Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 883: Chapter 879: Responding to a Peach by Gifting a Plum

Although the old granny spoke very nonchalantly, Huo Sining could see intense bitterness and helplessness in the old woman’s eyes.

People say raising children is for old age, but to end up like Madam Yan with many children and grandchildren, yet to have such a result, one wonders if it’s fortunate or unfortunate.

Huo Sining didn’t know exactly how many sons and grandsons the old granny had, but judging from the actions and words of the man who sold the tortoiseshell crafts yesterday, this grandson felt no sadness for Old Master Yan’s death and instead, was worried about items taken by other cousins.

One grandson behaved like that; Huo Sining could roughly guess how the other grandsons were.

She could almost foresee that if these items really stayed in the old granny’s hands, as she said, it wouldn’t be long before they were taken and sold by her grandsons.

People’s hearts are greedy. Huo Sining was almost certain that the old granny’s ungrateful grandsons would definitely come back.

Huo Sining couldn’t help but feel a trace of pity and sympathy for the old granny. She was willing to sell all the items to outsiders rather than leave them for her own grandsons. The fact that she trusted these newly met outsiders but not her own blood relatives showed how disappointed she was with those grandsons.

”Madam, these two boxes are quite old and made of redwood. The boxes themselves are already valuable, but we haven’t yet identified their exact age, so it’s hard to appraise them now. If the price is too high, I suffer; if too low, you suffer. If you’re okay with it, we can take the two boxes back for appraisal by an expert—”

Li Quan was still dwelling on the matter of the two boxes, but the old granny cut him off directly:

”No need for the trouble. I don’t lack money. At my age, who knows how many years I have left. I just want to take back this folding fan, as it was my old companion’s favorite possession while he was alive. I don’t want anything else. For a flat sum of fifty thousand, you can take everything else, just leave the fan.”

The old granny stated her demand straightforwardly and decisively. The flat price of fifty thousand made Huo Sining and the others dumbfounded.

It’s not surprising she was shocked. Earlier, Huo Sining had offered forty thousand for the Qing Imitation Xuande Furnace alone, and the two redwood boxes were worth at least over ten thousand each. Not to mention the mysterious Blue Leather Thread-Bound Book and the Cold Light Source Bi Pearl with unknown origins and values inside the brocade box. The hidden value of these things added up to an amount Huo Sining couldn’t even estimate.

But now the old granny straightforwardly asked for an immediate buyout at such an absurdly low price. Originally, Huo Sining planned to negotiate, hoping to buy them for a hundred thousand, or even add another ten or twenty thousand if needed. Now, with the old granny’s offer, the haggling part was saved. She’d agree immediately without any hesitation.

Li Quan too was a smart man. Buying so many items for fifty thousand was a heaven-sent deal. He instantly realized and quickly smiled, ”No way, fifty thousand is too low. Though we’re in business, we can’t let you suffer a loss.”

In the antique trade, there’s more plotting and scheming than goodwill and honesty. Madam Yan’s pure-hearted and honest demeanor made Li Quan and the others feel embarrassed.

Especially Huo Sining, upon learning that the Xuande Furnace was a genuine Ming Ding Incense Burner, she felt secretly delighted to have stumbled upon such a treasure. But seeing the old granny like this, she felt a bit like a petty person.

”I’ve lived for over half my life. In this world, there’s not much worth fussing over. There’s a saying that suffering losses is an advantage. As long as I feel at ease, it’s worthwhile. To me, this folding fan’s value far exceeds the items in those boxes.”

The old granny’s face showed a smile as her wrinkled hands caressed the tortoiseshell folding fan in her arms, a very content expression.

Huo Sining felt somewhat guilty and after pondering for a moment said, ”How about this, we agree on the fifty thousand transaction price, but that’s not the final price. If the final transaction value of these items is less than fifty thousand, we definitely won’t blame you.”

”But if it exceeds fifty thousand, we’ll take 20% commission as per auction house rules, and the rest goes to you. It’s our promise. We’ll write it into the contract. If you agree, we’ll sign and make up any difference later.”

As soon as Huo Sining said this, Li Quan and Qiao Zhenhuan were stunned.

With this, it’s not merely a purchase, but a disguised consignment. The final transaction price is unknown, but for sure, Huo Sining’s proposal would cost her potential earnings.

Given Huo Sining’s expertise, she wouldn’t let the genuine Ming Ding Incense Burner remain hidden. She’d find a way to remove its outer disguise, and its eventual transaction price as a genuine Xuande Furnace would reach at least two hundred thousand.

Originally, if she managed to pick it up, the Xuande Furnace would be entirely hers. But now, proposing to share profits with the old granny meant Huo Sining would only get 20%, with the remainder going to Madam Yan.

Still, this plan made Huo Sining feel at ease. She wanted to earn, yes, but she wouldn’t deceive a frail old granny with no conscience.

Business also requires empathy. Since the old granny was honest, Huo Sining naturally wanted to reciprocate. If the old granny were scheming, Huo Sining wouldn’t have been so kind-hearted.

Madam Yan hadn’t expected Huo Sining to suggest such a plan but didn’t mind. After all, in her view, the value of these items wouldn’t exceed a million, so whatever she’d get from sharing would be insignificant, no big deal.

The old granny was willing to take the loss. If it were any other businessman, they’d seize the chance to profit more. She hadn’t encountered business people like Huo Sining and Li Quan.

Everyone hopes for goodwill to be reciprocated. The old granny had been hesitant, fearing regret, but with Huo Sining and Li Quan being so considerate, her last bit of hesitation vanished. She nodded and smiled, ”Fine, do as you see fit. I have no objections.”