Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 336 - 324: Auction House, Late at Night

Li Xianglu wore a camel-colored long and wide coat, with a round hat on her head, underneath which she wore a cashmere skirt and a set of jade jewelry with a pale green sheen, suitable for her age group.

Su Yan always adorned herself in cheongsams when going out, thick ones for winter and thin ones for summer, in various styles. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

She also wore a black cashmere coat that reached her ankles and a purple-red cashmere hat adorned with a black veil.

Li Xianglu felt that wearing such attire was really not suitable for traveling within the country.

Soon, Xu Wu’s car arrived, and it was not just his; there was another car behind, carrying a group of burly looking men.

The three cars set off together and after twenty minutes stopped, then someone got out of the leading car and interacted with a person standing at the alley entrance, who then squeezed to the back.

Next, they drove around and around within the city. Li Xianglu, somewhat bewildered, said to Su Yan, "Grandma, what’s this for?"

Su Yan, unfazed, replied, "This is to prevent people from remembering the route."

Li Xianglu pouted and said, "As if anyone familiar with the capital wouldn’t recognize the place. Is this necessary?"

Su Yan just smiled and said nothing.

While they were talking, the car no longer took detours and finally headed westward until they reached near a medical factory in the west of the city, then drove into a large courtyard. It was already about eight o’clock in the evening, and the courtyard was already full of parked vehicles.

Someone immediately came forward to greet them, but they weren’t there to greet Qin Xi, but Xu Wu.

Xu Wu was wearing a black Sun Yat-sen suit today, still with leather boots. After a year of being well-fed by Li Xianglu, he hadn’t gained weight but had grown taller, and his handsome face now had an air of ’keep-out’ to strangers, cold as ice.

He walked in front, with Qin Xi by Li Xianglu’s side, and Su Yan following behind.

Even though it was already dark, there were lights illuminating the path all the way to the frontmost house. This house was different from the usual residences, with rather high walls, looking to be at least four meters tall.

It looked more like a warehouse.

There were seven or eight people guarding the entrance, all dressed in army green padded jackets. When they saw them arrive, with an indifferent expression, they stretched out a hand. Li Xianglu, watching from behind, didn’t see it very clearly, just saw Da Li handing something over, which the person meticulously inspected before opening their hand.

Then this line of people was allowed to enter.

As soon as she entered, Li Xianglu was struck by the dazzling light. "It’s so bright in here," and then someone shouted, "Watch the steps."

Li Xianglu looked down and found that the entrance was high, and there was indeed a staircase leading down. On a closer look, she realized that the interior had been dug deep, surrounded by four levels of amphitheater-style seating, with a round area in the middle, complete with curtains.

It gave the impression of an auditorium, and as she walked in, she felt a surge of warmth. She didn’t know what heating was used here, but it was very warm.

They were quickly shown to their seats, which were among the front rows, with Su Yan and Xu Wu in front, and Li Xianglu and Qin Xi behind them.

By this time, the area was already filled with people, who were all conversing in small groups and not looking around.

They showed no curiosity when they saw someone new, instead focusing on a piece of paper in their hands.

Just as they had taken their seats, they were quickly served with covered-bowl tea, and each was handed a paper slip and a wooden tag that had been stained with red lacquer paint.

Li Xianglu took over the brochure and immediately opened it to see the items that would be auctioned today.

Li Xianglu flipped through it and found there were dozens of types, including small jade pieces, jewelry, porcelain, incense burners, and large items like furniture and Buddha statues—all were present.

While Li Xianglu was browsing, she heard someone in front testing the microphone with "hello hello hello," and then they stepped down.

Then there was a loud bang, and Li Xianglu turned her head towards the sound to see the main gate was closed from the outside, with someone guarding it.

Qin Xi explained softly, "You can only leave after the auction ends."

Li Xianglu nodded to indicate understanding.

The lights on the stage in front suddenly brightened, and a man in a black mandarin jacket with a bald head, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, looking very spirited, walked out from behind the curtain. He clasped his fists and bowed to the audience, then said with a smile, "Wang Xiaoer greets everyone here!"

At this moment, the audience on the stage all smiled. It was unclear whether Wang Xiaoer was his real name or a stage name, but after seeing everyone’s reaction, he continued, "We have some new guests today, so I’ll repeat the rules, and I ask our regulars to please be patient."

Speaking of which, he went over the rules once again—that raising a paddle meant a bid of five hundred yuan—and urged everyone to think carefully before raising their paddles. If someone retracts their intent to buy after winning or cannot pay, they’d be required to compensate.

After saying these things, Wang Xiaoer didn’t delay further and directly began introducing the items, five at a time. Then, men dressed in black shirts and pants brought out the items.

Anyone who needed to inspect an item could directly come up for a closer look, but only three people were allowed to view the same item at a time. They could touch the items but had to announce their intention in advance, one by one.

The first group of five items included a set of jade jewelry, a pair of mutton fat jade bracelets, an incense burner, a coral bonsai, and lastly a copper mirror.

Li Xianglu and Qin Xi both went up to take a look, mainly Li Xianglu examining them. After a careful review, she found to her surprise that they were all genuine, especially the copper mirror which seemed to be from the Han Dynasty and was very well preserved. Li Xianglu wondered if this mirror could possibly be a burial object from a tomb, given its excellent condition.

After returning to her seat, Qin Xi quietly asked, "See anything you like?"

Li Xianglu replied, "That copper mirror is not bad, it looks somewhat Han Dynasty, but it’s too well preserved. I’m a little worried."

Qin Xi nodded.

Then the auction began.

The jade jewelry was quickly bought for 5000 dollars, and the mutton fat jade bracelets for 3000 yuan.

The incense burner and the coral bonsai were sold for lower prices.

Li Xianglu raised her eyebrows, wondering if not everyone recognized their value?

Qin Xi said softly, "The first round is always like this; the prices aren’t very high. If you want that copper mirror, have Grandma bid for it."

Seeing the copper mirror being bid on, Li Xianglu didn’t hesitate and quickly nodded her head.

However, unlike what Qin Xi said, people didn’t stop bidding on the mirror. Starting from five hundred yuan, the bidding went up to 5000 dollars, leaving only Su Yan and someone at the back bidding. Li Xianglu couldn’t see the person but could just see the paddle being raised over there.

When the bid reached 7000 yuan, people started whispering to each other and kept looking over in their direction.

Li Xianglu shook her head at Da Li in front of her, her expression resolute. Even if the copper mirror could fetch a million in a future auction, today’s money is valuable. Spending tens of thousands to buy it seemed not worth it, as Li Xianglu didn’t have the mindset of a collector.

When Su Yan bid 7000 yuan and saw Da Li’s gesture to stop, she also paused. No one else raised their bid, and so the item was delivered to her.