Old Chentou's cloudy eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness, and he looked at Li Chonglou with interest, saying, "Young man, tell me about it."
"I've been dealing with this for a lifetime. Although I never thought of selling it, I still want to know its worth."
Since the agarwood was revealed, no less than ten people have come intermittently.
They were all glib and eloquent, but he knew exactly what they were after.
They were all after this thing.
He was a farmer, uneducated, but not foolish.
Since Fatty was willing to pay five hundred thousand, it meant its value was far greater.
"Since ancient times, agarwood has been a precious medicinal ingredient, ranking first among the four precious scents: agarwood, sandalwood, aloe, and musk," Li Chonglou said slowly. "Kinan agarwood is the king of agarwood."
"Taking 0.8 beads as the standard, the price per gram is over ten thousand."
"Even the powder is not less than a thousand per gram."
"But whether it's antiques or cultural relics, the same item still has different grades."
"Agarwood has harsh formation conditions, requiring the wood to rot and grow agarwood fungus, so the integrity of the wood cannot be guaranteed."
"In simpler terms, the bigger and more complete it is, the more valuable it is. Anything exceeding 2.0 millimeters in diameter cannot be priced by gram."
"A string of Kyan agarwood prayer beads with a diameter of 1.5 millimeters on the market can fetch three to five million."
"The one you have in your hand exceeds 5.0 millimeters in diameter, is intact with no cracks, and is extremely dense with oil. It is undoubtedly top-grade, conservatively estimated at over ten million."
"As for its medicinal effects, you can look it up online. It can save a life in critical moments. Keep it as a memento."
His words filled Old Chentou with emotion, and tears welled up in his eyes. "That's right. We found this item when we saved a Vietnamese refugee. My comrade's family had deep scholarly roots and said that agarwood could save lives."
"But my little beast of a son is always thinking of selling it cheaply..."
"I wish I could disown him!"
The words stopped at the tip of his tongue, and Old Chentou swallowed them back.
He had remained unmarried his entire life to repay a debt of gratitude, to raise his comrade's son.
But this unfilial son had forgotten his roots.
He even wanted to sell the only relic left by his own father to gamble.
This matter tormented him with guilt every day.
Seeing this, the horse-faced man's expression turned grim, as if he had eaten feces.
They had already dug up Old Chentou's house thoroughly. Besides a pile of broken pots that weren't even glazed, this was the only treasure.
Now that the price had been revealed by Li Chonglou, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven for them to find a bargain.
His expression contorted, and he hatefully got up, leaving behind a harsh warning: "Kid, you've ruined our good deed. You'll get your comeuppance sooner or later!"
With that, he left resentfully.
Fatty, however, pulled out his phone, took a photo of Li Chonglou, and left without a word.
But as he turned, a venomous glint flashed in his eyes.
Xu Lie saw it all.
"Young man, thank you..."
After a moment of contemplation, Old Chentou sniffled gratefully and said, "I may be old, but my eyes are still sharp. You are different from them."
"Let me get you some water."
As he stood up, he heard Li Chonglou say, "You're welcome. I'm also here to collect items."
"It's just that I don't have much money on me. I can't afford the Big Treasure. Since you've been an excavator operator your whole life,"
"You must still have some things at home, right?"
Old Chentou nodded upon hearing this, "I do, but the valuable ones were all sold off by that little beast."
"Now only some broken pots are left. Many people have seen them, but no one was interested."
"I want them!" Li Chonglou said with a smile. "I'll start from scratch; I don't mind broken things. If it's convenient, please show me."
"Follow me," Old Chentou said, his body trembling as he walked towards the back of the house.
Li Chonglou gave Xu Lie a look and followed behind.
Passing through the main hall, they reached the backyard.
In the courtyard, a pile of porcelain jars were stacked haphazardly.
Many were still covered in dirt, some broken, some completely shattered, all of them oil-drop crystal glazed porcelain.
This kind of craftsmanship died out after the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty. Although some are being imitated now, due to improvements in craftsmanship and purification of materials, their exquisiteness far surpasses that of ancient times.
This has led most people to reject the slightly rougher genuine articles.
However, their historical value is undoubtedly not low.
But Yaozhou kiln, such a niche kiln type, would be misjudged by anyone who hasn't specialized in ceramic collectibles for twenty to thirty years.
No wonder they were piled here and hadn't been sold yet.
Old masters would never come to such places; only antique dealers would, and their own standards are quite limited.
It can be considered a fortunate coincidence.
"You look around and pick anything useful," Old Chentou said, dragging out a few rotten jars and throwing them on the ground.
Li Chonglou's heart ached at the sight.
He quickly stopped the rough movement, "Let me, let me."
He beckoned Xu Lie, and they began to catalog them one by one, not even letting go of the broken porcelain shards.
After working for more than ten minutes, the cataloging was complete.
There were only three intact bowls and jars, and over twenty with chipped corners or edges.
"Old Mr. Chen, please name your price," Li Chonglou had a good idea of the value.
"Since you are straightforward, I will be too. All of it for two thousand yuan!" Old Chentou's eyes sparkled.
He wasn't a fool.
He was grateful to Li Chonglou, but when it came to selling something, he wouldn't lose a cent.
Since Li Chonglou saw value in them, then these items were indeed valuable.
"You're asking the sky-high price, so don't blame me for offering a low price," Li Chonglou said with a smile. "Two thousand, and I'll take them."
"If you have any doubts, I won't force you."
Old Chentou rolled his eyes, feigning a troubled expression, and nodded, "Okay, two thousand is fine."
"But I have a condition."
"Please tell me."
"My son's name is Chen Zhenghe. This little beast is always eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, and not doing any honest work."
Old Chentou sighed, "Help me send him a message, tell him that the treasure I have is worth ten million."
"And that I plan to donate it to the country after my death."
"You want him to turn over a new leaf and mend his ways?" Li Chonglou saw Old Chentou's intention. "I can agree to the condition, but I can't guarantee he will do as you wish."
Old Chentou was just an ordinary farmer, having dealt with people his whole life, but he couldn't comprehend human nature.
Human nature is greedy and self-serving. If Chen Zhenghe knew about this,
He might rack his brains to steal the items from him, and might even resort to murder for wealth.
Mending his ways was likely as difficult as reaching the sky.
"Alright, take them," Old Chentou waved his hand.
Li Chonglou immediately transferred the money. Two thousand yuan arrived in the account. He got a large bamboo basket and signaled Xu Lie to carry the items out of the courtyard.
After walking a hundred meters out of the courtyard, Xu Lie, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but ask, "Chonglou, are these things really valuable?"
He had traveled more than thirty kilometers to find a bargain, only to end up with a pile of junk.
He wouldn't even bother picking them up if they were placed in front of him.
Yet Li Chonglou spent two thousand yuan.
He really couldn't understand it.
"Different trades have different expertise. Brother Xu, you're a good fighter, but you're an amateur when it comes to appraisal."
Li Chonglou explained with a smile, "This is Yaozhou kiln oil-drop crystal glazed porcelain."
"Just those three complete pieces are worth over five hundred thousand."
"As for that pile of junk, it might be useless to others, but after I restore them, I can sell each one for fifty to sixty thousand."
With these items, he could turn them over to Lü Yunxu and secure the money he promised Liu Zhiru.
This was still far from enough. If he could restore the damaged ones, the startup capital for Wu Hao could also be solved.
But this would require a lot of time and energy.
He couldn't get the capital now and could only leave them in Donglin for the time being.
Xu Lie's eyes widened in astonishment, "So expensive? Then why didn't you just take them? What if he didn't sell them for two thousand?"
Li Chonglou's words severely challenged his decades of understanding.
He had also watched appraisal shows. Those treasures worth tens of millions, which ones didn't look magnificent and shiny?
He never would have imagined that this inconspicuous pile of oil drops could multiply in value so much.
"This is what's called finding a bargain. Actually, the old man asking for twenty thousand wasn't expensive, but I couldn't agree. 'Asking the sky-high price, offering a low price' is the industry rule," Li Chonglou explained. "It's to make the seller feel better."
"This extra money is actually the value of insight."
"If I don't buy them, this pile of things will sit at home for at least ten years without anyone asking about them."
"So neither party loses."
Hearing this, Xu Lie was full of admiration, but his heart was filled with doubts.
Li Chonglou, at his age, possessed such vast knowledge and acted with such meticulous planning. What had he experienced to reach such a state?
The two of them hailed a taxi and headed straight for Donglin.
After storing the items, Li Chonglou called Huang Yongshou.
As soon as the call connected, the other end exclaimed with lingering fear, "Li... Boss Li, I saw Zhao Yecheng being arrested with my own eyes."
"It's not about that."
Li Chonglou asked, "Do you know Chen Zhenghe? Find a time for me to meet him."
"Heh, what a coincidence."
Huang Yongshou breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled slyly, "Chen Zhenghe just said he's bringing a friend this afternoon at two o'clock to sell something and asked me to introduce a buyer."
"Do you want to take the opportunity to meet him?"
"Yes, I'll find a potential buyer," Li Chonglou readily agreed.
He would deliver what Old Mr. Chen said, but not in its original form.
To ensure that Chen Zhenghe wouldn't get greedy for wealth and also to help him mend his ways, he had to put in some effort.
However, this was not a problem for Li Chonglou.
He considered it a thank-you for the bargain Old Mr. Chen had given him.
Besides this, Li Chonglou had other plans. These few bottles and jars were far from enough. Perhaps he could get clues to other bargains from Chen Zhenghe.
Seeing that it was still early, he took Xu Lie to the hospital to introduce him to his mother.
Then, he found Huang Qishan and confirmed the surgery for nine-thirty tomorrow morning.
After finishing these matters, he called Lü Yunxu.
He informed her to meet him at the Confucian Temple at two in the afternoon to collect items that would replace the sweet white glaze.
He planned to go to Donglin after collecting them and transfer the three recently acquired bargains to Lü Yunxu.
Tomorrow morning, he would repay Liu Zhiru.
Being debt-free, the Jiang family would then have no reason to force him to divorce!
Around half past one, Li Chonglou and Xu Lie headed straight for the Confucian Temple antique market.
He used to frequent this place in his past life, practicing his appraisal skills and picking up small bargains.
As soon as they got out of the car, they saw Huang Yongshou standing at the entrance, holding a small bag, a cigarette between his lips, chatting merrily with two young men.
One of them was tall and thin, with swollen eyelids, looking as if he hadn't slept, likely Chen Zhenghe.
The other made Li Chonglou's brow furrow in alarm.
While Huang Yongshou and the other two hadn't seen him, he took Xu Lie into the nearby public restroom.
He sent a message: "I can't make it, the buyer will be here soon."
"You entertain them first."
Standing next to Huang Yongshou and Chen Zhenghe was none other than Jiang Tao, the one who had been relentlessly pressuring him to divorce!