Chapter 48: Too Careless

Chapter 48: Too Careless

In the afternoon, after waking up from a nap, the two went out and found a street stall to grab a meal.

After eating, they headed straight to the Dongyuan Antique Market, located not far away.

Whether now or thirty years into the future, Dongyuan Market would remain one of the most famous antique markets in the coastal cities of Longguo. In fact, it would become a well-known tourist attraction in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

However, few people knew that the original clientele of this market wasn't the locals but foreigners.

Most of the so-called antiques and cultural relics sold here were meant to deceive these foreigners. Very few authentic historical artifacts were ever openly displayed. True treasures were extremely rare.

In fact, in the antique trade, seasoned experts who had spent years studying their craft could spot the authenticity of an item at a glance. Although the possibility of stumbling upon a genuine relic existed, the odds were slim—sometimes even lower than those of gambling on uncut gemstones.

Moreover, Dongyuan Antique Market was far from the historical ruling centers of past dynasties. It was not an ancient capital, meaning very few relics were actually unearthed in the area.

Antique trading depends on location. Cities like Chang'an, Luocheng, and Bianliang—where many historical sites lay buried underground—naturally had a higher probability of genuine antiques appearing in their markets.

Dongyuan, on the other hand, was the opposite. Few authentic relics had ever circulated here, and even when they did, they were rarely of top quality.

But the market was still bustling—thanks to wealthy foreigners.

Foreigners who came to Longguo had much stronger purchasing power. Whether they earned US dollars, British pounds, or Russian rubles, their currencies had a significantly higher exchange rate against the Longguo yuan.

This meant that as long as they had stable jobs back home, they could be considered small-time tycoons in Longguo.

It was similar to how modern Longguo citizens could travel to Africa. Even someone earning just 3,000 yuan per month in Longguo would still be considered a white-collar professional compared to local Africans who earned barely ten yuan a day.

Because of this, even though Dongyuan Antique Market had very few real antiques, the business still flourished.

As Li Yi and Wei Sanpao strolled through the crowded street, Li Yi saw many foreigners being scammed.

But he didn't say anything.

The antique business had its own unspoken rules. Face and reputation mattered.

It wasn't just about maintaining harmony for business; more importantly, this trade relied on knowledge and experience. Whether one discovered a hidden treasure or fell victim to a scam depended entirely on their own ability.

If an outsider pointed out a scam, it was considered breaking the rules.

For this reason, even if someone clearly saw a fake item being sold, they wouldn't expose the scammer.

Not only would that offend the seller, but it would also violate the customs of the antique market.

Li Yi understood these unspoken rules well. His main concern was keeping an eye on Wei Sanpao, making sure he didn't do anything impulsive.

It wasn't that he feared Wei Sanpao might expose a scammer—after all, the guy knew nothing about antiques.

What worried Li Yi was that this silly, hot-headed friend might get scammed himself and become the next sucker in line.

Buying antiques was a gamble.

Once the money was paid and the item was taken away, there were no refunds—whether it turned out to be real or fake.

So, Li Yi repeatedly reminded Wei Sanpao, "No matter what catches your eye, don't buy it without my approval!"

Wei Sanpao readily agreed. After all, he was completely clueless about antiques—like a blind man swinging a stick in the dark.

"Brother Yi, why is this place so lively?"

Li Yi chuckled, "How could it not be? In a few years, this place will be designated as a 4A tourist attraction. Even though there's no entrance fee, the land value and rent here will skyrocket."

At its peak, the rent for a single storefront in Dongyuan Antique Market would reach a staggering one million yuan per year. Without high traffic and business, how else could sellers afford such expensive rent?

Wei Sanpao compared it to their hometown and muttered, "Jiangcheng isn't even this lively during festivals."

As they continued walking, Li Yi suddenly spotted a crowd gathered around a small stall.

"Let's check it out," he said.

With Wei Sanpao leading the way, Li Yi squeezed through the crowd.

The stall itself wasn't very large, but the items displayed had an aged, historical feel to them, which piqued the curiosity of many passersby.

However, while many people stopped to admire the collection, very few actually asked about prices.

The stall owner was an elderly man dressed in a traditional mandarin jacket, smoking a long-stemmed pipe. He sat calmly with his hands tucked into his sleeves, smiling at the passersby.

He wasn't in a rush.

Antique trading was a slow business.

Some days, you wouldn't make a single sale. But when you did, one lucky deal could bring in months' worth of profits.

There were always gullible buyers out there. Eventually, someone would take the bait.

Li Yi carefully examined the stall's goods.

There was a mix of porcelain, jade, bronze items, wood carvings, ancient books, calligraphy, and paintings, as well as various jars and pots. At first glance, it looked more like a messy storage room than a serious antique stall.

After browsing for a while, a jade ring caught Li Yi's attention.

"Old man, how much for this ring?"

The stall owner glanced at him, eyeing him up and down.

Seeing that neither Li Yi nor Wei Sanpao looked particularly wealthy, he smiled and said, "Not expensive, just one hundred yuan."

Before Li Yi could respond, Wei Sanpao blurted out in shock,

"One hundred yuan?! Why don't you just rob us instead?!"

To him, this cheap-looking ring was worth five or six yuan at best, certainly not a full month's salary.

The old man puffed on his pipe and replied, "Young man, what do you mean 'robbery'? This is an honest business. If you think it's too expensive, you don't have to buy it."

He continued, "Besides, this ring was passed down from my grandfather's grandfather. It might not be from an ancient dynasty, but it's still an old heirloom. I'm already giving you a good deal at one hundred yuan—I'm barely making any profit here!"

Hearing this, Li Yi smirked.

The story was nonsense, of course.

He didn't need to be an antique expert to see that the ring was a cheap counterfeit. The machine-cut scratches were obvious, and there was even a visible crack in the jade.

This was the kind of item meant to fool clueless buyers, not serious collectors.

If he believed this old man's story, then every item on the stall would be a family heirloom.

Still, Li Yi decided to play along.

"Can I bargain?"

The old man grinned, "How much can you offer?"

"Ten yuan. No more than ten yuan."

The old man hesitated for a moment, then said, "Deal."

Li Yi was momentarily stunned.

"That was too easy..."

Had he still overpaid?