239: Chapter 228 Business Without Capital 239: Chapter 228 Business Without Capital “Hehe, whatever the sisters-in-law fancy here today, I’ve got it covered; consider it my way of apologizing,” Mao Shan said.
“Don’t underestimate this auction house, though.
They really dare to take anything, whether it’s openly sourced or dug up from underground.
As long as you bring it to them, they’ll dare to give you a valuation.
Boss, you don’t know about the time they auctioned a Tang Sancai here; damn, the pottery still had mud on it, clearly just dug out from the ground.”
“Isn’t that more fun?
Who cares where the stuff comes from, as long as it’s good,” Song Yun said.
“It’s not just that.
The first floor is a very proper auction house, but the second floor is a different story.
They’ve got all sorts of messy things there, real or fake, we don’t know.
As long as you have a spot on the second floor, even if you buy a fake without being caught, no one will accuse you of fraud.
At most, it’s the buyer’s fault for being duped,” Mao Shan said mysteriously.
“This auction house is really domineering.”
“Heh, who cares.
If someone doesn’t inspect their purchase carefully, it’s their fault,” Song Yun laughed.
“Let’s go, take us for a good look at what this auction house is really like.”
Standing at the entrance of Panlong Auction House were four women dressed in Qipao, all of them strikingly beautiful and well-proportioned, with professional smiles on their faces.
Following behind Mao Shan, Song Yun entered the auction house, and two of the Qipao girls followed, while the others at the back stepped forward to greet the newcomers.
“Sir, are you here to shop or to sell?” a Qipao beauty asked with a smile.
“Oh, I wonder if you’d dare to take a burial object just dug up from underground,” Song Yun said cheerfully.
“This…” The Qipao beauty pondered for a moment and then smiled at Song Yun, “You can go in and talk to our manager about it.
We’ll definitely give you a fair price.”
“What’s fair about a business with no capital?” Song Yun said playfully.
But no sooner had he spoken than Li Shishi’s little hand stealthily reached up to his waist and relentlessly pinched his soft flesh for full 360 degrees.
Enduring the pain, Song Yun laughed, “Just kidding with you, we’re here to attend the auction.”
“Oh, since you’re here for the auction, please come this way.
We have staff who will take care of you,” the two Qipao beauties smiled professionally at Song Yun and then returned to their posts.
“You really hurt me,” Song Yun whispered into Li Shishi’s ear.
Li Shishi had never been so close to a man in public before; she pushed Song Yun away and said coquettishly, “Since you hit it off so well with those two beauties, why don’t you take care of them?
I’ve heard that in places like this, you can take someone with you as long as you pay the right price.”
“I’m sorry, miss, but we are working right now.
If you want to talk about outside business, please wait until we’re off the clock,” said the Qipao girl, her ears quite keen, as she smiled at Li Shishi.
Song Yun looked at Li Shishi and burst out laughing, but his glee soon turned to pain as his waist was almost twisted off by Li Shishi.
Song Yun swatted Li Shishi’s persistent hand from his waist irritably, “My dear grandma, you’ve been twisting me the whole way here.
If it weren’t for my decent physical fitness, this piece of meat would have been pinched off by now.”
“Serves you right,” Li Shishi muttered indignantly but refrained from reaching for him again.
“How come those two Qipao girls were all smiles when they first saw us, but then they turned so cold when they heard we were here for the auction?” Song Yun asked, puzzled.
Could there be a secret inside?
“The Qipao women at the door mainly receive people who come to shop or sell.
If they bring someone in, they get a commission.
But we’re here for the auction, and that high-end stuff isn’t under their purview.
Even if they’re nice to you, there’s no commission to be had,” Mao Shan explained.
“We’ll reach the auction site after we pass through the corridor ahead.”
“I’m really looking forward to this auction to see if I can find a family heirloom,” Song Yun said, stretching lazily.
Crossing the corridor revealed a much larger space than anticipated from the outside.
A Golden Splendor hall had four large cauldrons placed at its four corners.
These cauldrons looked like they might be from the Western Zhou period, but slightly different.
One thing for sure, they were big—each one about two to three meters high, adorned with flowers, vegetation, and figures.
Song Yun wasn’t an expert on these things and didn’t look too closely.
Mao Shan, on the other hand, patted Song Yun and chuckled, “These cauldrons are quite significant.
When the boss finished constructing this place, he had it evaluated.
The Feng Shui Master came and said that placing four cauldrons in each corner could gather winds and concentrate Qi.
And believe it or not, after that, the business of this auction house has indeed been booming.”
“Some people believe in that stuff, some don’t, but who can say what’s really true or false,” Song Yun laughed.
Nowadays, many people fish for fame by exploiting others, especially in this field.
Someone can skim through the I Ching, dress up in a practice outfit, and claim to be a master spouting quotations from the I Ching, creating an air of mystery.
Song Yun couldn’t stomach those who hung a lamb’s head while selling dog meat.
“Brother Yun, the auction isn’t starting yet.
Shall we look around somewhere else first?” Mao Shan asked.
“Does this place still have some hidden treasures?” Song Yun asked in surprise.
The auction house looked quite small from the outside, rather unremarkable once inside, but who would have thought that after passing through a few corridors it would suddenly open up, not to mention the second floor.
“Yeah, there are some, but those are only open to VIP customers.
The items inside might be ordinary, but still worth a look,” Mao Shan led the group into an elevator, which took them to the third floor.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, two burly men bowed and said, “This is the VIP area, please show your VIP card.”
“Did you guys get any new stock today?” Mao Shan asked, handing over a crystal card.
One security guard placed the card into a wall recess to verify the identity, and shortly after, a voice came through the walkie-talkie, “Identity confirmed.”
The two security guards returned the card to Mao Shan respectfully, “Today’s goods are all quite good.
If you’re interested, please feel free to have a look.”
Walking further in took them to the VIP area on the third floor, not very crowded.
Only a few people were slowly walking around in a space of over five hundred square meters.
“You guys go ahead and take a look first.
If you see anything you like, come tell me,” Song Yun told the already eager women with a smile.