Chapter 111 - 103: Connecting for Treasure Appraisal

Chapter 111: Chapter 103: Connecting for Treasure Appraisal

Looking at the balance in his bank account, Chen Jingle couldn’t help but scratch his head. He didn’t want to buy a cheap car, but he couldn’t afford an expensive one. It was frustrating.

Take his favorite Audi models, known for their signature headlights, for example. If he were still working at his old company, he could absolutely afford one. Not to mention the crazy price cuts by major automakers this year. If he worked hard, he could even try for the "56E" class—the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, and Mercedes E-Class—widely considered the ceiling for ordinary people. But now he had quit.

He thought, "With this little money, it seems I can’t buy any decent car. If I buy something slightly more expensive, I’ll end up feeding on the Northwest winds. Unless I go back to work."

Going back to work was absolutely out of the question; he never wanted to clock in for the rest of his life! He’d be better off hoping a wealthy sugar mama would gift him a top-tier W12 Audi A8. Even that was more likely than him returning to an office. Anyone who had tasted the joys of lying flat rarely wanted to go back to the grind.

He wondered, "How can I find a stable, easy, and comfortable way to make money?"

Chen Jingle fell deep into thought.

He pondered, "How do those rich people make so much money? They buy luxury cars worth hundreds of thousands or even millions without batting an eye."

He suddenly felt a bit envious. But on second thought, whether it was a million-dollar luxury car or a humble Mazda, they all got stuck in traffic just the same. Besides, given his personality, even if he owned a car, he probably wouldn’t even drive it five thousand kilometers a year. Instantly, his desire to buy a car faded. A car wasn’t a necessity in his life. At least, not right now.

He decided, "I should focus on the present first."

His plan for today was still to study cooking. If he ever ran out of savings and still refused to get a job, he could at least rely on this skill to set up a food stall at a school gate. Although calligraphy and painting could also make money, most of the time they had a price but no market. Very few people had a demand for them, and in the eyes of many buyers, fame was more important than quality. Chen Jingle felt they weren’t as reliable as culinary skills.

***

As the saying goes, collect gold in times of chaos, and antiques in times of peace. As people’s living standards continuously improved, an antique collection craze gradually swept through the public. In fact, this trend had started long ago, but it had grown increasingly prosperous in recent years.

Take a few years ago, for example. Novels about appraising treasures and finding hidden gems were exceptionally popular online. While they had become less common in recent years, a large number of treasure-appraising streamers had popped up on short video and livestreaming platforms. Some were just doing it for the entertainment value, while others were genuinely skilled.

Liu Deqiang got into collecting precisely because he stumbled upon someone’s treasure appraisal livestream. He had watched many appraisal streamers over time, but the one he watched most often now was the bald Teacher Hai. Teacher Hai’s professional knowledge was second to none among the crowd of appraisal streamers. He also had the highest number of call-in viewers who ended up being hauled away to work prison sewing machines or eat a bullet. He often encountered reckless tomb raiders who had just crawled out of the ground, only to have their IPs and addresses tracked in the next second. There were even people who called in while actively excavating a tomb on site. One could only say that their thought processes were truly baffling.

Fatty Liu had called into the livestream quite a few times, mainly to ask Teacher Hai to help appraise calligraphy and paintings. Over time, everyone gradually became familiar with him. His username and profile picture were simply his company’s name and logo. It was highly recognizable.

In today’s livestream, Fatty Liu was back again. As soon as he connected, the streamer, Teacher Hai, was pleasantly surprised. "Isn’t this President Liu? Welcome, welcome. What do you have for us today, President Liu?"

Some of the veteran viewers in the chat also began spamming comments to show their support:

"Welcome, President Liu."

"President Liu is here?"

"What big goods does President Liu have this time?"

Fatty Liu chuckled, speaking in his typical heavy Cantonese-accented Mandarin, "I recently bought a few pieces of calligraphy and paintings from someone. I’m here to ask Sea Captain to help me appraise them."

"No problem at all."

"Let’s look at this one first." Fatty Liu took out his first collectible.

Teacher Hai sat up straight. "Bring the camera closer so I can take a look. Hmm, Fan Baochong, right?"

Fatty Liu was immediately filled with admiration. "As expected of Hai Banzhang! You didn’t even look at the signature, yet you recognized it at a glance. Awesome!"

What did it mean to be highly skilled? This was it!

Teacher Hai chuckled. "I wouldn’t dare boast about anything else, but when it comes to calligraphy and paintings, I know a thing or two. There’s nothing wrong with the signature and seal either. It should be authentic. How much did you get this for, President Liu?"

"Why don’t you give it an estimate?"

"There’s no problem with the piece, but as far as his personal level goes, it’s a bit average. Probably around two hundred grand or so." Teacher Hai gave a relatively conservative figure. When it came to appraisals, if you estimated too high and they couldn’t sell it for that price, they would turn around and blame you. Rather than getting scolded, it was better to estimate a bit lower from the start. That way, if the selling price ended up higher than the estimate, they would at least be glad they didn’t lose much.

Fatty Liu said, "I got it for two hundred and seventy."

"Then you didn’t lose out. Fan Baochong’s paintings are definitely worth this price. If you want to sell it, there are quite a few people willing to collect it. You have a good eye, President Liu." Teacher Hai gave a thumbs-up.

Fatty Liu chuckled and brought out his second collectible. "Next is this one." This time, it was a painting of a horse.

"Holy crap, this is incredible! It’s an authentic work by Mr. Beihong! Come, let me see the signature." Teacher Hai’s eyes widened instantly.

The viewers in the livestream also had their eyes opened. Damn! It was Master Xu, the number one painter of horses! It seemed President Liu came prepared today!

"This signature looks like it was gifted to someone," Teacher Hai noted.

Fatty Liu’s phone camera panned over the entire painting, capturing everything from the overall view down to the fine details so everyone could appreciate it. The viewers in the livestream couldn’t help but swallow hard. Damn it, that was all money! It was so good to be rich!

Haidong nodded. "Hmm, it’s indeed a specific gift. Just like the Fan Baochong piece earlier, this kind of work is slightly cheaper than his other pieces on the market. The current market value is a few hundred grand. The exact price depends on how much the buyer fancies it."

"Alright. I also have this." Fatty Liu brought out a third piece. This time, it was another calligraphy work. It featured the four characters for "Illustrious Virtue and Utmost Perfection."

Teacher Hai was momentarily taken aback. "This calligraphy is extremely well written. You could even say it’s exceptional, but I can’t think of who might have done it. Let’s see the signature?"

Fatty Liu chuckled. "I asked a friend to get this piece for me. It’s not by a famous master, but I found this person’s calligraphy very interesting. So, I wanted to ask Sea Captain to help me see if it’s worth it."

Teacher Hai leaned close to the screen and stared at the signature for a few seconds. "Chen Jingle? I’ve never heard of him. However, just looking at the strength and foundation of the brushwork, it is indeed incredible. How much did you get it for, President Liu?"

"It was supposed to be twenty grand, but he gifted me a small painting that I really liked, so I gave him thirty. The painting is right here." Fatty Liu brought out the painting as if showing off.

"The rooster crows and the world turns bright. This symbolism is excellent and suits you very well, President Liu."

Teacher Hai was even more surprised. "And it’s exceptionally well-painted too. Both the foundation and technique are solid. It’s not easy to paint traditional Chinese colored ink paintings this well. Without at least twenty years of experience, it’s very difficult to achieve a level where the brushstrokes pierce through the back of the paper. It’s just a bit on the smaller side. Being able to buy two items of this caliber for thirty grand is definitely not a loss; you could even say you’ve made a profit. I understand what you mean, President Liu. Even though the artist isn’t very famous right now, given this quality, you certainly won’t lose money. You can rest assured."

Many viewers in the livestream chimed in:

"This big rooster is painted so beautifully!"

"Even as someone who knows nothing about painting, I think it looks great."

"How come I can’t find a painter named Chen Jingle online? Does he really have no fame at all?"

Having finished showing off, Fatty Liu was satisfied. "That’s good to hear. Thank you, Sea Captain."

The appraisal was secondary; showing off was his primary goal. He had worked hard to build his current net worth. It wasn’t convenient for him to flaunt his wealth in his daily life as it easily drew envy and resentment, but showing off these collections online was perfectly fine. Besides, using calligraphy and paintings to flex wasn’t quite as glaringly obnoxious as flashing hard cash.

"You’re welcome. See you next time."

Teacher Hai looked at the chat and smiled. "This level of skill is already incredible. Honestly, it just goes to show that there are indeed many hidden talents among the common folk. On the contrary, many people in the Calligraphy Association, like Shen whatever—AHEM, of course, this only represents my personal opinion. I think his calligraphy is just amateurish street style. When he was the head of the Calligraphy Association, his pieces were ridiculously expensive, but now their prices have plummeted.

"All I can say is, those who know, know."