Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

Xu Damao smiled slightly and readily quoted a number: "This price is absolutely fair and reasonable, one price, four hundred yuan!" After saying that, he looked at the old man expectantly, as if he was quite confident in the price he offered.

"It's a bit expensive..." the old man murmured softly.

"Master, this is a fixed price. I see that you are a generous person. I don't want to play those tricks where you first quote a price of six or seven hundred and then slowly bargain. That's so boring."

Xu Damao said with a smile.

"Can it be cheaper?" the old man asked with a frown.

"It really can't be cheap. If you really like it, just take it. If you think it's too expensive, you can leave it with me. But this thing is a rare item. It might be snatched away by other buyers in a few days."

Xu Damao continued speaking, with a hint of pride in his words.

"You know, this is cloisonné from the Qianlong period. There were only a few of them in the entire imperial palace back then!"

Xu Damao became more and more excited as he spoke, as if the item in his hand was a rare treasure.

"Okay! Four hundred is four hundred, give the money to this guy!"

Finally, the old man made a decision.

At this moment, something unexpected happened. Two inconspicuous young men from the stalls selling porcelain next door and food opposite suddenly walked over as quickly as ghosts and came to the old man in the blink of an eye.

"Give this young man four hundred dollars and take this bottle. This bottle is made of copper. I am an old man and I am not very strong. Please help me carry it."

The old man smiled and spoke to the two young men, as if he had already expected their appearance.

"Mr. Wang, you are too polite! We are here today to follow your orders."

A man in his early thirties, dressed in plain clothes, said with a smile on his face. As he spoke, he took out four stacks of brand new, shiny hundred-yuan bills from his jacket pocket, and without even bothering to count them, he handed them to Xu Damao.

Seeing this, Xu Damao reached out his hand without hesitation and took the banknotes.

"Young man, you'd better count the amount to avoid any trouble in the future."

The old man kindly reminded.

"Oh, old man, I still don't trust you?"

Xu Damao patted his chest, saying that he completely trusted the old man in front of him.

As he said this, he stuffed the stacks of brand new bills in his hand into his pocket.

These two seemingly ordinary men, dressed like ordinary people, are actually people with special skills. They are by no means ordinary people, they can be said to be elite scouts who have received professional and systematic training.

At this moment, Xu Damao was thinking to himself: Who is this mysterious old man? He doesn't look like an ordinary rich man. If so, why did he buy the cloisonné in my hand? Is there some unspeakable secret hidden here...

Thinking of this, Xu Damao couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

A flash of inspiration came to Xu Damao's mind, and he suddenly remembered the word "earning foreign exchange"...

In the collecting world, the so-called foreign exchange earning period, or export earning period, usually refers to the period from the founding of New China in 1949 to 1966 before the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution.

During this period, a large number of handicrafts were produced for export, most of which continued the artistic style of the Republic of China. Generally speaking, the sculptures in the period of earning foreign exchange were relatively rigid in style, and the lines were not as smooth and natural as those in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, and tended to be more realistic.

The handicrafts produced during this period are numerous and varied, including various jade articles, mainly made of Hetian jade and jadeite. In addition, there are purple clay teapots, inkstones, and a variety of exquisite carvings.

However, the largest category is undoubtedly porcelain, which can be simply referred to as foreign exchange-earning porcelain. Its export volume is staggering!

After Xu Damao pondered for a moment, he thought to himself: "Well, this possibility is indeed the greatest."

"Young man, how much does this jade cost?"

Xu Damao quickly responded: "Fifteen! This is a genuine ancient jade from the Ming Dynasty. Look at it, it has all traces of manual polishing..."

Xu Damao's thoughts were interrupted and he began to introduce it to the customers.

More than an hour passed. During this time, Lou Xiao'e stood up from time to time and enthusiastically helped customers get their items.

Xu Damao had sharp eyes and noticed Lou Xiao'e's stomping motion. After taking a closer look, he found that the little girl was only wearing a pair of thin shoes. No wonder that happened.

"Closing the stall, no more sales"

Xu Damao shouted to Lou Xiaoe.

"What's going on? It's still early. Look around, no stall is closing."

Lou Xiao'e asked with a look of suspicion on her face.

"I just feel that it's too boring to stay here and sell things, and the money we made today is almost enough. Xiao'e, after we pack up the stall, let's go shopping together, see what others are selling, and buy some things we need."

"Fine!"

While answering, Lou Xiao'e started to clean up the stall.

"Xiao'e, don't leave in a hurry. I noticed that you have been stamping your feet. You must be feeling very cold. Come on, let's go buy a pair of cotton shoes together!"

"I actually already have cotton shoes at home, but I didn't wear them because I thought it wouldn't be too cold. There's really no need to spend money to buy new ones."

"How can that be possible? If your feet are cold, your whole body will feel cold. It won't cost too much to buy a pair."

"Okay, but you have to pick out a pair for yourself too. You're always out there riding your bike and you can't let yourself get cold."

Lou Xiao'e responded with concern.

Lou Xiao'e expressed her emotions sincerely, raised her head and stared at Xu Damao, with a gleam in her eyes.

After the two of them packed their belongings, Xu Damao moved to the adjacent leather products stall.

"Brother, you are going to close the stall and go home so early, aren't you going to sell for a while longer?"

"Hey, I'm just planning to take a stroll and see if there's anything I need to buy. Do you have any leather shoes here? Bring me two pairs," Xu Damao pointed to himself and Lou Xiao'e.

"Yes, yes. Just wait a moment, I'll get it to you." The stall owner replied and turned around to pick up the goods.

Soon the stall owner brought over two pairs of black leather shoes, one large and one small.

"Look at how thick the wool is inside. It will definitely keep you warm. These two pairs of cotton insoles are extra gifts. I don't charge you a penny."