Double-Cut During the War of Resistance: My Wife Came from 1937

Ancheng is an ancient capital of seven dynasties and also has the Yin Ruins. It has a rich cultural atmosphere, and although the antique business is not as good as that of the capital, it is still quite good.

Ma Hongwei and Xia Weiwei drove to a shop called Treasure Pavilion.

This shop has an antique-style decor and looks very old-fashioned.

Upon entering the store, one finds a considerable amount of modern furniture.

The temperature has risen these past few days, and the air conditioning is still on inside.

A middle-aged man dressed in a Tang suit is lying on a recliner, playing with walnuts and prayer beads.

Sensing the approaching person, the middle-aged man stood up.

He glanced at the small wooden box in Qin Hao's arms and asked with a smile, "Handsome, are you here to ship something? What are you shipping?"

"They're all Yuan Shikai silver dollars!"

Ma Hongwei placed the wooden box on the counter and opened it.

"Wow, so many?"

The middle-aged man casually picked up a plastic bag, opened it, and took out a few items.

"Um!"

After examining them, he nodded slightly and said, "These are genuine Yuan Shikai silver dollars from the third year of the Republic of China, but the quality is very ordinary. Fortunately, they are well preserved. If you were to sell these to a small shop, I could offer 1000 for each one."

Ma Hongwei asked, "Boss, how's your skill level?"

The shop owner patted his chest and said, "My father opened this shop in the 1990s, and it's been open for over 30 years now. I'm sure I have the resources."

"Then show me this one, how much is it worth?"

Ma Hongwei took a Yuan Shikai silver dollar out of his pocket and placed it on the counter.

The boss was initially dismissive, but when he saw the word "Soviet" printed on it, his pupils immediately contracted.

He quickly picked up the Yuan Shikai silver dollar and examined it carefully, even using a magnifying glass.

The shop owner asked with a smile, "Excuse me, young man, what's your surname?"

Ma Hongwei said, "My surname is Ma."

The boss then asked, "Brother Ma, have you looked into this before?"

"I've looked up information online."

Ma Hongwei said, "We drove here from Lincheng. We were originally going to Zhengcheng, but we happened to be passing by, so we thought we'd stop by and take a look. After all, Lincheng and Ancheng are like family."

"If the price offered by Ancheng is right, I will definitely offer it to my own people. If it's not right, then we'll have to take the high platform to Zhengcheng."

Upon hearing Ma Hongwei's words, the boss immediately understood what he meant.

He said with a smile, "You two handsome men and beautiful women, please sit here and wait a moment. To be honest, I have never encountered a Soviet version of Yuan Shikai silver dollar in all these years. I need my father to come and take a look."

"What would you two like to drink? Milk tea, fruit tea, or coffee?"

Ma Hongwei said, "Just two cups of fruit tea, please!"

"Okay!"

The boss nodded and said, "Then I'll order for you right away."

Ma Hongwei stretched out his hand, demanding, "Boss, give me back that Yuan Shikai silver dollar first. I'll look at it when the old man comes!"

He knew very well that many of these antique shops made their money by cheating and swindling.

So he kept a close eye on the other person's hands, afraid that the other person might try to switch the item with something else.

"Give!"

The shopkeeper naturally knew what the other party was thinking and quickly returned the Yuan Shikai silver dollar.

He first called his father, and then ordered several cups of Heytea from Meituan.

"My father will be here soon!"

The shopkeeper asked with a smile, "Where did you get all these Yuan Shikai silver dollars?"

"Of course it was given to me by my elders!"

Ma Hongwei casually said, "I heard from my maternal grandfather that he used to be an officer under Yan Xishan, I think he was in some kind of suicide squad. Later, because he secretly released a few underground party members, he had to flee back to his hometown. These Yuan Shikai silver dollars are what he left behind."

Some of what he said was true, and some was false.

The source of these Yuan Shikai silver dollars is false.

It's true, his maternal grandfather was indeed an officer in the suicide squad. He was ordered to deal with several underground party members, but he couldn't bear it and let them go.

In the 1960s and 70s, the government sent people to investigate this matter, and the investigation was conducted more than once.

After some casual conversation, Ma Hongwei learned that the boss's surname was Yin and his name was Yin Weimin.

"Creak!"

An electric scooter was parked at the door when a delivery driver rushed in and said, "Hello, your food delivery is here!"

Yin Weimin stepped forward, took the takeout, and placed it on the table, gesturing, "I didn't know which ones you liked, so I ordered two extra drinks. Choose whichever you prefer!"

"Thanks, boss!"

Ma Hongwei looked at Xia Weiwei and asked, "Which one do you want to drink?"

Xia Weiwei said, "Whatever!"

"Then let's drink this!"

Ma Hongwei picked one for the other person and took one for himself.

As the two were drinking, an elderly man dressed in a Tang suit and wearing glasses walked into the room.

"dad!"

Yin Weimin stood up and introduced, "This is the young man who wants to sell the special edition Yuan Shikai silver dollar."

"Hello, young man!"

The elderly man in the traditional Chinese suit asked with a smile, "I wonder where that Soviet Yuan Shikai silver dollar is?"

"Give!"

Ma Hongwei placed the Yuan Datou (a type of silver dollar) on the table.

The old man in the Tang suit picked it up and examined it, saying, "This Yuan Shikai silver dollar is a standard 1 Yuan from the third year of the Republic of China. It has a silver content of about 90%, weighs about 26.6 grams, has a diameter of 39 millimeters, a straight edge, and grain on the reverse."

"This is a hand-stamped coin, with uneven lettering, metal chipping at the edges, and slightly crooked strokes. The patina is integrated with the coin body."

After examining it, the old man said, "This should be genuine. If you're willing to sell, our shop can offer 230 million!"

"How come it's only 230?"

Ma Hongwei frowned and said, "I saw it online; it sold for 322 million at auction 22. The price should be even higher now!"

"Young man, the auction house still charges you a commission!"

Yin Weimin quickly explained, "Besides, what they received was all authenticated by an appraisal agency. Yours hasn't been authenticated and doesn't have a certificate, so it's definitely not as good as theirs."

"Even so, it can't be less than a million!"

Ma Hongwei shook his head and said to Xia Weiwei, "It seems we can only take the high-speed rail to Zhengzhou or Beijing. There are many wealthy people there, and they have more power, so they will definitely be able to offer a higher price."

Xia Weiwei, who was standing to the side, looked somewhat dazed upon hearing this.

She had originally expected it to sell for 50, but she never expected it to sell for such a high price.

The old man asked, "Young man, how many do you want?"

In the antique industry, it's all about "asking for the moon and haggling to get the money back," so naturally he had to lower the price a bit.

"280 million!"

Ma Hongwei quoted a price, then took out a Yuan Shikai silver dollar and placed it in his hand.

"Your price is too... um?"

Just as the old man was about to haggle, he suddenly noticed that the Yuan Shikai silver dollar in Ma Hongwei's hand was another Soviet version.

The elderly man in the traditional Chinese suit smiled and asked, "Young man, may I take a look?"

"certainly!"

Ma Hongwei was there to sell cryptocurrency, so he wasn't afraid of being seen.

The old man took another Soviet-era Yuan Shikai silver dollar and examined it carefully.

"This...this is actually real, and not a later example of a Yuan Shikai silver dollar from the third year of the Republic of China!"

He couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "You're lucky to find one normally, how could you get two?"

"Sir, if the price is right, I'll sell it to your shop."

Ma Hongwei chuckled and said, "If it's not suitable, then I'll go to Beijing. Anyway, it only takes two and a half hours to get to Beijing from Ancheng by high-speed rail."