained silent.
"Alright, bidding for this item starts at five hundred dollars, with increments of one hundred dollars each. No maximum limit. Let the bidding begin!"
Josh announced the start of the bidding, but to everyone's surprise, there was a momentary silence in the auction room. Many antique dealers refrained from raising their hands, evidently sensing something amiss with this particular item.
At this moment, Jin Muchen suddenly raised his hand, catching Josh's eye.
"Six hundred dollars. Very well, the gentleman bids six hundred dollars! Any higher bids?"
Jin Muchen's action startled the Hong Konger beside him, who turned to look at him. Jin Muchen, in turn, cast a disdainful smile in return.
"What are you looking at? Dressed like a nouveau riche, but all talk and no action. What's the point of pretending? Do you know how many bowls of noodles you've sold in Chinatown to afford this outfit? Uncle, if you're short on cash, don't imitate others in buying antiques. You'd better go back and sell your noodles!"
The Hong Konger's originally slender neck suddenly thickened, his once yellowish face now flushed red, and he fiercely raised his right hand.
Seeing the Hong Konger's reaction, Jin Muchen smirked inwardly. However, he maintained a composed expression and raised his right hand again...
Two Asians fiercely competed for an item clearly flawed, which amused the antique dealers present, but also led some less discerning ones to wonder if the porcelain plate was indeed valuable.
When the bidding between the two exceeded one thousand dollars, some local antique dealers, initially hesitant but now reluctant to miss out, joined the fray. This triggered a herd effect, causing even some confident antique dealers to hesitate and eventually join the bidding.
The price of the porcelain plate immediately skyrocketed, quickly surpassing five thousand dollars.
By the time Candice returned, only a dozen minutes later, the price had soared to nine thousand dollars. This high price finally caused the local antique dealers to withdraw from the bidding.
Now, only Jin Muchen and the Hong Kong nouveau riche were locked in a contest.
"Nine thousand one hundred dollars?"
The Hong Konger shouted again, his face flushed with anger as he glared at Jin Muchen, as if he wanted to devour him whole. Meanwhile, Jin Muchen maintained his faint, disdainful smile, knowing that the angrier he appeared, the more infuriated the Hong Konger would become.
However, Jin Muchen also realized it was time to stop, as the Hong Konger's latest bid showed signs of hesitation.
"Nine thousand one hundred dollars. Any higher bids?"
Josh, on stage, eagerly looked at Jin Muchen, hoping for another bid to raise the price higher. However, this time, Jin Muchen chose not to respond.
"Nine thousand one hundred dollars, going once... nine thousand one hundred dollars, going twice. Alright, this famille-rose porcelain plate belongs to the gentleman, Mr. Johnny!"
Hearing his successful bid announced, the Hong Konger suddenly felt revitalized, standing tall and proud. Just as he was about to turn around to show off in front of Jin Muchen, he realized the latter had disappeared.
Damn, he won't let me show off? This victory isn't perfect!
However, the subsequent auction quickly made everyone forget about the recent altercation.
The final blue and white porcelain bowl was also sold, leaving some teeth-gnashing with regret while others celebrated their acquisitions.
Each antique dealer left with their spoils, bidding farewell to the host of the villa. However, to Jin Muchen, the biggest winner of this small auction today was undoubtedly the jubilant Josh Bentley.
Jin Muchen didn't calculate precisely, but he estimated that Josh had probably auctioned off at least a million dollars' worth of antiques. Even after deducting taxes and splitting with his siblings, he would still pocket a significant amount.
"Thank you for your participation, Mr. Jin. Especially for your bidding earlier. Although you didn't win the item you desired, I still want to express my gratitude."
Josh, in a good mood, happened to spot Jin Muchen and Candice at the back of the crowd, so he came over to greet them. After all, these two were friends from the neighboring Specter family and deserved no neglect.
Moreover, this young man had helped him greatly. With Jin Muchen's assistance, a counterfeit item that he had previously appraised was auctioned for a surprisingly high price, all thanks to Jin Muchen's stirring up of the waters.
As he spoke, he winked at Jin Muchen. Seeing this gesture, Jin Muchen knew that Mr. Josh was not entirely honest, but he appreciated the gesture nonetheless, acknowledging his goodwill.
"Oh, it's nothing, Mr. Bentley. Those items were all excellent, but as you may have noticed, we are just poor students with not much money. Originally, we thought this would be an ordinary garage sale, so we came to take a look. However, it turned out to be different. Still, it broadened our horizons and taught us many new things."
Jin Muchen smiled as he replied, and Josh immediately felt that this young man was very honest. He liked this humble and 'helpful' young man.
He walked over and patted Jin Muchen on the shoulder. "Don't worry, young man. As long as you work hard and study diligently, one day, you'll be able to afford such things. Let's go, I'll accompany you out!"
With that, he accompanied Jin Muchen and Candice out, chatting with them as they walked towards the exit. By this time, the sun had already set, and it was time to close the garage sale.
However, just as they reached the door, Mr. Bentley seemed to remember something.
"Oh, Mr. Jin, I have some things here that you might be interested in. These are all second-hand items that haven't been used in a long time, suitable for a regular garage sale. If you're interested, feel free to come and take a look. If you don't want them, I'll have to throw them away as trash, but there are still some things that might be useful."
Turning around to look at Bentley, Jin Muchen saw the sincerity in his eyes. There was no mocking or pity in his offer; it seemed that he genuinely had some second-hand goods he wanted to dispose of.