1970s: Hot wife accompanies the army, cold-faced rough man is not easy to tease

Chapter 285 The Declaration of Independence

No one knows what secret this secondhand painting holds. Jack thought Lu Youyou liked it, so he added the landscape painting to his watchlist as well.

Several people bought some things, and luckily they had a car, otherwise it would have been difficult to carry them back.

Downstairs at the dormitory, Lu Youyou politely declined Jack's offer to help carry the picture frame upstairs, and easily carried it up to the third floor herself.

Song Yunqing bought a lot of handmade ornaments and decorations, and as soon as she entered the house, she started to rearrange the room.

"Sister Lu, do you want to hang your painting up? Where would you like it to be hung? I'll help you."

"There's no rush yet."

Lu Youyou looked around and took a small knife to slowly pry along the edge of the picture frame.

When Song Yunqing saw this, she suddenly remembered something, stopped packing her things, and sat cross-legged next to her.

Her eyes were shining; she seemed even more excited than the person involved.

"Sister Lu, does this painting perhaps contain... a hidden secret? Hmm, is that how you use that word?"

Lu Youyou was amused by her sudden pause and nodded, "Yes, that's how it's used."

No one dislikes treasure hunting, especially finding a bargain. Whether it's a big or small find, unexpected joy is always exhilarating.

Lu Youyou didn't intend to hide it from Song Yunqing. Perhaps because she had seen too many treasures in her past life, she didn't think there was anything special about such a small thing.

After knowing each other for so long, Song Yunqing's family background is no secret. Her father is Song Heting, a well-known "computer king" in the United States.

If I remember correctly, Song Heting will become the fifth richest person in the United States in a few years. His computer company is now worth more than 20 billion.

For Lu Youyou, Song Heting was a character who only existed in Baidu Baike. She never expected that he was her roommate's father, which gave her a feeling of the fourth dimension breaking down.

Song Yunqing wanted to help but didn't dare to act rashly, for fear of making things worse. But even though her hands didn't move, her mouth couldn't stop.

"Sister Deer, how did you know there was something inside the picture frame?"

Because they could foresee the future.

This reason certainly couldn't be said, so Lu Youyou pointed to a corner of the picture frame for Song Yunqing to see.

“Look, it’s not sealed tightly here, and there’s a gap in the back frame. When I was looking at the painting, I noticed that the color inside was different from the color of the canvas, so I thought I’d buy it to take a look.”

Song Yunqing's eyes widened so much that they almost popped out of their sockets, and finally, through the extremely narrow gap, she could see what the so-called "difference" was.

She looked at Lu Youyou with indescribable disbelief, especially at those eyes that shone like stars. Was this still human vision?

As Lu Youyou slowly pried open the frame and lifted the slightly stained back panel, a folded, yellowed piece of paper appeared before the two of them.

Song Yunqing couldn't help but gasp, then quickly covered her mouth. She looked at Lu Youyou in disbelief, unable to utter a single word.

Lu Youyou bought the painting on a whim, not caring if it wasn't what she expected, but seeing the yellowed paper, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Instead of rushing into it, she found a pair of white gloves, then gently lifted the paper and unfolded it.

Sure enough, that's it!

“Oh my God!!!!!”

Song Yunqing stood up abruptly, her hand trembling as she pointed at the paper. "This...this is the Declaration of Independence?"

She was born and raised in the United States. Although she is of Chinese descent, it is impossible for her not to know the Declaration of Independence. She had even visited the original document that was officially signed in 1776 at the National Archives.

"should be."

In contrast, Lu Youyou remained calm; an American national treasure was hardly enough to excite her. The report clearly stated that this was one of 200 copies printed in 1820, with only 23 surviving to this day. Even if it wasn't a top-tier national treasure, its value was still very high.

After her initial shock, Song Yunqing quickly calmed down.

Her grandfather was a famous calligrapher and painter during the Republic of China era, and his old house had a large collection of his works. Her father was influenced by his grandfather from a young age, and he was not short of money, so he also had many treasures in his own home.

Having grown up surrounded by wonderful things, a copy of the Declaration of Independence was not enough to make Song Yunqing lose her composure; rather, it was the unexpected surprise that brought her joy.

Although she didn't personally find the bargain, she witnessed the whole process. This experience was so novel that Song Yunqing lingered for several minutes, still wanting more.

"Sister Lu, are you planning to keep it for yourself, or do you want to sell it?"

"Sell it," Lu Youyou answered quickly.

This copy of the Declaration of Independence sold for a high price of $242 million in the 90s, and she obviously can't wait that long. The most important thing now is to get the cash and bring the three bronze animal heads back.

Now that they had finally reached familiar territory, Song Yunqing volunteered, "It's better to send this kind of thing to an auction. Do you want me to ask around for you?"

Lu Youyou was more than happy to oblige: "Thank you for your trouble."

"What's the trouble? He's my precious baby, whom I delivered myself. I'll definitely escort him all the way to the afterlife!"

Here comes another strange Chinese expression from Song Yunqing. Whenever she gets excited, her choice of words becomes particularly postmodern.

Lu Youyou couldn't help but laugh: "Then I'll wait for your good news."

Song Yunqing acted immediately, calling home right away.

When Song Heting heard that his daughter had a friend who wanted to sell something, he generously arranged for his personal lawyer to bring an appraiser from the auction house to their home.

Three days later, two foreigners in suits arrived at the door together.

“Ms. Lu, I am Lauren Smith from J&S Law Firm, and this is Jimmy Kanter, an appraiser at Sotheby’s. It’s an honor to meet you.”

"Nice to meet you, please come in."

When Song Yunqing saw that it was Lauren, she hugged him with delight: "Uncle Smith, I didn't expect Dad to let you come."

Lauren Smith is one of California's most prominent lawyers and has served the Song family for many years.

Song Heting was also worried about his daughter. Money was a minor issue; his main concern was that the two girls might fall into some kind of scam. He had heard that his daughter's roommate was an international student from China, so he couldn't afford for anything to happen to her.

The appraiser's face showed nothing, but he was very dismissive. What good could a foreign girl possibly have? If it weren't for the Song family's sake, he wouldn't have come in person.

Lu Youyou went inside, took out a cardboard box, and without saying a word, pushed it directly in front of the appraiser.

The appraiser skillfully put on gloves and took out a complete set of magnifying glasses and calipers...

The moment he lifted the lid, his pupils shrank.

In terms of monetary value, a copy of the Declaration of Independence is far less valuable than a masterpiece painting, but for Americans, the spiritual value of this document far exceeds its monetary value.

He composed himself and asked, "Miss Lu, shall I begin?"

"Please." Lu Youyou smiled slightly.

The item was definitely genuine, so she wasn't worried at all; on the contrary, Song Yunqing was much more nervous.

This is her first time experiencing Taobao firsthand, and hopefully this wonderful surprise will have a perfect ending.

The room was quiet; apart from the sound of the magnifying glass hitting the table, there was almost no other noise. Everyone was waiting for the appraiser's results.