"Old Li, Old Li?"
After calling out a few times without receiving a response from Grandpa Li, everyone turned to look at him in surprise.
Grandpa Li's face flickered between pale, flushed, and then ashen. The crowd, fearing he was having a medical episode, instinctively reached for their phones to call emergency services.
But in the next moment, Grandpa Li cried out in pain, pounding his chest and cursing himself, "I'm such a complete idiot! I thought I'd fooled him, but it turns out he was the one who found the real treasure!"
"Oh, I could just cry!"
"Grandpa Li?" The crowd blinked, not understanding what he meant and worried about his well-being.
Only a few astute individuals immediately grasped the situation.
That young fellow, being able to get into Qi Tongwei's car, even if not a professional antique appraiser, certainly possessed considerable discerning eyes.
How considerable? At least far superior to theirs, who hadn't even ventured far in the antique world.
If the young man's eyesight was better than theirs, how could he not tell the difference between a cricket jar and a brush pot?
Clearly, he had been acting earlier!
Therefore, that jar, or perhaps the small teapot Grandpa Li often used for his tea, could very well be valuable items!
Definitely far exceeding five thousand yuan!
Thinking of how smug Grandpa Li had been just moments ago, only to be clutching his chest in agony, many sighed inwardly. You think your eyesight is sharp, but there's always someone sharper. Even an old man should be kind and humble.
"What are you guys talking about, Curator?" Cai Yiming asked, driving the car with a restless mind.
Qi Tongwei replied, "We're talking about Mr. Li's excellent eyesight. To find such a significant treasure in that kind of place is truly remarkable skill."
"Curator Qi's eyesight is also quite impressive. If it had been you there just now, I'm sure the red clay teapot from the Naizifu would not have escaped your keen eye either," Li Yang said with a smile.
Qi Tongwei shook his head. "If I had been there, even if I had fancied that item, they certainly wouldn't have sold it to me cheaply."
"Boss Li, how much did you pay?"
"Five thousand yuan," Li Yang replied with a smile, picking up another cricket jar. "Plus this handicraft from the previous era."
"That's a huge bargain indeed," Qi Tongwei took a deep breath, exclaiming with envy. "This cricket jar is worth maybe a few dozen yuan, but your Naizifu teapot, it could sell for at least two million, right?"
"Roughly," Li Yang smiled. The price his eyes saw was one million seven hundred and eighty thousand, and it would increase by twenty thousand yuan next week. Compared to Qi Tongwei's appraisal, in the parlance of the antique circle, they were more or less the same.
Qi Tongwei gave him a thumbs-up. "I'm impressed!"
Hearing this, Cai Yiming felt a pang of dissatisfaction and mumbled, "What's so great about it? It's just good luck."
"Besides, this 'Naizifu' sounds improper. Collectors who buy such things must also be quite unconventional."
"Little Cai!" Qi Tongwei glared at him.
Cai Yiming's heart skipped a beat. "Curator, I..."
"I know you're not convinced by Boss Li, but you must speak with substance, especially when discussing antiques. If you spout nonsense like this again, I will be angry next time," Qi Tongwei reprimanded him sternly.
Cai Yiming lowered his head, feeling somewhat wronged and guilty. "Yes, I won't dare to do it again, Curator."
"But I still want to ask Boss Li, are things from Naizifu considered proper?"
"Whether it's proper or not, I can't judge. But, the Ming Dynasty emperor greatly needed this Naizifu. Do you think that's proper?" Li Yang chuckled.
Cai Yiming grumbled, "After all this talk, we still haven't gotten to the main point."
"You rascal, do you really need Mr. Li to explain it so clearly? Naizifu, during the Ming Dynasty, was a unit specifically for nurturing wet nurses for the emperor. You could say it was a state-run institution."
Qi Tongwei glared at him, then elaborated to prevent Cai Yiming from continuing to ask questions, which would make him appear ignorant and lose face.
"And 'Naizi' actually means wet nurse. So, this Naizifu means the Wet Nurse's Mansion."
"Things used by wet nurses, they aren't that remarkable, are they?" Cai Yiming said dismissively.
Li Yang chuckled. "You're right."
"Boss Li, don't indulge him." To Qi Tongwei's exasperation, he wanted to kick him. "This kid knows nothing!"
"These wet nurses were specially kept to nurse the imperial princes and princesses. Even a minor official in the prime minister's household holds a certain rank; how could the status of these wet nurses who nursed royalty be ordinary?"
"Especially the wet nurse of the reigning emperor, her status was even higher, and she interacted with the emperor from a young age. The emperor would even heed the wet nurse's advice."
"But, but it still doesn't seem that remarkable," Cai Yiming's face flushed, but he couldn't help but grit his teeth and refuse to concede.
Qi Tongwei looked at him. "Do you know Wei Zhongxian, the great traitor of the Ming Dynasty? It was by colluding with the emperor's wet nurse that he gained immense favor, eventually jointly usurping the emperor's power and controlling the court."
"And this wet nurse lived in the Naizifu. Now do you understand?"
"Ah!" Cai Yiming exclaimed in shock. A mere wet nurse could influence state affairs to such an extent; it was simply astonishing.
If someone else had told him this, he would have thought that person was crazy.
But the one saying it was Qi Tongwei, so he couldn't doubt it at all. His heart was filled with awe!
No wonder a small teapot from such an unconventional place was so valuable!
If they could influence state affairs and control the Son of Heaven, even a wet nurse's belongings would certainly not be ordinary.
Li Yang smiled. "Curator Qi is truly knowledgeable and well-read. Due to the special circumstances of the Ming Dynasty Naizifu wet nurses, all the utensils used by the Naizifu were essentially maintained at the same level as the imperial household."
"That's why this small teapot is so valuable. If it were in another dynasty, a wet nurse would just be a wet nurse. Regarding her belongings, even setting aside their value, whether they could even have the name of the mansion engraved on them is another matter."
"Little Cai, did you hear that?" Qi Tongwei said.
Cai Yiming said shamefully, "I apologize, Curator. I was ignorant and embarrassed you."
"I don't want you to say that. What's embarrassing or not? There is so much knowledge in the world; even the smartest person throughout history might not know everything," Qi Tongwei said. "I just want you to correct your attitude, and it would be best if you apologized to Boss Li. Don't be too impulsive in the future and speak up without thinking."
"I apologize, Curator." Cai Yiming was so ashamed he almost cried, his voice choked with emotion. "I apologize, Boss Li. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that earlier. Please forgive me."