I trade in both worlds

Without saying a word, Xu Ziqi picked up his phone and started looking for Manager Zhang's contact information.

After finding it, he dialed the number and waited for a while. Then, the familiar voice of Manager Zhang came from the other end of the line: "Hello, Mr. Xu? What can I do for you?"

Xu Ziqi quickly said, "Hello, Manager Zhang. I recently purchased a batch of antique furniture. I would like to ask if you have any experts who can identify antique furniture? Can you recommend one to me?"

Manager Zhang seemed a little surprised when he heard this. He asked, "Oh? You bought a batch of antique furniture? Do you want to hire an expert to appraise it yourself?"

Xu Ziqi understood what Manager Zhang meant, and asked doubtfully, "Uh, do you think this is inappropriate? Or do you have any other suggestions?"

Manager Zhang smiled and explained, "Yes, if you hire an expert to do an appraisal privately, we won't be able to give you a formal appraisal report."

"Moreover, identifying antiques is not an easy task. It requires professional knowledge and experience. We have a professional appraisal team at our auction house. They can help you do all this."

Xu Ziqi's heart moved when he heard this, and he continued: "Actually, I don't just want to identify the authenticity and age of these furniture."

"I also want to make a separate album of each piece of antique furniture, including detailed information such as wood, year, pattern, etc. This will facilitate my subsequent sales and promotion."

After listening to Xu Ziqi's idea, Manager Zhang smiled and replied affirmatively: "No problem, we can do it. From appraisal to report, to design album and printing, our auction house has a professional team to take charge."

“This way you can save yourself the trouble and effort while ensuring the professionalism and accuracy of the entire process.”

Xu Ziqi was overjoyed when he heard this.

He had been worried about how many people he would need to find and how much effort he would have to put in to accomplish these tasks, but after hearing what Manager Zhang said, it seemed as if all the problems had been solved.

He thought for a moment and continued, "Then how do you charge? Is it expensive?"

Manager Zhang said politely, "Well, that depends on how many pieces of furniture you have, and the level of appraisal and service you want. Would it be convenient for me to go to the site to take a look? That way I can give you a more accurate quote."

Hearing this, Xu Ziqi quickly said, "Okay, I'll be free tomorrow. Come over tomorrow morning, I'll wait for you."

After agreeing on the time and address with Manager Zhang, Xu Ziqi hung up the phone.

He turned to look at Xu Ziqing and said with a smile, "Done. Manager Zhang will come to the site tomorrow to take a look and give us a price."

"He said their auction house could help us with everything, including appraisal, report, design catalog and printing."

Xu Ziqing smiled upon hearing this: "Great! This way we don't have to go through so much trouble. However, their fees shouldn't be very cheap, right?"

Xu Ziqi shrugged and said, "Who knows? We'll know when Manager Zhang comes tomorrow. But it doesn't matter if it's a little more expensive. As long as we can get things done, it's worth spending a little more."

The next morning, Manager Zhang arrived at Xu Ziqi and Xu Ziqing's warehouse on time.

After carefully examining each piece of furniture, he began to calculate the cost.

After a while, Manager Zhang looked up, looked at Xu Ziqi and Xu Ziqing and said, "Based on your needs and the quantity of these furniture, our auction house has made a preliminary offer."

As he said that, he sent a quotation sheet to Xu Ziqi.

Xu Ziqi opened it and saw that the total showed one million and five hundred thousand.

He was immediately startled and couldn't help asking, "So many?"

Manager Zhang smiled and explained, "This quotation already includes all the costs, including appraisal fees, report fees, design fees, printing fees, etc."

"Moreover, our services are comprehensive, so you don't have to worry about anything."

Upon hearing this, although Xu Ziqi felt that the price was a bit high, he also understood that what Manager Zhang said made sense.

He thought about it and started bargaining with Manager Zhang: "Manager Zhang, can you make it cheaper? This price is indeed a bit high."

Manager Zhang was embarrassed when he heard this: "Mr. Xu, you also know that our service quality and professionalism are first-class. This price is already the lowest price we can offer."

Seeing this, Xu Ziqi knew that there was no point in bargaining any further.

He thought about it and decided to try to get some other discounts: "Okay, forget about the price. But can you put more effort into the design of the albums? I want them to look more exquisite and attractive."

Manager Zhang readily agreed upon hearing this: "That's no problem! Our design team is professional and will definitely design a satisfactory album based on your requirements."

After some bargaining, Xu Ziqi and Manager Zhang finally agreed on a price of 1.2 million.

Although Xu Ziqi felt that the price was a bit high, he felt that the money was worth it when he thought that he could complete these tasks without much worry and effort, and also get professional services and exquisite picture albums.

A week later, Manager Zhang appeared in the store with an expert who was nearly 60 years old, with sharp eyes and dressed in Tang suit.

"Mr. Xu, this is Mr. Zhong." Manager Zhang's voice was full of respect.

"Mr. Zhong." Xu Ziqi quickly stood up and greeted him respectfully.

Mr. Zhong nodded slightly, his face serious, but there was a hint of imperceptible tenderness in his eyes.

"Where's the furniture?" he said in a low, powerful voice.

Xu Ziqi glanced at Manager Zhang, and the two exchanged a tacit look. Then he led Mr. Zhong to the warehouse.

In the warehouse, under the dim light, pieces of old furniture were quietly arranged, as if waiting for a belated judgment.

As soon as Mr. Zhong walked in, his eyes immediately lit up, as if he had stepped into a whole new world.

He excitedly took out the magnifying glass he carried with him and examined each piece of furniture one by one.

"This rosewood table should be from the late Song Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty." Mr. Zhong's fingers gently slid across the table top, as if touching the vein of history.

"Look at the carving, it is delicate yet powerful, a typical Suzhou style. The craftsmen of the time carved it piece by piece."

Manager Zhang followed closely behind, notebook in hand, typing away on the keyboard as he wrote down every comment made by Mr. Zhong.

"Look at this chair again." Mr. Zhong turned and walked towards a seemingly ordinary wooden chair.

"Although it looks plain, the wood is made of the rare Hainan Huanghuali wood. Look at the mortise and tenon structure, it fits perfectly and remains as solid as ever after hundreds of years. It's really rare."