Chapter 8: Selling the Feather Duster

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Didn’t notice? Li Zhen gave her a strange look, and only then did Xiao Yuzhu realize: she had spoken without thinking.

Instinctively, she blushed, “I haven’t seen it!”

Lin Sicheng nodded seriously.

“Lin Sicheng, I haven’t seen it!”

“Not seen it, not seen it—what are you so proud of, shouting so loud?”

Xiao Yuzhu clenched her fists and shook them at him.

Lin Sicheng chuckled, “Got other things to do, I’m off.”

“What for?”

“Selling the duster!”

“Selling it to who, your grandfather?”

Hey, that mouth’s poisoned, huh? Dirtier than a curse.

Lin Sicheng raised an eyebrow, “What if I do sell it?”

“I’ll eat it!”

Unconsciously, Lin Sicheng thought of Gu Ming, who often fretted over food and drink.

He looked up at the sun beyond the city wall, “I want to sell the duster; even if you want to eat it, you can’t. How about this: whoever loses buys lunch—three bowls of lamb soup!”

“You’re pretty rich, aren’t you?”

Lin Sicheng laughed, “Alright, Little Shell!”

“That’s more like it!”

In just a few words, their lunch was settled. Lin Sicheng carried the duster like a Buddha statue, happily walking away.

Two girls followed, whispering, “Yuzhu, aren’t you buying materials anymore?”

“We can buy them this afternoon, but senior sister, aren’t you curious?”

Curious. Very curious indeed.

Li Zhen, a graduate student from the Archaeology Department at Western University who stayed on as faculty, certainly had expertise. But to her, it was just a feather duster with half the feathers missing and a dirty, blackened handle.

Who was Lin Sicheng planning to sell it to?

She thought for a moment, “Little Shell isn’t cheap!”

“I know,” Xiao Yuzhu blinked, “He’s been thinking about it for a long time, definitely wants to eat lamb soup—I’m just trying to scare him!”

Li Zhen pursed her lips.

Lin Sicheng walked steadily, with the two girls following behind, but after a while, he stopped again.

Li Zhen looked up: Professor Sheng and Manager Chen were blocking the aisle, their eyes fixed intently on the Buddha statue in his hand.

With a swift motion, Lin Sicheng pocketed it into his shorts.

The two across the way were stunned: What’s with this thief-like behavior?

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Coincidentally, they hadn’t gone far when Professor Sheng regained his composure: That small Buddha statue seemed off.

The item was definitely old, and the style and carving indeed fit the Tibetan Buddhist aesthetic.

But because of a preconceived notion—seeing the two lines of characters on the ribbon that didn’t look Tibetan—he hadn’t examined it closely.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He hurriedly turned back, but unfortunately, the item had already been sold.

By chance, they bumped into the young man who had been scrutinizing the stall earlier.

Sheng Shijian carefully chose his words, serious-faced: “Young man, that item of yours isn’t right!”

Ha, the show’s about to start?

Lin Sicheng smiled, “No worries, got plenty of money!”

The two were momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.

After a while, Boss Chen cleared his throat: “Young man, are you joking? Do you know who Professor Sheng is? He’s a renowned lacquerware and woodcarving appraisal expert in this province!”

“Oh, really? Pleasure to meet you!”

Saying “pleasure to meet you,” Lin Sicheng bypassed them. Purely reflexive, but Boss Chen reached out to stop him.

Lin Sicheng paused, frowning, “What, trying to snatch it?”

The two were stunned: This wasn’t what they expected.

He looked barely over twenty, with few feathers left—clearly a student. When told he was facing an expert, shouldn’t he be respectful and nervous?

But this kid seemed indifferent, casual, even a bit disdainful.

Could it be they thought they were dealing with frauds?

“Young man, Professor Sheng is a real expert!”

“Even experts can’t block the way, can they? Move or I’ll call the cops!”

Seeing him pull out his phone, ready to call, Boss Chen’s face darkened.

Sheng Shijian shook his head lightly and stepped aside.

Lin Sicheng went straight ahead, with Xiao Yuzhu excitedly trailing behind: “That’s more like it! I thought Lin Sicheng had changed!”

Li Zhen pondered, “Is he like this at school too?”

“Yeah, always cocky, ignores everyone. Of course, he’s respectful to teachers.”

No wonder he had no friends.

After a few words, Xiao Yuzhu bounced up to Lin Sicheng: “Lin Sicheng, that guy’s a real expert. Maybe your item really has problems!”

“No worries, got money, can be willful!”

Xiao Yuzhu puffed her cheeks: Why does he talk so annoyingly?

Lin Sicheng just smiled: Experts come in all levels.

People like Sheng Shijian can tell real from fake, but if someone sets a trap to buy something back at a fake’s price, you can’t expect much morality.

If you don’t want to be fooled, keep your distance.

As they reflected, the three left the city gate and crossed the road.

After a few steps, an antique-style storefront came into view: Rong Bao Zhai!

Xiao Yuzhu and Li Zhen both froze: Since their studies were related to cultural relics, they naturally knew what Rong Bao Zhai was.

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But they couldn’t understand how Lin Sicheng dared to enter.

If the master saw that worn-out feather duster, would he kick them out on the spot?

Just as they were full of surprise, a male shop assistant in his early thirties approached, “Hello, what are you three looking for?”

“Not looking to buy, can this be appraised?”

What?

The assistant was momentarily stunned, looked again and again: A feather duster?

This item did belong to the category of cultural curios, but he had only heard about such things before; this was his first time seeing one in person.

Looking more closely, it was just ordinary feathers on a plain bamboo handle, with many feathers missing.

The patina was quite old, and the end of the bamboo handle was engraved with a name: Mr. Qiu Ming.

The inscription was neat, and the carving fine, but the assistant couldn’t recall who Mr. Qiu Ming was.

He hesitated, “I can appraise it, but there’s a fee: one thousand yuan.”

Implying: Don’t back out if the item isn’t genuine.

“I know!”

Lin Sicheng nodded, took out his wallet, and the assistant was taken aback, quickly calling for the cashier.

“Please wait a moment, I’ll get the master!”

“Okay!”

Seeing him take out ten bright red bills, Xiao Yuzhu’s eyes widened.

“Lin Sicheng, weren’t you selling the duster?”

“First appraise, then sell!”

“But… one thousand yuan could buy the three of us two meals at Little Shell.”

“Don’t worry!” Lin Sicheng patted the duster, “It’s definitely worth more than a thousand!”

Li Zhen cleared her throat softly, “How about we let Professor Lin take a look first?”

Lin Sicheng shook his head, “He specializes in porcelain!”

True, but his experience and eye for quality were undeniable—couldn’t he at least give a preliminary judgment?

At least it wouldn’t be a waste of money.

Li Zhen thought for a moment: “The appraisal fee is one thousand!”

Lin Sicheng smiled: “I know!”

It was expensive, but he wasn’t here solely for appraisal.

There were many places in Xijing City that dealt with cultural curios, but if you asked where the appraisal was most professional and prices fair, few would dare dispute Rong Bao Zhai’s second place.

Not just in Xijing, but nationwide.