Hearing the shop assistant's flattering words, Su Yebing was actually quite clear that he had bought this big gourd at a slightly inflated price, but he didn't care at all, as long as he liked it.

He took the sour plum drink, finished it in one gulp, and naturally enjoyed the ice-cold sensation.

He even asked Nong Qingying with a smile, "How is it? Did you come back to life? It's almost exploded outside today. It's still most comfortable to drink iced water and blow on the air conditioner."

Nong Qingying said unhappily, "Then why don't you hurry home? I really believed your nonsense. Instead of staying at home, you came all the way here. I thought Hong Kong was in the south, and the temperature was higher than the north, but I didn't expect it to be even hotter here."

"Hong Kong is close to the sea, so it naturally cools down. It's also good to sweat a little in the summer..."

The shop assistant didn't understand Cantonese, and couldn't figure out what they were here for. Anyway, he just felt that they must be very rich.

The jade pendant that Su Yebing had taken out earlier was still hanging outside his clothes. This assistant's eye was much more discerning than the small vendors. He understood it at a glance. He had never seen such a green and transparent good jade in his life, and the price was more expensive than some ancient jades.

Patiently, he waited for Su Yebing to finish chatting with Nong Qingying and quiet down.

The assistant wore a smile on his face, and asked tentatively, "Are you here to cool off, or to buy and sell items? Anyway, the air conditioner is always on. We treat everyone who comes in as a guest, and we never drive people away. It's just that the shopkeeper asked me to repair an old book, and there's still a lot of work to be done. Why don't you take a look around first?"

His words were clear and round, and sounded pleasant to the ear.

Su Yebing felt that it was similar to what he had seen on TV in the past. As expected of a business with knowledge and history, it was more interesting than those saleswomen in Hong Kong.

He waved his hand.

Su Yebing put down his cup and said, "Don't rush to get busy. I'm here to buy something, of course. At my grandfather's house, there are valuable old things on a *bogujia* (antique display shelf), such as Yuan blue and white porcelain, Xuande incense burners, Zhou Dynasty bronzes, Chenghua doucai jars, Song Dynasty ancient paintings, etc., which have raised my standards. Don't take out ordinary things. What treasures does the store have?"

The assistant felt that Su Yebing was very rich, but after all, he knew nothing about him, and it was just a feeling.

There were many swindlers pretending to be rich these days, especially in the antique business, which was rampant. For a moment, he couldn't make up his mind, so the assistant smiled and asked tentatively:

"Young master, may I ask who your grandfather is? Not to mention bronzes and Xuande incense burners, even Song Dynasty ancient paintings, there are not many even in the Forbidden City, right? It has been more than seven hundred years since then, and it is not easy to preserve calligraphy and paintings to this day."

After hearing this, Su Yebing vaguely guessed that he was checking his background, and smiled happily:

"My grandfather is a doctor who runs a hospital in Hong Kong and his surname is Tang. I guess he hasn't been active in the capital. Some time ago, an auction was held in Hong Kong, and my grandfather bought a Yuan blue and white porcelain plate worth more than ten million. You can introduce it with confidence. The Bank of China has given me a credit line of several hundred million, so I won't be short of money to buy things."

"...I have indeed heard of that plate. It's a real good thing. At this year's spring auction of the Pacific Auction Company, a *Jiu Niu Tu* (Nine Oxen) by Master Li Keran only sold for 3.3 million."

The assistant still didn't fully believe it, but their main store was in Liulichang, and this Panjiayuan was just a branch, so they were not afraid of being deceived.

Anyway, he was only responsible for the introduction, and the rest would be left to the boss to worry about.

Su Yebing gave a light "yi" sound, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Li Keran? I don't know many painters. Besides Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, and Xu Beihong, there is also Li Keran. It seems that there is a painting called *Wan Shan Hong Bian* (Thousands of Hills in Red), which is very expensive, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, that is a masterpiece, and *Wan Shan Hong Bian* is not just one painting. Old Man Li painted a total of seven paintings, all of which are rare treasures. At the upcoming auction of Hanhai this year, there will also be a *Qingshan Feipu Tu* (Green Mountains and Flying Waterfalls) by Fu Baoshi. The two are evenly matched, and their masterpieces are not worried about selling."

Well, Su Yebing also had some impression of this one. It seemed that he had painted paintings on the walls of the Great Hall of the People.

He asked casually, and it was indeed the case.

Out of interest, Su Yebing leaned against the glass counter and asked, "If I want to buy a *Wan Shan Hong Bian*, can your store help me find it? And is it okay if I want to buy the painting that is going to be sent to auction now? I don't know many people in the capital, and I don't have the eye for picking treasures. Please help me as a consultant. I will definitely not skimp on the hard work fee."

"...Really?"

"Do I get candy if I lie to you? As long as it is a truly rare treasure, I want it."

As soon as Su Yebing finished speaking, he looked at Nong Qingying and winked, and continued, "I seem to have found a new pleasure. I can participate in more auctions in the future. Anyway, my family is building a new house, and there will be a collection room reserved for it, so there is no shortage of places to put it."

"It's over, how much money will that cost?"

"Buying these things is not spending money, it's just an investment. There is an opportunity to appreciate in the future. It's a pity that I missed the good time. Those who entered the industry early like my grandfather have already made a fortune. A chicken cup only cost more than one million."

After hearing what Su Yebing said, the assistant couldn't help but ask, "Young master, do you really have a chicken cup? Chenghua doucai?"

"It's not the Imperial Jade Seal of Qin Shi Huang, why brag about it? It's just placed in my family's vault, and I've even used it to drink tea. By the way, I also like small tea cups and other things. When I get older, I'll keep them for drinking tea..."

If he only believed 50% before, now the assistant already believed 80%.

Su Yebing's momentum is something that ordinary swindlers can't really learn. Moreover, business is about clearing money and goods. It is no longer an era where you can swindle fools everywhere just by speaking this Hong Kong accent. There have been many cases of foreign businessmen defrauding in newspapers. What's the use of pretending to be like someone if you can't take out money when buying things?

After hesitating for a moment, the assistant said:

"I don't know who has the *Wan Shan Hong Bian*. I'll inquire about it everywhere. I should be able to find it, after all, there are seven paintings in total, and someone will always want to transfer it. But the boss of Hanhai Auction House knows our main store manager. It's not cheap to buy it in advance, but as long as you really want to buy it, it should be possible to negotiate. In addition, there is also a Song Dynasty Guan Kiln Cong-shaped Vase that is clearly authentic, as well as a Qianlong famille rose floral Tianqiu Vase. Each item may be several million..."

Seeing that the assistant was testing him again, Su Yebing didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said:

"My old man came to the capital in person and is talking to the higher-ups about an investment of 5 billion RMB. He just spent 1.7 billion to acquire land in Pengcheng last year. Do you think I look like someone who lacks this little money? But let me say in advance, I won't spend money indiscriminately even if I have money. If the price is not right, I don't want the best things. Going out to spend money is to buy happiness, not to be a fool."

Hearing this number, the assistant not only didn't believe it, but instead felt that he was more like a swindler.

After thinking about it, he thought it wouldn't hurt to talk, so he simply called the manager first, only saying that he had brought in a big business that he couldn't handle.

After the manager arrived and chatted with Su Yebing for a while, he suggested going to the main store in Liulichang together to see the three good things in their store, which were Qi Baishi's *Hundred Shrimps*, a Northern Song Dynasty Ding Kiln carved octagonal bowl, and a Qianlong imperial white jade *jiao long niu* (intertwined dragon knob) treasure seal.

Among them, the Northern Song Dynasty Ding Kiln bowl is even the treasure of Rongbaozhai. It has to be said that this store does have some foundation, and even has the strength to open an auction house.

Originally, no one could make up their mind and was skeptical about Su Yebing.

Unexpectedly, Su Yebing first negotiated a price of 17 million RMB, and immediately proposed to go to the Forbidden City to find a few old masters to help take a look. As long as it was real, he would take it all...