The Mightiest Little Peasant c1-799

by Watermelonian, 西瓜星人

  “Dammit, this bastard is here too!” Qin Gang muttered under his breath.

  “Who is he?” Tang Hao asked curiously.

  “His surname is Diao, and people call him Master Diao. You can see from all the jade he wears that he is quite loaded! He is also quite the pest. Whenever someone finds something they like, he would step in at the last minute and outbid them.

  “He’s already snatched a few things from me,” Qin Gang leaned over and whispered to Tang Hao.

  “Oh! I don’t think I’ve seen this young man before!” The fat man named Diao came over and said with a wide grin on his face.

  “He is Young Master Tang!” Qin Gang said.

  “Oh, he’s a Young Master! Not bad, not bad at all! It must be your first time here, right? Look around and you might learn something! You’ll need years of experience before you can achieve my level!”

  Fatty Diao boasted as he slapped his chest.

  Then, he glanced at Qin Gang and sneered. “Young Master Qin here isn’t experienced at all. He’s still a newbie at this. You’d better not learn from him!”

  Qin Gang was immediately angry. “What are you saying, Fatty Diao? Do you think that you’re so great?”

  “I’m no one special! I’m very modest, but I’m still better than you!” Fatty Diao wore a pretentious smile, and his tone of voice sounded mocking.

  “Alright, that’s enough talk for now. I’ll go around and have a look.” Then, Fatty Diao turned around and walked away.

  “He managed to pick up a bargain once because he was lucky. There’s nothing to be proud about,” Qin Gang said indignantly.

  “Let’s go, Younger Brother-in-law. Let’s look around the place too!”

  Then, he led the way and started walking.

  Chapter 226 - Tang Hao’s Offer

  The mood in the hall was tense.

  The people were carefully inspecting each item on display. Offers were rarely made.

  They were waiting for someone else to make a move. There were many items on display there, though they knew that imitation items were a possibility. One would be unlucky if they picked up an imitation item.

  Even if they knew that an item might be genuine, they had to be careful not to overpay for it. An item appraised to be from an ancient era might actually be from a more recent era. That would also be a great loss of money.

  Of course, there was always a chance of picking up a bargain.

  Tang Hao walked around the hall. He carefully inspected and touched each item.

  He could feel the qi on each of the items. They existed in varying intensities.

  The older an antique was, the stronger the qi it contained. The opposite was true: The newer an item was, the weaker the qi.

  With that, Tang Hao could roughly gauge the age of those antiques.

  He stopped walking after making a complete revolution around the hall. His brows were furrowed and he looked disappointed.

  He had expected to find something special, but none of them were.

  On the other hand, Artifacts were incredibly rare items. Finding one was already incredibly good luck. There was no guarantee that an Artifact appeared at every trade meet.

  He pondered for a while and decided that he would check out the other stores later.

  Meanwhile, Qin Gang had his eyes on a jade statue of a cow. The handiwork was delicate and the statue was lifelike.

  The price tag said that it was from the Song dynasty and it cost 120,000 yuan.

  Qin Gang stood in front of it for a very long time and carefully appraised it. Then, he made up his mind to buy that jade statue.

  Just when he was about to make the offer, he heard a piercing voice next to him.

  “Oh, this jade statue looks not bad! It’s genuine Song jade, what a bargain! Come, wrap this up for me. I, Master Diao, want it!”

  That person was none other than Fatty Diao.

  “Oh, Young Master Qin! Are you interested in the jade statue too! The saying is right, great minds think alike! Unfortunately, I had my eyes on it first. We can bid for it if you want to!

  “I’m afraid that you won’t outbid me though!”

  Fatty Diao walked in front of Qin Gang. His face was brimming with glee.

  Qin Gang was immediately red with anger. He glared at the fat man and said, “I saw this first, you fat bastard! You’re vying for my items again!”

  “Eh! Your items? The antiques are placed on the table, and everyone has a chance to make an offer. If you’re not happy, we can bid for it! I don’t mind it at all, I have the money anyway.”

  Fatty Diao grinned and became more arrogant than ever.

  “You…” Qin Gang was burning with anger.

  He was not as loaded as that fat bastard. Qin Gang owned a toy factory, while Fatty Diao was in the property business. He certainly could not outbid him!

  The people who crowded around them looked indignant.

  Fatty Diao had snatched items from some of them that way before.

  “I don’t want that stupid thing anymore!” Qin Gang grunted angrily, then turned around and went elsewhere.

  “Dammit, that fat bastard!” Qin Gang was still cursing under his breath as he walked next to Tang Hao.

  Tang Hao looked at that fat man then at his brother-in-law. Suddenly, he grinned mischievously.

  “Do you want to get back at him, Brother-in-law?” Tang Hao leaned over and whispered into Qin Gang’s ear.

  “Oh?” Qin Gang was surprised. He looked at Tang Hao incredulously. “Of course I want to, but how would you do it?”

  “That’s easy. Just observe!”

  Tang Hao smiled, then walked to a corner of the hall. A jade annulus was displayed on a table.

  The jade annulus was a fairly common jade ornament from ancient times. It was a flat disk with a hole in the middle, and figures of dragons and clouds were carved on both sides. It was a lavish ornament and usually fetched high prices at antique trade meets.

  The annulus on the table was intricately carved with dragons.

  The price tag said that it was from the Song dynasty and was worth 80,000 yuan.

  Jade ornaments were difficult to appraise, and there were many recent imitations. Not many people dared to gamble their money on jade ornaments. Many people had examined the annulus, but none made an offer.

  Tang Hao could discern from the qi of the item that the annulus was older than the Song dynasty. Rather, it was from the Han dynasty, and it could easily fetch tens of times of its current price tag.

  That was a bargain.

  Tang Hao beckoned at a worker standing not too far away. “I want this item!”

  His offer gained the attention of the people around him.

  They turned around and looked at the boy.

  “It’s Young Master Qin’s friend. He looks so young!”

  “He’s quite daring! His first item is a jade antique!”

  Everyone laughed as they discussed Tang Hao’s purchase.

  They thought that he was being impulsive.

  Fatty Diao glanced at him and chuckled. He was not interested in snatching that jade annulus. He stalked the regulars, and that was why he was so brazen in snatching the deals.

  In his eyes, Tang Hao was a newbie. He would be making a loss if he snatched the deal from Tang Hao.

  “What an idiot! He doesn’t know anything!”

  Fatty Diao muttered, then turned around to look at the other people.

  Qin Gang came over and said worriedly, “What are you doing, Younger Brother-in-law?”

  “Buying jade, of course! This piece looks not bad.” Tang Hao took out his debit card from his wallet as he spoke. He handed the card to the worker, who immediately swiped it.

  “It’s done, Young Master Tang! Should I wrap up this jade annulus for you?” The worker handed Tang Hao his card with a bow. He looked more respectful than ever.

  From that card alone, he knew that Tang Hao was a very important customer.

  “No need!”
Tang Hao waved his hands. “Do you know if there’s a master appraiser of jade on this street?”

  “Well…” The worker was shocked. “Young Master, do you mean…?”

  “I’m looking for someone to appraise this jade annulus, of course. I think that there might be a problem with the year of origin of this jade annulus,” Tang Hao said with a smile.

  Everyone was shocked when they heard that.

  Then, they burst out laughing.

  ‘What a joke! He’s just a young newbie, and he doesn’t trust Spirit Atelier’s appraisal?

  ‘What would he know? Does he want to get a second opinion from a master appraiser? That would only be wasting his money and the appraiser’s time!’

  They guessed that most master appraisers would not accept the offer.

  “I think that’ll be a little tricky, Young Master!” The worker said with some difficulty.

  “The appraiser just wants money, right? I’m offering a hundred thousand yuan. Do you think that’s enough?” Tang Hao said calmly.

  “Well…” The worker was at a loss for words.

  The customers in the hall also looked incredulous.

  The jade annulus cost 80,000 yuan, but the kid was spending 100,000 yuan to hire an appraiser! Did the kid have too much money and did not know where to spend it?

  “Is that not enough?”

  The worker hesitated, then said, “Please wait a moment, Young Master. I’ll go ask the boss. He’ll have to agree for it to be appraised.”

  “Alright!” Tang Hao nodded.

  The worker bowed, then went deeper into the store to look for the storekeeper.

  Chapter 227 - Setting the Trap

  There was a small commotion in the hall.

  Everyone turned toward Tang Hao and looked at him like how they would look at an idiot.

  ‘That kid spends eighty thousand yuan to buy a jade annulus but wants to spend a hundred thousand yuan to have it appraised. Is he an idiot?’

  If he were someone else, they might believe that there must be something interesting about that jade annulus. However, in their eyes, a young person would not be an antique expert.

  “Stupid f*cker!” Fatty Diao mumbled, then yelled at Qin Gang, “Hey, Qin Gang! Are you stupid too? Shouldn’t you advise your friend?”

  Qin Gang furrowed his brows and looked at Tang Hao. He was not sure what his younger brother-in-law was trying to do!

  All he knew was that his younger brother-in-law was not stupid. Rather, the extent of his abilities was unfathomable.

  “You’re the stupid f*cker!” Qin Gang cursed at Fatty Diao.

  Fatty Diao chuckled coldly. “You’re an idiot indeed. Two stupid f*ckers together! That’s not how you should waste your money!”

  Two people came into the hall.

  The one in front was a bookish-looking man in his forties. He wore a classic Chinese suit and was in good spirits. He was none other than the storekeeper of Spirit Atelier.

  The worker followed behind him.

  “Boss Mo!” Everyone cupped their fists and greeted the man.

  Boss Mo returned the greeting by cupping his fists. Then, he looked around and his gaze fell onto Tang Hao.

  “You must be Young Master Tang!”

  Boss Mo cupped his fists at Tang Hao, then walked over.

  “Boss Mo!’ Tang Hao returned the greeting.

  “This must be the jade annulus!” Boss Mo took the item and carefully inspected it.

  A while later, he said, “Alright, Young Master Tang, since you have doubts about the origins of this annulus and you’re willing to pay a hundred thousand yuan for a master appraiser, then I shall grant your wish and invite a master appraiser.

  “There are several master appraisers on this street. The one who is most proficient with jade antiques would be Old Mr. Lin. I’ll send someone to fetch him over. Please wait for a moment.”

  “Thank you, Boss!” Tang Hao said.

  “Eh, don’t mention it. You’re our esteemed guest, and we shall do our best to fulfill your wishes,” Boss Mo said with a smile.

  Then, he turned around to speak to the worker. “Get Old Mr. Lin here!”

  “Yes, Boss!” The worker replied, then jogged out of the hall.

  Everyone had curious expressions on their faces. They did not expect Boss Mo to comply with Tang Hao’s wishes for a master appraiser.

  “This is a total joke!” Fatty Diao said mockingly. “I don’t believe that there’s something wrong with this piece of jade. He’ll only be wasting his money!”

  He stood there with his arms crossed, waiting to see Tang Hao make a fool of himself.

  About seven or eight minutes later, the worker returned with an old man in tow.

  Old Mr. Lin was in his sixties. Even though his hair was half-white and his body thin and bony, he was in good spirits and his face was full of color.

  “Where’s the jade?” Old Mr. Lin said.

  “Here it is, Old Mr. Lin!” Boss Mo carried the jade annulus over.

  Old Mr. Lin took the jade annulus, then he put on his glasses and retrieved a magnifying glass from his backpack. He meticulously inspected the antique under the light.

  Everyone crowded around Old Mr. Lin and waited for his verdict.

  About four minutes later, Old Mr. Lin lifted his head and asked Boss Mo, “What’s the original verdict?”

  “It’s Song dynasty jade!” Boss Mo said.

  Old Mr. Lin lifted a curious eyebrow.

  Fatty Diao spoke up. “There’s no mistake, Old Mr. Lin! Isn’t that just Song dynasty jade? I’ve seen several similar pieces.”

  Everyone also thought the same thing.

  They knew that Spirit Atelier was the biggest antique store of East Pavilion Street. The appraisers hired by the store were all very experienced and seldom misjudged an antique.

  Old Mr. Lin chuckled and said, “Who says that this is Song dynasty jade? All of you are mistaken. This piece is from the Han dynasty!”

  Old Mr. Lin’s proclamation was confident.

  Everyone was immediately dumbstruck.

  “What? Han dynasty jade? How can that be?” Many people exclaimed in surprise.

  Han dynasty jade was much older than Song dynasty jade. The price difference was tens of times.

  Even Boss Mo’s jaw dropped. His face displayed an incredulous expression.

  Fatty Diao’s eyes glazed over. He could not believe what he heard.

  “This is indeed from the Han dynasty. Han jade and Song jade are very similar, and that’s because the latter mimics the former’s carving techniques. It’s not unusual to mistake the two,” Old Mr. Lin said.

  Everyone’s expressions changed. Their gaze toward the jade annulus became excited.

  A jade annulus from the Han dynasty was worth millions. More importantly, it had great collector value and was sought after by many collectors.

  Fatty Diao’s eyes were sparkling.

  “Sell that to me, kid! I offer two million!” He shouted urgently.

  Tang Hao glanced at him, then ignored him. “This piece of jade is for you!” He said to Qin Gang.

  Qin Gang was shocked, then he became ecstatic.

  “You’re a good person, Younger Brother-in-law! Haha! I’ve always wanted to collect a piece of Han jade!” Qin Gang could not stop smiling as he held the jade annulus in his hands.

  Meanwhile, Fatty Diao was green with envy.

  He was regretting that he did not snatch the item from under the kid’s nose. He had lost his chance to obtain such a rare antique at a bargain price.

  “This kid seems quite capable!”

  “I thought so. Otherwise, why would he spend the money to hire a master appraiser?”

  Everyone whispered among themselves as they looked at Tang Hao. Their gaze had changed from condescension to admiration.

  “So, you’re the young man who hired me!” Old Mr. Lin turned to speak to Tang Hao.

  “Old Mr. Lin!” Tang Hao greeted the master appraiser.<
br />
  “You’re a capable young man!” Old Mr. Lin praised Tang Hao as he examined him from head to toe.

  “You flatter me, Old Mr. Lin! My grandfather is an avid antique collector and I’ve learned a bit from him,” Tang Hao said humbly. He did not seem uneasy when he told the lie.

  “Is that so!” Old Mr. Lin said with a smile.

  Meanwhile, Qin Gang had a curious expression on his face. He knew that Tang Hao was born in a family of peasant farmers. They would not have the money to collect antiques.

  Then, he immediately understood. He was setting a trap for Fatty Diao!

  He immediately swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, then pretended to look serious.

  Old Mr. Lin chatted with Tang Hao for a while before leaving. His appraisal fee was transferred into his account through Boss Mo.

  Tang Hao crossed his hands behind him, then casually walked around the hall.

  Many eyes were looking at him.

  In their eyes, the young kid had become an antique expert.

  Tang Hao went around the hall a few times, then exclaimed curiously. He walked straight toward a bronze cauldron.

  He inspected it carefully, then exclaimed in pretended surprise.

  “Hey! I want this cauldron!” He said urgently.

  Everyone’s eyes turned to look at him.

  Chapter 228 - A Strange Mirror

  In front of Tang Hao was a bronze cauldron.

  The cauldron was sturdily built and looked rather ancient. It was a Ming dynasty Xuande incense burner, commonly seen in the market.

  Xuande incense burners were a batch of bronze cauldrons commissioned by Emperor Xuande of the Ming dynasty in 1428 for use in the royal palace. It was the pinnacle of bronze craftsmanship of its era. Not many survived in the modern age, and each one of them was an incredibly rare antique.

  The cauldrons were very popular among collectors, and that was why there were many imitation cauldrons especially from the Qing dynasty.

  The cauldron in front of Tang Hao was one of those imitations. It carried a 50,000 yuan price tag.

  No one paid attention to it. Everyone knew that genuine Xuande incense burners were incredibly rare, and that item was obviously an imitation.