Not only was he ancient, but the people around him were also full of curiosity, and they all looked at Ye Fan. Even Young Master Jiang turned his head, staring at Ye Fan, waiting for his answer.
After putting the Emperor’s ring on his hand, Ye Fan finally looked up.
Originally, he had no obligation to explain, but he found this old man quite pleasing to the eye, and it wouldn’t hurt to talk to him.
Besides, although the cloisonné vase was a high imitation, it was still worth thousands of yuan. Since he had broken it, he naturally couldn’t pay for it himself.
Asking the old man and the others to compensate would be his payment for the explanation!
Having made up his mind, Ye Fan picked up a piece of porcelain shard from the ground.
“Cloisonné copper blank with filigree, enameled body, fired in charcoal, polished and frosted, with a bright luster, especially in the sunlight, it is dazzling. Imitations are mostly rubbed with fine stones and covered with apricot porridge. After rusting, the rust is wiped away. Although it has a luster, compared to the genuine product, the brightness is somewhat different. The reason I concluded it was a fake was based on this.”
In fact, this imitation cloisonné was made with excellent craftsmanship. Even if Ye Fan didn’t look closely, he probably wouldn’t have noticed any problems.
No wonder there are more and more cloisonné pieces on the market nowadays. If the craftsmanship were all like this, authenticity would be meaningless!
Hearing Ye Fan’s explanation, the old man nodded and murmured to himself, “So that’s how it is. No wonder I misjudged it. It was judged by its luster. However, isn’t the risk involved too great? If one is not extremely familiar with cloisonné, how can they appraise it?”
This was also a form of self-deprecation. His own experience over the years was insufficient, yet he encountered a freak like Ye Fan…
Seeing that the old man could accept defeat so readily, Ye Fan valued him even more.
Then he turned to look at Young Master Jiang, only to see that Young Master Jiang’s gaze was still filled with hostility, but it was not insidious. It was clear that this Young Master Jiang was a villain in the open, not a hypocrite.
He sighed inwardly, unable to hold back after all.
“There’s something wrong with the pendant you’re wearing. Red agate is also known as blood agate. When used as a pendant, it generally undergoes special treatment to remove the blood qi. However, the blood qi in yours is dense, and it’s likely to bring about a disaster involving blood within three days.”
If it were before the competition, upon hearing Ye Fan say this, Young Master Jiang would surely have thought he was cursing him, but now…
“Are you telling the truth?”
He looked at Ye Fan doubtfully. Although he was shocked by Ye Fan’s appraisal skills, he had paid a lot for this pendant. How could there be a problem? He still had doubts.
With a sigh, Ye Fan slowly stepped forward, suddenly grabbed Young Master Jiang’s wrist, and quickly cut his middle finger with his fingernail. A drop of blood dripped onto the pendant.
Before Young Master Jiang could get angry and stop him, he saw the agate pendant suddenly emit a cold red glow, very faint, but clearly visible.
Considering that it was broad daylight, the fact that he could see a red glow showed how strong this light was.
Because of the proximity, this cold aura instantly entered Young Master Jiang’s body, causing him to tremble.
“What… what’s going on?”
He was completely panicked, his voice trembling, and he had already forgotten to scold Ye Fan.
“Blood agate feeds on essence blood, devouring essence blood to nourish itself, which is why it is like this. I advise you to find a master to subdue it, otherwise…”
Ye Fan didn’t continue speaking. Instead, he turned around, went to the stall, picked up the greatly-anticipated Eight Large pocket watch, and handed three thousand yuan to the stall owner, saying, “Money for goods, settled.”
With that, he turned and walked out.
Such瀟洒 (xiāosǎ - carefree and elegant) and calm demeanor made people look up to him. As he walked out of the crowd, his leisurely voice drifted back, “Please compensate for the item you broke, Young Master Jiang. Consider it labor fees for your explanation…”
Young Master Jiang and the old man watched Ye Fan leave with admiration, and couldn’t help but sigh, “This person has boundless prospects.”
Only the stall owner frowned slightly, looking at Ye Fan’s retreating back with deep eyes…
Ye Fan did not continue to hunt for treasures on Antique Street. His harvest this time was substantial, and it was most practical to sell the items as soon as possible to convert them into money.
He had intended to take the Eight Large pocket watch and the Emperor’s ring to Tianyin Pavilion, but remembering his agreement with Shen Tianyin, sending them over at this time would seem like showing off. Reluctantly, he had to go back first and deal with them later.
But as soon as he left Antique Street, he saw Ji Nanshan walking towards him with several old men.
Upon seeing Ye Fan, Ji Nanshan’s eyes immediately lit up, and he quickly waved.
“Young friend Ye seems to be in a hurry coming out of Antique Street. Have you found any good treasures?”
His face was full of smiles, and his attitude towards Ye Fan was very polite.
This display caused the surrounding old men to look at each other in surprise. Who was Ji Nanshan? He was a big shot in Jiangcheng’s antique circles! When had he ever been so polite to anyone? And that person was a young man around twenty years old!
Ye Fan responded to Ji Nanshan’s flattery with only a faint smile.
“Treasures are not to be spoken of, but it’s just an Eight Large pocket watch from the Qianlong era.”
When these words were spoken, the old men exchanged glances, and they all saw joy in each other’s eyes.
The Qianlong Eight Large, while not a priceless treasure, was a rare item nowadays. After all, only a dozen or so pieces had survived from that time.
If it weren’t for the low collection value, based solely on the quantity of these dozen pieces, it could have been hyped to an astronomical price.
Looking around, seeing that there were many eyes and ears, Ji Nanshan smiled and said, “This is not a place to talk. If Young friend Ye doesn’t mind, please come to my humble shop for a seat, how about it?”
This statement clearly indicated his interest in the Eight Large pocket watch.
Ye Fan naturally would not refuse. Anyway, he intended to sell it, and it didn’t matter who he sold it to, as long as the price was right, the buyer’s identity was irrelevant!
Following Ji Nanshan, Ye Fan and the old men quickly left the place…
Qin Fang Zhai, a very famous antique shop in Jiangcheng’s antique circle.
Because the boss was Ji Nanshan, a second-level antique appraiser in Jiangcheng, it had become a paradise for dignitaries and antique collectors.
It was afternoon, and there were not many people here. They were seated as guests and hosts, and a young waiter had already brought tea.
Dismissing the waiter, Ji Nanshan then spoke, “Young friend Ye, do you wish to sell that Eight Large pocket watch? I am quite interested.”
Knowing a little about Ye Fan’s character, he was decisive and disliked dilly-dallying, so Ji Nanshan did not beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
Ye Fan nodded, “Since Boss Ji is interested, I don’t mind, as long as the price is right.”
With that, he took the pocket watch out of his pocket.
He swept his gaze over the faces of the other old men, “If you gentlemen are interested, you can also buy it. I don’t mind.”