Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 417: Chapter 413 Panjiayuan

After the ancestral rites concluded, Huo Sining and Su Qingqing went out for a casual stroll in the afternoon, when Su Qingqing suddenly suggested visiting Panjiayuan.

Huo Sining had no objections; since she was idle at home, she might as well take a walk outside.

Panjiayuan is essentially a second-hand market, also commonly known as Antique Street.

Here, one can find a convergence of various goods including antiques, jewelry, jade, handicrafts, collectibles, and adornments. The market is organized into six business areas: open-air stalls, antique buildings, furniture, collections, stone carvings, and catering services.

Over ten thousand traders conduct their business here, hailing from twenty-eight provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across the country, involving fifty-six different ethnic groups. It is a large antique and art market in the Imperial Capital known for its rich and traditional folk culture.

Upon hearing that Huo Sining planned to visit Panjiayuan, Huang Xiaoyi eagerly volunteered to lead the way.

Different from girls like Huang Hanyun and Huang Ranping, Huang Xiaoyi was quite interested in antiques; visiting places like Dashilan Liulichang and Panjiayuan about once every week or two. However, being young, she rarely made purchases, generally just looking without buying.

In Panjiayuan, there are various old brands, and of course, numerous individual stalls as well.

Typically, the proprietors of these individual stalls can be divided into two categories: the old and the new. The old stall owners have been ”anchoring” on this street for a long time, and the good items at their stalls have mostly been picked over, with mostly imitations remaining.

These people’s clients are usually out-of-town buyers or newcomers to the hobby who are unfamiliar with how things work. Rarely do they have repeat customers. They only actively call out to potential buyers when they occasionally acquire second-hand goods from other places;

New stall owners, on the other hand, are different. Many of them come from outside the area, selling mostly second-hand or unearthed items. Their wares tend to be more authentic than those of the old stall owners, and often contain some genuine pieces.

However, it’s hard to come across new stall owners, unless one is extremely familiar with this street; otherwise, there’s no way to tell them apart.

What surprised Huo Sining was that although Huang Xiaoyi had little experience with antiques, she often strolled around Panjiayuan and was as familiar with the stalls and the vendors as if reciting from an inventory.

It didn’t take long for her to find a new stall. The owner appeared to be about 70 years old, dressed in rather nondescript grey Zhongshan suit and didn’t look particularly noteworthy.

Huang Xiaoyi was certain that she had never seen this stall owner before.

”Qingqing, there should be some good items at that stall.” Since the goods seemed to have just been laid out not long ago, the stall surprisingly had no one looking at the merchandise. Huang Xiaoyi secretly rejoiced, pulled Su Qingqing and Huo Sining towards the stall.

The stall owner was wiping a small incense burner when he saw them approaching. His hands paused, and he lifted his head to look evenly at Huo Sining and Su Qingqing behind her.

While Huo Sining and Huang Xiaoyi were busy sifting through the heap of old items on the stall, Su Qingqing subtly nodded at the stall owner.

The old man caught on immediately, his probing gaze swept over Huo Sining time and again.

Huo Sining and Huang Xiaoyi didn’t notice anything amiss between Su Qingqing and the stall owner. The owner had many assorted items laid out in front of him, so many that it made Huo Sining dizzy just looking at them.

She pretended to touch the items, not really seeing anything special.

However, Huo Sining’s apparent lack of focus caused the stall owner to misunderstand, and a look of relief and realization flashed in his eyes as he discreetly signaled Su Qingqing.

Su Qingqing’s face suddenly revealed a barely perceptible smile, and her gaze swept over the large chest placed beneath the vendor’s feet, momentarily pausing, she picked up a three-legged bronze ding and asked, ”Boss, how much are you selling this bronze ding for?”

The old man beamed and stretched out five fingers. Su Qingqing had yet to speak when Huo Sining let out a slight smile, ”Fifty yuan?”

The old man’s face fell immediately, ”Are you joking, miss? This is an authentic Qianqing Medicine Cauldron; where can you find one for fifty yuan? I’m talking about at least five thousand yuan!”

Huo Sining shook her head with a smile, ”If it were a real Qianqing Medicine Cauldron, I’m afraid five thousand yuan wouldn’t even buy a single leg, right? This cauldron has simplified Chinese characters engraved on it, Emperor Qianlong was truly avant-garde, huh? Creating simplified characters back then?”

With this banter, Huo Sining’s eyes hid an indescribable teasing.

Hearing this, Su Qingqing couldn’t help but snort out a laugh, looking up at the old man to see how embarrassed and angry he looked.

However, the old man, having his bluff called out by Huo Sining, wasn’t annoyed but rather joked back with a grin:

”Young lady, you are quite discerning indeed. Although this medicine cauldron is an imitation, it’s crafted so finely it could fool people. If your friend really likes it, I’ll give you a fair price, how about three hundred yuan?”

”Three hundred yuan? I wouldn’t take it for thirty.”

Huo Sining was about to say something when Su Qingqing directly cut her off.

Su Qingqing’s gaze gleamed as it fell on the wooden chest the old man was sitting on; it was as if she had discovered a new continent. Her eyes brightened, her mouth spread into a broad grin, and she nudged her chin towards the vendor, ”Boss, why so stingy? You have good things yet you hide them, using these junk items to fool people. Don’t hold back the stuff in that chest, bring it out for us to have a look!”

Upon hearing Su Qingqing’s words, the gazes of Huo Sining and Huang Xiaoyi also followed Su Qingqing’s line of sight and landed on the wooden chest the old man was using as a seat.

Huang Xiaoyi’s face immediately brightened, joining in the commotion, ”Exactly, boss, you’re hiding good stuff there; don’t keep it to yourself!”

At this, the old man’s expression paused, and he looked over Huo Sining and the others.

Noticing that change in the old man’s expression, Huo Sining felt somewhat surprised.

Could there really be something good in that chest?

Huo Sining’s face carried a casual smile, but her eyes were fixed intensely on the old man, careful not to miss any expression on his face.

Unlike the excitement and eagerness of Su Qingqing and Huang Xiaoyi, Huo Sining wasn’t fanatically obsessed with hunting for antiques, so she could always stay rational and cool-headed in these kinds of situations.

After analyzing the situation in her mind, Huo Sining didn’t believe that things could be such a coincidence.

If this vendor was new, having just arrived at Antique Street to do business, it wouldn’t make sense to hide the good stuff while deliberately selling fakes and junk. To run a successful business and win return customers, one would surely start by pleasing them first. If it were her, she would definitely display the good items openly.

So, Huo Sining thought that the old man’s approach was illogical, which left only one explanation: the man was trying to create an air of mystery, aiming to deceive those novice collectors who entertained the hopeful thought of stumbling upon a treasure.