Hearing Zhāng Bùfán's abrupt words, Lín Zuǒtóng, who was about to pay, stopped and turned her head.
“Classmate Bùfán, do you want to take a look?”
“Yes, such a good item, may I examine it closely? Uncle Chen, don't worry, if there are no problems, Zuǒtóng will transfer the money to you later.”
“Young man, it’s good that you’re interested in our country’s cultural relics and treasures, then you can take a look for us.” Boss Chen, not showing any displeasure, gestured for Zhāng Bùfán to pick it up and examine it.
Zhāng Bùfán carefully picked up the pen holder and examined it repeatedly in his hands. He didn't notice anything wrong, but his sixth sense told him that the pen holder had a problem.
A while later, Boss Chen saw that Zhāng Bùfán couldn't figure anything out:
“Little friend, what do you think? Is this pen holder a good item?”
At this time, Boss Chen was already a little impatient. What could a young person like him figure out? If it weren't for Lín Zuǒtóng, he would have made you put it down long ago.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Chen, for wasting your time. Can I look again? This item is truly exquisite.” Zhāng Bùfán smiled slightly.
Upon hearing this, Boss Chen’s nascent displeasure immediately dissipated. He thought, so he’s taken a liking to this pen holder. Let him look again.
“It’s not a waste of time, not at all. You two look first, I’ll attend to other customers.”
With that, Boss Chen got up and walked towards a few guests who had just entered from the other side.
“Classmate Bùfán, is there a problem?” As Lín Zuǒtóng asked, the others also looked at Zhāng Bùfán.
“I can’t tell for sure yet, but I feel that this item is not right.” Zhāng Bùfán lowered his voice.
“Ah? Old Zhang, you can’t just say things. If you happen to guess wrong, it’s School beauty Lin who will lose face.” Xú Yīzhōu whispered a reminder from the side.
“Exactly, Old Zhang, you can’t just act recklessly.” Yè Qiū and the others echoed.
“Don’t rush, I just feel something is off, I didn’t say it’s definitely fake.” Zhāng Bùfán looked up at Lín Zuǒtóng, “Zuǒtóng, is this Uncle Chen reliable?”
“He’s a long-time friend of my father’s, so he wouldn’t deceive me.”
Hearing this, Zhāng Bùfán realized he had to approach this from another angle.
That’s right, Tomorrow's Headlines.
Zhāng Bùfán cursed inwardly, how could I forget this.
“I’ll take a photo.” Zhāng Bùfán found an excuse, took out his phone, opened Tomorrow's Headlines, and found the task:
1. The host is requested to use their appraisal skill to find an item worth no less than 100,000 yuan to salvage. The item type is not limited.
2. Within the next fifteen days, the host is requested to earn a profit no less than the current assets in their stock account.
Task Reward:
1. The host can view domestic and international news within the next week, content is selectable.
2. Upon completion of the task, 10 bonus points will be awarded.
3. Intermediate Appraisal Skill
Given that the host has not learned any antique appraisal skills yet, Advanced Appraisal Skill is now being issued with a validity period of 15 days.
Upon successful task completion, the Intermediate Appraisal Skill will be downgraded to Beginner.
In case of task failure, the software will stop updating and pushing messages for one month, including but not limited to Tomorrow's Headlines.
Please confirm if you wish to accept the task. The Advanced Appraisal Skill will take effect immediately upon acceptance.
He clicked to confirm acceptance, and instantly, Zhāng Bùfán felt a lot of knowledge he hadn't learned before enter his mind.
Turning back to the pen holder on the table, in that instant, Zhāng Bùfán understood everything. It was a half-true, half-fake item.
However, how should he tell Lín Zuǒtóng? Telling her directly seemed difficult, but as a friend, seeing Lín Zuǒtóng being deceived, he couldn't bear it. Zhāng Bùfán was anxious.
“Classmate Bùfán, if there are no problems, I’ll make the payment. It’s almost noon,” Lín Zuǒtóng reminded him at this time.
“Um, Zuǒtóng, do you believe me? How about we get a different gift?” Zhāng Bùfán looked at Lín Zuǒtóng. At that moment, a voice in Lín Zuǒtóng’s heart told her: Believe him.
“I say, Old Zhang, is there really a problem?” Yè Qiū exclaimed.
“There is indeed a small problem. Zuǒtóng, do you want to discuss it with Uncle Chen and have him find something else for you?” Zhāng Bùfán knew this was indeed difficult to bring up.
Lín Zuǒtóng thought for a moment and nodded, “I’ll go call Uncle Chen over.”
In a short while, Boss Chen walked over, “How is it, Niece Lin, are you satisfied with the item?”
“Uncle Chen, I don’t mean anything else, I just wanted to ask you, did you procure this pen holder yourself, or was there someone else who appraised it?”
Hearing this, Boss Chen realized Lín Zuǒtóng’s meaning. He was shocked. Could this pen holder have a problem?
“This pen holder was transferred from a friend of mine. We’ve known each other for many years, so I didn’t examine it closely after bringing it into the shop. What, did you find a problem?”
Lín Zuǒtóng looked at Boss Chen’s expression, which didn’t seem fake, so she said:
“Uncle Chen, could you please help me find another item? I don’t really like this one.” As her voice fell, she turned to look at Zhāng Bùfán.
At this moment, Boss Chen understood. It must be because of the young man in front of him, otherwise, why would Lín Zuǒtóng change her mind?
But Boss Chen was not angry. After so many years in business, his public relations skills were still in place. Not to mention anything else, the fact that Zhāng Bùfán could influence Lín Zuǒtóng’s decision was enough for him to treat the matter seriously.
“Little friend, is this pen holder not right?” Boss Chen smiled and looked at Zhāng Bùfán.
“Uncle Chen, I apologize for hindering your business, but why don’t you take a closer look at this pen holder?” Zhāng Bùfán pushed the pen holder towards Boss Chen.
Boss Chen picked up the pen holder pushed by Zhāng Bùfán, asked someone to get a magnifying glass, and examined it carefully. He saw Boss Chen’s expression gradually darken, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
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He knew that this pen holder was a birthday gift that the Lin family’s daughter was preparing for Old Master Lin. If this item appeared at Old Master Lin’s birthday banquet, he would have no place in Hangcheng anymore.
Putting down the pen holder, Boss Chen stared at Zhāng Bùfán, as if trying to discern something from his face. He took a deep breath.
“Little friend, I don’t know your name yet?”
“Uncle Chen, my name is Zhāng Bùfán. I’m Zuǒtóng’s classmate. You can just call me Bùfán.”
“Bùfán, outstanding and extraordinary. A good name. Then I’ll call you Bùfán,” Boss Chen praised Zhāng Bùfán, “Bùfán, thank you very much this time. I didn’t expect to be fooled like this.”
Boss Chen turned to Lín Zuǒtóng, “Niece Lin, this is my oversight. Don’t worry, I will definitely give you an explanation.”
“Uncle Chen, is the pen holder really problematic?”
“Hmm? Didn’t Bùfán tell you?” Boss Chen looked at Zhāng Bùfán in confusion.
“No, Bùfán just said that he felt something was not quite right.”
“In that case, Bùfán, can you tell me and your classmates exactly where it is not right?” Boss Chen looked at Zhāng Bùfán with a smile.
Seeing this situation, Zhāng Bùfán knew that if he couldn't explain the problem, even though they knew the item was wrong now, he wouldn't be able to get out of it.
He got up and picked up the pen holder.
“The cobalt-blue glaze used in Qing Dynasty blue and white porcelain is generally Zhejiang material, with a relatively stable overall color. The painting of the blue glaze often uses multi-line flat application, emphasizing symmetry, with a balanced distribution, and harmonious interplay. It is bold and unrestrained, with a thick body, a tight bond between the body and the glaze, and poor light permeability. The mouth rim gradually becomes flatter, and the circle foot slightly tapers inward. As for this pen holder, the lower part conforms to the characteristics of Qing Dynasty blue and white.