Chapter Thirty-Two: Public Welfare Appraisal

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Old Wang was even more excited, nearly jumping for joy.

“Really? Brother Qiu, you’re not pulling my leg, are you?”

Cheng Ziqiu gave a light, teasing laugh.

“Why would I lie to you? The decoration, shape, and casting technique of this bronze ritual goblet are all typical of the Western Zhou period. It’s also been remarkably well preserved. It’s unquestionably a rare treasure.”

“Conservatively speaking, this thing has to be worth at least several million.”

“Several million?!”

Old Wang’s eyes widened, and the bronze goblet in his hands nearly slipped to the floor.

“My heavens! I’m going to be rich!”

The viewers in the livestream were green with envy.

[Old Wang’s luck is unbelievable! A random family heirloom is worth several million!]

[I want a family heirloom like that too!]

[Brother Qiu, could you appraise something for me next time?]

Old Wang was grinning from ear to ear. Excitedly, he gave the camera a thumbs-up.

“Brother Qiu, you’re a living Bodhisattva! I’ll never forget your kindness for as long as I live! I’m sending you rocket gifts right now! Ten of them! No, twenty!”

Cheng Ziqiu smiled and waved his hand.

“Old Wang, there’s no need to be so polite. It was nothing.”

Old Wang refused to listen and insisted on sending the gifts. In the end, he only gave up after Cheng Ziqiu agreed to appraise another treasure for him next time.

“Well then, Brother Qiu, I’ll sign off for now. Take care!”

Old Wang shut down the connection reluctantly.

Humming a little tune, Cheng Ziqiu prepared to welcome the next lucky viewer.

But excessive joy brings sorrow.

Before he could even open the next connection request, a line of bright red warning text suddenly appeared on the screen:

“Your livestream has been flagged for violating regulations and has been temporarily suspended!”

Cheng Ziqiu was dumbfounded.

What on earth was this supposed to mean?

The message from the platform administrator only made matters worse.

It mentioned things like “lack of certification,” “negative social influence,” and “mandatory rectification.”

The words left Cheng Ziqiu dizzy and furious. He cursed inwardly:

“Appraising treasures is a family tradition of mine. Since when did I need your certification? Besides, I’m helping people identify antiques, not selling counterfeits. What negative influence could there possibly be? These idiots don’t know the first thing about this!”

When Chen Churan saw what had happened, she hurried over.

Her brows drew together slightly as her fingers flew across her phone screen, scrolling through the administrator’s warning messages.

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“Looks like our livestream has struck a nerve with certain people.”

Cheng Ziqiu scratched his head, his face full of helplessness.

“I never saw this coming. I was only appraising a treasure—how did that become a violation? Is telling the truth a crime nowadays?”

Chen Churan let out a soft laugh, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.

“You’re still too inexperienced. This line of work is full of hidden pitfalls, and some people simply can’t stand seeing others do well. But don’t worry. I have a solution.”

“What solution?”

Cheng Ziqiu immediately asked.

Chen Churan smiled sweetly, her eyes glimmering with sly amusement.

“Simple. We’ll put on a grand show. Since they claim we’re ‘uncertified’ and having a ‘negative social influence,’ we’ll give them a performance filled with ‘positive energy.’”

Cheng Ziqiu was utterly bewildered.

“Positive energy? What kind of performance?”

Chen Churan leaned closer and lowered her voice.

“We’ll specifically connect with viewers who are short of money or in difficult circumstances—for example, people whose families urgently need money for medical treatment, or those hoping to sell family heirlooms to raise funds. We could even help an archaeological team seeking assistance. You get the idea?”

The moment Cheng Ziqiu heard this, he understood her plan.

“Brilliant! That’s a masterstroke! We can continue appraising treasures while winning everyone’s sympathy. Surely those platform administrators can’t claim that doing charity is a violation too?”

They put the plan into action at once. Chen Churan reopened the livestream and changed its title to:

“Appraisal of Rare Folk Treasures — Public-Service Appraisal Event”

As soon as the livestream resumed, viewers poured in by the thousands.

[Brother Qiu, what happened? Everything was fine just now—why did the screen suddenly go black?]

[Did someone get jealous of Brother Qiu’s abilities and deliberately cause trouble?]

[Don’t be afraid, Brother Qiu! We support you!]

Some newcomers, drawn in by the title, asked curiously:

[What does “poverty-relief charity special” mean?]

[Is Brother Qiu going to appraise treasures for free?]

[Is Brother Qiu becoming a charity streamer now?]

Reading the comments, Cheng Ziqiu could only laugh bitterly to himself.

This was hardly a career change. He had simply been left with no other choice.

He cleared his throat and addressed the camera.

“Everyone, there was a minor incident in the livestream just now, but it’s been resolved.”

“To thank you all for your support, we’re holding a special public-service appraisal event today, specifically to help viewers who are facing difficulties.”

The moment he finished speaking, the livestream exploded with comments.

[Brother Qiu, my grandfather left me a snuff bottle. He said it’s been in our family for generations. Could you take a look at it?]

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[My family urgently needs money. I have a jade bracelet I’d like to sell. Could you estimate its value, streamer?]

[Brother Qiu, I dug up a jar, and there seems to be something valuable inside. Could you take a look?]

Requests to connect flooded the livestream, leaving Cheng Ziqiu and Chen Churan overwhelmed.

“Looks like our plan really works,” Chen Churan said with a smile.

“At least we won’t have to worry about running out of material now.”

Cheng Ziqiu nodded and began sorting through the connection requests.

The first person to connect was a middle-aged woman holding a worn cloth bundle. Her face was filled with worry.

“Hello, streamer. My name is Li Xiumei. My child is seriously ill, and we urgently need money. I’d like to sell this ancestral jade pendant. Could you help me determine how much it’s worth?”

As she spoke, Li Xiumei carefully opened the cloth bundle and took out a dull gray jade pendant.

The carving was crude, and its surface was covered in scratches. At a glance, it was clearly quite old.

The comments in the livestream began to pick up.

[That jade pendant… It doesn’t look like much.]

[Probably something from a street stall. I doubt it’s worth much.]

[Ma’am, I’m afraid that thing isn’t worth much. You’d better find another way.]

When Li Xiumei saw the comments, her face grew even paler. Tears welled in her eyes.

“Streamer, this… this really was passed down from my ancestors. I don’t know how much it’s worth, but… but it’s my last hope.”

As she spoke, tears began to fall one after another, landing on the dull gray jade pendant.

The atmosphere in the livestream suddenly turned awkward.

The comments that had been shouting about it being “street-stall junk” quickly dwindled.

Looking at Li Xiumei’s helpless expression on the screen, Cheng Ziqiu felt a pang of sympathy.

Although he had started out as a tomb raider and had grown accustomed to life and death, the sight of such human suffering still tugged at his heartstrings.

“Ma’am, please don’t cry yet,” Cheng Ziqiu said as gently as he could.

“This jade pendant does appear to be quite old. Could you hold it closer so I can examine it carefully?”

Li Xiumei nodded through her sobs and brought the pendant closer to the camera.

Cheng Ziqiu narrowed his eyes and zoomed in, carefully studying the pendant’s patterns and material.

The viewers in the livestream held their breath as they waited for Cheng Ziqiu’s appraisal.

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