Yang Bo was overjoyed at first, but then he became a little suspicious because he knew that he might not be able to get the painting at all. Guo Baba stared at the painting for a long time and finally looked up at the middle - aged man, saying, "Sorry, I don't understand this painting. You'd better go to another shop to have it appraised." The middle - aged man was shocked and said, "How could this be? Boss, please take another look. This is an ancestral heirloom of my family!" Guo Baba waved his hand and said, "It's lunchtime now. Hurry up, or other shop owners may go out for lunch, and you'll waste more time." The middle - aged man sighed, put away the painting, and left.
Yang Bo was about to ask him to stay when he heard Guo Baba sigh and say, "These people always make up stories. In this business, you can't believe those stories like a son having leukemia or a father having a heart disease. They're all fake! Did you notice that although his clothes were torn and dirty, the skin on his neck and arms was fair? He must be a person who is used to living a comfortable life without doing any labor. His dirty clothes must be prepared props. How unprofessional!" Yang Bo asked in surprise, "So, did you judge that his painting was fake for this reason?" "Yes," Guo Baba replied, "I didn't see any problem with the painting in his hand just now. Does he think it's easy to find paintings by Kun Can? He is one of the Four Eminent Monks of the early Qing Dynasty. A single painting of his is worth hundreds of thousands of yuan. How could someone like him have such a painting?"
While complaining, Guo Baba took out a lunch box and exclaimed, "Yang Bo, you bought a ten - yuan lunch box today? Aren't you saving money anymore?" At this moment, Yang Bo was not in the mood to think about this. He turned and ran out, saying, "Boss, you eat first. I have something to do and may come back late." Guo Baba shouted, "Where are you going? Don't forget to come back to work this afternoon. I have things to do." "Okay, I'll be back soon," Yang Bo replied.
Yang Bo stood at the door and looked around. He didn't know which direction the man had gone, but he thought the man would probably go to other antique shops. The nearest antique shop was Bogutang. When Yang Bo arrived, he saw from a distance that the man was talking to Jia Huairen. Yang Bo hesitated and didn't go in. He originally wanted to buy the painting before others did, but it would be inappropriate to enter the shop. So he had to wait patiently outside.
Before long, the middle - aged man walked out disappointedly. When he came out, he spat behind him and cursed, "A bunch of idiots! How could my stuff be bad? When I get rich, they'll all come begging me to buy their junk!" The middle - aged man walked forward with his head down. Suddenly, he saw Yang Bo standing in front of him. He felt Yang Bo looked familiar and then remembered that Yang Bo was the clerk from the previous shop. Remembering what he had just cursed, he felt a little embarrassed.
Yang Bo pretended not to hear and walked over, asking, "Did you sell your painting?" "No," the middle - aged man replied. After a moment of stupefaction, he became hopeful again. Since Yang Bo had come after him, it was very likely that the previous shop regretted it and wanted to buy his painting. This made him a little proud.
Yang Bo could guess what the man was thinking. He smiled and said, "Can you show me the painting first?" "It's the same if you look at it in your shop," the man said. "No, you misunderstand me. I want to buy this painting with my own money, not with the shop's money. Do you understand?" Yang Bo said.
The middle - aged man was stunned for a moment and then smiled, "This is interesting. You're just a clerk. Can you afford hundreds of thousands of yuan?" Yang Bo shook his head and said, "We need to discuss how much your painting is worth. We can talk about the price after discussion."
The middle - aged man had been rejected by many shops before, and now he was quite happy to meet Yang Bo, who seemed willing to buy. Even though Yang Bo didn't say how much money he could offer, the man thought Yang Bo should have some money. So he said, "Okay, let's find a teahouse and have a good talk."
Yang Bo didn't want to go to a nearby teahouse for fear of meeting acquaintances. He shook his head and said, "There's no need for a teahouse. Just show me the painting first. Then we can discuss the price. I believe we are both straightforward people."
The middle - aged man didn't say anything more. He took out the painting and handed it to Yang Bo. Yang Bo took a look and saw that the aura around the painting quickly formed, indicating that it was genuine. He put the painting away and said, "Let's be frank. I have been in this circle since I was a child because of my family. I can see many things at a glance. You don't need to tell those made - up stories. This painting is not as valuable as you think. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been rejected by so many shops." Yang Bo spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully, "You name a price, and we can negotiate."
The middle - aged man hesitated. Being rejected again and again had indeed made him less confident. However, he couldn't fully trust Yang Bo either. After all, Yang Bo was just a young man. His expected price had already been lowered, but now that he had calmed down a little, he knew he couldn't give up easily because opportunities were rare. So he said, "You make an offer."
Yang Bo smiled and said, "Five hundred yuan."
The middle - aged man put the painting back into the long red box and said, "Good - bye."
Yang Bo wasn't in a hurry and just looked at him with a smile.
The middle - aged man walked a few steps forward, then turned back and said, "Five hundred yuan is not even enough to cover my cost. At least two hundred thousand!"
Yang Bo didn't want to give up this opportunity, but he couldn't accept the sky - high price of two hundred thousand yuan. So he raised the price a little, "One thousand yuan."
The middle - aged man threatened, "Little brother, since you came after me, you must think the painting is good. If you still offer this price, I'm really leaving this time."
Yang Bo was a little suspicious and said, "I can give you a reasonable price, but don't ask for an exorbitant price. We both need to show some sincerity so that we can make a deal."
"Okay, I want fifty thousand yuan! Not a penny less!" the middle - aged man said.
Yang Bo was suddenly shocked. He only had fifty thousand yuan left in his card and hadn't touched it. Could the man know how much money he had? "No, only thirty thousand," Yang Bo said.
"Fifty thousand, not a penny less! Don't forget that I can also go to your boss to make the deal!" the middle - aged man threatened.
Yang Bo couldn't help frowning. They had been standing outside Bogutang talking. At this moment, Li Ling suddenly came out. Seeing the two of them, he suddenly asked, "Yang Bo, why are you here?"
Yang Bo looked up and said, "It's okay. I'll come to see you later."
Yang Bo didn't want the matter to be exposed, so he whispered, "Okay, fifty thousand is fifty thousand! Follow me, and we'll go to the bank to transfer the money."
"Li Ling, I'm leaving first. I'll come back later," Yang Bo said loudly. Then he turned and left, feeling a little regretful in his heart. He should have chosen another place. If they went to a teahouse, a pot of tea would cost dozens of yuan, and he didn't want to spend that much.