As the old man spoke, the shop owner felt a pang of pain and hurried after him. Besides the blue and white porcelain bowl, the old farmer also had other vases, which were likely genuine. If he could find them, he would make a fortune.
Lu Fan and Lin Ke'er walked along the antique street, curious about the antique shop owner's frantic behavior.
Not long after, the shop owner found the old farmer: "Old man, do you still have that vase?"
"Yes!" The old man ate his steamed bun. "I sold one flower bowl for three thousand, and these few vases are probably worth over ten thousand!"
"Isn't this price gouging!" The shop owner's face turned dark. "I'll give you five thousand for these vases, what do you say, old sir?"
"You wouldn't even give me an extra three hundred before, what's gotten into you?" The old farmer looked surprised, then chuckled, "I won't sell them for less than ten thousand."
The shop owner reluctantly agreed, "Ten thousand it is, I'll take all these vases."
The old farmer was straightforward and sold the vases directly. In fact, he knew that the real heirloom was the blue and white porcelain bowl. As for these vases, he had bought them for a few dozen yuan years ago, and they were not valuable at all.
This shop owner must have been so generous because Lu Fan had bought the blue and white porcelain bowl.
After the transaction, the old farmer left in a hurry, unwilling to stay. The vases were fake, and if the owner discovered it, he would probably return them on the spot.
The shop owner was overjoyed, holding the vases as if he had made millions.
He met Lu Fan and said with a smile, "Young man, your item is worth a million, and mine is probably worth several million!"
"That's not necessarily true!" Lu Fan shook his head and smiled. "The boss's mind works quite well. If these vases were truly valuable, why would I specifically fancy the blue and white porcelain bowl?"
The boss was slightly stunned, and then seemed to realize something. "You mean these vases are fake?"
"Of course they're fake. The color and patterns of these vases are all wrong, how could they be genuine? Boss, you're also from the antique business, can't you even tell this?" Lu Fan shook his head.
The boss came back to his senses, quickly observed them carefully, and indeed found many flaws. His face gradually turned grim. "This damned country bumpkin, he actually scammed me!"
"It's one willing to hit, and one willing to be hit. This is also the rule of the antique world," Lu Fan said with a smile. "As the saying goes, learn from your mistakes. You can't be reckless in the future!"
The boss collapsed on the ground, looking utterly dejected. His family had been in the antique business for generations, but it had gradually declined in his hands, making him feel even more helpless.
The old farmer, carrying his snakeskin bag, arrived at the bus stop in a flash. After getting on the bus, he let out a long sigh, muttering, "The city is too complicated, I want to go back to the countryside!"
Looking at the dejected boss, Lin Ke'er felt a pang of pity. "This boss is quite pitiful, being scammed like this."
"Don't look at him being pitiful now, he's quite good at scamming others," Lu Fan said frankly. "This is karma."
"Brother Lu Fan, you know so much!"
Lin Ke'er was delighted, holding Lu Fan's arm tightly, seemingly enjoying it. For some reason, whenever she got close to Lu Fan, she felt an inexplicable impulse.
Lu Fan's face flushed. He had the Extreme Yang constitution, and Lin Ke'er had the Extreme Yin constitution. If these two constitutions were together, something might happen. He was trying his best to restrain himself.
A few days later, Lu Fan took Lin Ke'er out again. This time, they were going to attend Old Master Bai's birthday celebration, and he also brought the small blue and white porcelain bowl with him.
The Seven Star Hotel was located on a bustling street in Qingzhou, always vibrant and bustling with guests.
Today, there were more people than usual at the Seven Star Hotel, most of them driving luxury cars. Outside the Seven Star Hotel, there was a large plaque with birthday wishes written on it.
As Lu Fan and his companion got out of the taxi, they headed inside but were stopped by several security guards. "The Seven Star Hotel has been booked for a private event today, and you cannot enter freely!"
Lin Ke'er was a bit timid and retreated to Lu Fan's side. She had never seen such a large hotel before and felt a bit inferior.
"I'm here to attend Old Master Bai's birthday celebration," Lu Fan said. "My name is Lu Fan, and you should be able to find it at the front desk."
"We can only allow those with invitations!" the security guards said directly. They glanced at Lu Fan with a hint of disdain. Lu Fan and his companion were dressed ordinarily, and the Bai family held a respected position in Qingzhou, so how could they have friends like this?
Just then, a Maserati sped over. Before they could even speak, several security guards opened the barrier and greeted them with great respect.
"They don't have an invitation either, why can they go in?" Lin Ke'er asked in surprise.
"They're driving a Maserati!" the security guard smiled. "If you could drive one, you wouldn't need an invitation either."
Lin Ke'er was a little angry and didn't know what to say.
Lu Fan made a phone call, and shortly after, a woman came down from the Seven Star Hotel. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Lu, to have kept you waiting!"
"Hello, Manager!" the security guards bowed and looked at each other in astonishment. This was the manager of the Seven Star Hotel, a person of great status with considerable authority. She had personally come downstairs to greet them.
"What are you doing? Why are you blocking Mr. Lu outside?" the female manager scolded. "If Miss Bai finds out, not only will you lose your jobs, but I'll be fired too!"
The security guards quickly lowered their heads, not daring to resist at all, and felt immense regret. They all had families to support, and if they were really fired, it would be a devastating blow.
"Hasn't Bai Xue arrived yet?" Lu Fan asked softly.
"Miss Bai has already set off and will arrive at the Seven Star Hotel soon. She asked me to personally receive you and said you are a distinguished guest," the female manager said obsequiously. "Mr. Lu, please follow me."
After speaking, the female manager led the way, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
Lu Fan and Lin Ke'er followed behind, looking quite distinguished. Even those driving Maseratis had to walk to the lobby themselves, while Lu Fan and his companion had a dedicated escort, which was a different kind of treatment.
"My goodness, that scared me to death!" a security guard exclaimed. "Are people this low-key nowadays? Sitting in a taxi despite having such status?"
"Who said that! Fortunately, we didn't do anything out of line, otherwise, not only would our jobs be gone, but we might even lose our lives," another security guard said with a wry smile. "We really can't judge people by their appearance anymore. We might offend someone we shouldn't one day!"
The security guards looked at each other. They had been security guards for some time and understood the ways of the world. It was precisely because Lu Fan's attire was too ordinary that they had been careless.
Lin Ke'er followed Lu Fan directly into the banquet hall, which felt like entering a palace. It looked majestic and imposing, with many decorations, filling her heart with dreams.
"Mr. Lu, this way please!" the female manager said obsequiously. "This is the lounge!"