Imperial Treasure

Chapter 511 - 336: Lishui Ibis Vase

Chapter 336

Even less approachable was the cold-faced handsome man.

Ah Guna simply leaned against the wall, looking outside. Despite his indifference, his presence was absolutely overwhelming for the majority of men, arousing Hu Yue and others to glance over from time to time... whispering, "Could this man be the BOSS’s boyfriend? But he doesn’t look like it. A subordinate... bodyguard?"

About an hour later, Sui Yi emerged from the bookshelf area. As he was leaving, he noticed a small and shabby figure pacing back and forth in front of the brick wall between the pawn shop and the sales department, stealing glances at the pawn shop now and then... Due to the angle and the rain, no one inside the shop had noticed.

The whitened hair was obviously a mess, damp and disheveled, with the clothes nearly drenched and no umbrella in sight.

Sui Yi’s attention alerted everyone inside the shop. A young man hurried out and invited the elderly person to come inside to take shelter from the rain. However, the person seemed very wary and shook their head vigorously, refusing to enter...

Sui Yi’s gaze narrowed as he walked over and placed an umbrella over her head.

"Ma’am, this drizzle won’t stop anytime soon, and standing too long can harm your health. If you trust me, come inside and take a seat," Sui Yi said.

In this face-judging era, Sui Yi’s face and temperament, combined with his clear and elegant voice, convinced the old person—who had just seemed fearful of being robbed—to follow Sui Yi, continually expressing gratitude...

The young man: "..."

I’m not that unattractive, am I?

——————

Once inside, Hu Yue had already brought a hair dryer to warm the old woman’s body and hair. Her clothes dried quickly, and she was then served hot tea...

When only Sui Yi and Uncle Fu remained in the room, the old woman, holding her hot tea, revealed her intention to Sui Yi, "I... I’ve come to pawn something..."

The truth was already apparent to them.

Uncle Fu chuckled and said, "You look like you’ve traveled a long way to get to our pawn shop, which I like to think of as fate~~"

"Yes... I didn’t come here directly... I visited a few other shops before, and they all said my item wasn’t worth anything~~ I don’t believe them. My late husband worked so hard to get it, it must be valuable~~ A young man told me your establishment is reputable, that the staff here are skilled and wouldn’t deceive me, so I came... Little did I know that your shop..."

You’re worried it’s a shady operation because it’s empty?

Sui Yi and Uncle Fu could tell what she meant by her hesitance to speak, and they couldn’t help but smile.

A shady operation?

"Since you’ve already tried those other shops, why not give ours a chance too? If it’s a valuable item, it’ll be to both of our benefit. If not, you won’t lose anything," Sui Yi reassured her.

Sui Yi’s words made the old woman ponder for a moment. Then, looking at Uncle Fu’s kind and warm expression full of good fortune, she nodded and brought out the object she had been holding against her chest.

Wrapped in a piece of worn cloth, when unfolded, it revealed a small porcelain vase with a mottled surface. The dark red fragmented design, the vase’s mouth flared like a lotus, with a shallow base and an elegant shape, at first glance resembled a red ibis.

As soon as Uncle Fu saw it, his eyes fixed on it. After he took it and examined it carefully, he handed it to Sui Yi. Sui Yi shook her head, signaling for him to appraise it.

After examining the piece inside and out for a while, with great seriousness and meticulous inspection, Uncle Fu remarked, "As for authenticity, this object indeed has some age—probably from the Ming Dynasty era. It’s not a counterfeit, but I can’t determine its provenance. Miss Sui, what do you think?"

His words caused the old woman to feel a mix of joy and nervousness: "Counterfeit? Does that mean it’s not fake? All those other people said it was made by someone recently, that it’s a worthless modern craft... You’re saying it’s not, so does that make it valuable? My son still needs money for school; if it’s worth something... Miss, please have a look, is it valuable?"

Buyers often consider the cultural and collectible value of an item, and that includes the potential for appreciation in value; but those who are selling almost always do so for the money.

Life is hard, and Uncle Fu couldn’t blame the old woman for her preoccupation with money. Handing the item over to Sui Yi was also a necessary gesture of respect for his boss, never considering that his boss might actually discern something...

After a moment, Sui Yi suddenly said, "The Lishui Ibis Vase."

Uncle Fu was taken aback, "Miss Sui, you recognized it? This is..."

"During the late Ming period, there was a high ranking official by the surname of Xu, known for his appreciation for famous porcelain. It’s rumored that his appointment came after he presented a piece of renowned porcelain to an influential Shangguan, earning the latter’s favor and securing his opportunity. However, during later chaotic times, this official was implicated and jailed; when his residence was searched, a large collection of famous porcelain was found, including this Lishui Ibis Vase... After passing through many hands, it’s surprising to see it still intact."

Many are aware that the chaotic turmoil of the Ming and Qing periods, coupled with subsequent wars in modern times, caused the disappearance of far more cultural relics than during any previous dynasty changes or destruction, leaving behind fewer pieces of renowned porcelain.