Chapter 520: Full of Doubts

"Young Master Wu, you've arrived. You didn't let me know in advance. Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Mr. Hua, I just got here myself."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries between Mr. Hua and Wu Hongyi, Xia Yu stepped forward and politely greeted, "Hello, Mr. Hua. I'm a friend of Hongyi's. My name is Xia Yu."

"Hello, hello. Welcome to you all!"

"You are all esteemed guests. Please come into the inner room!"

With that, Mr. Hua led Xia Yu and the others into the inner room, which indeed had a large space—a living room with wooden stairs leading to the upper floors.

"Mr. Hua, I have to say, there is a unique aura here. Every time I visit, it calms my mind."

As Wu Hongyi took his seat, he remarked with admiration.

Mr. Hua smiled kindly and said, "Antiques contain the essence of culture. With the accumulation of history, each piece carries its own aura. Regularly handling them is good for cultivating one's character. You might want to take a few pieces home or come by often to visit."

"I came with that intention. Today, I'm here with my friend to buy some antiques from you."

Wu Hongyi smiled and introduced Xia Yu to Mr. Hua: "Xia Yu is a big boss from Hong Kong, even stronger than our Wu family. He's now a director at our Huashang Bank and wants to buy a few antiques to decorate his office."

After Wu Hongyi's introduction, seeing Mr. Hua's gaze on him, Xia Yu nodded with a smile: "Mr. Hua, I hope to trouble you."

Mr. Hua beamed and stroked his long beard, replying, "Not a trouble at all. It's my pleasure. I should thank you for supporting my business."

"Shall we go upstairs now? Feel free to choose whatever you like."

"Sounds good. After you, Mr. Hua!"

Mr. Hua led everyone up the wooden stairs to the second floor.

Upon reaching the second floor, Xia Yu quickly glanced around and noticed there were several rooms—at least six or seven.

Mr. Hua opened the intricately carved wooden door of the first room and led Xia Yu and the others inside.

Once inside, Xia Yu saw shelves on the walls displaying various fine porcelain pieces of different sizes. Some large pieces were placed at the bottom or in the middle of the room, enclosed by wooden railings to prevent accidental bumps or kicks.

Mr. Hua's calm voice sounded, "This room is the Porcelain Pavilion. There are currently 191 pieces of porcelain here, including blue and white porcelain, blue and white linglong porcelain, famille rose porcelain, thin-bodied porcelain, sculpture porcelain, and five-colored porcelain. Further classified, we have blue and white, blue and white five-color, doucai, and more. We have examples from the five great official kilns, though in limited quantity."

Listening to Mr. Hua, Xia Yu was a bit shocked. He didn't expect the Treasure Pavilion to have so many pieces, enough to open a small museum, but they were all displayed in a small room for sale.

Moreover, he was surprised to find pieces from all five official kilns. In his previous life, only a few Ru kilns were known, and here they had them too!

Xia Yu moved around lightly, examining each exquisite antique porcelain piece.

At this moment, he was eager to buy them all and claim them for himself.

But he remained rational. Making a rash decision without fully understanding the situation could make things awkward for everyone.

He decided to wait until he had more information before making any purchases.

Watching Xia Yu appreciate the porcelain, Mr. Hua smiled and waited quietly.

Each piece of porcelain had a small card with basic information, though prices were not listed.

Soon, Xia Yu stopped in front of a tea set—a teapot and four covered bowls. He checked the card, which stated it was from the Ming Chenghua period.

"Mr. Hua, may I handle this?"

Xia Yu looked up and asked.

"Of course. Just wear these gloves!"

Mr. Hua nodded with a smile and handed Xia Yu a pair of gloves.

Xia Yu took them, put them on, and gently picked up the teapot to examine it closely.

The pot was 18.8 cm in diameter, with a bright glaze. It featured floral and bird patterns, with a square seal at the bottom reading "Made in the Ming Chenghua Era."

He looked at the covered bowl. It had floral patterns and a seal at the bottom as well.

Of course, a seal didn't guarantee authenticity, and Xia Yu couldn't distinguish it himself. But since Wu Hongyi said everything at the Treasure Pavilion was genuine, he trusted it.

The more Xia Yu looked, the more he liked it. He gently set down the tea cup and asked Mr. Hua, "Mr. Hua, I like this tea set. What is the price?"

"Five thousand pounds for you. But you must agree to one condition!"

Mr. Hua quoted a surprisingly low price, which stunned Xia Yu. Five thousand pounds for a Ming Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain tea set was incredibly cheap.

Of course, the unknown condition made Xia Yu focus. He solemnly asked, "Please tell me."

Mr. Hua's expression turned serious, and he looked directly at Xia Yu as he said, "You cannot sell this tea set to foreigners. Even if you resell it, you must ensure it stays within the hands of Chinese people. This tea set should only circulate among Chinese."

Mr. Hua's request left Xia Yu astonished. He scrutinized Mr. Hua's expression and felt this was his true sentiment.

Xia Yu was moved and deeply felt something. He solemnly nodded and promised, "Mr. Hua, rest assured. I will use and keep it for myself and my descendants. I won't sell it. I don't need to make money off this."

Seeing Xia Yu's assurance, Mr. Hua smiled and nodded kindly, "That's good."

"However, Mr. Hua, isn't five thousand pounds too cheap?"

Xia Yu couldn't help but voice his concern.

For someone who gave him such a special feeling, Xia Yu felt uncomfortable taking advantage. Besides, he didn't need to save money and didn't want to feel guilty.

According to his estimation, this tea set could easily fetch several hundred thousand yuan in the future. Yet Mr. Hua was selling it for just five thousand pounds. Even accounting for it being 1978, it seemed too cheap.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Hua shook his head with a smile and said, "Mr. Xia, since you were brought by Young Master Wu, I trust you completely, so the price is this. I bought it for less than a thousand pounds, so I'm already making a profit. If it were a British buyer, I wouldn't sell it for less than a hundred thousand pounds!"

"Xia Yu, don't overthink it. It's the set price."

Wu Hongyi, standing behind Mr. Hua, chimed in and winked at Xia Yu, who had no choice but to accept.

Later, Xia Yu bought a blue-and-white porcelain vase for two thousand pounds.

Xia Yu then stopped buying at the Porcelain Pavilion. With so many doubts on his mind, although he wanted to buy everything, it wasn't appropriate. He decided to wait until his questions were resolved.

Next, Mr. Hua took Xia Yu to the Wood Pavilion, Jade Pavilion, Calligraphy Pavilion, and Painting Pavilion. They bought a few famous calligraphy pieces and several Huanghuali and rosewood carvings.

A set of blue-and-white porcelain, a blue-and-white porcelain vase, two paintings, one calligraphy piece, two Huanghuali carvings, and one rosewood carving—eight items in total—for just twenty-eight thousand pounds. It was astonishingly cheap.

Of course, Mr. Hua made the same request for every piece: Xia Yu could not sell them to foreigners. Xia Yu agreed to all conditions.

After all the antiques were packed, it was already past five o'clock. Xia Yu and the others left. Before departing, Xia Yu took one last deep look at the Treasure Pavilion's sign.

On the drive back, Xia Yu was filled with questions. The vast collection of treasures, Mr. Hua's strange attitude, and the unbelievably low prices left him with many doubts.

He needed to talk to Wu Hongyi to get a clearer understanding before deciding what to do next.