Chapter 691: Chapter 688: Showing Off One’s Skill

The audience below let out sighs of dismay; had the objects in their hands not been valuable, they probably would have thrown them onstage already.

“Girl, don’t worry; these people are all like this. They don’t know your capabilities yet. Wait until you show them your skills, and they will soon flock to you for appraisal,”

Seeing Huo Sining take a seat at the expert panel, Qin Lianshan, who was beside her, was afraid that Huo Sining felt aggrieved and could not think straight. He quickly whispered words of comfort.

Huo Sining’s face remained calm, and she gently smiled. She had mentally prepared for this situation, so she was not surprised at all. Putting herself in their shoes, she thought if she saw a TV station inviting such a young expert, she probably would have doubted that expert’s abilities as well. So, she had anticipated these boos.

However, Huo Sining still felt somewhat unconvinced inside. Not to mention stone gambling, even with antiques, if it was purely about authenticating the truth and age, none of the experts present could likely match her. Of course, if it came down to the provenance and history of antiques, then she might be considered superficial.

But this was definitely defying the heavens, a thought that Huo Sining kept to herself, as she wouldn’t be foolish enough to voice it out loud. Otherwise, such shocking and unconventional remarks would certainly draw animosity.

There were over a thousand people at the event today, many of whom braved the scorching heat to wait in the square, with armed police maintaining order.

Originally, according to the rules set by the production team, two collectors would bring their treasures onto the stage each time.

But because so many people had come, the organizers discussed with the experts and decided that different types of collections could come up for appraisal at the same time. This way, all ten experts could be kept busy, and the speed of appraising items could be increased.

Once this rule was set, many people rushed onto the stage, each heading toward the veteran experts. Nearly all of the ten expert seats were bustling with activity, except for Huo Sining’s.

Because Huo Sining was adept at stone gambling, the TV station had mistakenly assumed she specialized in ancient jade appraisal, so they put up a sign in front of her stating “ancient jade expert.”

However, most of the people who came for antique appraisals brought their own pickling jars, salt and oil containers, and old furniture, rarely anyone coming for ancient jade appraisal. While some experts were continuously receiving four or five people, others at least had one or two, only Huo Sining’s spot remained empty.

Huo Sining, left at leisure, did not feel awkward. Instead, she watched with interest as the other experts appraised their items.

Since this was a public treasure appraisal event, the majority of the items brought in for appraisal were pottery and porcelain, which was Shi Qingyun’s strong suit, making him the busiest there.

After watching over ten items, Huo Sining noticed that Professor Shi had a remarkably keen and experienced eye for appraisal and took unconventional approaches, earning her admiration.

“Huo girl, you can identify Ru Kiln white porcelain, which means you should be familiar with porcelain appraisal, right? You must have done some research. Here, take a look at this for me.”

Shi Qingyun turned his head and saw Huo Sining looking around idly, so he simply passed a vase he was holding to her.

Huo Sining didn’t refuse; she took the porcelain vase in her hands, pretended to examine it for a moment, and then gave her answer, “This item is a fake.”

“Young lady, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t talk nonsense. This vase has been passed down from my great-grandfather and has been in my possession for many years. I even had it appraised by a university professor before the New Year, who said it was from the Jiaqing period.”

Because Huo Sining was blunt with her words, the owner of the vase immediately took offense, “You look like a student who hasn’t even finished high school. Do you even understand appraisal?”

Upon hearing this, Huo Sining looked up and saw that the owner of the vase was a young man in his thirties, dressed quite properly, but he was not a bit shy about lying through his teeth.

“From the Jiaqing period?” Huo Sining laughed, “Porcelain from the Jiaqing era had a coarser and thicker body compared to previous dynasties, with a slight yellowish tinge. But this vase’s body is too thin, and the glaze on the porcelain lacks any smoothness, not to mention the translucent quality that comes with wear and tear over time. The whole vase lacks the sophistication of official kilns, as well as the casual elegance of folk kilns, and there is no signature or mark on the bottom. Just by looking at it, I can tell it is mass-produced by machines.”

Huo Sining analyzed bit by bit, and the already unhappy young man’s face grew darker by the moment. Huo Sining paid him no mind, continuing with a smile, “Your item has too strong a smell of the mundane. If I’m not mistaken, the painting on this vase was added after it was fired and finished.”

The young man’s face changed instantly upon hearing this: “Impossible, I’ve had this vase for several months since I bought it. When I first got it, I washed it specifically with clean water. If it was painted afterward, it would have faded by now.”

Hearing this, Huo Sining couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow: “Didn’t you say it was a family heirloom passed down from your great-grandfather?”

Only then did the man realize he had misspoken, his face flushing red as he stammered out the truth after a long hesitation, “I got it at the Antique Street market. The person selling the vase said it was an antique from the Jiaqing period, and it looked quite genuine to me. If it were real, it would have been a steal, so I bought it.”

Huo Sining asked with a smile, “How much did you pay?”

The man was utterly embarrassed: “Five thousand.”

Huo Sining nodded, “Then you’ve been swindled. This piece is mass-produced in Jingdezhen. You can see a lot on the street, and fifty yuan can get you a pair.”

With that, she took a long-handled cotton swab from the table and dipped it into a bottle of alcohol.

These tools had been prepared in advance by the television crew. Anything that might be needed during the appraisal process was readily available on the scene.

Huo Sining wiped the vase back and forth a few times with the cotton swab soaked in alcohol. Not long after, all sorts of colors stained the swab. She handed the swab and the vase to the man for him to see and said with a smile:

“This is one method of faking; you must be cautious when bargain hunting. Don’t let the desire to make a fortune on a deal lead you into a hasty impulse, or it’s easy to fall for a scammer’s tricks. Better to be more careful when collecting antiques in the future!”

The young man, after being called out by Huo Sining, turned bright red, especially upon seeing the colors on the cotton swab. He had no words to counter her claim, took the vase handed to him by Huo Sining, and slunk out of the venue.

“Bravo! When you were in Taicheng, I felt that you were not like the others, and now it seems you truly have learned a thing or two from Master Zhou. You are composed in the heat of the moment and your analysis was methodical–very impressive!”

Professor Shi Qingyun watched as Huo Sining distinguished the real from the fake in just a few words, even conducting an experiment on the spot and providing the most direct and powerful evidence, leaving no room for the vase’s owner to argue. He couldn’t help but give Huo Sining a thumbs-up with delight.