Chapter 112: Meeting Elder Xu
Chapter 112: Meeting Elder Xu
When they arrived at the door of the Succulent Shop, Qi Jinxuan smiled and said, “Little Yu, since your car is right here, let’s take your car. You know the way to Shengjing Antique City, right?”
“Shengjing Antique City, Brother Qi, I don’t think this is an antique, is it?” Zhou Yu felt that the Pink Coral he got from Xiao Pang belonged more to the category of jewelry. He thought they should go to a jewelry store.
“Haha, antiques are also called artworks. Your coral is an artwork too. For evaluating such things, some people in the antique city are more professional than those in jewelry stores. Nowadays, most appraisers in jewelry stores come from the antique world.” Qi Jinxuan laughed heartily.
Zhou Yu nodded. His knowledge of antiques only came from those treasure-hunting shows on TV. Usually, he didn’t pay much attention to them.
He had occasionally visited Shengjing Antique City in Jing City. Its interior was decorated in a very classic and artistic style, making it a cultural and tourist landmark in Jing City.
On the way to the antique city, Qi Jinxuan, sitting in the car, transferred the money for the earlier items into Zhou Yu’s account using his Mobile Phone. It was one hundred and fifty thousand for the Immortal Flavor Fruit Powder and thirty thousand for the five jars of Honey, totaling one hundred and eighty thousand.
The things bought with this one hundred and eighty thousand brought him not just profits, but also fame and recognition from his family elders.
Arriving at Shengjing Antique City, Zhou Yu parked the car in a nearby parking lot. Carrying the box containing the Pink Coral, he followed Qi Jinxuan into the antique city.
From the beginning, Shengjing Antique City was not just positioned as a place for antique trading and sales; it also carried cultural and tourism significance.
The tall ceremonial archway bore the five large, flamboyant characters for Shengjing Antique City. These characters were personally inscribed by the governor of Canghai Province when the antique city was first completed. Now, that governor had entered the ranks of the central power, which, without explicit mention, further increased the antique city’s fame.
Zhou Yu followed Qi Jinxuan, walking through the antique city. Most of it consisted of separate individual shops. In the central area of the antique city, there was a three-story antique mall, which also housed individual shops inside.
However, in the eyes of many, strolling along the various roads in the antique city, looking at the antiques in each shop one by one, was much more interesting than entering a mall hall.
An antique city housed in a single building was at best just an antique mall. The real antique city was formed by these individual shops within the city.
As he walked, Zhou Yu curiously looked at the interesting items displayed on the street stalls or outside the shops. From time to time, he could hear the strange promotional slogans spoken by those running the stalls.
Qi Jinxuan led him to a shop with a two-story building near the central area of the antique city. Whether it was the antique mall or the individual shops outside, all were built in ancient styles, full of classical charm.
The name of this antique shop was very simple and straightforward, yet memorable. It was called Wanbao Zhai, meaning a store that gathered ten thousand treasures.
“Come on, this is the antique shop. Let’s go in and find a master to appraise it for you.” Qi Jinxuan smiled and led Zhou Yu into the shop.
After entering the antique shop, a slightly older man came up to greet them. “You two, what would you like… hey, it’s Young Master Qi. Haven’t seen you for a while.” From his words, it was clear that Qi Jinxuan had visited this antique shop many times before.
“Haha, Uncle Bao, you flatter me. By the way, is Uncle Wenshan in the shop? I have something I’d like him to look at.” Qi Jinxuan waved his hand with a smile and asked.
“Oh, something to look at. Wenshan is in, but he’s currently upstairs chatting with Elder Xu. Wait here a moment, I’ll go up and tell him.” This Uncle Bao glanced at Zhou Yu beside him and said with a smile.
Qi Jinxuan’s eyes lit up. “Ah, Elder Xu is also upstairs. Maybe we should wait for a bit.”
“It’s fine. He and Elder Xu are just chatting casually. It won’t delay regular matters. I’ll go up and let him know.” Uncle Bao shook his head, not particularly concerned.
“Alright then, thank you, Uncle Bao.” Qi Jinxuan quickly thanked him. Uncle Bao waved his hand with a smile and went upstairs.
Turning back to look at Zhou Yu, who was examining the shop, Qi Jinxuan introduced with a smile, “My dad is friends with the shopkeeper here. I also come by sometimes to buy stuff. If we can go upstairs later, be careful. The Elder Xu that Uncle Bao just mentioned is a famous figure in the antique world. He owns many antique shops and an auction house. Our current Wanbao Zhai is also his property.”
Zhou Yu slowly nodded. He often heard that the antique world’s waters were very deep. But corresponding to the depth, if one had real skill, they could navigate it like a fish in water.
Soon, Uncle Bao came downstairs and waved at Qi Jinxuan with a smile. “Jinxuan, go on up. Wenshan is waiting for you upstairs. Be careful not to make too much noise when you go up.”
“Thank you, Uncle Bao. Little Yu, let’s go.” Qi Jinxuan thanked him again and led Zhou Yu up to the second floor.
The second floor also displayed some antiques, but the overall arrangement felt more grand compared to the first floor. Presumably, the items placed on the second floor were all fine antiques.
Guided by a staff member upstairs, they arrived at an elegantly decorated side room with latticework. From outside, they could see three people inside drinking tea and talking.
An older man sat at the head, with the other two sitting on his left and right. Some objects partially blocked the view, making it hard to see clearly, but Zhou Yu felt the older man looked somewhat familiar.
After reaching the doorway, the staff member gently reminded from outside the door, “Elder Xu, Shopkeeper, Qi Jinxuan is here.”
The older man sitting at the head smiled and nodded. “That kid from the Qi family. Let him in quickly. Let’s see what treasure he has to show us.”
After receiving the older man’s instruction, the staff member invited Qi Jinxuan and Zhou Yu, who were standing to the side, to come in.
“Jinxuan, with Elder Xu here today, what you brought shouldn’t disappoint us. First, introduce the young friend beside you.” After Qi Jinxuan entered, the middle-aged man sitting on the left said with a smile, then turned his gaze to Zhou Yu.
Presumably, the item Qi Jinxuan wanted them to appraise belonged to the young man beside him.
Qi Jinxuan immediately nodded and stepped aside slightly. Just as he was about to introduce Zhou Yu, the older man at the head showed a surprised expression and laughed heartily. “Haha, Little Zhou, it’s you. I didn’t expect to meet you here.”
Hearing the older man’s words, Zhou Yu also smiled. Just from hearing the older man’s voice telling them to come in, he had already formed a guess. “Elder Xu, hello. I also didn’t expect to meet you here.”
This Elder Xu sitting at the head was Xu Minghua, whom he had met at Old Tan’s place and who had bought three jars of his Honey.
Back at Old Tan’s, Zhou Yu had felt this older man had an extraordinary air about him. Combined with his vehicle, he knew he was not an ordinary person. He hadn’t expected him to be a famous figure in the antique world. No wonder he sensed a certain scholarly elegance from him.
The middle-aged man on the left laughed. “Elder Xu, you know this young friend. What a coincidence.”
“Haha, I haven’t known Little Zhou for long either. He’s an interesting young man. Quickly introduce yourself to everyone.” Xu Minghua laughed heartily, then said to Zhou Yu, not revealing the details of how they met.
From Zhou Yu’s demeanor when they met because of the honey, he had felt this young man was very interesting. Moreover, when facing others, he was neither humble nor pushy, handling himself naturally. He was definitely not a simple person.
Zhou Yu gave a slight nod, first thanking Xu Minghua for the praise. Then he introduced himself by name to the few people present. As for more specific details, he didn’t elaborate, only mentioning that he was starting a business in his hometown.
Seeing this, a look of surprise appeared on Qi Jinxuan’s face. He had never imagined that Zhou Yu would know Elder Xu. Even though they hadn’t known each other long, the attitude was clearly different from others, very friendly.
He had originally thought he had some understanding of Zhou Yu, but now it seemed that was just his own imagination.
“So it’s Young Friend Zhou. Truly young and promising. I am Lü Wenshan, the shopkeeper of this antique store. This gentleman beside me is Su Xiuping, a calligrapher and painter. Since you know Elder Xu, you’re not an outsider. You can call us uncles.”
The middle-aged man sitting on the left listened to Zhou Yu’s introduction, smiled, and nodded. He briefly introduced himself and the middle-aged man opposite him.
Although Zhou Yu didn’t specify his business, from Elder Xu’s attitude beside him, it was clear this young man was not so simple.
After expressing his thanks, Zhou Yu greeted Lü Wenshan and Su Xiuping each in turn.
“Elder Xu, I didn’t expect you to know Little Yu. Bringing him here to have something appraised is really a coincidence.” At this moment, Qi Jinxuan spoke up with surprise.
Elder Xu laughed loudly. “Things in the world are sometimes just this coincidental. Little Zhou didn’t know before that I was in the antique world. Alright, you two should sit down first.”