Chapter 1443 - 725: The Invaluable Wine (2)
"Maybe your husband was afraid you’d treasure these things too much after finding out about them and wouldn’t use them like regular items, so he didn’t tell you."
Someone said this, and it instantly eased He Xiufen’s concerns. She had thought that her husband didn’t tell her about these antiques because he was worried they’d be his if they divorced in the future.
But considering her husband’s usual kindness, he wouldn’t do such a thing. She chose to believe he didn’t tell her because he feared she’d treat them like treasures once she knew they were antiques.
As the exploration deepened, two people discovered a hidden entrance in the floor at the corner of the room.
"Come and see, there’s a secret entrance on the floor here. There are already so many antiques in the room; could there be more down below?"
Someone shouted loudly, and everyone gathered around, speculating.
To uncover the truth, they opened the entrance, revealing an even larger space below.
The viewers in the live stream saw everything clearly and speculated about what could be down there.
"I bet there’s a ton of cash down there."
"That’s small-minded; I bet there’s a stash of guns and ammunition down below."
The number of people in the live stream skyrocketed to 100,000 as everyone watched their exploration of the antiques with great interest and guessed what might be hidden below, wondering if it was something unspeakable; otherwise, why dig such a big space under the floor?
"I’ve lived here for so many years and didn’t know there was a hidden entrance below the floor."
He Xiufen said wonderingly as they opened the entrance. No wonder she kept hearing noises at night, thinking it was owls outside, not realizing it was her husband sneaking down at night. Over the years, those sounds would appear every so often, yet she’d never been suspicious.
"Can we go in and explore, see what’s hidden inside?" With everyone’s curiosity growing, they proposed entering the cellar to find out. They turned to He Xiufen, asking for her opinion, stating that they wouldn’t force their way in if she disagreed, since it was, after all, her home.
She agreed to their request out of curiosity about what was hidden in the cellar too.
Once inside, they found the space surprisingly large, like a big cellar. With a large following in his live stream, Wang Dachuan, a well-known treasure expert, naturally was the first to enter. Others followed closely behind, entering as well.
They initially thought the cellar would be filled with priceless treasures, but when they saw the reality, they were greatly disappointed. The cellar was empty, only large enough to hold a dozen people.
The live stream audience saw this and gradually exited the stream, finding it pointless to continue watching. They had initially expected an amazing discovery with many treasures, but that wasn’t the case.
"Let’s go; we thought the cellar had some rare treasures, but it’s empty. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment," other antique appraisal experts grumbled as they left the cellar disgruntled, returning to the house to continue the exploration.
Yet Wang Dachuan was unwilling to give up, convinced there was something hidden in the cellar. So he didn’t leave like the others; instead, he began searching carefully inside.
"Stop searching; the cellar is bare and empty. You might as well, join them in the house to look for other valuable antiques." Even He Xiufen believed there was nothing in the cellar, speculating that her husband had dug such a large cellar to hide those precious antiques.
But Wang Dachuan ignored He Xiufen’s words and persisted with his search. Eventually, he found a dozen jars covered in soil. Judging by their shape, appearance, and markings, he concluded they were centuries-old Daughter’s Red wine!
With He Xiufen’s consent, they opened a jar on the spot. As the fragrant aroma wafted out, they exclaimed that they had never smelled such a rich and sweet fragrance.
Someone knowledgeable about wine said, "This is not only centuries-old Daughter’s Red but also genuine wine from Gujing Town! I was once lucky enough to smell it, and I’ve never forgotten it, so I can be sure it’s the same."
This homeowner not only possessed numerous precious antiques but also such valuable wine; the value of these wines was simply immeasurable. The live stream viewers were equally shocked.
They began speculating on the value of these wines: "Do you think a million could buy these wines? I doubt it."
"Forget a million; even ten million would be hard to buy. It’s centuries-old Daughter’s Red, enough to coax a huge sum from anyone. Knowing it’s also genuine wine from Gujing Town, the value becomes even higher."
"For us ordinary people to buy this Daughter’s Red would probably take several generations of savings, and even then, we might not be able to buy it."
Wang Dachuan whispered to Lin Beichen, "I’ve never seen such a low-key woman. Look, before we entered the house, we couldn’t have imagined there were such valuable things inside. And there’s even a cellar under the house, with so many jars of century-old Daughter’s Red, genuine wine from Gujing Town."
"He’s so wealthy yet so humble, even his wife doesn’t know how rich he is." Lin Beichen nodded, agreeing with Wang Dachuan and growing more curious about the homeowner, wondering who he was to possess so many rare things.
Although Lin Beichen had assignments to handle, he wasn’t in any hurry. He wanted to watch a while longer, hoping to encounter the homeowner and witness someone wealthier than Wang Dachuan.
"This wine looks exceptionally valuable!"...
"Quick, check the age of this wine! The older the wine, the higher the price!"
"Oh my, why are you all so excited? It’s just a bottle of wine!"
In the live stream, many had switched to search engines to look it up.
After searching, they returned full of excitement.
"You clueless ones, do you know how much one bottle of that wine costs?"
The treasure-seeker host was also stunned by the wine before them, hastily examining the bottle closely. It was round and full-bodied, with a tightly sealed cap, and the number on the seal quickened one’s heartbeat.
Swallowing, he put down the bottle and picked up another to inspect.
"If I were to estimate the price, this single bottle would be worth hundreds of thousands!"
"A single bottle? Really?"
If a single bottle costs that much, then this vast cellar...
Suddenly their horizons expanded.
He Xiufen couldn’t see the content of the live stream; she just saw the treasure-seeker sitting on the ground, with a serious expression, occasionally taking pictures and looking up information on his phone.
She wanted to ask him, but it was awkward in front of the camera.
The host observed the comments before him and the vast cellar in awe. Yet, being professional, he calmly showcased it to the audience.
Walking step by step behind the treasure-seeker host, they delved deeper into the cellar’s interior, discovering a broad variety of rare and valuable wines stocked therein, drawing many connoisseurs to the live stream as viewer counts soared.
Many doubted that so many valuable wines could indeed be stored there, suspecting it was all a setup by the production team.
The host, with a wry smile, explained, "It’s really not staged; just look at the treasure-seeker host’s shocked expression."
The camera panned, showing the named treasure-seeker hunched over, clutching a bottle with fervent admiration, lost in sublime rapture.
"Treasure-seeker host?" the host called again.
But the person seemed deaf to the call, wholly absorbed in his world, unreachable until someone interrupted him.
"Treasure-seeker host, could you share what good wines you’ve seen, why you’re so captivated?"
The camera focused on him, and after a long pause, he managed to utter, "Schleifen wine, from 1725, quite a few bottles!"
"Why does it take this old fellow so long to speak!"