Chapter 56: Wrong Appraisal, Tenfold Compensation (Part 1)
The character “Su” clearly appeared under the light of the fluorescent flashlight.
“In ancient times, the character ‘Su’ was written with the grass radical on top and the characters for ‘fish’ and ‘grain’ underneath. It was written like this. Back then, simplified characters didn’t exist.”
Su Xiaofan pointed at the bronze candlestick and held back a laugh.
This was a unique anti-counterfeiting mark used by Su Family Village. Ordinary people simply wouldn't be able to recognize it.
“This… Maybe I got it wrong.”
Su Xiaofan had even produced evidence, so the man had nothing left to say. Looking embarrassed, he put away the bronze candlestick.
“Little Su, nicely done!”
One of the experts beside him gave Su Xiaofan a thumbs-up.
Although Su Xiaofan was Jing Shizhen’s disciple, he was still very young.
Before the preliminary selection began, the other two experts had still harbored some doubts about Su Xiaofan’s ability.
But Su Xiaofan’s quick and decisive performance had completely dispelled their doubts.
No matter what profession you were in, people with genuine ability would always earn respect.
And so, Su Xiaofan’s first appraisal came to an end.
But awkwardly enough, his appraisal hadn't made much of a splash.
There was still no one in front of Su Xiaofan’s table. Clearly, the collectors waiting in line still didn't have much confidence in him.
In contrast, Jing Shizhen and the other two experts were extremely busy.
Although there was air-conditioning inside the venue, Su Xiaofan could see that Uncle Jing’s forehead was already covered in sweat.
“That expert is highly skilled at appraising bronze artifacts. If you have bronze artifacts, you can come over here.”
The Beijing TV staff were also working hard to persuade the collectors waiting in line.
However, the effect wasn't very good. The collectors were probably afraid that Su Xiaofan wasn't skilled enough and would mistakenly appraise their “priceless” treasures.
Even Jing Shizhen clearly hadn't expected this situation.
He was extremely busy himself and had no way to change things. After all, they couldn't force the collectors to have their items appraised by Su Xiaofan.
“Teacher Su, we’re really sorry. We didn’t arrange things properly.”
A Beijing TV staff member hurried over to Su Xiaofan and apologized quietly.
The situation was indeed quite embarrassing for Su Xiaofan.
“Teacher Su, how about this…”
The staff member thought for a moment before saying, “I’ll have one of our colleagues from outside bring some items over for you to appraise?”
“Get some plants in the audience?”
Su Xiaofan couldn't help laughing when he heard that.
What kind of solution was that?
There were more than a thousand collectors at the venue waiting to have their items appraised, yet he actually needed to find someone to pretend to be a customer?
That was practically insulting his status as an “expert.”
“How about this? Go find me a sign. The bigger, the better.”
Su Xiaofan said, “About fifty centimeters wide and, hmm, around one and a half meters tall. Just use a white board.”
“Teacher Su, what are you planning to do?”
The staff member was stunned.
“You’ll know in a moment. Oh, right, call your graphic artist over too.”
The situation today had made Su Xiaofan feel like he was losing face.
Since the program crew couldn't solve the problem, he decided to play an even bigger game.
“Uh, okay, okay. We’ll get it ready immediately.”
The staff member had no idea what Su Xiaofan intended to do, but such a small request was easy enough to fulfill.
Within just a few minutes, a temporarily dismantled advertising board was placed on the table in front of Su Xiaofan.
“Sir, I’d like you to write a few characters for me.”
Su Xiaofan politely addressed the graphic artist.
“Use a broad brush so the characters will be thicker. As for the color? Black.”
“Okay. What should I write?”
“Four characters will do. Wrong Appraisal, Tenfold Compensation!”
Su Xiaofan finally said the words he had been thinking about for quite some time.
错一赔十 — Wrong Appraisal, Tenfold Compensation.
“What? Tenfold compensation for a wrong appraisal?”
Not only was the staff member stunned, but the graphic artist was also dumbfounded.
Normally, people used the slogan “Fake goods, tenfold compensation.”
But this guy was actually promising tenfold compensation if he made an appraisal mistake?
Although neither the staff member nor the graphic artist worked in the antique trade, they understood that Su Xiaofan’s confidence was a little too outrageous.
“Teacher Su, wait a moment…”
The staff member obviously couldn't make the decision himself and quickly ran off.
“Teacher Su, is this really appropriate?”
Within a few minutes, the on-site director came over.
“Director Zhang, isn't your program looking for something entertaining?”
Su Xiaofan smiled.
“Once these four characters, ‘Wrong Appraisal, Tenfold Compensation,’ are put up, won’t that create the effect you want?”
“But… what if you really make a mistake?”
Director Zhang certainly wanted good ratings, but he couldn't afford the consequences of a tenfold-compensation promise.
The value of antiques was difficult to determine.
The same antique might sell for only ten or twenty thousand yuan in a private transaction between collectors.
But once it went to auction, its price could immediately soar to one hundred thousand or even several hundred thousand yuan.
That was also why so many collectors wanted to put their collections up for auction.
If Su Xiaofan accidentally appraised something incorrectly, forget about an item worth hundreds of thousands.
Even if it were only worth one hundred thousand yuan, tenfold compensation would mean paying out one million yuan.
“It's fine. I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong.”
Su Xiaofan's tone was firm.
If someone asked Su Xiaofan to explain exactly why an object was fake, he might not be able to give a proper explanation.
But when it came to simply distinguishing genuine from fake, Su Xiaofan could identify more than a dozen items in a minute—and he wouldn't get a single one wrong.
“Teacher Su, are you sure you don't want to think this over?”
Director Zhang knew this was a double-edged sword.
If it went well, the ratings could soar.
But if something went wrong, Su Xiaofan might even end up facing a lawsuit.
“No need. As long as it's a bronze artifact, I'm confident.”
Su Xiaofan shook his head.
He didn't dare say that he would offer tenfold compensation for all antiques.
Although he could actually do it, that would be far too conspicuous.
It wouldn't make sense either, and it would bring Su Xiaofan a great deal of trouble.
“Uncle Jing, what do you think about this?”
Director Zhang didn't dare make the decision himself, so he went over to Jing Shizhen’s table.
Jing Shizhen was the leader of the expert panel.
If he agreed to this, Director Zhang wouldn't have to take responsibility himself.
“What? Tenfold compensation for a wrong appraisal?”
When he heard Director Zhang's explanation, Jing Shizhen frowned.
He had been far too busy at his own table just now and had no idea what had happened at Su Xiaofan’s table.
“Xiao Su, this isn't a small matter. And you've got quite a bit of courage, don't you?”
Jing Shizhen turned his gaze toward Su Xiaofan.
He hadn't expected the disciple he hadn't even formally taken in yet to come up with such a move.
Of course, Jing Shizhen had to admit that once the “Wrong Appraisal, Tenfold Compensation” sign was put up, the deserted situation in front of Su Xiaofan’s table would definitely change.
But if he really made a wrong appraisal, Su Xiaofan would also bear enormous responsibility.
Even Jing Shizhen himself wouldn't dare shout a slogan like “wrong appraisal, tenfold compensation” in such a fast-paced appraisal setting.
“Uncle Jing, I already told you that I’m brave. You believe me now, right?”
Su Xiaofan chuckled.
“I don't know whether you're simply recklessly fearless or whether you really have the ability.”
Jing Shizhen hesitated as well.
This could become either a big deal or a small one.
If Su Xiaofan was merely shouting this slogan to save face and something went wrong, it could affect him for the rest of his life.
“Uncle Jing, I'm only appraising bronze artifacts. There won't be a problem!”
Su Xiaofan spoke firmly.
This was the first time in his life that Su Xiaofan had encountered such an embarrassing situation.
Since the program crew couldn't solve it, he could only think of a solution himself.
“This… Fine. But don't force yourself. If you can't tell what an item is, call me.”
Thinking about Su Xiaofan’s background, Jing Shizhen finally nodded in agreement.
After all, the village where Su Xiaofan had learned bronze craftsmanship was itself a prestigious name in the field.
And Jing Shizhen could personally back Su Xiaofan up, so there shouldn't be any major problems.
One dared to come up with the idea, and the other dared to approve it.
It had to be said that both master and disciple, Su Xiaofan and Jing Shizhen, were exceptionally bold.
With someone willing to take responsibility, the program crew naturally agreed.
After all, this was exactly the kind of gimmick that could increase ratings and attract viewers.
Soon, the graphic artist finished writing the four characters:
错一赔十 — WRONG APPRAISAL, TENFOLD COMPENSATION
Another staff member came over and stood beside Su Xiaofan’s table, holding up the sign.
“Wrong appraisal, tenfold compensation? What does that mean?”
“If they appraise it incorrectly, they'll pay ten times the value of the antique?”
“Whoa! That's insane!”
“What? He only appraises bronze artifacts? He doesn't appraise porcelain?”
“Tenfold compensation? That's even better than putting it up for auction!”
As soon as the sign was raised, it immediately caused a commotion throughout the venue.
People began asking the staff questions.
After learning that Su Xiaofan wouldn't appraise antiques other than bronze artifacts, many people were disappointed and returned to their original lines.
But even more people stayed in front of Su Xiaofan’s table and formed a long queue.
If the staff hadn't been maintaining order, two people nearly would have gotten into a fight over their positions in line.
“People everywhere bustle about for profit; people everywhere rush about pursuing gain…”
Seeing the scene before him, Su Xiaofan couldn't help thinking of this famous saying.
He believed that the people standing in front of his table were probably wishing he were even younger right now.
After all, only if he made a wrong appraisal could they receive tenfold compensation.
“There are too many people. I'm only going to identify whether the item is genuine or fake. I won't estimate its value, and I won't explain…”
Su Xiaofan looked at the noisy crowd in front of him and said to the staff, “Explain that to them first. If they can accept it, they can come for an appraisal. If they can't, then forget it.”
Determining whether an object was genuine or fake required supporting evidence and knowledge.
And that was precisely where Su Xiaofan was lacking.
So he made the conditions clear beforehand: he would only determine whether something was genuine or fake. He wouldn't explain anything else.
The people at the venue could accept that.
After all, there were so many people waiting in line. If he had to explain every appraisal one by one, he probably wouldn't even be able to appraise a few objects in an hour.
【Restoration Points: 106!】
【Han Dynasty General's Seal — Restorable. Requires 1 Restoration Point!】
Su Xiaofan hadn't expected the very first item he appraised to be genuine.
It was a bronze seal from the Han Dynasty, only about the size of a thumb.
The inscription engraved on it was still very clear, and the seal had been preserved almost perfectly.
However, the knob on the seal was slightly damaged.
After writing down the appraisal result on paper, Su Xiaofan immediately asked the next person to step forward.
The program crew had specifically brought over a camera and aimed it at the table in front of Su Xiaofan, afraid of missing a single moment.
With the camera recording everything, even if a dispute arose later, the program crew would have evidence and could take the initiative in resolving it.
“Fake. Modern handicraft!”
“Fake. Modern handicraft!”
“This is way too fake. Sir, do you know where this bronze money tree is? It's in a museum in Japan!”
Su Xiaofan appraised the items extremely quickly.
In just over ten minutes, he had already appraised more than a dozen objects.
Yet among them, there was only that one genuine bronze artifact.
The experience of appraising these items on-site also opened Su Xiaofan’s eyes.
He had no idea where these collectors had gotten their objects.
Someone had even brought in the famous Bronze Money Tree.
That thing was a national first-class cultural relic.
If it were genuine, that old man would probably have been arrested on the spot by the relevant authorities.
Of course, there were also plenty of people who voiced their doubts.
After learning that their treasured items had been identified as counterfeits, many people cursed and complained angrily.
Su Xiaofan didn't argue with them.
With the camera recording everything, they could take their items to an authoritative appraisal institution.
As long as they could prove that Su Xiaofan had made a wrong appraisal, the tenfold-compensation promise would still stand.
Of course, the so-called authoritative institution had to be one recognized by Su Xiaofan.
An institution such as the National Cultural Heritage Appraisal Center would qualify.
Otherwise, with so many “experts” around nowadays, anyone could issue an appraisal result, and Su Xiaofan would probably end up losing everything in compensation.
Having an item appraised by the National Cultural Heritage Appraisal Center would cost money.
Whether these people were willing to go there or not was no longer Su Xiaofan’s concern.
(End of Chapter)
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