Chapter 12 A Great Pick

　　The doubts of the farm worker began to waver under the boss's words. He pondered for a while, then stretched out two fingers and said, "Two hundred, I'll give it to you for two hundred. What do you think?"

　　"Hey, I said brother..." The owner of the antique shop pretended to be sad and said, "Well, A hundred and fifty..."

　　After a round of bargaining, they finally made a deal at 170 yuan.

　　Jacob Ye was stunned. A pale green mist began to flow out of the painting, and there was an ancient feeling to the mist.

　　"There's an interlayer in this painting." This thought flashed through his mind.

　　If the painting was really a fake, there would definitely not be such an ancient aura. There must be something good in this painting.

　　The two bargaining parties had successfully made a deal. The farm worker took the money and excitedly left. The boss of the antique shop behind him showed a condescending look and said, "A bumpkin..."

　　Although the painting was a copy, it had some collection value at the very least. It was worth at least a few thousand yuan. If you were to meet another bumpkin who didn't know anything about antiques, you might even be able to sell it at a sky-high price.

　　In the antiques world, there was no such thing as a fake, as long as someone is willing to buy it. The depth of the industry’s complexity was evident.

　　The owner of the antique shop unfolded the painting and hung it up, going about his business.

　　More people wandered into the antique shop. Jacob Ye pretended to wander around the store casually, walking to the front of the ancient painting, and then looked at it with interest.

　　Jacob Ye was there when the deal had been made. The owner of the antique shop had a sharp eye and could tell at a glance that Jacob Ye had the intention to buy the painting.

　　The owner of the antique shop immediately said enthusiastically, "Young man, it seems like you have some knowledge of calligraphy and painting. Tsk, tsk, I can't believe that you have such a hobby at such a young age. Hey, my ignorant son is about the same age as you. He can only pick up girls all day long and he does not even work properly. It would be good if he could have half of your talent..."

　　The boss of the antique shop was well-versed in the way of business, he could convince someone to make big purchases at his store just with his sweet talking. Perhaps after a burst of praise, the customer in front of him may become happy, and this deal might be successful.

　　Jacob Ye ignored the boss's compliments and said casually, "Boss, are you interested in selling this painting?"

　　The owner of the antique shop clapped his hands and said, "Young man, you really have good taste. This painting is a Ben Gu authentic..."

　　Jacob Ye casted a playful glance at the owner of the antique shop, then sneered and said, "Boss, it's not right to do business like this. You bully me for being young and unknowing..."

　　In an instant, the boss of the antique shop knew that he could not ruthlessly slaughter Jacob Ye in terms of the price.

　　The shop owner could only sigh and say, "Well, at first sight, I can see that I'm fated to meet you, so I’ll be sincere to you. Let's be friends in the future. Although this painting is made by later generations, it still has some collection value, so..."

　　The owner of the antique shop stretched out five fingers.

　　Jacob Ye's eyelids twitched. He didn't think that the antique shop owner was talking about 500 yuan. Judging from the owner’s expression, it should be at least 5,000 yuan...

　　Jacob Ye sneered. He shook his head and said, "You’re not doing good business. Let's make friends. How about that?"

　　Jacob Ye stretched out five fingers as he spoke, but his palm was facing inwards...

　　The owner of the antique shop was stunned. He knew that Jacob Ye's hand referred to 500 yuan. The owner couldn't help but sigh, "Buddy, your price is too low. No, no... I will lose all my money..." He said while shaking his head.

　　Jacob Ye said, "Then boss, tell me the real price."

　　The owner of the antique shop stretched out three fingers...

　　Jacob Ye sighed. "How about cutting it into half? To be honest, I don't like this painting, but my family elders like to collect some calligraphy and paintings. I want to buy some to show my filial piety towards them..."

　　The antique store owner gritted his teeth and said, "Brother, I have such a big store and so many shop assistants. Our business looks good on the surface, but in fact, it's stressful. So, add 1,000 yuan more... I can’t lower it down anymore..."

　　Seeing that the price was almost in his favour, Jacob Ye nodded and said, "Deal."

　　The owner of the antique shop smiled and took down the painting, and then went to the counter with Jacob Ye for him to pay the bill.

　　In actual fact, Jacob Ye only had a little more than 2,500 yuan, which was saved from his daily expenses. Now he had run out of money for food.

　　After the shop owner gave him the receipt, he smiled and said, "Young man, if you need anything next time, remember to visit me..."

　　Jacob Ye nodded.

　　At this moment, a voice sounded behind Jacob Ye. "Hey, Ben Gu's landscape painting?"

　　Jacob Ye turned around and saw a middle-aged man curiously looking at the painting in his hand.

　　Jacob Ye turned around, and the middle-aged man immediately smiled and nodded to Jacob Ye, saying, "Young man, can you show me this painting?"

　　Jacob Ye nodded with a smile and handed the painting to the middle-aged man.

　　The middle-aged man took it and watched it carefully. Then he sighed and said, "It's a copy."

　　The middle-aged man closed the painting and said, "Young man, although this painting is a copy, its painting style is very similar to Ben Gu's, and it has some value. I wonder if you are interested in selling it?"

　　Before Jacob Ye could speak, the store owner's eyelids twitched and he said, "How much can you offer?" He couldn't help but regret that he had sold the painting too soon. If the middle-aged man came earlier, maybe he could have raised the price.

　　The middle-aged man smiled slightly and said, "Twenty thousand yuan. What do you think?"

　　"Twenty thousand yuan?" The shop owner’s hand shook with regret.

　　There was a saying in the antiques world, "A shop can not close a deal for three years and once there’s a deal, it can stay open for another three years." Although the antique shop was big, it was not easy to do business in recent years. He could earn no more than three to four hundred thousand yuan a year. The ancient painting in front of him was collected by him for just more than one hundred yuan. If it were to be sold to this middle-aged man, it would be equal to half of a month's income.

　　The shop owner regretted that he had miscalculated this..

　　Unexpectedly, Jacob Ye shook his head and said, "Sorry, I don't want to sell it."

　　The owner of the antique shop breathed a sigh of relief. If he saw Jacob Ye selling the item in his hand which he got for only two thousand yuan, for a price more than tenfold, it would kill him.

　　The middle-aged man frowned slightly and said, "Young man, I really like this painting. How about I add twenty thousand yuan more, the price is already much higher than in the market."

　　The owner of the antique store almost slapped himself in the head. The middle-aged man in front of him was obviously a rich man. If he came in early, perhaps he could have sold this painting for seventy or eighty thousand dollars.

　　"This..." Jacob Ye hesitated obviously.