From Robinson Crusoe

When the young man who had inexplicably walked into the store showed genuine interest in antiques, the girl at the cashier put down her book, stood up, glanced at him, and quietly quoted a price.

"That one you've got your eye on is Hetian yellow jade. It's priced by the gram, 650 yuan per gram. You can calculate its value yourself!"

Is this the kind of attitude you have when doing business?
Chen Zhou thought to himself, and examined the jade ornaments in the display case for a while. He estimated that they weighed at least 100 grams and would cost at least 60,000 to 70,000 yuan.

Before taking on the challenge, even if he really liked the jade, he would have had to give up in the face of its high price.

But times have changed. With over 700,000 yuan in your pocket, you can speak with confidence.

Without hesitation, Chen Zhou took out his phone.

"Give it to me. I'll buy this jade. Where do I pay?"

After quoting the price, the girl sat back down in her chair, picked up her book again, and widened her eyes in surprise when she heard Chen Zhou's words.

Are you really going to buy it?

"What, is this not for sale?"

This was the first time Chen Zhou had ever seen business done this way. He pointed to the Hetian jade puppy in the display case and asked.

Before he finished speaking, the girl sitting deep inside the shop got up and walked over, asking Chen Zhou a question as she went.

"You know absolutely nothing about antiques and collectibles, yet you dare to buy things randomly?"

As she spoke, she walked behind the display case and took out the small dog-shaped handle from the brightly lit case.

Once outside the bright lights and inside the dimly lit shop, the jade's original yellow and lustrous color suddenly appeared much drier, as if it had lost its oily sheen.

"Hey, let me ask you, do you know what Hetian jade is?"

She held the item in her hand, looked up at Chen Zhou, as if she had found some rare species.

"I don't know you, what's wrong?"

The strange girl's questions left Chen Zhou completely bewildered. He had simply seen something he liked and happened to have the money to buy it, but he never imagined that buying something would be so complicated.

"You know nothing about it, and you still dare to buy it? Are you stupid and have too much money?"

The girl placed the hand-held piece in front of Chen Zhou, showing him the details of the bright yellow jade.

"Let me teach you, the color of natural jade varies in intensity, it's impossible for it to be as uniformly yellow as this piece of jade."

Moreover, pure yellow Hetian yellow jade is even rarer than imperial green jadeite, and its price is far more likely to be just over 600 yuan. You might not even be able to buy ordinary yellow-skinned jadeite for over 600 yuan.

The book says that dry yellow jade is the best, followed by mutton fat jade. You're spending over 60,000 yuan to buy dry yellow jade that's even better than mutton fat jade?

This was the first time Chen Zhou had encountered a shop owner who loved to lecture others. He thought to himself, "I'm not here to participate in an antique appraisal event, so why are you giving me so much information?"

"You mean you quoted too low a price, and this jade is worth far more than that, right?"

"I'm really defeated by you. You can't even understand this?"

What I mean is, this jade isn't Hetian yellow jade at all, it's not worth that much money. You'll be ripped off if you buy it, understand?

After saying this, Feng Yingxuan saw that Chen Zhou remained silent and thought he still didn't understand, so she added another sentence.

"To put it more clearly, this piece of jade is Russian jade, and it's been dyed. Apart from the carving, there's nothing of value in it. It's worth at most 300 yuan. If you spend 60,000 yuan to buy it, you're just being ripped off."

I'm not trying to be mean, but you don't look like a rich person at all. It's not easy to save money, so why are you spending it so extravagantly?

Even when giving gifts to elders, you can't just buy whatever comes to mind. The antique trade is so murky; are you really going to force yourself into it?

As she spoke, Feng Yingxuan tossed the jade in her hand onto the glass display case table. With a hint of exasperation, she flicked it, and the golden jade pendant immediately began to spin around on the smooth surface.

Looking at the jade that had spun like a top, and the young woman behind the display case "educating" him in the tone of an elder, Chen Zhou scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

"Good heavens, what kind of business does this? Instead of slaughtering a fat sheep, you tell it where to graze."

"Isn't it said that in the antique business, you might not make a sale for three years, but when you do, you can live off it for three years? If everyone did business like this, even the biggest business would go bankrupt."

……

"Boss, is this really your shop?"

Feng Yingxuan's words completely dispelled Chen Zhou's idea of ​​buying the jade, but they aroused his new curiosity.

"Of course it's my family's shop, and I even carved this jade! My Doubao looks just like this."

Feng Yingxuan proudly raised her head and waved her hand as if shooing away flies.

"Why am I telling you all this? You're a complete novice when it comes to collecting antiques and artifacts; you have no idea how to appreciate them."

Remember, don't waste money on things you don't understand. You're lucky you ran into me; if it were any other store, they would have ripped you off badly.

"Are you knowledgeable about antique collectibles?"

"I know a little bit, but I'm much better than a complete novice like you."

"Do you have any knowledge of ancient coins, and do you know how to identify them?"

How did you know I was learning this?

Feng Yingxuan turned around and left the counter briskly. She went to the cashier and picked up the book she had been reading. The cover of the book was "A History of Chinese Currency".

"Do you see it?"

Showing the book cover to Chen Zhou, Feng Yingxuan stared suspiciously at this customer who had already been labeled a "sucker," and asked in bewilderment.

"Don't tell me you just bought some ancient coins from another store and want me to take a look at them for you..."

"It wasn't bought from another store; it's an heirloom."

Since they all had shops on the same street, Chen Zhou knew that even if this girl could distinguish between real and fake currency, she wouldn't dare to say so to avoid affecting her relationship with her business partners.

Moreover, the antique trade has never been about guaranteeing authenticity. If you waste money, you can only blame yourself for not knowing better. If you've been fooled, there's very little chance of seeking redress later.

Even if he did buy counterfeit goods, the shopkeeper would only say that they were handicrafts. Even if the police intervened and the matter went to court, it would be difficult for the buyer to get his money back.

After all, all antique replicas fall under the category of handicrafts.

Once the money is in someone else's hands, it's not so easy to get it back.

While explaining the origin of the coins in his hand with a fabricated story, Chen Zhou placed the four gold coins from his pocket on the glass display case.

The four gold coins in his hand were minted around 1605 and are the second series of gold coins issued by James I, also known as Noble coins.

The gold coin is rather crudely made. The obverse features James I wearing a crown and holding a sword and shield, while the reverse features a spiked gear in the center, a crowned cheetah at the top, and decorations around it.

Each gold coin weighs about 7 grams. Since the coins were issued less than 100 years ago when Chen Zhou left the island, they still retain the unique and beautiful luster of gold, shining brightly under the lights in the display case.

……

Feng Yingxuan had already planned to give Xiaobai a lesson on ancient Chinese coins. She was reviewing the history of ancient coins she had recently browsed and was thinking of giving this customer a good lesson so that he would completely give up the idea of ​​entering the antique industry. However, she was dumbfounded when she saw the gold coins that Chen Zhou took out.

Her first reaction was—

These four gold coins are definitely fake; they might just be the so-called "Vietnamese gold dust" coins sold at street stalls.

After all, with gold prices so ridiculously high, the store's precious gold and silver jewelry alone would consume a lot of gold. No one would use precious gold to make such crudely made coins, especially since they were medieval European coins.

However, years of experience and her basic intuition about antiques told her that, regardless of their authenticity, these four gold coins were at least made of pure gold. Their color appeared more vibrant and stable than "placer gold" or "gold jewelry" coated with chemical paints—the unique color of real gold. "Could they really be gold?"

Picking up a gold coin with some skepticism, the coin's heavy weight increased the probability that it was real.

Feng Yingxuan carefully examined the details on the gold coin, looking for any traces of modern craftsmanship, but found nothing.

Both the design and the text on the gold coin indicate that it was indeed made using traditional techniques and without the use of any modern machinery.

However, the gold coin was in such good condition that it looked too new compared to the dull-colored ancient coins, which affected Feng Yingxuan's judgment.

There are many scholars and experts in China who have conducted in-depth research on ancient Chinese currency, but very few people study European currency. Feng Yingxuan is naturally not a professional in the field of European currency collection, and after fiddling with it for a long time, she still couldn't explain it clearly.

"How's it going, boss?"

is that true?

How much is it worth?

Chen Zhou's question made Feng Yingxuan blush.

Her skin wasn't particularly fair to begin with, but when she blushed, she looked like a ripe Fuji apple, which, combined with her bright, expressive eyes, made her quite adorable.

"Um... I don't know much about European currency. I can only tell that it was minted using traditional techniques. If you want to verify its authenticity, it's best to consult other reliable experts."

If you're not in a rush to get the results, you can have your coins appraised and graded by an authoritative grading company.

For example, PCGS, but domestic agencies basically only accept grading commissions for ancient Chinese coins. If you want to authenticate European coins, you'll probably have to put in more effort.

Feng Yingxuan placed the gold coins back on the table and pushed them in front of Chen Zhou, adding.

"Never look for those small companies or unofficial experts; many of them are frauds."

These four gold coins of yours look like they're made of pure gold. If they take your coins and exchange them for counterfeit ones, you'll lose a lot of money.

Chen Zhou nodded and picked up the four gold coins from the table.

"Could you estimate how much each of these four gold coins is worth? I checked online, and they are all coins minted in the 17th century."

"The 17th century? That's the Qing Dynasty... It's been about four hundred years since then. If they've survived to the present day, each one should be worth over ten thousand..."

Feng Yingxuan muttered to herself, then waved her hand.

"I'm just guessing, I don't know anything about it. If you're going to sell it, you'd better find a reliable person."

However, if it's a family heirloom gold coin and you're not really short of money, I wouldn't recommend selling it.

Ancient coins in this condition have significant potential for appreciation, and family heirloom gold coins are often left by elders, serving as a keepsake.

Hearing this, Chen Zhou remained expressionless, but couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Even if it's family heirloom currency, it's not passed down in boxes. Besides, if I knew someone reliable, would I come to your store?"

……

"Okay, thank you."

His inner thoughts would never be revealed on his face; beneath Chen Zhou's 25-year-old face lay an aged soul.

After thanking him and putting the gold coins in his pocket, he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he pointed to the dyed puppy figurine on the table and asked about its price.

Seeing that Chen Zhou was determined to buy the hand-held piece, Feng Yingxuan frowned, picked up the bright yellow hand-held piece, and put it into the book.

"I forgot to tell you that wearing dyed jade for a long time is harmful to your health. No matter how expensive or cheap it is, you should not buy it."

And I'm not putting it here to sell; it's because I made a bet with someone...

Hey, why am I telling you this?

As Feng Yingxuan was explaining, the light at the shop entrance dimmed, and a middle-aged man with a bulky build, wearing a white shirt, walked in.

Seemingly surprised to find customers in the store, he exclaimed "Oh!" upon seeing Chen Zhou standing in front of the display case before approaching him.

The middle-aged man glanced at Chen Zhou's attire and then at the items displayed in the showcase, and chuckled.

"Xiao Xuan, you actually sold your big yellow dog?"
"You didn't hire a classmate to act in this to fool me and steal my jade stones, did you?"

Hearing this, Feng Yingxuan was somewhat annoyed and glared fiercely at the middle-aged man.

"Do you think I'm like you? I wouldn't use such deceitful and fraudulent methods."

"I haven't even said anything to you yet! You agreed to only watch the shop for an hour, why are you out all morning and only just getting back? Hurry up and pay me my wages!"

Seeing Feng Yingxuan reach out for money, the middle-aged man quickly shook his head.

"There's no payment, but you can choose any antique or artifact here to take as payment."

"They're all fakes, I don't want them at all..."

Feng Yingxuan muttered to herself, picked up the book, and started to walk out of the display case.

……

The old man and the young man were talking, leaving Chen Zhou sandwiched in the middle, which made him feel a little awkward.

He initially intended to leave the shop immediately, but then he thought of the jade the girl had put away, and felt a little reluctant to part with it.

The quality of the jade was secondary; he was only fond of its bright color and the lifelike little dog.

Laifu was his most loyal companion on the deserted island, and the time he spent with it was his most unforgettable memory after returning to the modern world.

Money is not an issue now. Even if it were carved from priceless yellow jade, he would still want to keep a small hand-held piece by his side, as if Laifu had never left.

With the passage of time, Chen Zhou has developed a thick skin that can be as thick as a city wall when necessary.

Even if the two people in the shop are talking, he can still forcefully interrupt.

"Excuse me, beautiful lady, could you please leave your contact information? I'd like to ask you to carve a puppy for me; the price is negotiable."

Before Feng Yingxuan could even reply to his words, the middle-aged man reacted first.

"Young man, you're not really interested in her carving skills, are you? If you want to make hand-held pieces, come to me. My craftsmanship is top-notch!"

"Come on, look at your finger, it's as thick as a pumpkin..."

The middle-aged man was quickly subjected to Feng Yingxuan's merciless criticism—

She had already put her books, paper, and pens back into her bag. After mocking the middle-aged man, she took out her phone, which was covered by a pink phone case, fiddled with it for a few moments, and then showed him the QR code.

"Scan me, and ask me if you don't understand anything in the future. I'm really afraid you'll be fooled because you look so honest."

Especially now that there are so many unscrupulous merchants…

Feng Yingxuan glanced meaningfully at the middle-aged man.

Standing to the side, Chen Zhou took out his phone from his pocket upon hearing this, glanced at the girl's phone casually, and a rare look of surprise appeared on his face—

The pink phone case was shaped like Peppa Pig, and it looked remarkably similar to the first mysterious reward he received on the island. (End of Chapter)