chapter 32 The master's old face was swollen

"Heh, Master Zheng, if I publicly prove that this Martial God of Wealth is a huge treasure, you might just lose face," Stanley Du advised. But Master Zheng and the bystanders took Stanley Du's advice as a provocation. "Ha ha, young man, I have appraised more antiques than the salt you've eaten. I refuse to believe that you, a little kid, have the ability to slap my face!" Master Zheng was holding back a surge of anger. Stanley Du nodded, using his fingernail to scrape off some of the surface of the Martial God of Wealth. "Hey, Stanley Du, what are you doing? This is something you spent 200,000 yuan on! Do you want to destroy it with your own hands?" Elen Zeng was distressed, hastily advising him. The others also found Stanley Du's abnormal behavior puzzling. Only Master Zheng's face changed dramatically, exclaiming, "This wood carving of the Martial God of Wealth isn't made from ordinary wood. A master has coated the surface with copper paint and copper powder." "Haha, Master Zheng, your eyesight is not bad." Stanley Du complimented him and quickly scraped off all the copper paint and powder from the surface of the Martial God of Wealth carving. "Is there an expert in woodcraft here? Please look closely, what kind of wood is this Guan Gong Martial God of Wealth carved from?" Hearing what Stanley Du said, a few woodcraft experts used magnifying glasses to take a closer look. The Martial God of Wealth, with its surface copper paint and powder removed by Stanley Du, revealed its true wood grain. "Rosewood! It's carved from rosewood!" "Indeed, it's rosewood, the kind that takes 800 years to mature, the emperor's wood!" "This Martial God of Wealth is about fifty centimeters tall. Such a large piece of rosewood is worth at least 600,000 to 700,000 yuan!" "For 200,000 yuan, you bought a rosewood Martial God of Wealth worth 600,000 to 700,000 yuan. Kid, you really found another bargain." The crowd was astounded once again. Who would have thought Stanley Du, this youngster, found another bargain? And this bargain was picked up right under the nose of the treasure appraisal master, Bruce Zheng. That's not simple at all. At the very least, it proves that Stanley Du's appraisal skills are superior to Bruce Zheng's. Bruce Zheng's face turned dark, nearly unable to save his dignity. He said begrudgingly, "You've got good eyesight, kid, picking up a bargain. But you just said that this Guan Gong Martial God of Wealth is worth 2 million, right?" "That's right, I did say that." "A few woodcraft experts have unanimously appraised that your Guan Gong Martial God of Wealth is only worth 600,000 to 700,000 yuan. What do you say to that?" "Haha, take another look. What is this?" After saying that, Stanley Du twisted the Green Dragon Blade in Guan Gong's hand, and with a 'crack,' a sound came from the base of the Martial God of Wealth. "This carving has a secret compartment!" An expert in woodcraft exclaimed. Hearing this, the hearts of all the collectors began to beat faster! Stanley Du firmly grasped the base of the Guan Gong Martial God of Wealth and effortlessly broke it off. Sure enough, the base was hollow, hiding inside a piece of pale red dragon-patterned ancient jade. "Master Zheng, take another good look. What kind of jade is this?" Stanley Du held the dragon-patterned ancient jade and asked with a smile. A dozen treasure appraisal experts looked closely with magnifying glasses. "This... this is top-quality Hetian red jade!" "Judging by the craftsmanship and pattern, this is Southern Song dynasty ancient jade." "A Southern Song Hetian red jade of this size, at least worth 1.6 to 1.7 million yuan, right?" "If you keep it for a few years and then sell it, getting 2 million for it wouldn't be a problem." Several appraisers less famous than Bruce Zheng were chattering away, but Bruce Zheng himself was silent. "This Martial God of Wealth carving is worth 600,000 to 700,000 yuan, and this piece of Southern Song Hetian red jade is worth 1.6 million yuan. Master Zheng, can you calculate for me, what's the total?" "Alright, alright, you're amazing, kid! We'll meet again!" Bruce Zheng's face was so beaten he couldn't show it in public. He could only drop a courteous phrase and flee in embarrassment! "Good job, Stanley Du, you made another 2 million." Elen Zeng grabbed the Southern Song Hetian red jade and flattered Stanley Du, "You're much better than that Master Zheng. I think you should stop being a doctor and become a treasure appraiser instead." And the original owner of this Guan Gong Martial God of Wealth, the middle-aged man Cecil Zhang, was almost in tears. The Guan Gong Martial God of Wealth he had worshipped for two years, not only was it carved from precious rosewood, but it also concealed a mechanism, hiding a piece of Southern Song Hetian red jade inside the hollow base. He can't believe he actually fell for Bruce Zheng's nonsense and sold a treasure worth over 2 million for just 200,000! "Haha, Stanley, this little showdown of yours with Bruce Zheng really was full of twists and turns. Eye-opening, indeed," Flora Han congratulated Stanley Du as he approached swiftly. Jimmy Xu and Hedy Yao followed behind Flora Han, coming over as well. "Doctor Du, who would've thought your knack for identifying treasures is as good as your medical skills." Jimmy Xu laughed and said, "About this dragon-patterned ancient jade, would you be willing to part with it? I'm willing to offer 2.6 million." "Jimmy, you already snagged that genuine Mi Fu calligraphy from me. You can't compete with me for this dragon-patterned red jade." "Alright, since Uncle Han likes this dragon-patterned red jade, I won't compete." "Smart kid." Then, Flora Han transferred 2.6 million to Stanley Du via mobile banking and took the dragon-patterned ancient jade. "Hold on, there's still the stone gambling part. Are you good at that?" Hedy Yao asked Stanley Du. "I know a thing or two." "Great, whether I can make some pocket money or not depends on your performance," Hedy Yao said with a smile. "I can't guarantee that you'll make a profit without loss." Just then, a waitress carrying a bunch of flowers walked up to Dinah Yang and handed them over, "Miss Dinah Yang, all these flowers are from Mr. Bandon Hong." Dinah Yang was startled and looked a bit displeased. Stanley Du was also taken aback. He was right beside Dinah Yang and didn't expect another man to dare send flowers to her. Jimmy Xu and Hedy Yao watched Stanley Du and Dinah Yang with an expectant look, as if waiting for a drama to unfold. "Who's Bandon Hong?" "I don't know him," Dinah Yang said coldly. Then she forced the flowers back into the hands of the waitress, "You've delivered them to me, now I'm giving them to you. If you don't want them, throw them away for me." The waitress paused, then had no choice but to follow the instructions. "Mother-in-law, go enjoy yourself, I'm going to have a drink with Dinah Yang." With that, Stanley Du left everyone behind and pulled Dinah Yang away. "Was that Bandon Hong an ex of yours?" Once they were in a quieter place, Stanley Du asked Dinah Yang in a low voice. "You guessed right. Okay, I'll tell you the truth." Dinah Yang slowly said, "Bandon Hong was my senior at Tendu Medical University. He pursued me, and I was moved by him. But I accidentally discovered that while he was chasing me, he was already being kept by a woman ten years his senior. That woman even warned me to stay away from Bandon Hong. Heh, why would I fight over Bandon Hong with that woman? I find him disgusting."