Old Harden, can you handle having your vision-shifting abilities on all the time?

At 4:50 a.m. the next day, Xu Xing's alarm clock rang on time.

He quickly got up, washed up, changed into some casual clothes, and then went downstairs to the lobby.

Less than two minutes later, Zhao Yongchang and Ma Jianguo also came down.

The three of them walked out of the hotel in high spirits and headed towards Panjiayuan along the dimly lit street.

Panjiayuan was already bustling with activity at five in the morning.

The spacious square was densely packed with stalls, displaying a dazzling array of antiques and miscellaneous items.

There are ceramics, jade, calligraphy and paintings, bronzes, wood carvings, coins, stamps, old records...

Some stall owners were arranging their goods, some were haggling with customers, and some were sitting on small stools leisurely smoking.

The air was filled with the smells of dust, old books, and a faint scent of cooking.

"This is the ghost market of Panjiayuan."

Ma Jianguo walked ahead, explaining as he went, "People start setting up stalls as early as three or four in the morning, the peak time is five or six, and they gradually disperse by seven or eight."

Zhao Yongchang looked around and remarked with emotion, "Every time I come here over the years, there are new changes."

"yes."

Ma Jianguo also sighed, "Panjiayuan today is nothing like it was twenty years ago."

There were so many good things back then, and so many opportunities to snag bargains. Now...

He shook his head. "Most of them are handicrafts and imitations. There are very few truly good items, and the chance to find a bargain is extremely rare."

Most people come here to soak up the atmosphere and have some fun.

Xu Xing listened and nodded, his gaze sweeping across the stalls.

Instead of making a move, he activated his X-ray vision and quickly scanned each stall.

The three walked slowly along the passage between the stalls, occasionally stopping to look at something and chat with the stall owner, but none of them made a purchase.

After walking for about twenty minutes, Xu Xing stopped in front of a stall selling old items.

The stall was filled with all sorts of miscellaneous items, including old clocks, vintage cameras, brass locks, porcelain vases, wood carvings, and more.

His gaze fell on something in the corner.

It was a small, painted pottery figurine, shaped like a bluebird with outstretched wings.

The glaze on the painted pottery is somewhat mottled, but it is still well preserved overall. The feather texture of the bluebird is clearly visible, and its graceful posture and exquisite craftsmanship are quite remarkable.

Next to the doll stood a small information plaque, about the size of a palm, with a few lines of text written in traditional Chinese characters:

"During the Republican era, Song Ziwen presented Sheng Aiyi with these items."

After returning from studying abroad, T.V. Soong fell in love with Sheng Ai-yi, the seventh daughter of the Sheng family, but they were unable to marry due to family opposition.

This bluebird-shaped painted pottery was a gift specially commissioned by Song Ziwen and given to Sheng Aiyi before he achieved success and married Zhang Leyi.

Next to the information plaque was a yellowed book from the Republican era, with the words "Chronicles of Shiwan Kiln Pottery" written on the cover.

Xu Xing squatted down, picked up the book, and flipped through it.

The pages of the book have yellowed and the ink has faded somewhat, but the writing is still clearly legible.

There is a page inside that specifically records this event:

In the spring of 1927, Mr. Song Wen personally made and fired a bluebird at the Shiwan Kiln and presented it to Ms. Sheng Aiyi, the seventh daughter of the Sheng family.

Xu Xing put down the book, then picked up the painted pottery bird and gently weighed it in his hand, feeling that the weight seemed a little off.

Then he activated his X-ray vision.

His gaze pierced through the glaze of the painted pottery and through its body, and he could clearly see a deep red gem hidden in the belly of the bluebird.

The gemstone was oval-shaped and exquisitely cut, refracting a dazzling light under X-ray vision.

Xu Xing's heart skipped a beat.

Natural red diamond!

And judging by its size, it's at least twenty carats!

He took a deep breath to suppress his excitement and calmly put down the painted pottery bird.

"Boss, how much is this?"

He pointed to the painted pottery bluebird and the book, and asked casually.

The stall owner was a bald man in his fifties, wearing a faded blue overall, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

He glanced at what Xu Xing was pointing to, and exhaled a smoke ring: "That bluebird and that book together, 180,000."

Xu Xing shook his head: "Too expensive."

"expensive?"

The stall owner raised an eyebrow. "This was a gift from Song Ziwen, the richest man in the Republic of China, to Sheng Aiyi! It has a historical significance! 180,000 is still too expensive?"

"The story of T.V. Soong and Ai-Yi Sheng is indeed famous, but this bluebird is just an ordinary painted pottery piece."

Xu Xing put down the painted pottery bluebird. "Moreover, although the craftsmanship of this thing is a fine example from the Republic of China period, it is not the work of a famous artist. 180,000 is indeed too high."

He paused, then offered, "150,000."

The stall owner frowned, thought for a moment, then looked at Xu Xing, and finally gritted his teeth: "How about we compromise, 170,000?"

"165,000."

Xu Xing's tone was firm: "No more."

After hesitating for a long time, the stall owner finally slapped his thigh and said, "Fine! 165,000 it is! Consider it making friends!"

Xu Xing then smiled, took out his phone, and scanned the QR code to pay.

The stall owner deftly packed the painted pottery bird and the book into a cloth bag and handed it to Xu Xing: "Boss, here you go!"

Xu Xing took the cloth bag and weighed it in his hand; only then did he feel truly relieved.

Zhao Yongchang leaned closer and asked curiously, "Mr. Xu, what makes you interested in this?"

Xu Xing smiled and casually said, "The story of Song Ziwen and Sheng Aiyi is quite interesting. It would be nice to buy it as a decorative item."

Zhao Yongchang stroked his chin and nodded thoughtfully: "That's true. Although Song Ziwen and Sheng Aiyi's ending wasn't good, Song Ziwen was still quite thoughtful when he gave this gift."

Although he later fell in love with someone else and married Zhang Leyi, there's always some truth to the saying "first love is always worth mentioning."

He paused, then chuckled, "But Mr. Xu, you're not buying this as a gift for my niece, are you?"

Xu Xing was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Mr. Zhao is joking. I just think this thing is interesting."

Ma Jianguo, who was standing next to him, also casually offered his congratulations: "Xu Gong has a good eye. The craftsmanship of this painted pottery is indeed exquisite. It is a fine piece from the Republic of China period, and it has some provenance. So, 165,000 yuan is not too expensive."

Xu Xing smiled but didn't explain further.

The three continued their stroll.

Over the next hour, Xu Xing activated his X-ray vision and quickly scanned dozens of stalls, but found nothing worth buying.

As Ma Jianguo said, there are very few good items in Panjiayuan now, and the chance to find a bargain is extremely rare.

However, the three of them still bought some trinkets that interested them.

Zhao Yongchang bought a Yixing teapot from the Republican era for eight thousand yuan.

Ma Jianguo bought a Qing Dynasty Hetian jade pendant for 15,000 yuan.

Xu Xing bought a late Qing Dynasty bronze incense burner for three thousand yuan. Although it wasn't a great bargain, it was in good condition and looked nice in his home.

By 7:30, all three of them were getting hungry.

"Let's go get some breakfast first."