Chapter 68
Fu Xicheng, as Master Jiang’s disciple, still carried considerable reputation in the imperial capital’s antique circles. The shop owner could tell they were all experts, so he opened the conversation.
“Have you gentlemen brought anything here as well?”
Shen You took out that jade pendant, the token the Great Qi Crown Prince had traded to her.
“What a fine piece!” The shop owner’s eyes lit up immediately. “Perfect condition. If you’re selling, I’ll take it for 1.6 million.”
Shen You politely shook her head. At that price, she would lose everything down to her grandmother’s house.
“This piece is just something I brought to have a look today. I haven’t decided whether to sell it yet.”
Upon hearing this, the shop owner hinted that the price was negotiable. This jade pendant looked like something from the imperial family, and even at 2 million, he could still make a substantial profit.
When encountering good pieces that could be acquired, one definitely had to try. Seeing that Shen You truly wouldn’t budge, he finally left his contact information, saying if she ever wanted to sell in the future, she could reach out again.
Actually, Shen You had come to the antique street today not only to browse around but also to bring some valuable small items to show off.
She wanted to gradually establish her name in this trade. Once people in the circle knew her shop had good pieces, it would be reasonable for her to sell more items later.
The jade and jewelry market was right next to the antique street, so after meeting up with her parents who had been drinking tea at the teahouse, Shen You took them over there.
Gu Shaoyu’s family had a shop here. When he heard that Shen You and her group had arrived, he specifically called them.
Shen You looked at two jade bracelets, saying she wanted to pick one as a gift for her mother.
Her mother’s birthday was coming up in a couple of days, which was why she had specially arranged this trip.
The elderly couple had never been to the imperial capital in their entire lives and had always wanted a chance to visit. If not for the troubles at home, they should have come much earlier.
In the past, her sister-in-law had always loved to give her and her mother some shabby things she herself looked down on, all while wearing that condescending expression of charity.
Things like jewelry costing fifty-something yuan, old coats with peeling surfaces. Even when they didn’t want them, she insisted on giving them away.
She would claim it was because she had too many things to wear them all, that it was a gesture of goodwill, and that they should be grateful.
In the end, Shen You still had to pack them up and throw them out.
Those people thought their family only deserved secondhand things. Well, she would buy things for her family herself.
The other bracelet was one she chose for herself. It had excellent transparency and quality, clear enough to see through. The pale green color had a beautiful purple section running through it.
She hadn’t originally planned to buy it, but this particular piece had a small circumference that most people couldn’t wear, making it relatively inexpensive at just over ten thousand yuan.
Xu Jiayan had originally said that for Mother Shen’s birthday, he would pay for it, but Shen You disagreed. The total was 50,000 yuan, which she paid herself.
Although she knew Gu Shaoyu, she didn’t take advantage of that connection. She paid a fair price, what’s more she hadn’t chosen anything worth hundreds of thousands anyway.
It was simply a matter of buying from someone she knew rather than starting negotiations from inflated prices elsewhere, which saved trouble.
The shop staff were also stunned by her insistence on paying herself.
In the past, whenever they saw someone offering to pay for others in the shop, they would be thrilled beyond measure. Very few would refuse.
“Xiao You, this one costs over thirty thousand – isn’t that too expensive? What if it gets damaged?” Mother Shen said worriedly.
“When jade breaks, it’s means it’s blocking disaster for you.”
Shen You gave a reason that the older generation could accept, putting her mother’s mind at ease about wearing it.
She didn’t do the foolish thing of lying to her parents about it costing two hundred yuan.
She needed her parents to know it was expensive so those plastic relatives wouldn’t snatch it away.
She also made an agreement with Mother Shen that if anyone asked, she should just say she didn’t know how much it cost.
That evening, while they were eating authentic copper pot hotpot, her phone pushed a notification about the fire-proof cloth.
The news called it a shocking discovery that had stunned traditional craft circles. It was a fire-proof cloth made using lost weaving techniques.
This news had already been shared by numerous media outlets. Although there was only one photo, it had gained some popularity across various platforms.
Additionally, the mention that foreigners had tried to purchase it but the owner had refused and directly donated a portion instead caused quite a stir in the comments.
When they came out after dinner, she even heard customers at another table talking about it.
“I heard this is the only piece of fire-proof cloth in the world. The donated portion alone is priceless.”
“The donor previously donated porcelain worth several small fortunes. Look, they say they got rich by inheriting a relative’s estate, and they’re quite young too.”
“When will my long-lost wealthy relative find me!”
“This thing is really beautiful. In ancient times, only royalty and nobility could afford to wear it. Even now, I still haven’t caught up to their standard of living.”
As Shen You passed by, she added silently: It was all collected by the emperor alone as a symbol of imperial power. Even royal nobles couldn’t wear it.
As for standard of living, modern times were still far ahead.
**
On the third day in the imperial capital, Shen You sent her parents to the tour group meeting point in the morning and transferred another twenty thousand yuan to them.
This was a customized high-end pure leisure tour with excellent food, accommodation, and transportation.
Father Shen and Mother Shen happily joined the group, boarding the comfortable minibus to head to their first destination.
Being with young people made them feel constrained, but they had more to talk about with people their own age.
Meanwhile, Shen You, along with the three of them plus Master Jiang’s other female disciple Hua Jun, went to visit the ancient imperial palace and various museums.
Hua Jun was very interested in the cloth bag Shen You carried. She could tell it was made using traditional methods, but with some slight differences.
Many people thought ancient bags were just pieces of cloth slung over the shoulder, however there were actually all kinds of varieties, including ones with adjustable strap lengths. Modern shoulder bags were something ancestors had used long ago.
The type Shen You was wearing was similar to ones their workshop made, but Hua Jun could see the details were still different after careful examination.
“May I take a few photos? I’d like to take them back and try to replicate it.”
During their break, Hua Jun blinked at Shen You expectantly.
“No problem.” Shen You handed her the bag.
“Completely handmade. There’s actually such excellent craftsmanship elsewhere besides our workshop.” Hua Jun asked Fu Xicheng to look at it together as if she had discovered a treasure.
“Shen You, where did you buy this?” She asked curiously.
“It’s from the same friend who gave me the fire-proof cloth with me.” Shen You smiled, already able to answer this question without any emotional fluctuation.
It seemed the craftsmanship of the best fabric shop in Great Qi’s capital, while not comparable to the imperial palace styles among modern replicas, was still quite presentable.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t have caught Hua Jun’s attention.
She looked at the vermillion walls and glazed tiles of the palace. On the table was the afternoon tea they had ordered
The atmosphere was good but the taste was mediocre.
In the collectors’ association group chat, as well as from people she had met in the circle, messages were pouring in.
For a moment, the messages on her phone were overwhelming.
She was fortunate not to be in Jiang City at the time, otherwise the door to her shop would have probably been trampled down.
Boss Huo: “Boss Shen, you kept this too well-hidden. Having such a fine piece, you didn’t even let me have a look.”
This was someone who had introduced major clients to her, so she couldn’t just brush him off casually.
She quickly replied:
“I wasn’t certain before, and after getting the results, I hurriedly sent it to the imperial capital. Wait for a while, when the remaining portion is sent back, come to my place for tea.”
Boss Huo was delighted, knowing that Shen You definitely wouldn’t sell this item, but seeing it would still be educational.
Zheng Mingbo and Mr. Zhou, who had bought the golden nanmu wood, were also asking if she was willing to sell.
These two wealthy masters both said they wanted enough material to make a garment, offering very high prices.
Shen You replied helplessly, “I really can’t sell this time. There’s not enough left.”
She still needed to keep some for her own collection.