Chapter 1442 - 725: Expensive Liquor
Considering that the upcoming task was not urgent, since Zhou Dazhuang wanted to see the site, Lin Beichen decided to go along with his wishes.
"Alright, then let’s follow Wang Dachuan now."
As soon as Lin Beichen spoke, everyone followed Wang Dachuan into what appeared to be an ordinary farmhouse courtyard.
From the outside, this household seemed unremarkable, just like an ordinary farmer’s family.
But upon entering, they discovered the interior was already set up with various filming equipment, revealing an entirely different world.
Two or three people were already inside, feeling and examining things, starting their treasure appraisal journey.
"Feel free to look around, but be careful not to touch anything inside the house."
Wang Dachuan had matters to attend to and couldn’t accompany Lin Beichen and the others, so he let them wander freely. But the condition was not to touch anything inside, as most were antiques, and a careless touch could damage something of immense value.
Lin Beichen and the others nodded in agreement and began to wander cautiously. Zhou Dazhuang, a burly man, hadn’t noticed the teapot on the table, and as he walked by, the hem of his clothes knocked against it. The teapot was about to fall when Lin Beichen, quick-eyed and swift, caught it, averting a disaster.
"That scared me to death. This teapot looks ridiculously expensive. Luckily, your quick reaction saved it; otherwise, we might have owed a fortune."
Zhou Dazhuang patted his chest with lingering fear. He hadn’t realized how dangerous it was at the moment, but fortunately, Lin Beichen was behind him and caught the teapot in time.
"Can you be more careful in the future?"
If Lin Beichen hadn’t been behind him, and the item fell to the ground, it would have definitely drawn everyone’s attention in the house. Even if they saved Wang Dachuan, they couldn’t avoid being asked to compensate.
The room was full of antiques, and dreading they might bump into something again, they just found a stool to sit on. This way, they wouldn’t touch any antiques, avoiding any damage.
Soon, one of the people began a livestream. After some opening remarks, he started introducing the antiques in the room.
The blogger picked up the teapot that they almost broke earlier and began introducing it to the livestream audience. The teapot was an antique and quite valuable.
Upon hearing the price of the teapot, Lin Beichen and the others were terrified. Thankfully, they avoided a disaster and didn’t break the teapot. Otherwise, no one would be in the mood for a livestream now; they’d only stare at them for money until they forked it over.
They heard the streamer say that the least conspicuous items in the room might actually be the most valuable. The items that appeared particularly valuable at first glance could be fakes instead. There were many fakes in the room, but they could discern them at a glance.
Lin Beichen began scanning the room with his eyes, looking for inconspicuous items.
Just then, the streamer mentioned that the unremarkable bowls in the kitchen were actually custom-made in Jingdezhen and highly valuable. Globally, only this house had a few sets; to acquire them, one had to pay a hefty price and have connections.
The livestream erupted with exclamations of amazement.
"Wow, is this how competitive things are now? Even dining bowls are so valuable. Am I the only one using sets that cost just a dozen bucks? Are there any matching ones?"
"Me too, in comparison, they are indeed too extravagant. This is the difference between the rich and the non-rich, showing me what it means to always have someone better out there."
Lin Beichen also marveled at the homeowner’s hidden depths and wisdom. He collected only inconspicuous things so that even if robbers came, they wouldn’t see that these low-key items were so valuable.
Therefore, he developed a strong interest in the homeowner.
He was extremely wealthy, and Lin Beichen also heard a key phrase from the streamer: to obtain these treasures, money alone wasn’t enough; connections were also needed. This interested Lin Beichen greatly.
Lin Beichen always wanted to develop Daoism faster, and funds were indispensable. Getting support from this homeowner would give him more confidence in the development of Daoism.
Moreover, he still had a time-sensitive task to complete, which was to build new Daoist Temples in three major cities. Meeting this person was simply a godsend, clearly presenting an opportunity to win him over and quickly complete the task.
The homeowner wasn’t present, only his wife, He Xiufen, was home, looking bewildered. When the first antique appraiser came in the morning, she didn’t even know what he was here for. He said there were many antiques at her home for appraisal.
After seeing his business license, He Xiufen let him in. She thought, if there really were antiques to be found at home, wouldn’t she have struck it rich?
Unexpectedly, many antique appraisers came, even starting a livestream, saying her house was full of valuable items.
She knew nothing and said to the camera that she didn’t know her house had so many valuable things, nor did she know her husband was so wealthy.
Usually, she thought everything at home was ordinary, no different from the counterfeit items sold outside, so she never paid attention to them. When something broke, she thought it was no big deal to just buy another one, then she would sweep the pieces into the trash with a broom, never considering that the broken items might have been priceless antiques in others’ words.
Thinking of how much money she had wasted, He Xiufen regretted it immensely, now too shocked to speak. She never expected to have married such a wealthy husband. If not for these antique appraisers coming to her house, she might never have known how long her husband had been hiding things from her.