Luo Chao had just been wandering around the shop district for a short while when suddenly, a middle-aged man, about fifty years old with a simple and honest appearance, approached him.
This middle-aged man was none other than Hai Ge, who had been secretly observing Luo Chao.
"Young man, I noticed you only lingered in front of stalls selling jade, so you must be quite knowledgeable about it, right?" Hai Ge feigned curiosity.
"Oh, just a little." Seeing the middle-aged man looking so simple and honest, Luo Chao let down his guard.
"That's great news. I, your old brother, just saw a piece of jade in a shop up front, it looks really good, but I don't know if it's genuine..." Hai Ge spoke while putting on a worried expression, an act worthy of an Oscar.
"Hey, young man, I don't know much about jade myself, could you help check if it's real?"
"Oh? Good jade? Alright, show ."
Luo Chao didn't realize Hai Ge was trying to trick him. He had been wandering the antique market for quite a while without finding the jade he wanted.
Now, suddenly soone claid to have found good jade, so Luo Chao decided to go and have a look, agreeing to Hai Ge's request.
The two of them went to a shop, which was luxuriously decorated, giving the impression that it held many valuable items.
However, Luo Chao thought that spending so much money to decorate a shop in an antique market was either a sign of having too much money or having ulterior motives.
At that mont, Luo Chao's wariness escalated once more.
"Hey there, you're back, didn't you say you wouldn't buy it?"
At the entrance of the shop, a man with a buzz cut, smoking a cigarette, around his forties, called out to Hai Ge.
This man was the notorious con artist leader of the Huahai City antique market, "Old Wolf."
"Cough cough, my nephew's here, take out that jade from earlier and let him have a look." Hai Ge deliberately referred to Luo Chao as his nephew.
Luo Chao didn't say anything, after all, he was appraising for a stranger, it wouldn't sound good, there needed to be an identity.
"There! You wouldn't listen to earlier, now you've brought a nephew to appraise it, you're not trusting , huh! I might not sell the jade now…" Old Wolf deliberately left it hanging.
"Co on, boss, just bring it out, if it's real, I'll buy it, okay!" Hai Ge acted anxiously.
With that reassurance, Old Wolf didn't dawdle any longer, he got up and went inside to bring out a piece of jade.
It was a bracelet, with no carvings on the surface, but polished very smoothly.
What's most striking is that half of this bracelet was milky white, and the other half blood red, as if half of a milky white bracelet had been soaked in blood.
Just one glance, and Luo Chao realized it was a top-grade Blood Jade Bracelet!
"Hey hey, how's this old brother? My jade should be real, right!"
Though Old Wolf was talking to Hai Ge, his gaze frequently flicked towards Luo Chao, discreetly observing his expression.
"Well, young man, is this jade real?" Hai Ge also asked Luo Chao at this ti.
"Uncle, this jade is indeed real, it's called Blood Jade, it is said that in ancient tis, it was used as burial objects for the deceased. It's said that when soone just died, the jade was swallowed, and it would go down the trachea into the throat, reaching places densely packed with blood vessels. After a thousand years, the blood would seep into the heart of the jade, forming Blood Jade."
"But this saying isn't scientific. According to modern scientific tests, the red coloration in Blood Jade is actually due to the oxidation and decomposition of iron elents from the soil and ironware in the burial objects, which seeped into the jade. Judging from its quality, this Blood Jade Bracelet should be from the late Ming Dynasty, and its market value should be around 1.3 million."
After hearing Luo Chao's analysis, Hai Ge and Old Wolf couldn't help but exchange glances.
They originally thought Luo Chao was just a half-baked expert, but unexpectedly, Luo Chao not only recognized it as high-grade Blood Jade at a glance but also accurately estimated its value.
Even more, Luo Chao even educated them on the origins of Blood Jade, sothing they themselves didn't know.
They had a vague feeling that Luo Chao might not be so easily fooled.
However, to scam soone, one needs to be bold and ticulous, since they already planned to con, they weren't going to give up now.
Thinking of this, Old Wolf secretly gave Hai Ge a signal, indicating to him to use plan B.
Seeing Old Wolf's signal, Hai Ge imdiately realized that this B plan was ticulously rehearsed before, ant for dealing with those who have a bit of discernnt but are very greedy.
Hai Ge appeared to deliberate for a mont, then said, "Boss, how much do you plan to sell this Blood Jade Bracelet for?"
Old Wolf, hearing Hai Ge's question, knew Hai Ge was starting to execute plan B.
So, he quickly feigned reluctance and said, "Earlier that young man said the bracelet is worth 1.3 million! I originally thought it's worth only 600,000, but since it's more valuable, I'm not selling it now!"
"Hey! How can you go back on your word, you can't do business like that!" Hai Ge feigned great anger, rolling up his sleeves as if he was about to teach Old Wolf a lesson.
"No, no, no need for violence, brother. If you genuinely want it, I can sell it to you. How about this, I'll sell it to you for what the young man said, 1.3 million, and if you're unwilling, I'll sell it to soone else! Anyway, jade only appreciates over ti!" Old Wolf acted as if conceding, speaking repeatedly.
Hai Ge paused for a mont, then seed to make a firm decision, saying, "Okay, then 1.3 million! Wait for here, I'll go to the bank to get the money!"
Old Wolf waved him off, "Alright, alright, take your ti brother!"
With that, Hai Ge ran out of the antique market, seemingly going to fetch money.
Once Hai Ge left, Old Wolf switched to a smiling face and approached Luo Chao, "Little brother, that old guy is too fierce. In fact, I don't really want to sell it to him. How about this, I'll cut the price by 300,000 just for you, take the Blood Jade Bracelet away for one million!"
"Oh? Cutting 300,000 for ?" Luo Chao thought, "Seems like a good deal, but just because the other person is a bit harsh, you'd willingly lose 300,000, this seems…"
Seeing Luo Chao hesitate, Old Wolf quickly fanned the flas, "You better think it through, buying it ans a profit, the Blood Jade Bracelet you appraised earlier is indeed authentic, right! If you keep hesitating, it'll be too late when that old guy returns!"
Saying this, Old Wolf even placed the bracelet in Luo Chao's hand, "How about it? If you give the money right now, whether it be via online banking transfer, the jade is yours!"
Luo Chao wasn't a greedy person, nor did he like to take advantage of others.
He ca to the antique market this ti just to find jade with extraordinary energy, if he just wanted to hunt for treasures, with his judgnt, he could clear out all the treasures in the antique market in a day.
Therefore, Luo Chao intended to decline Old Wolf's proposal.
But, just as Luo Chao was about to speak, he seed to discover sothing, suddenly changed his mind, and said, "Alright then, I'll buy this Blood Jade Bracelet!"
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