After saying this, Rong Mo finally came back to his senses. He lifted his head to look at Cen Sui and spoke slowly. “Chai ware?”
The reason he had held his breath and frozen earlier was simply because the moment his eyes fell on this piece of celadon, he had been stunned by the luminous clarity that seemed almost otherworldly, as if it were an immortal artifact. He only felt that it was unlike any porcelain he had ever seen, yet he had not immediately associated it with Chai ware.
As for what status Chai ware holds in the antique collecting world, there is no need to spell it out. Everyone knows.
It is a type of porcelain comparable to myth and legend. There are no confirmed surviving examples, not even fragments. Only various ancient records mention it, describing it in terms that verge on the miraculous.
If this really were Chai ware, then even just a small fragment like this would cause a tremendous sensation in the antique collecting world.
That casual remark Rong Mo made earlier about it being priceless was not in the least an exaggeration.
Its inherent value is something that cannot be measured by money.
Some time ago, Japan exhibited a piece claimed to be Chai ware, the Celadon Lily Vase. Many Chinese experts went to Japan to see it, though of course they were only able to look at it from a distance a few times.
As for whether that porcelain piece was truly Chai ware, the Chinese experts remained doubtful and did not give a definite conclusion.
Seeing the doubt in his eyes, Cen Sui appeared entirely confident and said, “After-rain sky color, a vivid fresh green glaze, a body that is thin and luminous. Blue as the sky, bright as a mirror, thin as paper, resonant as a chime, with gentle moisture and fine crackles. It matches all the descriptions, and the period characteristics also align. If it is not Chai ware, then what else could it be?”
Rong Mo lifted the shard and held it to the light, staring at the thin, translucent brightness of the fragment.
Cen Sui saw how cautious and serious he looked. She herself did not have much sense yet of the scholarly or collectible value of such antiquities, so she looked at him again and said, “Do not give me those vague answers. I really want to know how much money it can be worth.”
Rong Mo set the shard down and carefully returned it to the box.
Closing the box, he looked at Cen Sui and said, “If it is truly Chai ware, even this single fragment could be worth tens of millions. If it were an intact piece, it could be worth several hundred million.”
Cen Sui’s eyes opened slightly at that.
Although she possessed the appraisal experience recorded in the Record of Treasures, she was not familiar with the current market value of antiques.
Hearing such numbers, she was still a little surprised.
She cleared her throat, took the box back in her hands, and looked at Rong Mo. “See, I told you that you could not afford it.”
Rong Mo looked at the box in her hands, then looked at her. “Where did this fragment come from? How are you so sure it is Chai ware? None of us have seen genuine Chai ware, so we cannot draw a firm conclusion.”
Cen Sui did not lie and answered directly, “I bought it from a street stall. The stall owner said it was collected from the countryside. They never bother with fragments, so of course they did not recognize what it was, and I managed to pick it up cheaply. As for how I am sure it is Chai ware, I rely on my appraisal experience of ancient objects.”
Rong Mo was quite curious. “You are only a little over twenty. Where would you get experience in appraising antiquities? How large is your family’s collection?”
Cen Sui hugged the box back into her arms. “I just have it, that is all. Why do you care where it came from?”
Rong Mo thought for a moment. This porcelain fragment truly was extraordinary. Judging from his own experience, it was very likely to be the legendary Chai ware.
Looking at the young girl before him, she seemed to have little affection for antiques themselves and only cared about money. He worried she might mistreat a valuable piece, so he said, “None of us have ever seen Chai ware, so no one can make a definitive judgment. How about this. I will send your fragment to an expert panel for appraisal. If it really is Chai ware, I will definitely acquire it.”
Cen Sui looked at him with little trust. “What expert panel? What if you take the shard and run off?”
Rong Mo answered calmly, “There is no need for that. This shop, along with what is inside it, is worth a considerable amount. I am not some porcelain fanatic who would abandon all reason for a single piece of celadon.”
Cen Sui glanced at him, then at this shop of his that contained no counterfeits.
If even someone like him could not be trusted, then there would be no one in this circle worth trusting.
She herself could identify the porcelain shard through her eye for detail and by touch, but she had no concrete evidence to present. It truly would be difficult to sell it based on her word alone.
The reputation of Chai ware was simply too great. With such a rare treasure, who would dare casually believe it was genuine?
Besides, she could not even provide a story behind the shard.
After hesitating, Cen Sui finally nodded. “Then I trust you.”
Although she said she trusted him, she still left herself many safeguards. She took photos and videos and also signed documents, in case Rong Mo tried to cheat her and swallow this treasure for himself.
Once everything was settled and both sides felt reassured, Rong Mo stood up to check the store’s security system.
After checking everything, he said to Cen Sui, “Take me to the stall owner where you bought the shard. We need to ask in detail where exactly he acquired this piece of Chai ware. Provenance is important in antiques. An antique with a traceable history is always more valuable.”
Uncovering the historical story behind an antique is also part of the appraisal process.
The value of an antique is, after all, something bestowed by the long river of history.
Cen Sui cooperated readily and followed him out.
While Rong Mo was locking the door, she lifted her head and glanced up, committing the name of the shop to memory: Treasure Pavilion.
And right after she read the name, she froze for a moment without meaning to, instinctively recalling the two words that stall owner had repeated to her over and over: fate.
The book she had found in the study at home was called Record of Treasures.
When she saw that fragment of Chai ware at the stall earlier in the afternoon, she had felt the same way.
For no reason at all, it felt like fate.
Rong Mo finished locking the door and saw her spacing out, so he asked, “What is wrong?”
Cen Sui came back to herself, withdrew her gaze from the gilded shop plaque, and smiled. “Nothing.”
She was probably overthinking it. Words like treasure and precious were far too common in the antique world and not unusual at all.
She did not dwell further on these vague and meaningless thoughts. Cen Sui led Rong Mo toward the stall.
But when they arrived, they discovered that the stall where she had made the purchase was already gone. She asked the people nearby, and the stall owner next to it said with a meaningful tone, “You had only been gone a short while when he packed up and went home.”
Cen Sui immediately understood. That old man must have thought he had lucked out and made a windfall, earned a guilty bit of money, and was afraid she would come back to cause trouble, so he packed up and ran off.
She stood there blinking speechlessly. “It was just fifty thousand. Was that really necessary?”
The stall owner beside her was taken aback. He looked at Cen Sui with surprise. “So you know you were cheated?”
Cen Sui did not deny it. “Anyway, he took a huge loss. Do you know where he lives?”
The stall owner shook his head. “No idea.”
After saying that, he even laughed. “Little girl, you really are silly. He conned you out of fifty thousand, and you still say he took the loss.”
Cen Sui could not be bothered explaining and only said, “You will understand soon enough.”
The stall owners continued laughing, finding this young girl even more amusing.
Cen Sui did not care about their looks and turned to Rong Mo, giving a small shrug.
Rong Mo drew in a quiet breath. “There is no rush. After a few days, once he thinks the matter has blown over, he might come back. We will wait. As long as you remember what he looks like, it is fine.”
Cen Sui nodded and was ready to leave.
Rong Mo did not return to the antique shop. He accompanied her all the way to the exit of the antique market. Seeing that she was not carrying anything in her hands, he suddenly remembered. “That bottle with the golden-thread iron-wire crackle glaze…”
Cen Sui’s tone was relaxed and indifferent. “I gave it to you. It is a reproduction anyway, not worth anything.”
Rong Mo chuckled softly. “You bought it on purpose?”
Cen Sui nodded. “You cannot take too big an advantage.”
Rong Mo found this girl quite amusing indeed, but he did not comment further. He only said, “Once the appraisal results come out, I will contact you.”