Seeing her second uncle leave, Jin Mutong felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest and let out a long sigh of relief. She sat down in the chair, her gaze falling on the painting on the coffee table.
She picked up the painting and smiled bitterly, saying, "I've refused my second uncle, so now there's really no other way."
As her emotions grew complicated, that gentle voice came again, "Hehe, don't worry."
Though it was a simple sentence, it seemed to have a special kind of magic, calming the restlessness in Jin Mutong's heart.
Moreover, the painting seemed to understand her thoughts and proactively said, "Theoretically, as long as the antique shop has decent collections, it can continue operating. However, at the moment..."
It didn't finish the sentence, but Jin Mutong had already caught its meaning. She smiled awkwardly and said, "Some of the stock was left by my dad, and some were bought by me. We don't understand this business, so of course, we were cheated."
After speaking, her gaze swept across the room toward a row of counterfeit goods, and a trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes.
The painting comforted her, "No need to blame yourself. On the top right corner of the bookshelf, there are two books: one called The Complete Appreciation Guide to Antiques of All Dynasties, and the other, Basics of Antique Restoration. These books cover the most fundamental knowledge for running an antique shop. If you're willing, you can read them; they'll help you."
Upon hearing this, Jin Mutong walked to the bookshelf and took down the two books.
Both books were compiled during the Republican era, and no one knew how long they had been sitting on the shelf. By now, they were old and worm-eaten, though the contents were still fairly intact. While turning the pages was a bit tricky, it wasn't too much of a problem if she was careful.
"What should I do after reading the books?" Jin Mutong asked instinctively.
"After reading, you can go to the antique market to identify antiques."
Upon hearing this, Jin Mutong was a bit excited. "Will you help me identify antiques then?"
The painting didn't immediately reply, only a soft laugh came.
Jin Mutong blushed slightly. It wasn't that she was lazy and wanted to rely on others, but identifying antiques wasn't something one could master by solving a few problems or reading a few books.
If books alone were enough, there wouldn't be so many people getting scammed when buying antiques.
Sensing her concerns, the painting gently said, "Don't worry, I will help you. But as the successor of 'Pinguzhai,' you should understand some things. Just in case I..."
"What will happen to you?" Jin Mutong asked instinctively.
"Hehe, nothing," the painting chuckled softly and continued, "In any case, even with my help, if you completely lack understanding, it will still be hard to grow this shop. But right now, the basic knowledge you need is all in those books. Once theory is combined with practice, your ability will improve quickly."
Jin Mutong felt that what the painting said made sense. Not wanting to seem lazy, she immediately responded, "Okay!"
She opened the book in her hand. The unfamiliar and difficult words naturally made her feel a bit anxious, but when she glanced at the painting, her heart calmed down immediately.
Besides, since she had already turned down her second uncle, she genuinely wanted to give Pinguzhai another try. For now, the only thing she could do was listen to the painting's advice and obediently read the books.
Both books were quite thick, filled with both illustrations and text. The knowledge was easy to understand and very approachable. It was hard to believe that nearly a century ago, such excellent books on antiques had been written.
Initially, Jin Mutong forced herself to read as if completing a task, but soon she became absorbed, taking notes as she read. She wanted to spend her entire day glued to these books.
During these few days, the painting hadn't taken the initiative to say anything. It seemed like it didn't want to disturb her.
Only when she encountered some obscure or difficult-to-understand text would she actively ask questions, and the painting would patiently and meticulously explain.
Time quickly passed, and it was the weekend. That day, Jin Mutong closed the shop early and went for a stroll in the street.
Every weekend, Haixi Road would come alive with excitement. This street was home to an antique market that attracted many out-of-towners to browse.
Although the market was a mix of genuine and fake items, sometimes, with good luck, one could stumble upon some valuable pieces.
Unfortunately, such luck never belonged to Jin Mutong. Previously, due to her lack of basic antique identification skills, even when she knew a little, it was easy for vendors to deceive her. Many of the imitation antiques in her shop were things she had bought from the market.
Today, she wandered through the market. Even though she had read books for a few days, she knew her skills were limited. With little money in her pocket, she spent half an hour walking around without stopping at any stalls.
The familiar gentle voice spoke softly in her ear, "Why don't you go closer to a stall and take a look?"
Jin Mutong shook her head immediately, "I haven't finished the books yet. If I go over, I won't be able to tell what's real or fake, and even if it's real, I might not be able to afford it."
The painting's voice seemed to carry a hint of amusement, "Don't worry, I'm here."
With that assurance, Jin Mutong felt more confident. She saw a man at a nearby stall holding a blue-and-white porcelain bowl, examining it, and she went over as well.
The man was a balding middle-aged man who seemed quite captivated by the porcelain bowl in his hand.
Jin Mutong was drawn to the bowl because it wasn't the usual shape of a porcelain bowl. It was a stemmed porcelain bowl.
She had read about this in one of the books. Just yesterday, she had come across this type of bowl. Stemmed porcelain bowls were usually used for offering sacrificial items or as wine vessels.
The book hadn't specified exactly what they were used for, but it seemed to have a Ming dynasty style. She just wasn't sure if it was authentic.
At that moment, the stall owner, noticing the man's reluctance to put the bowl down and seeing a small crowd gathering, beamed with pride. "Take a good look. I got this from Luoyang, Henan. You know how many treasures come from that place.
"I've been selling here on Haixi Road for over ten years. It's rare to come across something like this. Even though it has the flavor of Yuan dynasty porcelain, let me be honest with you, I don't have any Yuan blue-and-white.
"This piece is from the Hongwu period of the Ming dynasty. If you don't recognize it, you'd better put it down before I waste more breath."
The middle-aged bald man was reluctant to let go. Hearing the vendor's words, he clutched the high-footed bowl even tighter in his hand. He took out a portable magnifying glass from his pocket and said, "I need to take a closer look to see if this is real."
Jin Mutong, standing nearby, couldn't help but smile. Although she wasn't an expert, she knew enough not to use a magnifying glass to inspect antiques. In the antique business, those who are knowledgeable can tell the quality by handling the item, while those who aren't, won't benefit from using a magnifying glass.
After a long inspection, the bald man finally asked, "How much are you selling this bowl for?"
The vendor glanced at him and replied, "I'm afraid you can't afford it."
The bald man's face turned red in embarrassment. Determined, he said, "No matter how expensive, it still has a price. Tell me."
The vendor extended his right hand, fingers closed together: "This much. Any less and there's no deal."
The bald man was shocked, "F… fifty thousand?"
The vendor spat, "A government kiln piece from the Hongwu era of the Ming dynasty, and you're offering fifty thousand? Are you joking? Five hundred thousand!"
No matter how much the bald man coveted the bowl, he could only set it down. "That's way too expensive, and besides, we're not even sure if it's real."
The vendor waved him off, not wanting to waste time with a novice any longer.
Jin Mutong raised her eyebrows at the scene. She had initially just been watching for fun, but hearing the vendor quote five hundred thousand, she was shocked. In this street market, people casually quoting such high prices—her shop didn't even have anything that expensive. No wonder her business wasn't doing well.
As she pondered this, she suddenly heard a child's crisp voice mocking from somewhere.
Jin Mutong looked around, but there were no children nearby. She hesitated and asked softly, "Is that you speaking, painting?"
The voice of the painting was gentle and magnetic: "No, but take a look at the far corner of the stall."
Following the voice, Jin Mutong saw a small ceramic figurine placed at the edge of the dirty cloth spread out by the vendor. To her surprise, she could see the little figure standing with one hand on its hip and the other picking its nose. The figurine looked so arrogant—it was almost asking for a beating.
"Sigh, the world has lost its way. People are holding onto a piece of garbage like it's a treasure, while ignoring my dashing and graceful figure. Foolish, pitiful humans," the little figure said, shaking its head in a mock-serious manner.
Jin Mutong's worldview was momentarily shattered. So... not only could she hear antiques speak, but she could also see their actions?
As her attention was drawn to the figurine, the bald man continued to haggle, nervously wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Okay, how about this: you lower the price a bit, and I'll offer eighty thousand."
The vendor shook his head like a rattle drum. "No, I can't sell it for that. I'd be losing money. This piece is authentic. I'm not trying to get rich off of it, but you can't expect me to take a loss. If you don't know the market, go ask around."
The ceramic figurine's expression grew even more disdainful. "This old guy must be dreaming of striking it rich! Asking for such a price on this worthless item—tsk tsk, no taste, no shame, no limits!"
The bald man asked again, "Then how much?"
The vendor replied, "Let's compromise. Twenty thousand, not a penny less. I'm not in a rush to sell it; if you don't believe me, just step aside and soon someone else will inquire about this piece."
The bald man thought it over, gritted his teeth, and finally agreed, "Fine! Twenty thousand it is! But I didn't bring that much cash. Wait here for me, I'll go get the money right now! Don't sell it before I return!"
With that, he got up and ran off.
The vendor hastily shouted after him, "Hey, this isn't how it's done! At least leave a deposit!"
But the man seemed in too much of a hurry, fearing that if he delayed even a second, the vendor would sell the bowl to someone else. He sprinted away, and in no time, he was gone. The vendor had no choice but to let it go.
By now, a crowd had gathered around the vendor's stall, all evaluating the bowl priced at twenty thousand.
In the antique trade, there's an unspoken rule: when someone is negotiating with a vendor, no one else can interfere. Once they walk away without paying, anyone can step in and buy the item.
Several people were interested in the bowl, but the high price, combined with the fact that a buyer had already made an offer, deterred them from making a higher bid. So, they were content just to watch.
Jin Mutong, however, was more interested in the small ceramic figurine.
As soon as the bald man left, the figurine stood with its hands on its hips and sneered, "Oh ho ho! Another one off to get money, only to disappear! You two should team up for a comedy show. But then again, with this same old routine, even if you did stand-up, you wouldn't make a dime."
Jin Mutong paused. So that's how it was.
It turned out the bald man was working with the vendor. They were performing a little act to scam people on this street.
She had fallen for such tricks before. When she first started browsing street markets, she'd been cautious, but once she saw something she liked, it was easy to get carried away.
Today, if it hadn't been for the ceramic figurine exposing them, she might have been fooled again.
She glanced at the little figurine once more. There were many similar figurines placed in the corner of the stall, all looking quite old. It was hard to tell whether they were authentically ancient or just artificially aged. However, this one that could talk was probably genuine. Its condition, though, was quite poor—dirty, and its clothing details had been worn down to almost nothing.
As the crowd slowly dispersed, Jin Mutong turned her attention back to the vendor's stall and reached out to pick up the bowl that the bald man had been so interested in.
The vendor glanced at her and said, "Little miss, I've seen you standing here for quite a while. You know how much this thing is worth. It's not something you can afford. If you really want it, go home and ask your parents to buy it for you."
Jin Mutong chuckled internally. Such provocations didn't work on her anymore. She looked at the vendor and said, "Boss, there's something wrong with this piece, isn't there?"