Chapter 60: Sixty, fake Chapter 60: Sixty, fake Yang Lisheng shook his head and sighed, “There is no longer a need to buy it back.” Even if it were bought back, it would no longer be the same courtyard house—there were no trees, no wells… none of the familiar things he knew.
“Are you staying at a hotel these days?” Qin Yushen asked. He knew they were currently staying at a budget hotel and was aware of the events that had transpired last night, as well as everything Song Yan Ning had done. Originally, he had intended to lend a hand, but she truly surprised him—within such a short period, she had managed to subdue Liu Xin. Although Liu Xin wasn’t a particularly significant figure in Beijing, he still had some clout and wasn’t short of assets.
Yang Lisheng nodded, “What brings you here?” Did the Qin family have relatives in this area?
“I came here looking for someone, and didn’t expect to encounter you all,” Qin Yushen naturally wouldn’t say that he was here to buy the courtyard house. Knowing the current state of the courtyard, since he had decided to buy it, naturally, he had ways to restore it to its original condition.
“Then you should go, we need to leave too,” Yang Lisheng smiled as he looked at Qin Yushen, with a hint of admiration in his eyes. This young man possessed a natural noble quality—if he hadn’t the family background he had now, he was surely not going to be someone ordinary in the future.
It was said that he and Xiao Ning had been betrothed from a young age, but it probably wouldn’t lead anywhere. It wasn’t that Xiao Ning wasn’t worthy of Qin Yushen, but rather, she deserved someone better, someone who understood and appreciated her more. Of course, Xiao Ning was still young, and they didn’t need to worry about such matters yet.
“Grandpa Yang! Grandma Yang! Xiao Ning, goodbye!” Qin Yushen turned to Song Yan Ning with a slight smile lifting the corners of his mouth; he was truly looking forward to their journey to Miao Border.
“Goodbye!” Li Meixiang had a good impression of Qin Yushen; she liked the young man very much as he had been very polite on both occasions they met, lacking the arrogance typically found in scions of great families.
Song Yan Ning gave a faint nod, then followed Yang Lisheng and Li Meixiang out of the alley. She didn’t like Qin Yushen and preferred not to interact with him more than necessary; he gave her a somewhat dangerous feeling. A cultivator’s intuition is usually very accurate.
“We’ll have a look at the antique market, as tomorrow is Mr. Song’s birthday banquet, and we need to prepare another gift,” Yang Lisheng said. This time, he had only brought a relatively old wild ginseng, but that gift was slightly modest for a family like the Song Family.
“Alright!” Li Meixiang nodded in agreement. Although disappointed with Xinxin, they couldn’t let her lose face; after all, they were her parents.
Song Yan Ning glanced at the two and remained silent. If it weren’t for her grandparents insisting on bringing her along, she really wouldn’t have wanted to come to Beijing, much less have anything to do with the Song Family.
Wangtianjing was the largest antique market in Beijing, and most people in Beijing knew that many of the antiques here were fake, and it was easy to fall for the merchants’ traps. The majority of the people visiting were tourists from other places.
Just as she stepped into Wangtianjing, Song Yan Ning felt streams of spiritual energy converging from all directions, causing a slight smile to appear on her lips. It turned out that not only jade contained spiritual energy but antiques did as well; she would need to visit such places more often in the future.
“Old gentleman, come take a look, everything I sell here is genuine. Look at this glazed large vase; it was made during the Qianlong Period. Buying it would definitely not be a loss, and it’s an excellent choice for a family heirloom.”
“Don’t miss out as you pass by, take a look at this bronze turtle, recently unearthed.”
“This piece of jade isn’t ordinary; wearing it ensures great fortune and health, making it most suitable for the elderly and children to wear.”
The calls of vendors rose and fell in waves.
Song Yan Ning walked along, scanning the booths on either side while absorbing the strands of spiritual energy around her. She had absorbed the spiritual energy from the jade yesterday, which had slightly advanced her cultivation. With this additional energy, she estimated she could level up tonight.
“Crack!” A crisp sound echoed.
Song Yan Ning turned her head and saw Grandpa Yang had bumped into a young man, the crisp sound coming from a vase the young man had just bought. Was it a setup for a scam? That was her first thought.
“How could you walk like that?” Seeing the shattered vase on the ground, the young man’s face darkened dramatically as he pointed at Yang Lisheng and shouted. He had spent a long time picking out that vase and had spent quite a bit of money. He hadn’t expected it to be smashed just like that.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t see you coming,” Yang Lisheng quickly apologized. By the time he noticed the other person, they had already collided.
“What good is sorry? This vase was worth two hundred thousand! Can you afford to compensate?” The young man glared furiously at Yang Lisheng. His attire made it clear he wasn’t wealthy. Forget two hundred thousand, he probably couldn’t even muster twenty thousand. But the idea of losing two hundred thousand unreciprocated was equally unbearable for him.
“This vase is fake,” Song Yan Ning suddenly spoke up after glancing at the vase on the ground.
Upon hearing this, the young man became even more infuriated and looked at Song Yan Ning, snapping, “What does a kid like you know about antiques?”
Song Yan Ning crouched down, picked up a piece of the porcelain, and handed it to the young man, “Take a look at this piece.”
The young man took the fragment and scrutinized it closely for a moment, then looked back at Song Yan Ning with confusion, “I don’t see anything.” He wasn’t very knowledgeable about antiques. His only reason for buying the vase was because his father was seriously ill and needed the help of Doctor Xu Bowen, who was known for his love of collecting antique vases.
He was aware that Wangtianjing had plenty of fakes, but he had someone reputed in the antiques community vet the item for him, assuming they wouldn’t deceive him.
Song Yan Ning took back the porcelain shard, “This is the base of the vase. If this were a genuine piece, it would have the words ‘Daqing Qianlong Year’ inscribed in seal script, but the inscription here is in regular script, which is typically used on the bases of Yongzheng official kiln porcelains,” she explained. She often watched shows about antique appraisal and had some understanding of antiques.
Of course, what was most telling was that the vase lacked any spiritual energy. She had observed that only a very few antiques at these stalls possessed spiritual energy. Even if she absorbed that energy, it would slowly regenerate, albeit at a slower pace. Therefore, she surmised that only those containing spiritual energy were authentic.
The young man glanced at the vase again, “Who knows whether you’re telling the truth.” She was just a six- or seven-year-old child; no matter how smart, she couldn’t know these things, despite making some sense.
Song Yan Ning smiled nonchalantly, “When the boss sold it to you, he said it was the ‘Fencai Hundred Deer Double-Ear Vase,’ right?”
“Yeah,” replied the young man, a hint of surprise in his eyes. She actually knew the name of the vase. Could it be that she really understood antiques?
Yang Lisheng and Li Meixiang looked at Song Yan Ning with astonishment in their eyes. Since when had Xiao Ning learned all this? They had no clue.