Chapter 60

Song Haowen nodded in agreement. “If parents are present for a birthday celebration, we should be more formal. If there are no adults, we can keep it simple. Qian Youlai set the precedent today, and we can follow suit for future birthdays.”

“Wait for me, I’ll go out and buy a bottle of liquor to add to the celebration,” Song Haoran said, without waiting for objections from Wang Li and Qian Youlai, he strode out.

During dinner, Song Haowen and Qian Youlai shared a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), while the three ladies opted for a bottle of red wine.

 As the alcohol took effect, Song Haowen happily sang Cai Qin’s “Your Eyes” and Qi Qin’s “She of the Sleek Eyes.” Everyone thought these two songs were delightful and asked who wrote them.

Haowen proudly pointed to his nose and then burst into laughter.

Concerned, Zhu Hongyu asked, “These are such great songs. Will you sing them yourself, or let Nana sing them?”

Song Haowen generously replied, “I won’t sing outside anymore. Let Nana sing. Both of these songs suit her.”

Wang Li sighed, “It’s a pity my voice isn’t up to par. Either of these songs, if anyone sings, would become a hit. You’re really good to Nana.”

Suddenly, Ren Hua interjected, “Little Songzi, could it be that you’ve fallen for Nana?”

“Paaah! Don’t talk nonsense, or I’ll shut your mouth.” Song Haowen retorted.

Hongyu glanced at Song Haowen. “I think Little Songzi still prefers her sister.”

Song Haowen’s make a funny face, and argued, “Don’t be so absurd, okay? My feelings for both of them are the same as for you.”

“Is that so? I find it hard to believe. I’m afraid you’re torn between them,” Wang Li teased, initiating laughter from everyone.

Song Haowen pretended to be angry, stamping his foot and threatening to use his chopsticks to hit Wang Li. While she dodged, Wang Li continued, “Sisters, save me! … Are you in love? How else would you write love songs? And so sentimental, writing two in a row? It must be a spontaneous expression of your feelings.”

Inside, Song Haowen cried out unjustly. These two songs he wrote were simply plagiarize from his previous life. Where was the spontaneity and heartfelt expression? He gave the songs to Nana to sing without any ulterior motives

Moreover, these were just for show, not requiring much thought, let alone genuine emotion. However, he couldn’t speak the truth and defend himself, so he had to let everyone continue misunderstanding.

Among the girls present, Zhu Hongyu was the oldest at twenty-six, followed by Ren Hua, who was twenty-three, and Wang Li, who was twenty.

All of them were already at the age of adolescence. Wang Li was doing well, having Qian Youlai in her life, making her emotionally fulfilled.

Ren Hua, despite her age in the city not being considered old, she doesn’t have much pressure in her heart. Only Zhu Hongyu felt a bit uneasy. After all, she was already twenty-six, and even in the city, this age wasn’t considered young.

However, where was Zhu Hongyu’s knight in shining armor? She felt very lost and helpless.

The two love songs that Song Haowen sang just now hit her heart and fantasize various thoughts in her mind.

After dinner, Song Haowen suggested that everyone go back and rest early, advising against overtime after drinking.

When the house was left with only him, he first drank a cup of green tea to aid digestion, then went to the yard for a round of Wudang Fist. Feeling tired, he finally went back to his room to sleep.

The next day was Sunday, and in the morning, there were quite a few customers selling anteques. Originally, Song Haowen had planned to focus on acquiring high-quality items, waiting for their appreciation in value in a few years.

However, seeing many customers casually browsing at the store today, he suddenly thought that the reason the antique market was bustling in his previous life was related to the numerous shops and stalls.

Without items to sell, only focusing on acquisitions would attract fewer people, and many antique enthusiasts wouldn’t bother coming. On the contrary, if sales were conducted alongside acquisitions, it would draw in a large number of customers, even leading to better acquisitions.

Thinking of this, Song Haowen felt the need to change his business strategy. Some previously strictly rejected low-quality antiques and imitation antique items could also be acquired.

He even thought of bringing in a batch of goods from the south, placing them on the counter, and selling them at a lower price, even if it didn’t generate much profit. This way, he could gain popularity, attract customers, and make the acquisition business thrive more easily.

Today, whenever Song Haowen saw some well-preserved pendants, bracelets, bead strings, inkstones, pen holders, jade pieces, shells, folding fans, and carved nuclei, he acquired them all and then asked Wang Li to clear a counter.

He displayed these small items, marking up the prices by ten to twenty percent, and selling them to the public. Although the profit margin was not high, it attracted many customers and also boosted the sale of second-hand appliances.

Approaching eleven o’clock, the client Song Haowen had agreed to meet with Wang Li yesterday brought over the items. Song Haowen noticed that the client was in his forties or fifties, with an honest and slightly weary appearance.

Feeling that he was a sincere person, he invited him to sit down in the western room. From a faux leather briefcase, the client carefully took out a blue cloth bag and slowly opened it, revealing a small floral bowl in front of Song Haowen.

Song Haowen took the bowl and was surprised to find that it was a doucai chicken cup. However, he knew that genuine items of this kind were extremely rare.

In his previous life, only nineteen confirmed genuine pieces existed, and almost all circulating in the market were replicas. In 2014, an authentic Ming Chenghua doucai chicken cup was auctioned at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for approximately 280 million Hong Kong dollars. However, the price for replicas varied; high-quality imitations from the Qing Dynasty could still be valuable, but if they were folk imitations or modern reproductions, they might be worth only a few yuan each.

Unable to determine if this was genuine, Song Haowen asked the owner to provide some background about the bowl.

The man introduced himself as Jiang Ping, a resident of the northern mountains. He had purchased the bowl from an elderly farmer in his hometown.

The farmer claimed that his ancestors had served as high-ranking officials in the imperial court, and the bowl had been passed down through generations.

Uncertain of its value, the farmer sold it to Jiang Ping for a hundred yuan. After returning home, Jiang Ping had experts appraise it, some suggesting it was a Qing Dynasty imitation, while others claimed it might be from the Republican era.

There was no consensus. Jiang Ping was reluctant to sell it, but due to his poor health and urgent need for medical treatment, he had to sell the valuable cup for one thousand yuan.

Song Haowen expressed his reservations about purchasing the cup, stating that the risk was too high. In his opinion, it was unlikely to be a Ming Chenghua piece, and the chances of it being a Qing imitation were slim, resembling more like a Common imitation. However, if it turned out to be a contemporary creation, it would just be an ordinary cup worth only a few yuan.

Jiang Ping insisted that he was genuinely in need of money, and despite the risk, he believed the cup was valuable. He acknowledged Song Haowen’s expertise in business and offered to take the risk, suggesting a deal.

Song Haowen responded, “The value of this item doesn’t determine its price. I understand you need money, but the risk is too great. If you set a reasonable price, I might take a risk, but I can’t offer much.”

Jiang Ping asked, “How much can you offer then?”

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

“I see that you are an honest person, it seems you haven’t deceived me. The craftsmanship of this cup is indeed good. Let’s consider it genuine and make the purchase for the sake of the item. I’ll pay the original price, so you won’t incur any loss.”

“No, if I wanted to sell at the original price, I wouldn’t have come here. How about nine hundred!”

“Two hundred.”

“Nine hundred!”

“Three hundred.”

“Nine hundred.”

“Forget it, I won’t take it if you want more than three hundred. Take it away, who’s the fool here.”

“I firmly believe it’s a Qing imitation…”

“If it’s over three hundred, I won’t take it.”

Jiang Ping seemed determined. “Five hundred. Any lower, I won’t sell.”

“Show me your medical records. I want to know what illness you have.”

Jiang Ping took out the medical record card from his pocket and handed it to Song Haowen. Seeing the words “colon tumor,” Song Haowen understood that the man was not faking his illness, and the treatment for such a condition could be costly. After a brief hesitation, he said, “Alright, considering your illness, I’ll give you an extra two hundred yuan.” Saying this, he took out five hundred yuan and handed it to Jiang Ping. Jiang Ping thanked him and left, leaving the cup behind.

“Boss, it looks like we need to change the name of our store” said Wang Li, who had been watching silently.

“What’s going on?” Song Haowen was puzzled.

Ren Hua smiled and said, “She thinks you’ve turned this appliance repair shop into a charity shop.”

Zhuhongyu asked seriously, “Is there anyone doing business like you? Spending five hundred yuan on a broken bowl. At this rate, bankruptcy is not far off for this store.”

Song Haowen finally understood what was going on. He chuckled and patiently explained to everyone.

“Why do we do business? Of course, it’s to make money. But what’s the purpose of making money? Apart from satisfying our own and our family’s living needs, we should try to help people in need. Because you have the ability to do so, it’s just a matter of spending some money. This cup may not be valuable, it might not even be worth a hundred, but I can see that he has a severe illness and really needs money. Even if he intentionally brought a fake antique to deceive me, he must have thought about the reasons for doing so. If he wasn’t forced into a corner, how could he resort to such a measure? Besides, how many people in the world willingly let themselves be deceived?”

Zhuhongyu sighed, “I didn’t expect your moral standards to be so high.”

“Do you all think of me as someone who only cares about profit, a dishonest businessman only interested in money?” Song Haowen pretended to be angry.

“Giggle…” The three girls laughed awkwardly.

“Ah, if only this were a genuine Chenghua cup, how great that would be.” Song Haowen sighed, knowing it was impossible but still holding on to the dream. He thought, “I’ll go to the school this afternoon and find Professors Zheng Gang and Wang Qiang, hear what they have to say. If it can be proven to be a Qing imitation, it’s still considered a lucky find.”