The Ferry of Salvation

Chapter 98 Mutual Benefit Through Cooperation

Back at the hospital, Li Chonglou concealed the fact that he had encountered Xu Qianqian that day.

He didn't want Xu Lie to fly into a rage and further damage the relationship between the siblings.

Towards Xu Qianqian, Xu Lie acted more like a father, fiercely protective.

But it was precisely this deep-seated love that felt overwhelmingly heavy.

Concern morphed into control, pushing one to flee.

“Brother Xu, you should go back. I’ll stay here,” Li Chonglou patted Xu Lie’s shoulder, letting him leave work early.

He then made a call to inquire about Wu Hao’s recent activities and leads on the killer.

Only then did he enter the ward to spend the night with his mother.

The next morning, Tian Lingli entered Donglin with a middle-aged man wearing yellow rubber shoes, work clothes, and with dark skin and dull eyes.

The middle-aged man carried a large backpack, his gaze timid as he looked around.

“Chonglou, this is my cousin, Tian Shoucheng. He’s brought the items,” Tian Lingli brought him to the tea table and introduced, “Uncle, this is my classmate, Li Chonglou, the appraiser at this pawnshop.”

“He’s very knowledgeable about antiques, so it’s definitely right to have him examine your items.”

“Oh, alright, alright,” Tian Shoucheng nodded repeatedly, extending his joint-thickened hand to shake Li Chonglou’s.

He could clearly feel the man’s nervousness.

In broken Mandarin, he said, “Thank you for your trouble, mate.”

As he spoke, he laboriously took off his bag and placed it on the tea table.

With a clang, it was evident the contents were heavy.

Li Chonglou took the bag and opened it, taking items out one by one.

They were all bronze mirrors, including an eight trigrams mirror shaped like a purple flower, a perfectly round regulating mirror, as well as a nebula mirror, a sun mirror, and so on.

Various kinds, over twenty pieces in total.

They were either covered in verdigris or stained with red earth, clearly unearthed.

However, what puzzled him was that the color of the earth patina suggested they weren't unearthed in the current era, but had been kept for many years after being dug up.

This was also why he had asked Tian Shoucheng to come to Qinzhou.

The transaction of unearthed bronze artifacts was prohibited, but those unearthed before the founding of the People’s Republic of China and with a clear provenance were a different matter.

If these bronze mirrors were not unearthed after the founding of the PRC, then each one would be extremely valuable.

Among them, the most complete and historically significant was a Wu Zixu portrait mirror.

At the bottom of the bag was a pile of Han Dynasty Wuzhu bronze coins, which were of ordinary value and relatively common.

In the antique trade, money was not called money but "quan."

This term also originated from the Han Dynasty.

It was historically recorded that after Wang Mang usurped the throne from the Han Dynasty, due to the "gold" radical in characters like "qian" and "zhu," and the structure of "Mao Jin Dao" (卯金刀) in the traditional character for "Liu" (劉) sharing the "gold" component, he officially replaced "qian" with "quan."

Furthermore, because "quan" implied a continuous flow, meaning inexhaustible and never-ending.

Seeing these items, Li Chonglou’s eyelids twitched involuntarily.

The dozen or so photos he had seen last time were all nebula mirrors, far less impactful than the actual objects.

These items could basically be confirmed to have come from a large unearthed pit from the Han Dynasty.

Shuning County had a long history, and during the Han Dynasty, it was even a vassal state.

Many years ago, the Shuwangdeng Han tomb was unearthed, bringing great surprise to the archaeology community.

Later, many more Han Dynasty tomb clusters were discovered, and some large tombs could even be dug up when excavating foundations for residential areas.

“Where did you get these things from?” After examining them all, Li Chonglou said seriously, “Relics are different from heirloom antiques, especially bronze artifacts. If they were unearthed from a tomb after the founding of the PRC, their transaction is prohibited.”

“You need to be clear about this.”

“No, no, no, these were dug up from my family’s cellar,” Tian Shoucheng quickly waved his hands, explaining, “I was renovating a century-old house and when I was digging the foundation, I found an old cellar from before. They were packed in a wooden box.”

“Do you have photos?” Li Chonglou’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Tian Shoucheng opened his phone and handed over the photos he had taken at the time.

In the photos, it was indeed a box dug out from a cellar.

The patina was thick, the wood quality unclear, and it had already been broken during excavation.

These bronze mirrors and coins had fallen out of the box.

They were indeed not unearthed cultural relics.

Seeing this, Li Chonglou had a general idea.

These items were most likely acquired by an ancestor of the Tian family in the late Qing Dynasty from a large unearthed pit. Later, when war broke out, they were stored in the cellar.

Although it was only over a hundred years ago, the nature of the items had completely changed.

“Good! As long as they weren’t unearthed, there’s no problem,” Li Chonglou thought with secret delight.

These twenty-odd bronze mirrors were merely samples; the box clearly contained more.

Just from the nebula mirrors, he had seen over a dozen in the previous photos.

Such a variety was unprecedented.

“How much are you planning to sell them for?” Li Chonglou asked tentatively.

“I, I don’t know. Lili said you’re an expert, so please take a look for me,” Tian Shoucheng looked troubled.

He had no concept of these items. After digging them up, he had consulted many resources, but due to the illegality of bronze artifacts, he couldn't find any price information.

The old Tian family had entrusted him to bring these samples to Qinzhou to test the waters.

After selling them, the money would be divided among everyone.

Since it wasn’t solely his, he dared not quote a price.

“In the antique trade, the price of the same item differs depending on who is selling it,” Li Chonglou nodded and patiently explained, “For example, this nebula mirror could sell for about eighty thousand yuan in your hands, but in my hands, it might fetch a million.”

“Different channels, different customer bases, and different rarity will cause significant price fluctuations.”

“Similarly, I won’t offer a very high price if I buy these from you.”

“But when I sell them, I can get a lot more.”

Hearing these words, Tian Lingli and Tian Shoucheng were visibly moved.

This was a trade secret; why was Li Chonglou so generous in telling them?

Was he not afraid they wouldn't sell?

“Don’t doubt me. I’m being upfront because I have no intention of taking advantage of you,” Li Chonglou, seeing the doubt in their eyes, smiled, “Tian Lingli is my classmate, and you are her uncle. By all accounts, I shouldn’t take advantage of this situation, but we can cooperate!”

If it were three days ago, Li Chonglou would never have said these words.

It wasn’t that he feared Tian Shoucheng wouldn’t sell to him; after all, channels and knowledge were insurmountable advantages.

It was just that saying it would make them uncomfortable.

But now, it was different. After the wine reception, his relationship with Tian Lingli was no longer that of strangers. In the future, he might even need her to promote his live-streaming platform.

They were on the same boat now, and taking advantage wouldn’t be appropriate.

Besides, although the unit price wasn’t high, he couldn’t afford to buy them all himself.

However, if he couldn’t get a good deal, they could cooperate.

“How so?” Tian Lingli’s charming eyes lit up.

“I’ll help you find a buyer, and I’ll act as a broker, taking a 50% commission, what do you say?” Li Chonglou raised one hand, speaking without reservation.

Turning eighty thousand into a million was his value, and taking half was only reasonable.

Cooperation for mutual benefit!