Fatty Chen plastered a fawning smile on his face.
Upon hearing this, Old Wang snorted dismissively.
Although this factory was managed by Fatty Chen, he was only in charge of operations and didn't know much about antique appraisal.
Therefore, he personally handled all the details of the counterfeit reproductions.
It was precisely because of this that Fatty Chen dared not act presumptuously in front of him; after all, the old man held the lifeline of the factory.
However, Old Wang was not a fool; he naturally knew that his relationship with Fatty Chen was also one of cooperation, and if their relationship soured too much, it might not be good.
Especially since Fatty Chen was ruthless and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
If he truly provoked him, his own personal safety might be affected.
Fine, in the end, Fatty Chen had only brought one person. He would indulge him and take a look. If this person lacked real skill, then Fatty Chen would be the one to be embarrassed.
"Alright, since you've brought the person, let's take a look. If he's truly an appraisal master, then we'll keep him to help. But if his skill is insufficient, I don't need to tell you much, do I, Boss Chen?"
He raised his eyelids to glance at Fatty Chen, his words carrying a threatening tone.
Upon hearing Old Wang's words, Fatty Chen quickly nodded with a smile, "Everything is as you arrange, Old Wang."
Neither of these two was easy to deal with. The previously tense atmosphere dissipated considerably as both men took a step back.
Then, Old Li casually picked out several items from a pile of antiques and placed them on the appraisal table.
"Kid, come and examine these items. Let's see what your level is."
Old Li's expression was cold; it was clear he didn't think highly of Ye Fan either.
Ye Fan paid no mind to the disdain of these two middle-aged men.
Since he was reborn into this world, he had been looked down upon too many times. Due to their age, many people's ingrained thoughts judged the strength of appraisal ability based on age.
This idea had become deeply rooted in their minds and was unchangeable.
Therefore, for these two to have such thoughts was well within Ye Fan's expectations.
Ye Fan slowly stepped forward. Without touching the items, he merely scanned them with a casual glance.
"A Guan Yao pear-shaped vase from the late Qing Dynasty, clearly authentic. The peony pattern is ornate, and the shape is somewhat archaic. It should have been fired in the official kilns of the Zhili region. Among Qing Dynasty porcelain, it can only be considered a low-grade item."
Pointing to the first pear-shaped vase, Ye Fan said lightly.
Old Wang and Old Li, who had been engrossed in their work, suddenly looked up at Ye Fan the moment they heard his words, their gazes tinged with shock.
They had already appraised this porcelain vase, and just as Ye Fan had said, its value was indeed not high, and it was not suitable for counterfeiting.
When appraising this vase, even though they were both Grade-2 appraisers, they had studied it for a long time before reaching a conclusion.
But Ye Fan, without even extending his hand or touching it, and merely by looking at it a few times with his eyes, had reached a conclusion. What was going on?
Could it be that Ye Fan had seen this item before?
This was the only logical explanation they could come up with.
As for Ye Fan's appraisal ability being exceptionally strong, they directly dismissed it. A senior appraiser at the age of twenty, was that even possible?
"Have you seen this pear-shaped vase before?"
Old Li's voice lowered slightly, his gaze still filled with confusion.
However, his attitude had improved somewhat, no longer so cold.
Ye Fan smiled faintly and did not answer him, instead turning his attention to the second porcelain vase.
"This is a plum blossom vase from the Republic of China period. Due to the special era of the Republic of China, the vases from that time also had their own characteristics. As we all know, national productivity was low during that period, so when firing porcelain vases, they couldn't afford to use high-quality clay. Instead, they opted for ordinary clay that was easier to fire. This type of clay has large particles and is prone to cracking after firing. Therefore, people at that time had to add a bonding agent when firing the body. However, bonding agents can make the porcelain produce a muffled sound."
As he spoke, Ye Fan reached out and picked up the vase, his finger slightly bent, tapping it lightly.
If it were a normal, high-quality porcelain vase, it would emit a crisp sound when tapped.
However, as Ye Fan's finger tapped it, it produced a muffled sound.
This scene completely stunned Old Wang and Old Li.
Although Ye Fan had easily appraised the late Qing vase just now, they were still thinking that perhaps Ye Fan had seen it before, or perhaps Ye Fan had gotten lucky and guessed correctly.
But now, Ye Fan had once again appraised a Republic of China period vase and described the characteristics of porcelain from that era so clearly. This was not something that could be explained by luck alone.
Finally, their gazes towards Ye Fan no longer held contempt, but were filled with shock.
"You two can touch the bottom of this vase. It's rough to the touch and has a distinct granular feel. This is typical of items from the Republic of China period, and its value is also not high."
Saying this, he placed the vase in front of Old Wang and Old Li.
The two men frowned, extremely shocked by Ye Fan's performance, but at this moment, they both simultaneously reached out and touched the bottom of the vase.
Indeed, as Ye Fan had said, the bottom of the vase was not smooth.
"Who exactly are you?"
Old Li could no longer suppress his shock and looked up at Ye Fan, asking in a deep voice.
At his question, Ye Fan was stunned. Meanwhile, Fatty Chen immediately stepped forward and grabbed Ye Fan's shoulder.
"Old Li? Is there something wrong with this kid? Should I have him apprehended immediately?"
He thought Old Li's question was a suspicion of Ye Fan's identity.
After all, they were engaged in illicit business here. If someone with ill intentions infiltrated and exposed the place, it was likely that all of them, including the high-ranking officials, would be in trouble.
Therefore, Fatty Chen was so sensitive.
Caught off guard by Fatty Chen's sudden move, Ye Fan was completely unprepared.
As Fatty Chen grabbed his shoulder, he twisted his body, and a sharp pain in his chest caused Ye Fan to gasp.
Old Li, however, said angrily, "Who the hell told you to move? Let him go immediately!"
Saying that, he personally got up and removed Fatty Chen's hand.
"Young man, what exactly is your identity? To possess such keen eyesight at such a young age, if you say you are not a master cultivated by a prominent family, old as I am, I will not believe it."
Fatty Chen beside him was filled with disbelief. Others might not know, but he knew all too well that these two appraisers were absolute hotheads.
Originally, they were the core here, so they looked down on everyone in this place.
Even they looked down on him, but out of consideration for their status, they dared not act rashly. Yet now, Old Li was being so polite to a young man. What was his identity?