Chapter 266 – Appraisal experts! (2/2)
Dong Xuebing was excited when he heard this and asked. “What sort of antiques?”
Xiao Shi shook his head. “There are vases, bottles, and a few others, which I don’t even know what they are called.”
Dong Xuebing took a deep breath. His blood was boiling with excitement. He had gotten an important clue from Xiao Shi and Manager Ma’s interaction. Why did they get Xiao Shi to appraise antiques? Even if he had stolen antiques before, he is not an expert. It will be easier to get an appraiser from an antique company to appraise those antiques. The only explanation is the stolen relics from the Provincial Museum is with them, and they are worried to let those experts appraise them. That’s why they need to get someone who knows about antiques within the company to appraise them.
Another possibility is the antiques are bought from the people who stole from the museum by Manager Ma’s boss, and he is worried that the relics were fake. Liu Shen Jade’s suit might be easy to identify, but the rest of the items will be hard to appraise. Manager Liu needs someone to verify the authenticity of the rest of the relics now!
Yes!
This must be the reason!
Dong Xuebing knew this is an opportunity for him to enter the inner circle. He must not miss this opportunity!
When they were about to enter the bathroom, Dong Xuebing saw the Crew Cut walking out from the corner of his eyes.
Dong Xuebing reacted quickly and pretended not to see him. He told Xiao Shi. “I made and sold counterfeit antiques in the past.”
Xiao Shi asked curiously. “Really?”
“Yes. The technique is passed down from my parents’ generation.” Dong Xuebing said.
The Crew-cut looked at Dong Xuebing and said. “Xie Hao!”
Dong Xuebing pretended to notice him and walked over quickly. “Brother Liu.”
The Crew-cut looked at Dong Xuebing and asked. “You made fake antiques before?”
“No… no… I was talking rubbish.” Dong Xuebing laughed awkwardly and did not admit it.
The Crew-cut gave Dong Xuebing a stare. “Follow me!”
In an office.
The Crew-cut brought Dong Xuebing into an office, and Ma Wentao and a few men in suits were inside.
Ma Wentao frowned when he saw the Crew-cut entering the office. “What do you want?”
The Crew-cut quickly replied. “Manager Ma, I overheard this guy saying he was in the antique trade.”
“Oh?” Ma Wentao took a glance at Dong Xuebing. “Really?”
Dong Xuebing waved his hands nervously. “No… I was talking nonsense earlier.”
The Crew-cut shouted at Dong Xuebing. “Just speak the truth! We are not going to send you to the police station! What’s there to be afraid of?!”
Dong Xuebing did not reply.
Ma Wentao looked at Dong Xuebing and said. “I remember your surname is Xie, right? Xiao Xie, I had bought a few antiques earlier. If you can check the authenticity of these antiques, you will be promoted to be a lobby manager, and I can give you what you want. Don’t be afraid, ok?”
Dong Xuebing hesitated for a while and nodded.
Ma Wentao continued. “Do you know about antiques?”
After being forced, Dong Xuebing ‘finally’ told them the truth. “It was a long time ago. I had worked for a few relatives to make counterfeit antiques and cultural relics for sales. After that, we are wanted by the police, and I went into hiding at Brother Bao’s workshop.”
Ma Wentao understood why Dong Xuebing refused to admit. He is afraid of getting arrested. “That means you know about antiques, right?”
Dong Xuebing scratched his head. “A little.”
Ma Wentao thought for a while and waved to the Crew-cut to ask him to leave. Only Ma Wentao and a few bodyguards remained in the office. “Xiao Xie, I have a few antiques with me, and I want you to take a look.” Ma Wentao looked at a man in a suit, and that man took out a few boxes from a cabinet. Ma Wentao continued. “Don’t be nervous. If you can identify these items correctly, you will follow me in the future.”
The man opened the first box on the left.
Dong Xuebing looked at that item and was disappointed. This is not one of the stolen relics. But Dong Xuebing immediately understood that Ma Wentao is testing him. The stolen relics cannot be shown to outsiders easily, and he is using other antiques to test Dong Xuebing. If Dong Xuebing can appraise these antiques, he will prove his capabilities. He will have an opportunity to see the stolen relics later. Dong Xuebing walks over and starts to examine that antique.
This antique is a broken porcelain container and seems old.
But Dong Xuebing, who had been dealing with antiques, knew the appearance does not mean anything. There is a technique in the antique trade that is called age faking.
Dong Xuebing felt Manager Ma is going to test him and should not be using real antiques. He organized his words in his head and made a wild guess. “This should be a fake. It might look old, but it is from a method called age faking. Look here and here… it is too obvious.”
Ma Wentao frowned and asked his men to open the next box.
It looks like a rosewood bracelet. The surface is smooth and looks like it had been held in someone’s hand for years.
Dong Xuebing thought for a while. For someone to be holding it for years, it should not be fake and should be one of Ma Wentao’s prized antique. “This is rosewood, and the color is real. This should be authentic.”
Ma Wentao asked his men to open the last box.
It is an antique coin, and there are signs of corrosion on it. The words “Zhi Zheng Zhi Bao” is written on it.
Dong Xuebing knew it is not easy to fabricate a fake ancient coin because the cost is high. He pretended to examine the coin for a while and said. “This is an authentic coin and should be from the Ming Dynasty. This coin is quite rare and should worth a lot.” Dong Xuebing said and looked at Ma Wentao.
WTF?! Ma Wentao’s face had changed and was smacking his lips impatiently. “Alright. You can go back now!”
Dong Xuebing paused for a second. “Errr… I got which wrong?”
The man standing beside Dong Xuebing sneered. “You are all wrong! You dare to claim that you know about antiques?”
Dong Xuebing argued. “Impossible!”
Before Ma Wentao brought these three items here, he had checked its authenticity with an antique company. That man saw Dong Xuebing refusing to leave and went over to drag him out. Dong Xuebing does not want to miss this opportunity and quickly ask which part he said was wrong.
That man smacked his lips and said. “You don’t know anything, and you dare to make fake antiques? That porcelain container is an authentic piece and has great historical value, but it is not worth a lot. That rosewood bracelet is fake, and the lacquer is painted on it later. The material is not rosewood and is only a wood that looks like rosewood. It is not worth anything. That coin is fake! Look at the wordings! The wordings are all crooked, and you dare to claim that coin is from the Ming dynasty?! Alright! Stop wasting time and get lost!” This man is the one who sent these items to the antique company for validations.
Dong Xuebing listened to him and cursed in his heart. Damn! I got all three items wrong!
But it is fine! I still have another chance!
BACK two minutes!
Everything in front of him flashed!
“Xiao Xie, I have a few antiques with me, and I want you to take a look.”
Ma Wentao asked his men to take out some items.
Time had returned to two minutes ago!
“Don’t be nervous. If you can identify these items correctly, you will follow me in the future.” Ma Wentao looks at Dong Xuebing with anticipation.
Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and picked up the porcelain container. “When we make fake antiques, we will not make it to this extend. From the markings, it should have been from quite long ago, and cannot be fake from age faking. However, this piece might be old, but it is not worth any money.”
Ma Wentao narrowed his eyes slightly. “Show him the next piece!”
The man took out the rosewood bracelet.
Dong Xuebing picked it up and played with it in his hands. “The lacquer is painted on later, and we used this method frequently in the past. This is to make the bracelet looks aged, and if this is rosewood, not many people will bear to do this. This is most likely a fake and is worthless.”
Ma Wentao’s heart skipped a beat. “Next.”
Dong Xuebing looks at the coin. “This coin?! The corrosions on it are stick onto the coin from other copper items. When I was making fake antiques, I had used this method too. But the words are all crooked and does not look like an authentic antique coin.”
Dong Xuebing finished his appraisal of the three items.
The few men in suits look at each other in shock.