Alright, "Brother Li" it is, at least it's less likely to cause misunderstandings than "husband."
Li Yang glanced at her and replied with three words: "I can't tell."
"Mm!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Fang Xiaoqing, Lou Dong, and the store clerks who had brought the items here, their expressions changed drastically, almost in unison.
Shock!
Zhao Chen, who had been wanting to interject and feel a sense of presence, saw their reaction and his mouth opened in fright, but he dared not utter a single word.
What was going on?
Why did everyone suddenly look like this?
The faces of several store clerks turned grim, staring intently at Li Yang as if he were a mortal enemy who had killed their parents, their gazes cold and fierce.
"Hey, what's with you guys staring at my brother like that?"
Despite this, Li Yang remained unfazed, as if he saw nothing. However, Zhao Chen immediately retorted with displeasure, "Is this how you treat guests at your Copper Sword Iron Horse Tower? Are you being polite?"
"We're not polite? Hmph, Mr. Zhao, you should ask your friend here if Young Master Li has shown us any shred of politeness before speaking!" The store clerk named Xiao Liu, who had spoken earlier, turned his cold face and stared at Zhao Chen, saying coldly.
Zhao Chen felt a surge of bewilderment, followed by anger: "What are you talking about? What did my brother do to you! Weren't things fine just a moment ago?"
"Mr. Zhao, aren't you in the industry?" Xiao Liu saw that Zhao Chen's anger wasn't feigned and his expression softened slightly. "Then you truly don't know the meaning behind the words 'I can't tell'."
"What meaning? 'I can't tell' just means I can't tell!" Zhao Chen said unhappily. But he wasn't a fool. Hearing Xiao Liu say this, he naturally thought that, like "exhibiting an eye," it might be insider jargon in the antique world, with a meaning that couldn't be interpreted literally.
However, with the conversation having reached this point, and especially since the one who said "I can't tell" was Li Yang, even if he sensed something was amiss, he wouldn't back down.
Li Yang smiled at him and said, "Alright, you've finally come back to your hometown from the capital. Rest for a while."
This guy understood the jargon of "exhibiting an eye" earlier, but didn't understand the meaning of "I can't tell." He didn't know how much he truly understood about antique jargon.
However, now wasn't the time to discuss this.
After making Zhao Chen sit down, Li Yang looked at Xiao Liu again and said, "When I said 'I can't tell,' I didn't mean to offend. Otherwise, I wouldn't have used such jargon; I would have directly commented on your items."
"So, we should be thanking you then?" Xiao Liu said indignantly.
He had worked at the Copper Sword Iron Horse Tower for many years, and the boss, Lou Dong, treated him well. He was very grateful and absolutely would not allow anyone to speak ill of them.
He was about to usher them out.
At this moment, Lou Dong extended a hand and said, "That's enough, Xiao Liu. Young Master Li is right; he didn't mean to offend us. Moreover, the reason our Copper Sword Iron Horse Tower has been able to operate for three hundred years, and even received special approval for independent operation during the last century when only cultural relic stores were permitted to trade in them, is because we allow people to speak their minds."
"And as long as they speak the truth, we must acknowledge it."
"Boss, you're right, but this zodiac ox relief, you personally authenticated it and confirmed it as genuine. Why would he need to butt in?" Xiao Liu said unconvinced.
Lou Dong looked at him and chuckled, "Does everything I've seen have to be correct?"
"Of course! You are the foremost expert in epigraphy and appraisal in Jiangcheng!"
"Heh, don't say that again in the future." Lou Dong didn't care about the title at all. After waving his hand at Xiao Liu, he looked at Li Yang and said, "Young Master Li, I apologize. I haven't raised my subordinates well. I take responsibility for this incident and will apologize later."
"However, Young Master Li is also in the industry, so you should know that saying you 'can't tell' about something a鉴定师 (jiàn dìng shī - appraiser) has authenticated can cause trouble."
"Of course I know, but I can't not say it," Li Yang replied.
Lou Dong nodded and said, "That's true. Therefore, I'd like to ask Young Master Li to elaborate. If I have indeed made a mistake in my appraisal, I will apologize to you again."
"And if you genuinely couldn't appraise it, then we can verify it here and now, to avoid any lingering conflict or misunderstanding. What do you say?"
"Boss Lou is broad-minded and worthy of being the head of the Iron Horse Tower," Li Yang said with a smile and a nod.
Lou Dong smiled and said, "Please."
Listening to their conversation, Zhao Chen, who hadn't understood before, now got it.
The phrase "I can't tell" in the antique world had two subtle meanings. One was a genuine lack of discernment: "I can't tell if this item is genuine; I dare not draw a conclusion." This was a cautious statement from an appraiser.
The other meaning was that the item had a problem and was not genuine, but it was awkward to directly point out the issue to the owner. Thus, one would indirectly say they lacked the skill to appraise it.
Under normal circumstances, Li Yang's statement wouldn't have been inappropriate. However, Lou Dong was no ordinary person, and this antique shop was no ordinary place. When you say "I can't tell" about an item here, what did that imply?
Did it mean distrusting their business reputation, or did it suggest Lou Dong had made a mistake in his appraisal?
Regardless of the situation, Xiao Liu and the others' expressions wouldn't be good. That's why they had shown such cold faces earlier, and that's why Fang Xiaoqing's expression had changed so drastically, shocked that Li Yang dared to say such a thing in public at such an occasion.
He was truly bold.
He truly lived up to being the man this young lady fancied.
Staring at Li Yang's profile, Fang Xiaoqing said with a smile, "Brother Li, hurry up! I can't wait any longer."
"Can you stop saying things that make people overthink?"
Li Yang was speechless, shaking his head. Then, he pointed to the ox head on the relief and said, "The design of this relief, at first glance, is indeed identical to the one I sold to Chairman Feng earlier, as if they were from the same batch."
"However, upon closer inspection, you'll find that the patterns and craftsmanship of this relief are slightly rougher, with some discrepancies. Miss Fang, you should have photos, right? Please show them to Boss Lou."
"I do."
Who would obtain a treasure like the Twelve Zodiacs and not take seventeen or eighteen high-definition photos from all angles, whether for preservation, as souvenirs, or for academic research? They were all very valuable.
Fang Xiaoqing had naturally done the same.
She immediately took out her phone and found a set of photos to show Lou Dong, "Uncle Lou Dong, please take a look at this."
"Indeed, the craftsmanship in the details of the item in the photos is more refined, giving a better texture," Lou Dong said after just one glance, recognizing the differences. However, he calmly added, "But this does not negate the fact that the zodiac ox I obtained is a fake."
"Young Master Li, do you have any other evidence?"