Then, with a serious expression that couldn't quite hide his excitement, Qin Guocheng said, "We've seen the items in the Rui City Museum. Every single piece was put there after being repeatedly appraised by us old-timers. We just never made the connection."
"Now that you mention it, it makes a lot of sense. We had always treated them as decorative pieces."
"Looking at them closely now, I think you're right. They are pillows."
"It's just that I've never read about the history Miss Gu mentioned."
Gu Shengsheng said calmly, "Official histories are too dry. I buy them just to let them gather dust on my shelves. I usually just read whatever unofficial histories I can find."
Unofficial histories were so much more interesting; they were full of all sorts of stories.
She especially loved reading about the messy, complicated marital relationships of the ancients, along with various tidbits and scandals from different eras.
Of course, she wouldn't readily tell others about this hobby.
After she said this, the old men all chuckled.
Qin Guocheng said, "This... I suppose this counts as an appraisal by you!"
"Miss Gu, the few of us all agree that you're quite capable. My foolish grandson has one last round in his bet with you. How about we make it a little more interesting?"
When Gu Shengsheng heard this, she had a bad feeling.
'What is this old geezer up to now?'
Seeing that Gu Shengsheng hadn't yet agreed, he began, "I've acknowledged you as my 'Little Master' before, Miss Gu."
"So now, how about my Little Master gives me some guidance!"
Qin Shou nodded from the side. "That's right, that's right."
"Anyway, Gu Zhibo, with my grandpa here, your first two wins were just flukes. Just give up and accept your loss to me!"
Qin Guocheng smacked him.
He cursed, "What bullshit are you spouting! You are you, and I am I."
He was getting on in years, and his reputation was constantly being damaged by his grandson. It didn't really matter, but this Gu Shengsheng... she might just be a once-in-a-millennium genius. Getting a chance to watch her appraise something would be quite a treat.
And he even had the opportunity to test her. The more he thought about it, the more pleased he felt. When Gu Shengsheng became famous, he could go around bragging about it.
Ever since he lost to a newcomer, a young girl at that, he had felt a knot of displeasure in his heart. Now, he was determined to win back his pride, no matter what.
Gu Shengsheng looked at them and said, "We agreed to three appraisals. No matter what the item is, I have no problem with it. I only hope that when this is over, Mr. Qin Shou will stay out of my sight. It's honestly a pain to even look at him."
She had reached a point where the mere sight of Qin Shou filled her with disgust.
Truly, few people had ever made her feel so uncomfortable.
Qin Guocheng said with a smile, "Then we'll have to trouble you to take a trip with us, Miss Gu."
'Where on earth are they taking me?' Gu Shengsheng wondered.
After a long drive, they were no longer in the antique market district. They were surrounded by factories, and the roads were muddy.
They even passed several chemical plants.
'Don't tell me they're taking me somewhere to look at raw materials?' Gu Shengsheng thought.
'This old man really is something else.'
Just then, Gu Shengsheng got out of the car and was met with a cloud of dust and the sound of various machines.
But this place didn't seem to be a raw materials factory, nor was it a supplier of fakes.
After all, her stream was still live. How could an expert bring her to see fakes on a live broadcast?
That would cause a huge public outcry.
The viewers in the stream were also startled by the swirling yellow dust:
"Host, where are you? Are you being sold off?! This is obviously the outskirts of the city. It's all factories around here."
"What kind of factory is this? It looks creepy."
"Host, we're seeing lots and lots of old ceramics and clay sculptures! They look like the kind of stuff you'd see in a museum, but they're all broken and battered."
Gu Shengsheng could also smell the faint scent of resin filler and various adhesives.
'This place looks chaotic, but it must be for artifact restoration.'
'It just doesn't look particularly high-end.'
The truth is, working with artifacts isn't a glamorous job. The glamorous ones, the public faces of the industry, are just a handful of old men and women.
Most of the people involved do this kind of work behind the scenes.
Gu Shengsheng explained, "This is an artifact restoration workshop. The items come from many sources. Some are brought in for repair by old farmers, perhaps after being damaged. Others are bought and brought here for restoration by experts. It looks like the museum sends things here for repair too."
"Rui City probably only has this one restoration facility."
After she said this, Qin Guocheng nodded. "That's exactly right. You're pretty sharp, young lady!"
"I used to just think you were clever, but you've only been in the business for a few days and you've already figured out the market. From now on in Rui City, you can do whatever you want in the Antique Appraisal World."
Gu Shengsheng smiled and said, "I'm getting married. I'm leaving for Beijing City tonight."
Qin Guocheng was a bit surprised, then disappointed. He said, looking quite upset, "I was originally hoping to learn a few more things from you. To steal some of your techniques."
"But Beijing City... its development is far better than here. The artifacts there... they are truly marvelous!" He sighed with emotion as he said this.
It was as if he was recalling his own days of struggle in Beijing City.
Gu Shengsheng smiled. "As long as you want to appraise antiques, you can do it anywhere."
"But how can someone as young as you already have someone you like? I was thinking, since you and my grandson got to know each other through your conflict, I could just set you two up! If that didn't work, I'd disown my grandson and have you be my granddaughter and inherit my estate!"
Qin Shou's mouth twitched. "..." 'Is there any true affection left in this world? Am I even his real grandson?'
Gu Shengsheng smiled and said, "He felt right, so I'm getting married. My husband is wonderful."
'Separated by life and death, we get along harmoniously. It really is wonderful. We don't even need to communicate.'
Gu Shengsheng felt more and more that her decision to agree to this warding-off-illness marriage was a wise one.
At that moment, comments started flooding the live stream.
"The host is getting married too! Does your husband know you're a streamer? People in your line of work aren't exactly proper. Don't go and ruin your husband's life. This business is a murky one."
"Exactly. Take my advice: quit what you're doing and just stay home, get married, and have kids! I always thought a host like her wouldn't be able to settle down after getting married anyway."
"Who knows? Anyway, I would never marry a woman who's a streamer. Just looking at them makes me lose my appetite. I wouldn't mind having some fun with her, but for marriage, I'd still want to marry a virtuous and gentle woman."
"The host is good-looking. I can read your face, and you definitely have a fate of wealth and honor, you're just not the quiet type. It's impossible for a woman like you to just stay home and behave. You're the type who doesn't know her place."
"..."
Because most of the viewers watching antique appraisal streams were male enthusiasts.
Their comments at this moment made her realize just how absurd they were.