Rebirth 81: Being forced into marriage by my sister’s best friend at the beginning

"That's an expert. He has a lot of antiques at home, which are priceless." Wu Ning said.

Lin Ran nodded, there were indeed many collectors in the capital.

And he also knows most of the well-known collectors.

Then he asked: "Which expert is it specifically?"

"He opened an antique shop called Liulifang. His name seems to be Jianghua. He is very famous in the industry. You should know him." Wu Ning said.

Jianghua?

Lin Ran smiled, they were more than acquaintances.

However, Lin Ran only knew about the collection in Liulicang. He had not been to Jiang Hua's house yet, so he didn't know what precious collection he had.

Come to think of it, the Buddha statue I sold to him should also be kept at home.

Then he nodded and said, "Yes, Jiang Hua and I know each other fairly well."

Wu Ning glanced at Lin Ran in surprise and said, "He has a lot of good things at home and in his store, all of which are valuable antiques. If we can cooperate with our auction house, we will be even more powerful."

Jiang Hua is indeed an expert, and very extraordinary.

Most of the things Wu Ning wanted to get were first-class cultural relics or above.

In this era, there is no need to turn it over directly.

When the Cultural Relics Protection Law is enacted, the private sector will no longer be allowed to collect these cultural relics.

Those with a strong historical background are called cultural relics.

They are usually precious items that represent a certain period of history. Cultural relics are not allowed to be collected privately by collectors, but must be handed over to the state.

But cultural artifacts are different. Most cultural artifacts are private collections of nobles and royal families. They are not absolutely irreplaceable products of historical research. Folks are allowed to collect them by themselves.

It’s just that it will take several years until the Cultural Relics Protection Law is implemented.

If you can acquire cultural relics in the past few years, you can still enrich your collection, but they are absolutely not allowed to be traded on the market.

Wu Ning's idea is correct. It is better to put Liulicang's cultural relics in a store for people to bargain for than to put them on the auction house, and the one with the highest price will get it.

Lin Ran smiled and said: "Then why do you need to ask me for help? Just go and talk to Jiang Hua. As long as he is not selling to foreigners, he is also a businessman. There is no reason not to make money."

He didn't understand that he had to ask him for help with such a small matter, when it could be done with money.

But Wu Ning smiled bitterly and said: "We have come to talk to him a long time ago. It can be described as visiting the thatched cottage three times..."

"Yes, Jiang Hua has a high position in the industry, so you can only call him a visit."

"Yes, yes." Wu Ning patted his cheek. As the manager of an auction house, he had very high requirements for writing skills. He could not use idioms casually, otherwise he would offend others.

After all, most people who play antiques are literati.

He continued: "Mr. Jiang is willing to sell us that cultural relic, but he just wants us to do him a favor. If we can't help him, he will never do business with us."

Lin Ran had heard before that Jiang Hua was an extremely unique businessman.

They had only had one or two transactions before, and there was no real business.

Unexpectedly, after the construction of the auction house, he would actually have the opportunity to cooperate with Jiang Hua.

Lin Ran suddenly became curious and asked, "What can I do for you?"

Wu Ning was about to speak, but his expression was a little awkward, as if he didn't know where to start.

It was Chen Jiajia who took the initiative and said, "He wants us to help open a box."

"Open the box?"

"Yes." Wu Ning said, "It's a very old-fashioned box, just like a password box, but it doesn't have a lock. I tried for a long time and couldn't open it."

Wu Ning felt a little ashamed and said: "I originally planned to find a locksmith next time, but Jiang Hua seemed to have seen through it. He said that he wanted to find someone knowledgeable. If the box was damaged, let alone he would not sell the items. I will also warn my colleagues in the future that Zulong Auction House is an auction house that does not understand history."

Lin Ran seemed to have never heard this tone from Jiang Hua.

But he also understood that this should be a test given by Jiang Hua.

Only those who respect history are worthy of cooperating with him.

Lin Ran gestured at the general structure of the box, and Wu Ning's eyes widened immediately.

"Mr. Lin, have you seen that box?" He thought that Lin Ran had been to Jiang Hua's house before, and with this relationship, it would be easier for them to discuss cooperation.

Lin Ran smiled and shook his head.

He had seen similar boxes while working at the National Museum.

Those boxes look like cabinets from the outside, and usually have some hidden compartments inside.

Ordinary boxes are controlled using copper locks and other methods.

But there are also some special boxes that rely on mortise and tenon structure. If you don't master the know-how, you can't break them open with brute force.

This is also an ancient safe.

This kind of box is extremely rare and is usually used by members of the royal family to keep their treasures.

The box itself is priceless, and the price of the cultural relics locked inside is naturally difficult to estimate.

Wu Ning continued: "Jiang Hua told us that the box could not be opened and he found many professionals. He said that as long as someone can open the box, he can give priority to any cooperation in the future."

Lin Ran nodded. This way of doing things was really Jiang Hua's style.

Did he really have a "safe" that couldn't be opened? I never heard him mention it to himself.

However, Lin Ran had already developed a certain interest in the box.

"Okay, I promise you, I'll go see it with you." Lin Ran agreed.

After receiving Lin Ran's promise, Wu Ning and Chen Jiajia were overjoyed and raised their glasses to toast again.

Lin Ran declined, "I have to work in the afternoon."

Work was secondary. He had to stay awake at all times. His drinking capacity was now close to his limit and he could not drink any more.

So the two drank their own glasses of wine.

Wu Ning said: "With Mr. Lin's help, we will definitely be able to open the box."

"When are you going?" Lin Ran asked.

"I'll go back and make an appointment with Jiang Hua. I'll contact you when I'm done," Wu Ning said.

"Okay, then don't drive if you drink. Find a driver." Lin Ran waved to Wu Ning and walked towards his office.

This was his first face-to-face encounter with Jiang Hua, and he also wanted to see how many rare treasures the Jiang Hua family had.

Back in the office, Lin Ran sat in his seat.

With the growth of Yang Jianlong, there is basically no need to worry about the management of the store. Sitting in the store, I feel very comfortable. I close my eyes and take a nap.

Half asleep and half awake, he heard the rapid ringing of the phone.

It was already five o'clock when he woke up, and he had slept for so long.

He frowned and picked up the phone.

"Hello, are you Lin Ran? This is Qunxing Electrical Products."

Lin Ran rarely heard the name of this store before he realized that it was the electrical appliance store where his sister worked.

"What's wrong?" Lin Ran suddenly woke up. Could it be that something happened to his sister?