False evidence

Chapter 147 Finding a Bargain (Part 1)

I followed Yan Fengwei's gaze and looked around, but didn't see anything special, so I asked him what was wrong.

Yan Fengwei paused for a moment, then said they would talk inside.

After entering, he first looked around at the furnishings in the main room, then shook his head with a pursed mouth and said to me:
"Brother, to be honest, and you might not like what I'm saying, this house isn't much better than the one I sold to Kouzi. But you're so young, and you're not greedy for ill-gotten gains, so it's not bad that you've managed to put together such a place."

I said, "That's true, at least I don't have to worry about being kicked out by the landlord."

"How much did you buy this house for?" Yan Fengwei asked.

I've already asked about the price of houses in Liping, and Yan Fengwei shook his head repeatedly as soon as I mentioned it.

I thought he was going to say he overpaid, but after shaking his head, he suddenly slapped his thigh and said, "You really got a great deal! If it were me, I would have bought this house even if I paid half again."

Meng Chao scratched his head and said, "I don't understand what you mean. Everyone says this house isn't very good, so why are you willing to pay such a high price? If you're really willing to add half the money, twenty-one, sell it to him!"

Yan Fengwei glanced at me sideways and said, "If you're willing to sell, I'll double the price, provided you give me all the furniture and items here!"

I laughed and said, "Don't joke around. If that were really the case, I wouldn't need to save money anymore. I could just sell it and get a house for free."

Yan Fengwei said very seriously, "To be honest with you, if it were anyone else, I would really buy it. But you are my brother, and I can't take advantage of you."

I sensed something was off about his words, and recalling his reaction when he came in, I felt something was amiss, so I asked him, "What's so great about this house? Is there a major leak?"

He's an antique dealer, so it's normal for me to think that way.

Yan Fengwei slapped his thigh hard again: "Brother, you're right! It's no exaggeration to say that just one item in this house could be exchanged for a three-bedroom apartment in the city center!"

Meng Chao and Xiao Shensan also became interested and asked him what valuable things were in the room.

Seeing that Yan Fengwei didn't seem to be joking, I became serious: "Brother Yan, tell me the truth, what valuable items are here? I got this house from a friend of mine. If there's anything valuable, I need to contact him and return it to him."

Yan Fengwei was taken aback, then lowered his voice and said, "When I said I could exchange it for a three-bedroom apartment, I was being conservative. If there were really some hidden gems, the price could increase tenfold. You're really planning to give it back to them?"

"If he weren't my friend, I wouldn't pay him back."

I looked at Meng Chao: "Brother Ping's things must be returned."

Yan Fengwei patted my shoulder: "I really didn't make a mistake in choosing you as my brother."

"Hey, you're so young, why are you being so long-winded?" Xiao Shen said impatiently. "Can't you just say what you have to say?"

Yan Fengwei was amused by his tone: "Hey, wow, this little kid has quite a temper. Whose kid are you? If you're not a bit dim-witted, you should at least call me uncle or grandpa."

Xiao Shen rolled his eyes: "Whatever you call me doesn't matter. I just think you're alright, and I don't want you to die young."

Yan Fengwei wanted to tease him some more, so I quickly told the two of them to stop.

Yan Fengwei patted his bald head, then pulled out a pair of white gloves from his pocket. After putting them on, he walked into the yard and then carefully carried something in his hands when he went back into the house.

When I saw him holding that thing, I couldn't help but shudder. When Jiang Banxia brought Chou Dan to the shop, the old cat was in a birdcage.

What Yan Fengwei carefully brought in at this moment was the birdcage!

When Meng Chao saw him place the birdcage on the table, his eyes lit up, and he suddenly grabbed me and said, "If this is really a treasure, you'll truly be a nouveau riche!"

I immediately understood what he meant.

Kou Yun mortgaged all his assets, but the loan has disappeared. Gao He guessed that he probably invested in antiques, but the whereabouts of the acquired items are also a mystery.

Meng Chao knew this, which is why he said that.

When I saw Kou Yun bring in the birdcage, I immediately thought of this as well, but I quickly dismissed the idea.

How precious can a birdcage be?
Kou Yun's total assets must be at least tens of millions.

Yan Fengwei circled around the birdcage, intently observing it from various angles, even taking out a folding magnifying glass to examine the details.

He remained in this state for a full twenty minutes.

I couldn't stand it any longer, so I pulled Xiao Shen aside and whispered to him, "Can you tell if there's anything special about this cage?"

Xiao Shen glanced at me sideways and said, "If I were like my older brother, having served as a eunuch in the palace, I might have a chance to see the good in this. But I used to be a poor, remote villager selling paper figures and paper money. I don't know how to keep birds, but I did raise chickens!"

Yan Fengwei finally put away the magnifying glass and backed away, gasping for breath.

He took off his gloves, picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp. He rubbed his forehead vigorously and said, "If it were before, I might have really misjudged him. But Sanqi, we've talked, even if I'm wrong, Lin Qin'en can't be fooled!"

I nodded instinctively. I completely trusted him on that point.

His previous incarnation, Lin Qin'en, came from a family of antique dealers. Now that his past consciousness has merged with his own, his ability to appreciate antiques is probably unmatched even by so-called experts.

Yan Fengwei said, "I take back what I just said."

He pointed to the top of the birdcage: "Just this set of cage hooks alone, understand? Not the whole cage, just these hooks, could be exchanged for a villa! Bigger than my two villas combined, and it would have to be in the city center!"

Meng Chao stepped forward and looked at it again, then turned back and said, "Aside from the somewhat blurry carvings, I can't see anything good about it."

Yan Fengwei laughed: "Let me tell you something first. This cage hook, except for the rivets which are made of copper, is all pure gold! It looks dark on the outside because the gold in the early years was not pure and would rust over time."

Secondly, this item has undoubtedly been in a grave, meaning it's a funerary object. As burial goods, it had been in the tomb for too long, causing it to corrode and lose its original color.
Third, after being dug up by the groundhog, this thing most likely ended up in the hands of a bird enthusiast. That person was an expert, knowing not to flaunt their wealth, and had it coated with three layers of paint on the outside.

Fourth, from then on, this thing changed hands several times, mostly with bird lovers. Over time, it developed a patina from being handled so much. That's why it looks the way we see it now.

Meng Chao immediately deflated: "Gold, and it's not even pure, so how much is it worth?"

Xiao Shen clicked his tongue and said, "You're all brawn and no brains, aren't you? That's right, gold isn't as valuable as it used to be. But he just said that this thing was a burial item. In the old days, people used gold to make birdcage hooks and even used this as a burial item. What kind of person would that be?"

(End of this chapter)