The Real Heiress Has an Appraisal System

The netizens:

"This is what you get for showing off your relationship. Bro, the gift your wife bought you was $9.99, but she told you it was a hundred grand. The stuff she buys for herself costs tens or even hundreds of thousands. We don’t know whether to feel sorry for you or not. Does your family even have that much money? You’d better go check!"

"LMAO! Bro, you need to hurry home and see if your family finances are in trouble."

"Of course, if you’re a stay-at-home husband, then just ignore what I said."

"..."

He had been feeling quite blissful just a moment ago. Now, he tossed his instant noodles aside, grabbed his kid, and sprinted for home.

He had to get to the bottom of this. Who had time to run a street stall anymore!

「...」

Gu Shengsheng was no stranger to this kind of scene.

Other people’s business was their own; she was just here to appraise treasures and enjoy the drama.

A casual stroll revealed nothing particularly interesting. Most of the people here brought their own items to trade, so finding a real gem was a matter of luck.

’This is getting a little boring,’ she thought. ’Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to grab something to eat at that barbecue stall over there? A cold beer and some meat skewers... wouldn’t that be amazing?’

Just as the thought occurred to her, she saw a large crowd of people running toward the center of the market.

"Go, go, go! Let’s go! Zheng Dacheng is here appraising treasures!"

"I heard he just saw something incredible, and they’re hashing it out now."

"Man, that young fella selling the item must have hit the jackpot. Let’s go have a look."

Gu Shengsheng also loved to watch this kind of drama unfold.

She followed the crowd.

She was curious to see what kind of expert this was and if she knew him. She had never heard the name Zheng Dacheng before.

After a moment’s thought, Gu Shengsheng decided to shoot a message to Zhang Sanwang at Pan Garden.

Zhang Sanwang replied instantly: "I know him. He’s part of the appraisal association. But I’ve never interacted with him, not even enough to be a nodding acquaintance. His character is probably not good."

Gu Shengsheng stood in the inner circle with the others, watching.

This Zheng Dacheng had a full beard and was impeccably dressed in a well-fitted suit.

He was currently appraising a large, dark, lumpy object.

The young stall vendor had it displayed in a glass box.

Strangely, Gu Shengsheng found the vendor a little familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn’t quite place him. He probably wasn’t from the appraisal circle...

Seeing the crowd grow, the stall vendor began to hawk his wares. "This is a family heirloom! Whoever can tell me what it is gets to open the box!"

"And we just dug it up, too."

"A fine piece like this doesn’t come around often!"

Zheng Dacheng, with reading glasses perched on his nose, stood there heaping praise on the object while peering at it with a magnifying glass.

He declared, "I’ve seen something like this before. Look at the shape—it’s clearly a wine jug. And the opening at the top shows signs of having a rope tied to it for a long time."

"You said it was just unearthed, so I can confirm it was something worn by the tomb’s owner," Zheng Dacheng analyzed with great seriousness.

"Everyone, now pay attention to the outer layer." He shone a flashlight on the glass case. "This outer layer is made of many sheets of linen. Back in those days, chivalrous wanderers or even simple scholar-gentry liked to carry things this way. It gave them a heroic air."

"And you know why it’s this grayish color? It’s because those people mixed pig’s blood with paper pulp and wrapped it around the object. They made it into an outer shell and buried it in the earth for preservation."

Gu Shengsheng found this amusing and asked directly, "So, what do you think this thing is?"

"Young lady, I can tell you’re a layman just by looking at you. You ask before I’ve even finished my explanation. I, Zheng Dacheng, always finish my analysis before giving a conclusion."

"Oh, I see. I was just curious," Gu Shengsheng said with a harmless smile.

Those in the crowd who knew her didn’t say anything, but they were secretly thrilled.

They had a feeling this deal wasn’t going to go smoothly for Zheng Dacheng tonight.

The viewers in her livestream were also buzzing with anticipation.

After all, this was Gu Shengsheng. If she spoke up, it meant something was definitely wrong with the item.

He proceeded to analyze it for a good while longer.

Then he said, "I won’t beat around the bush any longer. This is a bronze wine pot from the Warring States period."

"Your family is going to be rich!"

Zheng Dacheng lavished praise, and the young vendor nodded along readily.

"That’s right," the vendor said. "I also heard this thing is so valuable it’s almost criminal, and I should take good care of it."

Zheng Dacheng nodded. "Exactly."

"Mr. Zheng, is this thing valuable? This is my first time here, and I’m waiting to bring the money back home."

"Do you hear any sloshing inside? Look at those aged liquors, like Gujing Gong, Maotai, and Laobaigan—the older the vintage, the more fragrant it is. If there’s wine in there, you could make even more money."

The young vendor burst out laughing. "That’s not quite how you determine age."

"Mr. Zheng, you’re exaggerating a bit."

Zheng Dacheng couldn’t stand being questioned like that. He immediately retorted, "If you can’t sell it for a million, I’ll buy it!"

Gu Shengsheng, playing the part of a passerby, chimed in, "You’re willing to buy it without even touching it to see what it is? Today’s experts are truly bold, and their skills are so advanced."

’I’ve already guessed what’s inside... which is why this is all so funny.’ she thought.

Hearing Gu Shengsheng’s "praise," Zheng Dacheng immediately feigned humility, patting his beer belly. He even looked a bit bashful. "It’s nothing! Other experts might not be as skilled as me. I’m just a tiny bit better."

"We laymen really need to learn from experts like you. We should be more decisive when buying things in the future."

The vendor added, "Then let’s seal the deal. You pay up, and you can see what’s inside."

"We all trust your judgment."

And so, the so-called expert, Zheng Dacheng, waved his hands.

He said, "Fine! I rarely make a move, but when I do, it’s always for the real thing."

The vendor then opened the glass box.

He looked at Gu Shengsheng and asked, "What do you think it is?"

Gu Shengsheng said, "It’s a purple konjac, isn’t it? Dug up today, so I guess you could say it was just unearthed."

At her words, the crowd laughed at her for being an amateur.

"The young lady has a funny way of talking."

"Yeah, no expert would ever say something like that."

The atmosphere in the livestream, however, was completely different from the live audience’s:

"I knew our host was going to stir up trouble."

"It can’t really be a konjac, right? I’ll be laughing about this for the rest of my life, HAHAHAHA!"

"The best part is that this Zheng Dacheng is supposed to be a ’true master.’ Help! Oh my god."

"How did things get so hilarious these days!"

"Cute stall guy, hurry up and reveal it! Hey, doesn’t that cute stall guy look familiar?!"

"..."

No one could remember who he was.

Then, the young man deliberately let his hand "slip," smashing the so-called Warring States bronze wine pot on the ground.

And sure enough, inside was a purple konjac...

The young man gave Gu Shengsheng a thumbs-up. "Looks like Miss Gu really loves her taro ball milk tea! You recognized it at a glance."

"I’ll treat you to a drink tonight."