Chapter 95: Chapter 95: No Need for Your Compensation
"Do you have anything to sell? Show me what you’ve got."
The owner sized up Liu Zheng with some curiosity, wondering what kind of treasure this young man could possibly be selling.
Liu Zheng smiled briefly and without another word, placed the box he was holding onto the counter.
"This is it, please take a look, boss."
At first, the owner didn’t pay much attention and glanced down.
But then.
As time passed, the owner’s expression grew more serious.
He stared blankly, lost in thought, for a full minute before he finally looked at Liu Zheng and said, "This is a fine item indeed! Although this is from the Qing dynasty, it’s very precious since it was used by a wealthy family."
Hearing the owner speak, Qin Wanru couldn’t help but be startled.
"Boss, I’m curious, how can you tell just by looking that this belonged to a wealthy family?"
The antique shop seldom had customers, and the owner, seizing a rare opportunity to show off, certainly wouldn’t let it pass by.
He chuckled, lifted his head, and said, "Ms. Qin, we’ve known each other for so many years, and this is the first time I’m showing off in front of you. But I’m not boasting when I say that my knowledge of antiques is not something the average person can match."
After praising himself, the antique shop owner continued, "Everyone, take a look at the oil paint on this item."
As he spoke, he pointed to the box in front of him.
"The lacquer on this is made from the finest red pine. Just by looking at the lacquer alone, you can tell it’s not something an average family could afford."
He slightly shielded the box from the light and continued to explain, "Now look at the polished surface of this box. Judging by the polish, it must have been manually applied."
As the owner spoke, everyone’s gaze fell upon the polished surface of the box.
Just as the owner had said, the lacquer was extremely smooth, and it was evident that it had been applied by hand.
"Look how uniformly and smoothly the lacquer is applied. Then look at the color; despite the years, it remains so well-preserved—a true rarity indeed!"
"This object is made with exquisite precision, and the craftsmanship is meticulous. It’s clearly not an ordinary item. An average family simply couldn’t afford such a box. Moreover, a box like this is typically used to hold silver notes or other valuable items."
As he tapped on the box with his finger, a gleam shone in the antique shop owner’s eyes, "This box must have a secret compartment, meant for storing particularly valuable items."
Upon mentioning the secret compartment, the antique shop owner casually opened the lid of the box.
After looking carefully for a moment, he smoothly opened the hidden compartment of the box.
Gazing at the secret compartment he had revealed, the antique shop owner couldn’t help feeling quite proud of himself.
"I’ve opened similar secret compartments before; without experience, such ingeniously designed compartments are not easy to find."
Having introduced the box thoroughly, the owner felt a sense of longing for the demonstration to continue.
However, he also knew that it was not the time to show off anymore.
Looking at Liu Zheng, he held up four fingers and said, "Young man, since Ms. Qin recommended you to come here, and we’re all neighbors around here, I can’t cheat you. Forty thousand—I’ll give you forty thousand yuan for this box. How about it?"
When the antique shop owner named the price, Qin Wanru’s eyes widened in shock.
This was truly a jaw-dropping moment.
The yellow-haired Huang Bin, who was nearby, also widened his eyes incredulously as he looked at the box placed on the table.
However.
Liu Zheng, on the other hand, slightly shook his head, his face showing dissatisfaction.
Seeing Liu Zheng shake his head, difficulty appeared on the face of the antique shop owner.
He turned his head to glance at Qin Wanru and then, gritting his teeth, finally extended his hand and said, "Like this, I’ll add another thirty thousand for you, young man, making it a total of seventy thousand. If you agree, I’ll buy it. If you’re not satisfied, you can look for someone else."
The already astonished Qin Wanru, and also the yellow-haired Huang Bin, were now looking on with incredulity.
They truly hadn’t anticipated that the item they were convinced was just a broken box could sell for such a high price.
This mental shock caused both to stare dumbfoundedly at everything unfolding before them.
As for Liu Zheng, this time a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Nodding, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, it’s a deal."
When Liu Zheng said the deal was done, the yellow-haired Huang Bin couldn’t help but look down at the ten thousand in his hand.
Now, that ten thousand seemed so glaring to him.
The stack of money felt like it was mocking him, as if he was the fool.
Thinking this, Huang Bin rushed forward to the counter, then flung the ten thousand in Liu Zheng’s direction, shouting loudly, "Fine, I’m not asking for compensation for this box anymore."
After throwing the money, Huang Bin reached out to grab the box on the counter.
However.
With a "smack", Liu Zheng slapped Huang Bin’s hand away.
"What are you trying to do?" Liu Zheng sneered coldly, his gaze piercing as he stared at Huang Bin and said, "Just now, in front of everyone, under the public eye, you personally said to compensate you ten thousand for the box, stating it was settled afterward."
"What? You’re already going back on your word, not even a day later?"
At this moment, Liu Zheng’s expression was stern as he asked angrily.
"It’s none of your business, I just don’t need your compensation anymore."
As Huang Bin spoke, he once again reached out, trying to grab the box.
But this time, Liu Zheng caught Huang Bin’s wrist.
With a cold laugh, Liu Zheng flicked his wrist, and without appearing to use much strength, Huang Bin’s body was sent flying.
Seeing his hefty figure crash to the ground and struggling half a day to get up, the onlooking Qin Wanru, who had thought Liu Zheng was spineless, now widened her eyes.
It was only then that she realized Liu Zheng hadn’t been timid before, but from the very beginning, he must have discerned the value of the box, which surely was over fifty thousand, so he had so readily handed over ten thousand to Huang Bin, compensating for what he called a loss.
After looking at Liu Zheng, Qin Wanru, unable to hold back her curiosity, asked, "Liu Zheng, did you realize the value of this box was over fifty thousand just now?"
Glancing at the somewhat curious Qin Wanru, Liu Zheng nodded and replied, "Yes! Just now, I recognized at first glance that it was an ancient antique and that its value would definitely exceed fifty thousand, so I hurried to compensate him the ten thousand."
"You don’t know, when he asked me for ten thousand, I was overjoyed, afraid that he might change his mind, so I quickly agreed to the compensation in front of so many people."
