Chapter 10 The Antique Market (Part 2)

  The antique market holds a trading fair every month, in an open-air venue, which is a prototype of the auction. Every time the antique trading fair takes place, many people conduct transactions. The industry rule is "no fake goods in the antique market". The antique market is a special industry, with its own rules and conventions according to its characteristics. The industry emphasizes "one hand pays money, one hand delivers goods".

  As for whether the goods purchased are genuine or fake, the buyer must acknowledge and there is no return policy. Therefore, whether the buyer can buy genuine products depends on their own judgment.

  After all, the number of genuine products that appear in this transaction is much more than those on the street stalls, and the price is also cheaper than those in antique shops. If you are lucky enough to encounter a genuine product, it's like being promoted to the ranks of the rich. Many people also take out fake products for trading, hoping to encounter someone who doesn't understand the trade and cheat one person after another. Therefore, the water in this line of antiques is very deep.

  The transaction has not yet begun. The venue of the transaction is a small square in the center of the antique market, where a small stage was set up by the Antique Market Management Committee to host the transaction conference.

  The transaction conference is divided into two parts. One part is to set up a special trading table around the stage, which is similar to a street stall. People can ask prices and buy freely. The other part is to put some important collections on the stage, and the seller introduces his own antiques, then people below bid freely.

  All these were known to Tang Ling after asking an old man, who also seemed to be a veteran collector. According to the old man, he would come to every transaction meeting, and this time he happened to see a little girl in the crowd, which sparked his interest, so he chatted with Tang Ling for a few more sentences, and unexpectedly found that they had a great conversation, the two of them were very happy chatting, Tang Ling learned a lot about antiques from the old man, Tang Ling listened with great interest, and the old man was even happier.

  The more they talked, the brighter the old man's eyes became when looking at Tang Ling. In the end, he no longer treated Tang Ling as a child, his face filled with excitement. He couldn't believe that this young girl could say things that would make people's eyes light up. The old man had the idea of forgetting their age difference and forming a mentorship. Having an antique predecessor to guide her was something Tang Ling desired.

  "Grandfather Wei, you mean this antique market can also gamble on stones?" Tang Ling was somewhat surprised, she had always thought that the antique market only conducted transactions of antiques, and did not expect that they could also gamble on stones.

  What is called gambling on jade, is actually a gamble on jade stones. This is an industry of great joy and sorrow. Tang Ling has always liked jade, but the price of good jade is too high. For Tang Ling, it's "can only be admired from afar, not to be trifled with".

  Wei Lao nodded mysteriously and chuckled, "That's a given, but..."

  "Wei Lao lowered his voice, 'As for the stone gambling, the Huaxia government neither supports nor opposes it. Therefore, the location of the stone gambling cannot be too public, and generally only insiders know the specific time and place.'"

  Looking at Wei Lao's mysterious appearance, Tang Ling was delighted to see that she had asked the right person today. It was clear that this Wei Lao was the "insider" he had mentioned.

  Tang Ling's eyes lit up, and she smiled sweetly, "I wonder if Grandfather Wei can take me to experience it too!"

  She is too young and many things are restricted for her, she needs someone to guide her.

  "Oh? Little Tang still wants to gamble with stones?"

  Wei Lao somewhat disagreed. No matter how mature and steady this young Tang was, she was still just a child after all. Gambling on stones really wasn't suitable for her!

  Tang Ling knew what Wei Lao was thinking, and said with a smile, "I just want to see the world!" Tang Ling's cunning smile, "I also want to be as knowledgeable as Grandpa Wei!"

  Wei Lao burst out laughing and said: "This little devil is really clever, he even knows how to flatter!"

  However, Wei Lao was still very happy in his heart. His family's children and grandchildren were not interested in these things, except for his youngest grandson from outside the family, which made Wei Lao very depressed! Now that he had finally met Tang Ling, this "treasure", he naturally loved her especially.

  "Haha! Does Little Tang really want to go?" Wei Lao asked again.

  "Am I going to have to make fun of this matter with Old Man Wei?" Tang Ling raised her head and smiled at Old Man Wei, her eyes fixed firmly on his.

  Wei Lao smiled and nodded, "This weekend there's a stone gambling game, 8 o'clock in the morning at this place, I'll bring Xiao Tang to experience it!"

  Tang Ling's eyes curved into a smile as she nodded and said, "Then I'll thank Grandfather Wei first."

  Of course, Tang Ling was not an impatient person and would not easily believe strangers. She saw a thread of auspicious air from Wei Lao, and her eyes could now see not only the mist on objects but also faintly see the mist on people!

  It's just like Wei Lao, she knows that what she sees is a peaceful aura, this Wei Lao must be an extraordinary person. And from the young man who just threw away the big stone, she seems to have seen a wisp of black air, she doesn't know where this black air comes from, nor can she figure out whether this black air represents some kind of ominous energy. It seems that Xiao Hui has brought her physical changes, and she still needs to slowly explore them herself!

  Just as Tang Ling's thoughts were wandering, the host on stage brought back her attention.

  "Everyone, please be quiet. The transaction is about to begin. Everything will follow the principle of 'sold as seen' and no returns are allowed. I hope everyone has a smooth transaction!" The host on stage made a brief opening remark. There was a trading session every month, and almost everyone who came here understood the rules, so there was no need to say much.

  "Old Wang, have you heard? This time in the free bidding, there's a bronze Buddha statue from the Kangxi period. I don't know if it's genuine."

  "Who doesn't know, I came for it, and must carefully identify it."

  "You've also heard? But all the antiques He Quan has dealt with before are fake! You have to be careful and examine them well before making a move, or you'll end up with counterfeit goods!" The term "counterfeit goods" refers to buying fakes. These professional terms were just explained by Old Wei to Tang Ling.

  "There's something big, you definitely don't know!"

  "What's going on?" Everyone looked at the speaker with a curious expression that spoke volumes.

  "Liu Zhanpeng, you all know him, right?"

  "Liu Zhanpeng, who doesn't know him? In the past, he was the big shot in this city's antique and jade circle, but that's all in the past now. He's not capable of it anymore."

  "He's bankrupt from playing with jade stones, today he has to pawn that precious treasure of his."

  "Zhen Bao Zhai? Only fools would buy it! Who doesn't know that Zhen Bao Zhai is now just an empty shell, all the valuable antiques and jade items inside have been taken away to pay off debts!"

  "Isn't it? Alas, this guy is quite unlucky. After all the trouble he's been through, I reckon it's impossible for him to make a comeback!"

  Tang Ling listened to the people around her talking in a low voice, with a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth and a flash of sharp light in her eyes!

  Liu Zhanpeng? Zhenbaozhai? Maybe it's a good opportunity!

  Digression

  Sister, sister? Want to know what happens next?

  Come on, come on! Let's have some fun first!