Chapter Thirty-Two: The Gluttonous Pendant (Part Two)

With a flourish of gestures—first the “Orchid Knot,” then the “Family’s Wildcat”—Li Jianjun so bewitched the “plump tycoon” before him that the man was utterly dazzled.

“My, what exquisite tea and fragrance!” the tycoon exclaimed, showering compliments. “Brother, may I know your full name?”

Li Jianjun smiled lightly. “Big brother, I’m Li Jianjun. Ask anyone in the trade, they all know Old Li—been hustling here in the Antique City for nearly twenty years.” In truth, he didn’t realize that if someone did inquire about him, his reputation would earn little praise and likely curses.

The tycoon grinned in response. “A pleasure, indeed.”

They exchanged a few more pleasantries; it turned out the owner was an heir to a certain conglomerate, barely past thirty, and new to the world of antique investments.

Li Jianjun, upon hearing this, confirmed the man was indeed a “white hat, tender meat”—a greenhorn ripe for the taking. His boasting skills burst forth in full bloom.

“In this business, I, Li Jianjun, am practically a veteran. The treasures I’ve handled are countless.” He grabbed the nearby catalog from the “Poly-Yu Tribute” auction, flipped through a few pages, and pointed to a “Qing Qianlong Ten Celestial Stems Imperial Inscription Yellow Jade Plate.” “See this? Sold for five and a half million. That was mine.”

After a torrent of tales, the tycoon’s eyes were gleaming, looking upon Li Jianjun as if he were a deity.

Seeing the man completely won over by his tall tales, Li Jianjun fetched a brocade box from his safe, opened it, and produced a “Qing Qianlong Imperial Inscription White Jade Large Pendant,” handing it to the tycoon. The pendant was about ten centimeters long, resembling a large, white mint candy. Pierced through from top to bottom, it was carved with numerous lines of poetry.

Li Jianjun, brimming with pride, said with a smile, “I brought this Imperial Inscription White Jade Pendant back from England. The whiteness, the craftsmanship—it’s a top-tier piece from the Qianlong era.”

The tycoon examined it through a magnifier, turning it over several times, then nodded approvingly, “Indeed, superb. How much?”

Li Jianjun chuckled, “One and a half million.”

The tycoon, enchanted, immediately declared he’d buy it.

Li Jianjun quickly took the tycoon’s bank card, entered one and a half million into the card reader. The tycoon, puzzled, remarked, “There’s still fifty thousand left unpaid for that vase.”

Li Jianjun waved his hand dismissively. “The vase isn’t worth much—consider it a gift, a token of friendship.”

The tycoon, impressed by Li Jianjun’s finesse, nodded without hesitation and entered his password. The transaction was complete.

Even after the deal, the tycoon lingered, glancing at the beautiful woman beside him. “Take out those items for our friend to appraise.” He smiled again at Li Jianjun. “Brother Jianjun, would you mind appraising these? All bought from the Antique City.”

Li Jianjun nodded, smiling. It should be noted that, though Li Jianjun was somewhat unscrupulous, his eye for antiques was at least sharper than that of Xu Ning, if not as keen as Tian Minwei and his wife, or myself. To put it in terms of “The Legend of the Condor Heroes,” Tian Minwei and his wife’s expertise equaled that of Hong Qigong, mine was just below Qiu Qianren, Li Jianjun was akin to Sha Tongtian, and Xu Ning was simply outclassed.

The woman took out many jade pieces from her bag, placing them on the table. From Neolithic cultures like Liangzhu and Hongshan, to Ming and Qing palace jades, everything seemed present.

Li Jianjun glanced over them and immediately understood—almost none were genuine, and even the few authentic pieces were so poor they weren’t worth a few hundred yuan. Still, to save face, he went through the motions, beginning the tedious appraisal.

Halfway through, Li Jianjun picked up a “Warring States–Han Dynasty Yellow Jade Bi with Four Taotie Masks.” This jade bi was about five centimeters in diameter, with exquisitely carved taotie masks on each side—clearly freshly unearthed, not long out of the ground.

Li Jianjun’s heart skipped a beat—this was a true treasure, a famous piece, easily worth three or four million.

He maintained a calm demeanor, set the masterpiece back on the table without picking up another, sighed, and shook his head. “All these are fakes. How much did you spend?”

The tycoon’s face darkened as he glanced at Li Jianjun. “Nearly four million.”

Li Jianjun mused that any genuine cultural period piece would be worth two or three million at least.

“I’ll go ask for a refund,” the tycoon said, rising.

Li Jianjun waved him back. “Brother, since you trust me, let me give you some advice. Leave these here with me—I’ll help you talk them up and maybe even sell them for a profit. If you try to return them, whether the sellers agree or not, you’ll just be laughed at for being a sucker.”

The tycoon saw the logic—money wasn’t his main concern, but losing face was. He nodded. “Alright, I’ll leave it to you, Brother Jianjun.”

Li Jianjun, feeling blessed by the heavens, sent the tycoon off, returned to his shop, stashed the tableful of fakes in the warehouse, and spent hours admiring the “Taotie Pendant,” unable to put it down. Finally, he decided to display the masterpiece in the window.

“Excuse me, how much for this item?”

Li Jianjun looked up to see a plainly dressed old man standing outside the display.

He thought, the item’s barely warm, and the old fellow doesn’t look like a buyer. He replied offhand, “Ten million.”

The old man nodded. “May I see it up close?”

The shop assistant opened the display and handed the pendant to him.

The old man examined it carefully, then smiled and asked, “Where did this come from?”

Li Jianjun, a bit impatient, replied, “Unearthed, fresh goods.” He had no idea this one sentence would bring disaster.

He’d barely finished speaking when three or four uniformed officers entered the shop.

Li Jianjun paled with fright. The old man smiled, “Recently, a Han dynasty royal tomb in Xi’an was robbed. We suspect this ‘national second-class cultural relic’ is one of the stolen items. Please come with us for an investigation.”

After hearing Tian Minwei recount Li Jianjun’s arrest, I shuddered—anyone in the Antique City buys fresh goods now and then.

“What do you plan to do?”

Tian Minwei sighed deeply. “What else? Hurry and put away anything unearthed. Unless you want to take a little tour of the lockup?”

I nodded. “If it’s a one-day tour, I’m not interested.”

Mengya, standing nearby, looked terrified. “Uncle Tian, how long would someone get for selling a national second-class relic?”

“If things go badly, you could get life.” Tian Minwei sipped his water. “Anyway, I just came to tell you—put away anything that needs hiding, don’t let trouble find you.” With that, he got up and left the shop.

I glanced at Mengya. She showed no fear, only a trace of schadenfreude.

“Look at you—someone’s facing life imprisonment, and you’re gloating. At least pretend to care.” I teased.

Mengya snorted. “He deserved it, tricking someone over a piece of jade.”

“You’re cursing me too—I’ve tricked people plenty of times…” I chuckled.

This wasn’t an easy task. We worked for three or four hours before all the items that needed hiding were safely stashed in the warehouse.

Afterward, I sat in a chair, resting and sipping tea. Mengya hadn’t spoken, seeming lost in thought.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked.

She started and then smiled. “I have an idea I’d like to discuss with you.”

I blinked. “What is it? Why do I have a bad feeling?”

“Am I that wicked?” She leaned close, whispering in my ear.

Hearing her, I was startled. The old saying rang true: “A bamboo snake’s mouth, a wasp’s sting—both are dangerous, but nothing is more poisonous than a woman’s heart.” I whispered, “Maybe not.”

Mengya smiled. “Without a little poison, a man’s not a man.”