World Tibet Bureau

Chapter 549: Stocking up on beans
The thin monkey said: "Thirty thousand to one!"

I said: "Your purchase price is not high."

Hearing this, Shouhou rolled his eyes at me: "That's 1000 yuan more! Besides, Cong's Auction House charges [-] yuan per piece and it depends on the condition. If the condition is not good, they will lower the price. From my side Don’t look at the quality, just take the order and take it all!”

"However, you, a foreigner who comes to swing, don't get involved in this business. We local antique dealers all know each other, and we collect beans secretly, each based on his or her ability. If you, a foreigner, want to share the soup and meat, I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave Tengshi!”

Speaking of here.

The thin monkey placed the cup heavily on the table.

I pretended to be shocked and hurriedly replied: "Don't dare! I am a swing swinger who specializes in fake things and will not touch these real things."

When the thin monkey heard this, he nodded with satisfaction, took a sip with his chopsticks, swallowed a large piece of fat intestine, and drank the wine in the glass, as if he was about to leave.

I quickly grabbed him: "Brother, can you let me take a look at the bronze pea? I'm very curious!"

The thin monkey smiled at me and unzipped the package next to him.

I'm just waiting to see it.

He suddenly closed it again: "It's time for a glance!"

I was very speechless and asked again: "Which mountain or which tomb in Teng City was this thing stolen from?"

The thin monkey replied: "How do I know this! It happened a few months ago, maybe the tomb has been washed away by the rain now!"

I asked again: "How many beans have you stocked up now?"

The thin monkey replied: "A dozen or so."

I gave him a thumbs up: "You are really rich."

Thin Monkey said: "Money is nothing! I borrowed all the money from loan sharks! But it doesn't matter. When I transport these beans to Kunming and sell them, I will make at least 10 yuan in profit per bean, and I will get several [-] yuan immediately. I'm so happy! Hehe!"

What else do I want to ask?

Skinny Monkey was a little impatient: "Don't ask, I've already said what needs to be said. I'm leaving after I've eaten and drank."

After speaking.

He covered the package, held Hua Zi between his legs, and Maotai, and said to us: "Thank you for the hospitality!"

After the thin monkey left.

We also checked out and headed out.

When I went out, I called Fatty Xiao and asked them how the investigation was going.

Fatty Xiao replied: "Almost all antique shops in Teng City are buying bronze peas. The purchase price ranges from [-] to [-], but the current purchase price has not exceeded [-]."

I thought about it and then said, "Go and find a way to get one."

Fatty Xiao asked back: "Steal?"

I was speechless: "Do you think you are Bian Wu?"

Fatty Xiao replied: "I understand."

Xiaozhu and I returned to the hotel.

an hour later.

Fatty Xiao and Sanheizi also came back.

Fatty Xiao took a bronze pea and handed it to me: "I'm not a prodigal! There's really nothing I can do about it. People are hiding it and won't sell it. I spent [-] yuan to sell this one to me, and it's still very good. Oops, is this crap thing so valuable? Why can’t I see anything!"

According to the thin monkey.

The terminal dealer in Kunming purchased the beans for a price ranging from [-] to [-] depending on their appearance.

The one that Fatty Xiao got back was almost a quarter damaged. Of course he was willing to sell it for 6 yuan.

I picked it up and studied it carefully.

The beans are relatively small and have a sedimentary feel to them. They are made of bronze and covered with patina. The patina is very tightly interlocked with no traces or inheritance characteristics on the periphery.

I said: "Fake!"

Fatty Xiao frowned and said, "Fake?! The store verified the quality of the embroidery and copper in front of us using methods such as acupuncture, high-temperature hot needle burning, magnifying glass, and water dissolution. It is indeed bronze beans!" I replied: "This It is indeed an ancient bronze bean. But the reason why antique dealers in Teng City are hoarding it now is that it is from the same era as the bronze ware unearthed from the ancient Dian Kingdom in Shizhai Mountain, Jinning. This is why it fetched a price of more than [-] yuan a year. It’s fake. It’s fake not because of the fake material, but because of the fake age.”

Xiaozhu asked: "Brother, you mean it's not a bronze bean from the ancient Dian Kingdom period?"

I nodded and explained to them: "First of all, this bronze pea does not have any texture or inheritance characteristics. Even the gods dare not draw conclusions about which era it belongs to."

"Secondly, peas were introduced from abroad via the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty, but were cultivated on a small scale in the Central Plains. It was not until the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty that peas were introduced to the south for cultivation. The ancient Dian Kingdom appeared during the Warring States Period In the middle period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, they disappeared in the middle period of the Eastern Han Dynasty. They didn’t know what peas were at that time, so would they cast bronze peas as funerary objects?”

"Again, my master once told me that the bronzes of the ancient Dian Kingdom are very unique in shape, with flexible and exaggerated expressions. They are significantly different from the bronzes of the Central Plains, and are a bit similar to alien civilizations. In addition to the unique Dian witchcraft culture of the ancient Dian Kingdom, this situation occurs. It is also related to the fact that they used the ramming method to cast bronzes. The bean casting method is obviously the lost wax method, and the casting method is inconsistent."

Xiaozhu was dumbfounded: "So... the entire antique circle in Teng City has been blinded?"

I replied: "These reasons are relatively biased, and it is normal that few people think of them."

Sanheizi said: "Boss, your master understands history, botany, and smelting. This is so awesome!"

Fatty Xiao said, "Of course! She's the fairy sister!"

Xiaozhu frowned: "Then I don't understand this matter at all... It's understandable that those people in Tengshi who are messing with antiques can't judge the beans, but Cong's Auction House is the largest auction house in Yunnan Province. , How many treasure appraisers are there in their company, why can’t they tell?”

I am noncommittal.

I always feel this is very strange.

I said to Sanheizi: "Put on some makeup tomorrow, take this broken bronze pea to Cong's Auction House, and say that you still have more than a dozen beans at home, and see how much they charge for it."

the next morning.

Sanheizi went to put on makeup.

Be back in an hour.

The bronze pea in my hand is still there.

Sanheizi said: "They don't want it!"

I asked: "Are you charging too much?"

Sanheizi shook his head: "No! I have repeatedly lowered the price, and finally it was reduced to [-], and they just said, no more."

"I asked why they still said closing in the brochure, and they replied that their business had shifted since last week."

This is getting more and more interesting.

The antique market outside Tengshi is still stocking up like crazy.

Cong's Auction House didn't want to make any profit from the money it received, and actually stopped accepting it.

The key is the price of this thing.

It was Cong's Auction House that started the speculation.

I immediately made a call to Feitianzhu.

This guy's voice was shaking when he got my call.

I said: "Don't be afraid, I just want to ask for some news."

"You ask the pigeon colleagues in Teng City to find out whether tomb robbers really robbed an ancient tomb in Teng City a few months ago and unearthed a large jar of bronze peas. The information must be accurate!"

Feitianzhu replied: "Don't worry, it will be done well!"

an hour later.

Feitianzhu called back: "Sir, my friend just asked a friend who specializes in loosening soil on the road."

"This Santu friend is a bit awesome. The tombs in Tengshi area are all within his sphere of influence."

"He got furious and said it was all nonsense. Who knew which bastard spread this rumor? Many people asked him if one of his subordinates dug up a can of beans. He said that the tombs in Tengshi area were more than a year old. It hasn’t been scattered.”

I replied: "Understood."

Hang up.

I said to them: "Cong Shanshan is a top game player!"

(End of this chapter)