dmims Chapter 13: The King of Glasses
Chapter 13: The King of Glasses
The news spread faster than Cheng Xiaojin had anticipated.
The next morning, he had just set up his stall in Panjiayuan and hadn't even sat down properly when Zhao Defa poked his head over from next door.
"Xiao Jin, I heard you're going to release that metal lump?"
Cheng Xiaojin moved a row of copper coin ornaments forward without looking up.
"Who told you that?"
"It doesn't matter who told me, are you really going to pay?"
"Um."
Zhao Defa opened his mouth as if to ask another question, but Cheng Xiaojin stopped him with a look.
"Don't ask, it's none of your business."
Zhao Defa sheepishly shrank back, but peeked out again a couple of minutes later.
"So how much do you want to sell it for?"
Cheng Xiaojin grabbed a rag and threw it at his face.
"Are you a reporter or from the neighborhood committee? Why are you asking such detailed questions?"
Zhao Defa chuckled and shrank back. In less than an hour, everyone in the four districts—east, west, south, and north—knew that Cheng Xiaojin was about to ship his goods.
Cheng Xiaojin sat on a small stool behind the stall, crossed his legs, and cracked sunflower seeds, his fingertips dabbing at the salt.
Qi Sanye made the announcement yesterday morning, and yesterday afternoon, Lin Zong's people called, indicating that the communication channel between Sun Pangzi and Lin Zong was unobstructed.
It's highly likely that Fatty Sun contacted President Lin immediately after hearing the news, and President Lin, unable to wait any longer, sent his men to probe the situation.
This illustrates two things.
First, President Lin is indeed determined to obtain the fragments of the Locked Dragon Well.
Secondly, it's highly likely that President Lin is unaware of the price difference that Fatty Sun made in the middle.
The offer of 300,000 was given by General Manager Lin. The highest price that Fatty Sun offered to Cheng Xiaojin was only 10,000, and he pocketed 290,000 in between.
This is the information gap.
As he was pondering this, a figure stopped in front of the stall, blocking the morning sun.
Cheng Xiaojin looked up and saw a tall, thin middle-aged man standing in front of the stall. He was wearing a gray jacket and an unusually thick pair of glasses with white lenses that shone in the sunlight, obscuring his eyes.
The man bent down, picked up a copper coin from the stall, examined it twice, then put it down. He then picked up a small bronze animal figurine next to him, looked at it, and put it down as well.
The movements were unhurried and the finger placement was very professional. First, look at the bottom, then the rim, and finally the overall patina.
expert.
"Boss Cheng?"
His voice was slow and deliberate, and he habitually pushed up his glasses when talking to people.
"Who are you?"
"My surname is Wang. My friends call me Glasses Wang. It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I've been in this business for over ten years and this is still my nickname."
Cheng Xiaojin dropped the sunflower seed shells from between his fingers onto the ground. He bent down, picked them up, and threw them into the plastic bag next to him, giving himself two seconds to adjust his expression.
"Oh, Mr. Wang, it's an honor to meet you here. Are you here to browse my stall?"
"It's not really shopping."
King Glasses squatted down in front of the stall, took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and handed it to Cheng Xiaojin.
"Mr. Sun invited me to come over and have a chat."
Cheng Xiaojin took the cigarette but didn't light it, instead tucking it behind his ear.
"What are your instructions, Mr. Sun?"
"Not at all, I wasn't giving orders, we were just chatting."
The man with glasses lit one up, took a drag, and exhaled a slow, round smoke ring.
"I heard that Boss Cheng has an old ironware item and is looking for a suitable buyer?"
Cheng Xiaojin leaned back on the stool, crossed his hands on his stomach, and looked preoccupied.
"I do have that idea, but the items are valuable, and I'm afraid that someone who doesn't know anything about them will make a bad offer and ruin the good item."
King Glasses pushed up his glasses, his speech remaining unhurried.
"Don't worry, Boss Cheng. I can't speak for other things, but I can at least tell a thing or two about ironware, bronzeware, porcelain, and miscellaneous items. Would it be convenient for me to take a look at yours?"
"It's not convenient right now; I don't have the items on me."
Cheng Xiaojin rubbed his fingers together, feigning hesitation.
"And to be frank, Mr. Wang, I wasn't satisfied with the price Mr. Sun offered me before. To be honest, do you think 10,000 yuan is a reasonable price for Zhenhai ironware from the Yongle period?"
He emphasized the words "Yongle era" and "Zhenhai Iron".
The King of Glasses paused for half a second with his cigarette at his lips, and finally his eyes behind his glasses showed some movement.
"Are you talking about Zhenhai Railway? Is it related to the Suolongjing area near Beixinqiao?"
"I haven't done the test, so who can guarantee anything?"
Cheng Xiaojin shrugged, his tone carrying just the right amount of guilt and resentment.
"Anyway, some knowledgeable people have seen it and say it's highly likely. I wouldn't dare to exaggerate, but ten thousand yuan really doesn't do justice to this thing."
King Glasses was silent for about half a minute, then stomped out his cigarette butt on the ground, stood up, and dusted off his trousers.
"I understand what Boss Cheng means. I'll go back and talk to General Manager Sun. The price is negotiable. But there's one condition: before the transaction, I need to see the goods with my own eyes and touch them with my own hands. That's the rule."
"Of course."
Cheng Xiaojin also stood up and shook hands with him politely.
"You set the time, and I'll be ready to go anytime."
After the King of Glasses left, Cheng Xiaojin sat on the stool for five minutes without moving, until Zhao Defa poked his head out again.
"Who was that just now? He seemed quite refined."
"none of your business."
Cheng Xiaojin took out his phone and made a call to Master Ma.
"Master Ma, this is Cheng Xiaojin. King Glasses has been here, and he's taken the bait."
The sound of a thrush could be heard coming from Master Ma's side; the old man's tone was neither hurried nor slow.
"What did he ask?"
"After asking about the origin and age of the items, I acted out the scene as agreed. I appeared hesitant, but I let slip that he would definitely report back to Fatty Sun when he got back."
"Hmm, how about Boss Lin?"
"I got a call yesterday saying that Boss Lin will be in Beijing next Tuesday and wants to see the goods in person."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
"Xiao Jin, listen carefully."
Master Ma's voice turned somber.
"Lin is no ordinary collector. He does more than just antique trading in Southeast Asia. I asked an old friend about it the other day. He has a line in Malaysia that specializes in reselling feng shui items from China to local Chinese businessmen. They don't use the proper channels, they don't declare them to customs or pay taxes. It's smuggling."
Cheng Xiaojin tightened his grip on his phone.
"What do those Chinese businessmen need these things for?"
"For warding off evil spirits. The Chinese community in Southeast Asia is obsessed with this to an extreme degree. A talisman brought from Beijing can sell for more than ten times its domestic price. Lin makes a living from this, and Sun Bingde is his buyer in Beijing."
Cheng Xiaojin swallowed.
"So, is our plan riskier than I initially thought?"
Master Ma did not answer his question directly.
"Remember this: as long as the goods don't leave the country, it's not illegal. If you sell a fake antique to a swindler, that's called giving him a taste of his own medicine. But if the fake goods also leave the country, then the nature of the crime changes."
"I see."
Cheng Xiaojin hung up the phone, looked up at the entrance of Panjiayuan Market, where people were coming and going, and the sun made the ground look white.
He counted on his fingers.
Tuesday, five days to go.
My phone suddenly vibrated; it was a text message from Tong Kexin.
"A guy wearing a baseball cap just asked me where I was going after I closed up shop today."