"This piece of junk is worth five thousand?" Lu Fan shook his head. "How about fifty bucks?"
"Young man, you likely don't recognize its value. This is an ancient treasure, genuine!" the boss said earnestly. "How about this! I'll give you a discount, three thousand, how's that?"
"One hundred yuan! Besides this celadon cup, I want that chamber pot too!" Lu Fan pointed to the corner.
The boss gritted his teeth. "How about this! The chamber pot plus the celadon cup, you give me one thousand yuan in total. I'm practically giving it away at a loss. The price can't go any lower."
"Three hundred yuan for both!"
Lu Fan patted his pockets and shrugged with a smile, "That's all I've got. If you're not willing, I'll leave now!"
"You're quite the bargainer for such a young man."
The boss shot Lu Fan a glance. "I'll make a good connection with you today and sell it to you!"
Having obtained the celadon cup and the chamber pot, Lu Fan nodded in satisfaction. He seemed particularly fond of the chamber pot, paying little attention to the celadon cup.
While on the mountain, he not only learned a great deal of medical knowledge but also developed a discerning eye. From the start, Lu Fan had sensed the chamber pot was an ancient treasure and deliberately aimed to buy the celadon cup, with the chamber pot being his true target. The boss probably hadn't figured it out until now.
After Lu Fan left, the boss touched the three banknotes, a smile on his face. "A broken cup and a broken chamber pot. This kid is quite foolish. Three hundred yuan is still money!"
Before the boss finished speaking, Lu Fan returned. "Excuse me, boss, where is the antique market in Qingzhou?"
"Just around the corner ahead. What are you going to the antique market for?" the boss asked. "I have quite a few items on my stall. Why don't you take another look? See if there's anything else you need."
"No need. I'm short on cash right now and plan to take the chamber pot to auction!" Lu Fan said to himself.
"Ahem..." the boss chuckled awkwardly. "I say, young man, you're not kidding, are you? You bought something for three hundred yuan and now you want to auction it!"
"No choice, I'm a bit tight on funds!" Lu Fan shrugged. "I've given you all my assets!"
"Since you're determined to go, I won't stop you. But I advise you not to get your hopes up too high," the boss said kindly. "Don't end up making a fool of yourself."
"I won't. This is no ordinary chamber pot!"
Lu Fan smiled and turned to leave.
The boss shook his head. "This kid must be desperate for money! To think of auctioning off a chamber pot!"
Lu Fan didn't go far before he heard the boss's words, but he paid them no mind. The chamber pot was old. Although not particularly pleasant to talk about, it was still an ancient treasure, and its price likely wouldn't be low. However, if the boss knew the chamber pot's origin, he wouldn't have sold it to him so easily.
Following the boss's directions, Lu Fan navigated through several turns and finally arrived at the antique street. The street was wide, lined with antiques on both sides, and bustling with people.
"Young man, would you like to take a look? Our antiques are genuine, guaranteed to be authentic!"
A man called out to Lu Fan with a smile, appearing quite enthusiastic.
"Brother, where is the auction house?" Lu Fan asked.
"You want to go to the auction house?" The boss glanced at the chamber pot in Lu Fan's hand with some disdain. "The auction house is just ahead, but are you mistaking this chamber pot for a treasure?"
"Ahem... this is no ordinary..." Lu Fan started to explain, then stopped himself. He knew further explanation would be futile and meaningless.
Seeing Lu Fan leave, the boss also shook his head, naturally believing Lu Fan had been swindled.
Upon reaching the auction house, Lu Fan walked directly inside. As soon as he entered the hall, he spotted a familiar figure.
"Well, well, talk about running into enemies. I didn't expect you to be here!"
Yang Jiaqi, dressed in a dress, looked at Lu Fan. "This is the auction house. Do you have some treasure to auction?"
"Does it concern you?" Lu Fan glanced at her. "My luck is truly terrible today."
"Hmph, don't think you're so great just because you have some medical skills. I've found out everything. The reason Mr. Bai was polite to you that day was because his elderly father was gravely ill," Yang Jiaqi sneered. "It even caused my grandfather to slap me. If I hadn't investigated personally, I would have really thought you had some important background!"
Lu Fan ignored her and headed towards the auction hall, but Yang Jiaqi blocked his way. "You dare to ignore me."
"I'm not ignoring you, I just don't see you," Lu Fan said coldly. "I've torn up the marriage contract, but I told you, your Yang family will pay for this!"
"Who is he?"
A middle-aged man walked over, put his arm around Yang Jiaqi, and swept his gaze over Lu Fan.
"He's that penniless nobody," Yang Jiaqi said. "I didn't expect him to come here. What a coincidence!"
"The one who was dumped?" Shen Wei chuckled nonchalantly. "I thought it was someone else!"
Lu Fan couldn't be bothered to reply and continued towards the auction hall. He was penniless and needed the money to buy medicine, so he couldn't afford to be delayed.
Arriving at the auction hall, Lu Fan went to the front desk. "I want to auction this. Could you please appraise it for me!"
Upon seeing Lu Fan pull out the chamber pot, the woman at the front desk instinctively recoiled and glared. "What's wrong with you? How could you bring a chamber pot in here."
"This is an ancient treasure!" Lu Fan said to himself. "I want to auction it, the price doesn't matter!"
"You must be out of your mind!" Yang Jiaqi taunted. "To think of bringing a chamber pot to auction! Do you think the auction house is your family's business?"
Lu Fan's face darkened. He didn't want to deal with Yang Jiaqi and looked directly at the front desk. "Please appraise it for me! And arrange for its auction!"
"If you're really short on money, I can lend you some," Shen Wei said with a smile. "No need to be so pathetic, right? Regardless, I've managed to woo your former fiancée, so I should compensate you."
Yang Jiaqi frowned. Shen Wei's words just now made her uncomfortable, but Shen Wei was powerful, so she didn't dare to be too presumptuous.
"Be mindful of your words, or you'll regret it when it's too late!" Lu Fan shrugged. "By the way, she's not my fiancée, but garbage I discarded. You seem to like picking up trash!"
"You insolent brat!" Shen Wei swung a punch, but Lu Fan blocked it and delivered a swift kick, sending Shen Wei stumbling back, having clearly suffered a disadvantage.
"Are you insane? What's your status to dare lay a hand on Young Master Shen!" Yang Jiaqi yelled.
Lu Fan paid them no mind and turned his gaze back to the front desk.
"Sir, I've done a preliminary appraisal. The chamber pot is not genuine."
The woman at the front desk covered her mouth and spoke to Lu Fan, seemingly unable to contain herself any longer. This was an auction house, frequented by dignitaries. Lu Fan's attire didn't suggest he was wealthy, so how could his item be genuine.