Gu Ming held back a scream, doing her best to stay calm as she pulled the object closer to herself, sitting down on it. Her left hand remained firmly pressed against it, feeling the pleasant warmth radiating from the item. A curious buzzing sound filled her mind, leaving her momentarily confused about its meaning.
Finally, she had found a genuine antique after all this time!
The sky was still dark, and Gu Ming didn't dare use her flashlight to inspect the heated object too closely. Although she couldn't tell exactly what it was, the warmth confirmed that it was something valuable. Her earlier tension began to dissipate. She didn't know how much it would fetch, but based on the heat in her hand, it was definitely not cheap.
There was hope for her grandfather's medical fees now!
She lingered for a moment, enjoying the feel of the object under her, before pulling her left hand back quickly to avoid drawing attention. She pretended to focus on other things in the sack, appearing absorbed in her search.
Wang Geda seemed to recognize Zhou Tao's face, so he didn't try to cheat Gu Ming this time. The items in the sack looked relatively decent.
Maybe the luck she'd had with the first item carried over, because soon after, she found another piece that caught her attention. It was a cylindrical object, about 20 cm tall and 7 or 8 cm in diameter. Her left hand brushed against it, and she felt a slightly less intense but still distinct warmth, accompanied by the faint sound of water droplets—clear and pleasant to the ear. It only added to her growing amazement.
She shined her flashlight on the piece, noting that it appeared to be made of ceramic, with some old-looking glaze and traces of dirt, which might have been there originally or possibly added on purpose.
Gu Ming didn't show much reaction. She gently placed the object back in front of her and continued searching through the sack. Soon, she had set aside several items. After checking everything, she stopped, picking out two more pieces that seemed convincingly made, and placed them beside the pen holder. None of them were particularly large.
The first item, the one that had caused her hand to heat up, remained under her seat, carefully hidden.
"You finished already?" Zhou Tao had also been going through the items at his stall, with a similar pile of objects laid around him.
"Yeah, I'm just thinking of whether I should check other stalls," Gu Ming replied.
Zhou Tao shook his head slightly. It was normal for a first-timer like Gu Ming to be in a hurry. He recalled how, when he first visited, he wished he could do everything at once, afraid of missing out on anything valuable.
Wang Geda overheard their conversation and chuckled.
"How much for all these items, boss?" Gu Ming asked casually, not worried about what others might think.
Wang Geda glanced over the three items she had selected, scrutinizing her expression. He couldn't figure out much, so he turned his attention to the matter at hand.
He shifted his eyes, clicking his tongue, and said, "Well, since Zhou Tao brought you here, I'll be reasonable. These things have some history behind them. I won't charge you too much. How about 20,000 for all three?"
"20,000?" Gu Ming shook her head.
She knew these things were often priced high, and although she knew the two items she had found were worth more than the asking price, she wasn't about to let herself be taken for a fool.
"2,000," she said, holding up two fingers.
"What?" Wang Geda exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You're cutting me down by 90%! What do you take me for?"
"This is fair enough. After all, no one can guarantee that these items are real," Gu Ming said with a smile.
"But no one can say for sure they're not real either!" Wang Geda countered, his voice rising as he protested.
This was the beauty of street markets, where haggling was the norm and no one was afraid of offending anyone. It was common for buyers and sellers to go back and forth over prices.
Gu Ming wasn't too worried about the price; she wasn't trying to settle on a final amount immediately. She continued the back-and-forth with Wang Geda, channeling the energy she'd once used with Bai Fangfang when they'd bargained in night markets.
The two of them went back and forth for a while, with prices bouncing up and down without settling.
Finally, Wang Geda seemed to lose his patience. With a dismissive wave, he said, "Alright, fine. 5,000 flat. Take it or leave it!"
Zhou Tao, who had been quietly observing, seemed to want to say something but held back. Wang Geda, however, stared at him, giving him a silent warning.
5,000 wasn't too high for a good piece of antique, but in a place like Panjiayuan, where the value of things could drop by hundreds or even thousands, it was a considerable amount.
If the items were real, that would be a fair price, but if they were fakes, the loss would fall on her.
Gu Ming saw Zhou Tao's subtle shift and understood that Wang Geda was trying to take advantage of her. Still, she was willing to go along with it for the items she had picked out.
"5,000 is too much. I only have this much money. I was planning to check other stalls as well. How about you lower the price a bit?" Gu Ming said with a conflicted expression.
"Not happening," Wang Geda snapped, starting to gather the items back into the sack.
"Alright, alright. 5,000 it is, but you've got to throw something extra in," Gu Ming said, after a brief pause.
"Already this cheap, and you want a bonus? What is this, a grocery market where you buy vegetables and grab a bunch of cilantro for free?" Wang Geda said disdainfully.
"I only have 5,000. That's all I've got. I can't check out other stalls if I spend it all. If you throw something extra in, it'll be fine," Gu Ming pressed.
"Fine, what do you want for a bonus? I can't afford to lose money on this," Wang Geda said after thinking for a moment.
Gu Ming surveyed the area again, pretending to deliberate.
"Well, I can't pick anything else, so here's the deal," she said, standing up suddenly. She pointed to the object she'd been sitting on earlier. "I'll take this as the bonus. It'll work as a stool too."
Wang Geda glanced at the object, realizing it was something he'd picked up from another stall a few days ago. He had been using it as a stool. Gu Ming had casually grabbed it when sitting down, but it wasn't worth much. Still, he figured it would be better to offer it as a gift than to refuse.
"Alright, alright, since we're making a deal on our first meeting, consider it a gift," Wang Geda agreed, handing it over.
Gu Ming was thrilled. She quickly paid the 5,000, packed up the four items, and stuffed them into the bag Wang Geda had kindly provided.