Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire
Chapter 292 - Chapter 292 Chapter 281 A Blind Cat Runs into a Dead Mouse

Chapter 292: Chapter 281: A Blind Cat Runs into a Dead Mouse Chapter 292: Chapter 281: A Blind Cat Runs into a Dead Mouse Master Sun’s previously collected good items had all been transported to Hong Kong, and the recent high-quality acquisitions had been taken in by Master Qian. The shop was only left with ordinary antiques. Of course, only the items behind the counter were authentic; the items displayed on the floor were either from the Republic era or simply artisanal pieces.

Lu Jiaxin glanced around and, seeing nothing she liked, took Gu Wenfeng and the others to browse the antique market. While strolling, they saw a vibrantly colored oil painting at one of the stalls.

The stall owner, seeing her interest, said with a smile, “Miss, this painting came from the West, and it’s only two hundred yuan.”

Lu Jiaxin smiled back and said, “Ten yuan.”

The stall owner didn’t shoo her away but made it clear that he couldn’t sell for that price, encouraging her to look at other items: “I’ve put a lot of effort into collecting these, they are all quality goods.”

Lu Jiaxin looked around and spotted an enamel peony flower-shaped snuff bottle. She picked it up for a closer look, finding the coloring to be exceptionally fine: “Boss, how much for this one?”

“This snuff bottle was used by Emperor Yongzheng, one thousand yuan, fixed price.”

This was an outrageous asking price; an uninformed buyer might get seriously overcharged. However, in the antique business, all sales are final. No matter how high the price, if you buy it, you can’t go back to the seller even if the item is appraised as a fake. Of course, private retaliation is another matter.

Lu Jiaxin spoke up, “I genuinely like this snuff bottle, give me a fair price.”

The stall owner insisted that his price was fair.

Lu Jiaxin replied with a smile, “Don’t tell me about any Emperor Yongzheng’s snuff bottle, if it really belonged to the emperor, even ten thousand wouldn’t be a problem. But an emperor’s snuff bottle for sale on your stall?”

“Fifty yuan, if you’re willing, I’ll buy it; if not, let’s forget it.”

Seeing her put down the snuff bottle, the stall owner said, “Five hundred, I’ll sell it to you for five hundred.”

Lu Jiaxin stood up, signaling to her bodyguard to leave, which made the stall owner hesitate, then say, “One hundred, I’ll sell it to you for one hundred. Miss, I spent eighty to acquire it, I have to make some profit, right?”

Lu Jiaxin really liked the snuff bottle and thought the craftsmanship was exquisite. Even if she knew it was fake, it was worth one hundred yuan.

After spending most of the day at the antique market, Lu Jiaxin bought a bunch of stuff. Upon returning to the shop, Master Qian, upon seeing her acquisitions, asked Shopkeeper Sun, “Which of our boss’s things are genuine?”

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “I don’t understand antiques, I just bought what I liked.”

Initially hoping to stumble upon a great deal, after being disappointed twice, she gave up. She’d rather spend the time earning money to buy genuine items.

Master Sun examined her purchases seriously and finally picked out the enamel peony-shaped snuff bottle. After scrutinizing it for a while, he said with a smile, “Boss, this snuff bottle is genuine.”

Lu Jiaxin was surprised, “The stall vendor said it belonged to Emperor Yongzheng, could that be true?”

Master Sun also used a magnifying glass to inspect it and afterwards said, “There’s an Internal Affairs Department mark, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it belonged to the emperor. It could have been bestowed to royal relatives or powerful officials.”

Lu Jiaxin did not understand, but she found the idea of finding a bargain quite intriguing.

Master Qian believed that Lu Jiaxin was very lucky with money. He inquired with curiosity, “So, how much could this snuff bottle be sold for?”

When he was young and saw people earning money from antiques, he too wanted to enter the trade and even thought about hiring an Old Court Attendant as an expert. However, the Old Court Attendant told him he wasn’t cut out for this line of work and refused to be employed by him, so he had no choice but to give up.

Master Sun replied, “In the Mainland, a snuff bottle like this is around five hundred; as for Hong Kong, I’m not sure.”

Lu Jiaxin also didn’t know the antique market prices in Hong Kong. She said, “I really like the pattern on this, so I won’t be selling it.”

Master Qian laughed and said, “It’s also because the young boss is wealthy and bold, otherwise this store would have closed down long ago.”

Speaking of this, Lu Jiaxin felt that Shopkeeper Sun was quite something. Even with all the good items reserved and not for sale, he still managed to break even last year. However, today was definitely a loss for him.

Master Qian said, “Boss, you made such a big profit today, could you treat me to a braised pig’s head?”

“Braised pig’s head?”

Master Qian explained that there was a place selling braised dishes on the next street over, where the braised meat was so fragrant it made people want to swallow their tongues: “The flavor is good, it’s just too expensive. Even pig’s head meat costs six yuan per half kilogram.”

Now meat is priced around one yuan twenty to thirty, so pig’s head is even cheaper. Braised pig’s head meat selling for six yuan per half kilogram is expensive, and other dishes are pricier. No matter the era, there is no shortage of wealthy people, so they aren’t worried about attracting customers even with high prices.

Lu Jiaxin generously gave fifty yuan for the meal and then left. She didn’t have any reservations, it was just that Old Man Sun and the child felt uncomfortable around here.

Over the next three days, Lu Jiaxin visited places like the city walls of Ancient Capital, taking a lot of photos everywhere she went. Even the small streets and alleys, she couldn’t stop snapping pictures when the mood struck her. Before, that used to be Gu Wenfeng’s job, but ever since knowing Zong Jinghua specially learned photography for his daughter, this honorable task fell to him.

On the fourth day, Gu Wenfeng said, “Jiaxin, the approval from the top came through, you can visit the terracotta warriors now.”

Lu Jiaxin was delighted and asked, “When can I go?”

In her previous life, she had seen the terracotta warriors, but now they weren’t open to the public, and casual visitors weren’t allowed in. She felt it was very meaningful, and mentioned it to Gu Wenfeng, not expecting it would actually be possible.

Gu Wenfeng reminded her, “Jiaxin, it’s okay for you to visit the terracotta warriors, but you cannot touch them or interfere with the staff.”

Lu Jiaxin asked, “Can I take photos?”

Gu Wenfeng specifically inquired about this and received a negative response: “The site is still in the excavation phase, and according to the rules, outsiders are not allowed to take photos.”

“Okay.”

The next day, Lu Jiaxin went, but only Gu Wenfeng accompanied her. Zong Jinghua, impatient to stay at home guarding the house, told Qian Xiaoxiao that he wanted to go to the antique market to have a look.

Qian Xiaoxiao said, “Brother Hua, don’t even think about finding a bargain. I’m telling you, it’s very hard, there’s a one in ten thousand chance. Our boss got lucky stumbling upon a real snuff bottle. If you go, you might end up getting swindled out of your underwear.”

How could Zong Jinghua possibly look for bargains when he knew nothing about them? “Last time I saw a stall selling dolls, there were two porcelain dolls that were really cute. I’m thinking of buying them for my daughter, she would definitely like them.”

“Why didn’t you buy them yesterday?”

Zong Jinghua said, “Yesterday I had to keep an eye on our surroundings to protect the boss, I couldn’t be distracted.”

Yesterday was a working day, so he couldn’t take any time off, but today was different since it was his day off.

Seeing his sincere fatherly love, Qian Xiaoxiao said, “I’ll take you to buy them! Otherwise, with you speaking with your Hong Kong accent, those vendors will treat you like a cash cow.”

Zong Jinghua laughed and said, “I have no money.”

Even if they wanted to fleece him, they couldn’t, as he was quite broke at the moment. If it was too expensive, he couldn’t afford it.