Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

"Wow, brother, you have good eyesight! This bottle is not only pleasing to your eyes, but I also think it is particularly beautiful. Since you like it, just take it for four hundred and fifty yuan." Xu Damao quoted the price with a smile on his face, thinking to himself: Hey, the fish is hooked!

Sure enough, as soon as the words fell, the other party immediately started bargaining mode: "What? Such a thing costs hundreds of dollars? It's just an ordinary porcelain vase from the Qing Dynasty." The man shook his head repeatedly, with the corners of his mouth slightly turned down, expressing his dissatisfaction.

"Hey! Brother, you are obviously an expert. But this is not an ordinary porcelain vase, it is a cloisonné vase from the Qianlong period! If you don't believe me, just pick it up and feel its weight." Xu Damao responded confidently.

Xu Damao did not explain too much, because he knew that there was an expert from the Palace Museum following the other party, and the authenticity could be easily determined.

“What? Cloisonne?”

Hearing this, Teacher Zhang quickly came forward with a lantern in hand. He walked around the bottle, then personally lifted the bottle to feel its weight, and after carefully examining it for a while, he kept exclaiming in amazement.

"Brother, you have to get this thing no matter what! This is absolutely genuine cloisonné, and it is made with the top-level craftsmanship from the Qianlong period."

Teacher Zhang lowered his voice and whispered softly in his companion's ear.

"Brother, to be honest, I really like this bottle, but four hundred and fifty yuan is a bit expensive. Can you give me a more affordable price? Let me buy it immediately if the price is right."

"My dear brother, the price I offer is always very realistic. I have never deliberately raised the price to wait for you to bargain. How about this? Since you really want to buy it, I will give you another 30 yuan discount, 420 yuan! I will never sell it for a penny less."

The corners of Xu Damao's mouth rose slightly, with a faint smile on his face. Although his speech was not fast, every word he said was powerful, making people feel his inner determination and resolve.

"Four hundred! I want four hundred!" The man stretched out four fingers without hesitation, his eyes determined, as if telling the other party that this price was his bottom line, and if Xu Damao did not agree, he would definitely not buy it.

Xu Damao looked at the man's determined expression and thought to himself: Never mind, just treat it as making a friend. After all, this is also his first transaction. Thinking of this, he nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then four hundred will be fine!" Xu Damao answered readily, with a look of satisfaction on his face.

Seeing Xu Damao so happy, the man couldn't help but have a better impression of him. He quickly counted the money, handed it to Xu Damao, and said, "Brother, count it, it's a lot of money. And, please pack this bottle."

Xu Damao took the money with great joy. However, when he heard the man asking for packaging, he felt embarrassed and scratched his head and said with a silly smile: "Oh, brother, I'm sorry, I don't have anything to package."

"This... little brother, you don't even have enough money to pack your business..." the man complained with dissatisfaction.

He frowned, his eyes revealing obvious displeasure. Then, he turned his attention to a clay pot dog on the ground, with a glimmer of fondness in his eyes.

"How about this, I think this clay pot dog is pretty good, and it looks very similar to the big yellow dog at home, so just give it to me as a gift." The man said as he stretched out his hand to pick up the clay pot dog.

However, at this moment, Xu Damao quickly reached out to stop him. He stretched out his right hand, which was as broad and thick as a palm leaf fan, and tightly grasped the man's two arms, making him unable to move.

"Brother, you can't do this. The value of this dog is no less than that bottle just now." Xu Damao said in a firm tone.

The man was annoyed when he saw this. He stared at Xu Damao with wide eyes and shouted angrily: "Hey! I bought something worth hundreds of dollars from you, but you can't even give me a gift? Besides, this is just an ordinary clay pot dog, how much can it be worth!"

Facing the man's questioning, Xu Damao did not back down, but still insisted on his position. At this time, Teacher Zhang, who was standing aside, smiled helplessly. He knew in his heart that he might not be able to get this bargain today.

So he couldn't help but interrupt and asked, "Brother, since you said that the price of this dog is not less than that bottle, then you must have some basis, right?"

"I definitely have a basis for this. This is a green pottery figurine dog from the Han Dynasty. It has been baptized by more than 2,000 years. Its historical value and cultural connotation are inestimable. Just based on its age, its value is definitely not less than that cloisonné bottle just now!"

Xu Damao spoke in a firm tone, counting on his fingers while confidently explaining his point of view.

Teacher Zhang smiled and asked softly, "Young man, did you buy all these cloisonne, this dog, and even the items on the stall yourself?"

Xu Damao nodded vigorously and replied, "Of course. I have put a lot of effort into collecting these treasures. Not only have I spent a lot of money, but I have also encountered many mistakes along the way. I have indeed come across many fakes and people have cheated me out of my hard-earned money for no reason."

Hearing this, Teacher Zhang raised his lips slightly, and responded with a smile: "Oh? Since you are so discerning, how could you be in such a predicament? Let's not talk about this cloisonné bottle. Just look at this Han Dynasty pottery dog ​​figurine. I heard you talk about it very clearly. I guess you must have done a lot of research on it."

Xu Damao scratched his head and explained a little embarrassedly: "Hehe, actually I'm not that good. My second uncle is the real expert! Every time I bring back goods from the village or other places, I have to ask him to help check and approve them. After all, I'm not even twenty years old yet. If it weren't for the guidance of my second uncle, how could I know so many tricks?"

"But it's not so easy to let my Second Uncle appraise something. I can't go empty-handed! Not only do I have to prepare good cigarettes and good wine, but I also have to pay extra money for the appraisal fee! So, brother, don't expect to get any bargain from me, hehe." Xu Damao's face was filled with a smug smile. He made up a so-called "Second Uncle" and secretly felt lucky that this method really worked.