Chapter 519: The Special Rules of the Treasure Pavilion

"By the way, Xia Yu, come take a look at your office; it's been set up," Wu Hongyi said as he sipped a cup of tea to alleviate his fatigue. Suddenly, he remembered something and stood up to address Xia Yu.

"Oh? Then I'd better take a look."

Xia Yu showed a look of anticipation and followed Wu Hongyi to the office door. Upon opening it, he saw a spacious, clean, and well-lit office.

"This office is quite large. It seems I'd be remiss if I don't come here often," Xia Yu said, taking a look around and clicking his tongue in approval.

Wu Hongyi smiled and said, "Since I didn't know your preferences, the office only has basic office supplies. The rest is up to you to arrange."

"No problem, I'll take care of the decoration myself," Xia Yu waved his hand and said with a smile.

"However, I'm not very familiar with London, so I need your help with something."

"What do you need? Just let me know, and if I can do it, I'll definitely help!"

Wu Hongyi spoke in a manner that suggested he was ready to take on anything.

"I noticed you have quite a few antiques in your office. Are they from your family or did you buy them? If you bought them, I'd like to purchase some antiques to decorate my office and create a better atmosphere."

Xia Yu inquired.

Wu Hongyi looked as if he suddenly understood and smiled, "Oh, those are not from my family; I bought them myself. My family's antiques are stored by my grandfather, and we're not allowed to take them out."

Xia Yu was surprised but smiled, admiring, "You bought them yourself? Not bad; they all seem to be genuine. Your taste is commendable!"

Seeing Xia Yu give him a thumbs-up, Wu Hongyi waved his hands and explained, "You misunderstand. I don't have a knack for picking antiques. I bought them from a shop where a friend sells antiques. They are always genuine! And the prices are reasonable!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu was intrigued and suddenly wanted to visit the shop. He asked Wu Hongyi, "Hongyi, is that shop still open? I'd like to check it out."

"It's still open. The shop is called Treasure Pavilion, and it's been around for decades. Mr. Hua has been running it for many years!" Wu Hongyi said. As he spoke, his expression turned serious, as if he were talking about someone he deeply respected.

Xia Yu noticed Wu Hongyi's reaction and became even more curious about who this Mr. Hua was that commanded such respect.

Seemingly noticing Xia Yu's curiosity, Wu Hongyi pressed his lips together and said with a solemn tone, "Xia Yu, any Chinese who has stayed in London for a long time knows about Treasure Pavilion. There are some stories about it. I'll tell you more after you've seen it yourself."

"When do you have time? I'll take you to Treasure Pavilion to buy some antiques. I'll go with you; Mr. Hua will only bring out his precious antiques when I'm there. Although others can buy genuine antiques, they're usually just of average value. Mr. Hua only sells the truly valuable antiques to those he approves."

Hearing this, Xia Yu was even more curious. He responded, "I'm free anytime. Just let me know."

Wu Hongyi thought for a moment, checked his watch, and seeing that it was only 3:15 in the afternoon, said to Xia Yu, "Then I'll arrange for someone to buy gold first. We'll set off in half an hour. Would you like some more tea?"

"You go ahead and get busy. I'll look around and get familiar with the bank," Xia Yu replied.

"Alright, I'll go now."

"Mm!"

Watching Wu Hongyi leave quickly, Xia Yu took another look around his office before wandering through the various departments of the bank.

Half an hour passed quickly.

Wu Hongyi and Xia Yu each took a car, with Wu Hongyi leading the way, heading in a specific direction.

Soon, the car arrived in Chinatown and then drove to a somewhat remote location, stopping in front of a shop that looked antique from the outside.

Xia Yu got out of the car and examined the shop. A large wooden plaque, made of unknown wood, displayed the name "Treasure Pavilion" in three big characters.

Before even entering the door, Xia Yu saw many porcelain, jade items, and wood carvings displayed inside the shop. However, the quantity seemed somewhat excessive, arranged in clusters, which made Xia Yu frown slightly.

"Xia Yu, this is the place. Let's go inside!" Wu Hongyi said and led Xia Yu in.

Once inside, Xia Yu felt a completely different atmosphere. The shop exuded a heavy, ancient ambiance, and the faint scent of sandalwood in the air made one's mood unexpectedly tranquil.

"Mr. Wu, you're here. Please, have a seat!" A man in his thirties with a smiling face came over, greeted Wu Hongyi, and glanced at Xia Yu and the others.

"Xia Yu, this is Uncle De, whose full name is Liu Houde. He is Mr. Hua's apprentice."

"Uncle De, these are my friends. This is Xia Yu, this is Li Qian, and this is Li Wuming…"

"Hello, Uncle De!"

"Hello, hello, please sit down."

After Xia Yu and the others were seated, Wu Hongyi asked Uncle De, "Uncle De, has Mr. Hua gone out again?"

"Yes, he just went out, but it's not to collect items, so he should be back soon. Please wait a moment!"

"Have a cup of tea while you wait!" Uncle De explained and began preparing tea with a purple clay teapot.

At this moment, a middle-aged British couple entered the shop, appearing quite curious and looking around.

"Uncle De, we have guests. We'll make the tea ourselves. Please go about your business!" Wu Hongyi said as he started to boil water.

Uncle De nodded and apologized to Xia Yu and the others, "Sorry for the inconvenience. Please excuse the lack of attention!"

"It's fine, it's fine. We can manage on our own!" Xia Yu quickly replied with a smile.

Uncle De then went over to introduce the British couple.

After having a cup of tea, Xia Yu couldn't help but feel curious. He stood up and wandered around the shop, occasionally stopping to examine the porcelain and wood carvings.

After a thorough inspection, Xia Yu returned to his seat, puzzled.

"Hongyi, something's not right. These seem to be modern crafts. Although they're made very realistically, they aren't antiques!"

Wu Hongyi smiled and nodded, explaining, "That's right. These are modern crafts, mainly sold to foreigners. Of course, Chinese people can buy them too, but the prices are very low, just the cost of the crafts."

"The real antiques are on the second and third floors. There's a staircase leading up from the inner rooms. The second and third floors are only open to Chinese customers. Foreigners aren't allowed in!"

Xia Yu was intrigued by this rule and asked, "Is there a reason for this?"

Wu Hongyi pondered for a moment and said with a tone of reflection, "This is a rule set by Mr. Hua. He said that foreigners are not worthy of collecting our country's cultural relics; they only deserve to admire modern crafts."

"Moreover, Mr. Hua's Treasure Pavilion has some implicit rules. Antiques are not sold to foreigners, only to Chinese people he approves."

Upon hearing Wu Hongyi's explanation, Xia Yu expressed respect for Mr. Hua's principles and views.

However, he still had some doubts and asked, "What are the criteria for Mr. Hua's approval of Chinese people?"

"Don't worry. You definitely meet the criteria. Mr. Hua will trust you with the antiques," Wu Hongyi said with a smile.

"By the way…"

Just as Xia Yu was about to ask further, Wu Hongyi noticed an elderly man dressed in traditional Chinese attire walking in from outside. He immediately said, "Xia Yu, Mr. Hua is back."

Seeing Wu Hongyi stand up, Xia Yu also stood up and looked around. He saw an elderly man with a strong physique, a rosy complexion, and a long white beard walking towards the shop.

Upon seeing Wu Hongyi, the elderly man's face lit up with a delighted smile.