Chapter 203: Huang Xiaolong Makes a Move!
Translator: 549690339
“5 million!” Shu Jie seemed to have made up his mind to compete with Huang Xiaolong at all costs.
“5.5 million.” Huang Xiaolong looked at Shu Jie with a slightly provocative expression.
“8 million!” Shu Jie was just about to flip out, directly raising the bid by 2.5 million!
“Er ” Huang Xiaolong paused for a while, and then shrugged his shoulders. “You’re impressive, you have money, and I can’t compete with you. Well, 8 million, you win. I heard this money is to be donated to the Hope Primary School and the people in the mountainous area. On behalf of the public, I would like to thank you, young master Shu…”
“Pffffff ” Cui Feiyan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Shu Jie was dumbfounded.
Damn it! I got screwed!
Shu Jie realized that from the very beginning, Huang Xiaolong had never intended to bid for this pottery teapot; he was just messing with people!
A teapot worth at most around 2 million, Shu Jie had spent a whopping 8 million on it. Although the few million dollars meant nothing to Shu Jie, they were merely a drop in the ocean for him, the frustration of being toyed with by Huang Xiaolong ignited a fire of anger within him, a resentment that was difficult to extinguish!
What a big sucker!
Right in front of everyone, Shu Jie played the fool!
By all appearances, this event would become a joke in the upper circles of Binhai.
Following this, auction items were brought out one by one.
They were all old objects from the Eastern Han Dynasty, such as bronze swords, jade tripods, jade floating dragon designs ect..
Huang Xiaolong didn’t get into a bidding war with Shu Jie anymore, let alone bid.
Because these antiques were genuine, the starting prices were already very high, and after bidding, even if he got them at the most reasonable price, the profit would only be in the hundreds of thousands, which is a drop in the bucket compared to Cui Feiyan’s financial gap.
Moreover, Huang Xiaolong wouldn’t possibly be able to win the bid at the most reasonable price.
Shu Jie would definitely mess things up, fighting tit for tat.
The auction lasted for more than an hour, dozens of auction items found new owners, raising a considerable amount of charitable donations.
At last, there was one auction item left.
It was a wooden carving of a bull.
About twenty centimeters long, it was crudely carved, the bull’s eyes were inlaid with two pieces of pebble.
“Everyone…” auctioneer Yang Liu expressed herself with some indifference, “The last auction item. Also, among the items unearthed this time, it’s been verified to have the least collection value. However, our auction is consistent, if the items are not auctioned off, it would be a bad sign. If anyone is interested, you can bid for it and take it home as a souvenir.”
“This is a red steel wood carved bull, but the carving is rather rough. We had it appraised by experts, and, ha ha… we’re not going to mislead everyone, this wooden carved bull indeed has no practical value. However, it should be a wooden carving from the Eastern Han Dynasty. Considering its antiquity, it should have at least some collection significance for friends who like to collect. Well… those who are interested can come up for a look.”
“Pffffff Little Long, that wooden bull looks so ugly.” Cui Feiyan couldn’t help laughing.
Jin Jing also shook her head slightly. “This seems like a failed wooden carving.”
Huang Xiaolong casually said, “This wooden carving of a bull is definitely from the Eastern Han Dynasty. There is no doubt about that. In the ancient Chinese mindset, the bull is a magical animal; it is not only seen as a symbol of strength and abundance, but also has the function of warding off evil. According to ancient records, the Yan Emperor, whom the ancient Huaxia people regarded as ‘Shennong’, was depicted as having a human head and a bull body. The image of a bull has been widely used in folk arts and crafts, and unique bull figurines have appeared throughout various dynasties. It’s not hard to see that the bull played an important role in agricultural production at that time and provided an important source of spiritual power and support for the people.”
“The sculpture art of the Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties in Huaxia was very widespread, mainly including stone carving, jade carving, wood carving and cast bronze, as well as various utility decorative sculptures. Among them, the achievement in wood carvings was extraordinary, especially those in animal shapes. Because of the tradition of elaborate burial during the Qin and Han Dynasties, the number of burials with figurines was huge. By the Han Dynasty, there was even a special institution for making wooden figurines, which led to a sharp increase in the number and variety of wooden figurines. The characteristics of Han Dynasty wooden carvings are free and swift in carving technique. Various animals and scenes are portrayed vividly, fully reflecting the rich imagination and superb wood carving skills of the artists at that time. However, the carving technique of this wooden steer is far too crude…”
As if Huang Xiaolong was talking to himself, and suddenly a thought streaked across his mind– ‘This wooden steer, along with the other exquisite antiques, should have been unearthed at the same time. If I’m not mistaken, they are all things from the royal tomb of the Eastern Han Dynasty. So… how could there be such a hideously carved wooden burial object? This doesn’t make sense at all!’
At that moment, Huang Xiaolong silently recited a piercing spell.
Then–
He suddenly realized!
At this time, the guests who went on stage to appreciate the wooden bull had already descended the stage, their faces expressing disdain.
Even the prestigious President of the Binhai Collectors Association, and President of the Antique Appraisers Association, Teacher Liu, had examined it closely on stage, and then shook his head and descended the steps.
Obviously, after their appraising, the wood carving has been confirmed to have no special features.
Auctioneer Yang Liu announced that the starting bid for this wooden steer was– 10,000 yuan.
“Haha, Little Long, it seems that this wooden bull really has no value. In fact, before the auction, the organizer had experts to conduct a very professional appraisal and evaluation of the auction items. The starting prices they gave are all nearly accurate. Now, the starting price of 10,000 implies…” Lin Jing chuckled. “It’s not interesting…”
“Hehehe ” Huang Xiaolong didn’t comment, just laughed, then–
“12,000 yuan.”
Huang Xiaolong was the first to bid!
In this charity auction, it was Huang Xiaolong’s first time actively bidding!
All eyes in the venue naturally turned to Huang Xiaolong.
In these gazes, there were dismissive, mocking expressions, as if they were looking at a fool!
Indeed, this seemingly most worthless, most inconspicuous, ugliest, and valueless wooden bull was something that generally no one would bid for.
“20,000.” Shu Jie seemed to have found his chance to get back at Huang Xiaolong, and he raised his bidding sign.
“25,000.” Huang Xiaolong stated calmly.
“50,000!” Shu Jie yelled out.
He certainly didn’t like this ugly wooden bull, the reason he was bidding with Huang Xiaolong was to take revenge for what had happened earlier.
“55,000.” Huang Xiaolong increased the bid leisurely.
“100,000!” Shu Jie shouted sarcastically.
“Err…105,000.” Huang Xiaolong remained expressionless.
“200,000!” Shu Jie glared at Huang Xiaolong.
“205,000.” Huang Xiaolong lazily raised his bidding sign.
“300,000!” Shu Jie was hellbent on outbidding him.
“305,000.” Huang Xiaolong’s every bid increase was just by 5000, there wasn’t any sense of being determined to win at all costs.