Chapter 46 The auction begins
"Okay." Xiao Yingchun can distinguish between big and small kings.
Most of the people who came today were invited by Grandpa He, except for those invited by Dai Hengxin's uncle.
In this case, it is much better for him to follow Grandpa He to say hello than to follow Dai Hengxin to socialize.
Sure enough, because he was with Grandpa He, Xiao Yingchun was looked at and inquired by many people with curiosity.
Grandpa He did not say that these things were all taken out by Xiao Yingchun, but only said that this person was his grandson's partner, and he brought him along to meet people because he could get along well.
Everyone gave Xiao Yingchun enough respect.
Not long after, Zhao Chengfeng brought Dai Enning along.
As soon as he saw Grandpa He, Zhao Chengfeng's eyes lit up, and he pulled Dai Enning over to say hello.
"Grandpa, you're such a great honor to be here today, Hengxin! I'm just…"
"Enning, hurry up and call for help! This kid is… he doesn't even know how to call Grandpa He!"
Zhao Chengfeng's exaggerated tone and high expression were even more exaggerated than a stage play.
Grandpa He's smile faded considerably. "Don't be polite. It's all for the child. Just go about your business."
That subtle air of superiority returned.
Zhao Chengfeng was truly intimidated, and dared not act again. She ushered Dai Enning aside.
But once she was seated, she saw Grandpa He introducing Xiao Yingchun to someone who was clearly quite prominent.
"Old Pei, this is Xiao. She's my grandson's partner, and she's also the host of tonight's auction…"
"Mom, why is Xiao Yingchun following Grandpa He around to meet people? Who the hell is she?" Dai Enning whispered in Zhao Chengfeng's ear, annoyed.
Zhao Chengfeng was even more displeased.
It was obvious that today's plan was organized by his son. Why didn't Mr. He take Dai Hengxin to identify the people? Who did he take Xiao Yingchun to identify?
After she made friends with these people, would she sell things directly to them in the future?
Wouldn't this destroy her own family's livelihood?
And that Xiao Yingchun, Zhao Chengfeng really couldn't stand her.
Isn't she just a store owner?
Why is she trying so hard to climb the upper class?
What qualifications does she have? !
Looking at Dai Hengxin again, Zhao Chengfeng became even more angry.
Dai Hengxin was clearly greeting the guests introduced by his uncle Dai Wangnian from time to time, but his eyes seemed to be out of control, and he would look in Xiao Yingchun's direction from time to time.
A little girl kept by a rich man can also enter the Dai family's door! ?
Zhao Chengfeng rolled her eyes in anger.
Fortunately, she also knew that this was the most important moment for her son, and no matter how many things there were, they had to wait until it was over.
Zhao Chengfeng whispered a warning to Dai Enning, "Tonight is your brother's most important moment. No matter how upset you are, hold it in until the guests leave."
"I understand," Dai Enning agreed, but she looked aggrieved, as if someone had robbed her of millions.
She was looking at He Liangcong.
But He Liangcong, in turn, was also looking at Xiao Yingchun.
This nearly made Dai Enning furious!
Amidst this eerie atmosphere, the auction began. The
first item was a Hetian jade bi.
Made of Hetian white jade, it was incredibly smooth and lustrous, and engraved with cloud patterns and dragon heads, it was clear it wasn't something you'd find in ordinary circumstances.
Zou Muwan explained the bi's dimensions and age, inviting everyone to come forward and take a look.
"According to appraisal, this jade bi dates back to the late Tang Dynasty..."
The only people present today were seasoned collectors, and they listened to Zou Muwan's explanation for reference only, relying more on their own judgment.
Flashlights, magnifying glasses, and other tools were brought in to appraise the bi.
Everyone was quite satisfied with the results.
Everyone was whispering among themselves.
Xiao Yingchun remembered this jade bi. Fu Chen'an said it was found in the study of the Yongzhou prefect's home.
Apparently, the prefect was very fond of it and often played with it.
After the appraisal was completed and everyone returned to their seats, the auction began.
The starting price for the jade bi was modest, at 50,000 yuan. Bids would be raised
in increments of 2,000 yuan .
Immediately, someone—a friend brought by Dai Wangnian—was the
first to raise their hand. With one person taking the lead, the competition spread like wildfire, with those eager to buy it raising their hands.
Soon, the price reached 100,000 yuan.
At this point, those hoping for a bargain retreated. The lively bidding scene made it clear to everyone: snagging this jade bi was practically impossible. Everyone knew the value of the item. Those still bidding genuinely loved it and were determined to buy it.
"120,000!" Someone raised the bid by 20,000 yuan at a time.
Everyone looked over and saw it was a bald man with a white beard from Dai Wangnian's group. "130,000 yuan!" a middle-aged friend brought by Mr. He spoke up.
"Fifteen thousand." The bald man with a white beard raised the price again, his tone aggressive, clearly intent on outmaneuvering his opponent. "Two hundred thousand." The middle-aged man calmly raised the price by fifty thousand.
A momentary silence fell.
Only Zou Muwan, on the stage, remained smiling, methodically teasing everyone's emotions: "This gentleman has bid two hundred thousand. Gentleman number twenty-eight, would you like to bid again?"
With everyone looking at him, how could the bald man with a white beard not raise the price? He immediately added another fifty thousand:
"Two hundred and fifty thousand..." "Three hundred thousand!" "Three hundred and fifty thousand..." Soon, the price of the jade disk reached five hundred thousand.
Everyone was stunned: It's just the beginning, and the price is already so high?
How could such a small place like this, a third-tier prefecture-level city, fetch such a high price? Even Zhao Chengfeng was a little excited at this moment: the first bidder had won this price, and there were so many more to come?
If this pace continued, wouldn't his son's new company easily make millions a month?
If it was for the sake of money, Xiao Yingchun's presence could be tolerated...
In the end, the jade bi was sold for 520,000. Seeing that the first treasure was sold at such a high price, everyone became more and more curious about the things that came after.
Xiao Yingchun sat on a chair in the corner, watching the exciting interaction between those above and below. The bids were quoted one after another, often in the tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, which made people's blood boil.
It turns out that in the world of the rich, money can be spent like this.
I was not interested in this before, nor was I qualified to be interested.
It was like... opening the door to a new world. After the jade bi was auctioned, there were jade pendants, jade cong, jade jue, belt buckles, hand-held pieces...
the prices ranged from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.
After the jade auction, it was time for gold jewelry.
When a complete set of gold and gemstone jewelry was brought up on a black velvet tray, everyone was stunned by the exquisite workmanship: it was really beautiful...
(End of this chapter)