Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1529: Chapter 1513: All in Cash

The lamp stands were intact, even the lampshades were original. Huo Sining secretly used her Heavenly Eye to examine them, and found the surface enveloped in thick purple energy, initially judging that they were from the early Ming Dynasty.

Such good items would certainly have belonged to wealthy families in ancient times; ordinary families simply couldn’t afford them.

Huo Sining wasn’t particularly fond of huanghuali, and this pair of lamp stands was just uniquely shaped. Really, if one wanted to seek such items, many antique shops had them; it wasn’t all that surprising.

However, for some reason, when Huo Sining observed these lamp stands, her eyes always unconsciously landed on the landscape paintings embedded in the lampshades.

She felt these paintings were strange because, during her use of the Heavenly Eye Skill, she discovered that the paintings inside the lampshades weren’t done on a whole sheet of paper but were pieced together from several sections of different paper.

This discovery left Huo Sining feeling rather puzzled.

Since the lampshades were original, it indicated that the paintings inside hadn’t been damaged or tampered with, showing they were glued together in pieces from the start rather than being on a single sheet of paper.

But, logically, the ancient craftsmen were meticulous in their work; there was no reason for such a flaw to appear on such a delicate lamp stand. A sheet of paper isn’t expensive — if they were willing to use huanghuali wood for the lamp stands, why would they skimp on the paper?

Thinking in this way, Huo Sining felt increasingly that there was something wrong with the lamp stands. Gluing pieces of paper was definitely inferior to a whole sheet, which was common knowledge unless done intentionally by the craftsman.

An odd expression appeared on Huo Sining’s face, which Liao Song happened to see. Seeing Huo Sining staring intently at the pair of lamp stands, Liao Song hurried over to her and nervously asked, ”Miss Huo, is there something wrong with these lamp stands?”

Liao Song’s expression clearly showed he was worried that Huo Sining had realized the lamp stands were forgeries. If that were true, he was really afraid she would say something, considering it was his friend’s shop. If they were discovered, he worried his friend would be embarrassed.

Noticing Liao Song’s nervous demeanor, Huo Sining couldn’t help but smile. She shook her head and said:

”There’s nothing wrong; these lamp stands are beautiful, indeed good items from the early Ming era. My villa happens to need a pair of lamp stands like these, so I’m considering buying them. How about you help me ask the clerk about the price? If it’s reasonable, I’ll purchase them.”

Huo Sining herself wasn’t sure why she suddenly asked about the price. The lamp stands were beautiful, but she wasn’t obsessed with collecting classical furniture. However, she had some doubts about the paintings in the lampshades, and without realizing it, she spoke those thoughts to Liao Song.

Upon learning from Huo Sining that the lamp stands were indeed genuine, Liao Song immediately felt relieved, his expression relaxing significantly. Without suspicion, he quickly called over the same attentive clerk to inquire about the price of the lamp stands.

Upon hearing that Huo Sining wanted to buy them, the clerk immediately showed a joyful expression and quickly replied, ”The asking price for this pair of lamp stands is nine hundred thousand. If you want just one, we can sell them individually, but the price will be a little higher, fifty thousand for one stand.”

Seeing that Huo Sining didn’t speak after hearing the price, the clerk, fearing she might find it too expensive and be unwilling to buy, quickly followed up with an explanation:

”Don’t let the price scare you; these lamp stands are definitely worth it. Dexin Society guarantees authenticity — claiming these lamp stands are from the Ming Dynasty means we absolutely do not sell fakes. If there’s any problem, we offer tenfold compensation.”

Huo Sining of course knew that verified antique shops often sold at prices 10-20% higher than ordinary stores. This was the cost of guaranteeing authenticity.

For such a pair of lamp stands, not much material was needed, yet the asking price was nine hundred thousand. Even if they were well-preserved items from the early Ming era, this price was indeed not cheap.

Huo Sining estimated that if this item were in other ordinary antique shops, after bargaining, it could definitely be acquired for ten or twenty thousand less.

But at this moment, Huo Sining didn’t bother to negotiate as she was interested in the lampshades. Whether it was a hidden gem or not, to avoid dragging it out, she thought it prudent to buy it right away.

”The price is a bit high, but the lamp stands are really nice. I liked them at first sight. Nine hundred thousand it is; I’ll take them.”

Huo Sining’s car happened to have the three hundred thousand in cash she won that morning. It was just the right opportunity to use it. She called Liao Song to return to the car and then came back into the shop, directly dragging in a big snakeskin bag and tossing ninety bundles of cash onto the counter.

Seeing so much cash, not to mention the clerk, even the old shopkeeper at the counter was momentarily taken aback.

Despite being such a large shop, and although antique businesses usually dealt with transactions worth hundreds of thousands to millions, most customers preferred transferring or using checks. It was the first time for the old shopkeeper to see someone like Huo Sining directly hauling in a large bag of cash for a purchase.

However, being an experienced veteran, despite his astonishment, the old shopkeeper quickly regained his composure, instructing several clerks to both count the cash and verify its authenticity while he prepared a transaction contract.

The money was taken directly from the bank, still sealed. Once run through the money counter, it was confirmed that the snakeskin bag contained a solid ninety thousand, making the old shopkeeper’s smile grow significantly wider. He hastily handled the purchasing procedures for Huo Sining.

With the transaction contract for the lamp stands and the authenticity certificate issued by Dexin Society, the antique huanghuali lamp stands became Huo Sining’s. The clerk, enthusiastic as he had secured a significant sale, earning a considerable commission, now regarded Huo Sining as a benefactor, treating her with more attention than even Liao Song:

”Miss Huo, would you like to leave the lamp stands in our store temporarily, or would you prefer to take them today?”

Huo Sining could understand the clerks’ change in attitude. Many clerks in the store were competing for high commissions, requiring sales results. Antique stores typically only made tens of thousands in daily turnover, sometimes going a whole day without a sale. Therefore, when encountering a major client, the clerks often went out of their way to please and cultivate future business relationships.

With concerns about the lampshades on her mind, Huo Sining was already anxious to purchase the items to avoid any further complications. Consequently, she had no intention of leaving them in the store and directly instructed the clerk, ”I’ll take them with me today. Please help move them to the car.”