Chapter Fourteen: Ivory Miniature Carvings

On the table lay several items. Zhang Can used his black-and-white vision to peer through them; instantly, all images in his mind became shades of black and white. In that fleeting moment, the objects revealed their molecular structure, composition, and even the year they were made. The black-and-white vision in Zhang Can’s eyes flashed and vanished—this technique drained his energy heavily, so he had to stop as soon as he understood what he saw. The two Qing Dynasty official kiln plates were worth hundreds of thousands, but their value was obvious even to ordinary experts. Lao Su could see it, as could the others; Chen Xingguo hadn’t bought anything yet, and Ma Dong’s acquisition wouldn’t yield much profit. The truly exceptional piece was the Fish-Gut Sword, but none of them could compete with the wealthy Mr. Wang, so they were left to pick up what he dismissed.

The items were laid out plainly on the table. Even the plates, Zhu Senlin hadn’t acquired; neither had the bronze sword. The prices had already reached their peak—any further increase would yield no profit. Yet Zhang Can insisted on purchasing the least valuable item: a brush holder. No one paid much attention, but when Zhang Can pried open the brush holder with a small knife, everyone was stunned.

Not only Zhu Senlin, but all the others were dumbfounded, except Zhang Can himself, who already knew the hidden secret thanks to his vision.

Inside the brush holder, sealed with wax, was an exquisitely miniature ivory carving, no larger than a mahjong die. Each face of the ivory cube bore a landscape painting, and one side featured a five-character quatrain by Li Bai, from his "Song of Autumn at Qiupu": “My white hair three thousand feet, boundless as my sorrow; I wonder in the mirror, where does autumn frost come from?”

This image had already appeared in Zhang Can’s mind through his black-and-white vision; with the naked eye, the details of the miniature carving would be nearly impossible to discern.

Zhang Can opened the bottom of the brush holder and carefully extracted the ivory micro-carving. He then turned to Sun Tianzhi and asked, “Boss Sun, do you have a magnifying glass?”

“Yes, yes, of course…” Sun Tianzhi answered hurriedly. In fact, Lao Su, Ma Dong, Chen Xingguo, and Mr. Wang’s experts all had such tools; they came here to trade, and essential inspection tools were never lacking. Everyone immediately produced their magnifying glasses.

These professional appraisers used specialized tools, not the toy magnifiers sold in markets. Their lenses could magnify over a hundred times, allowing them to scrutinize details finer than a strand of hair.

When Lao Su saw what had been extracted from the brush holder, his heart sank. If it were a trivial object, it would be nothing; but if it was valuable, he would lose face before Zhu. From the previous misjudgment to today’s lack of action, his standing in Zhu’s eyes must have plummeted to freezing point.

In his heart, Lao Su hoped Zhang Can’s item was worthless. He moved fastest, rushing to Zhang Can’s side, grabbing the magnifier and examining the ivory micro-carving first.

Yet the moment Lao Su’s gaze passed through the magnifier and fell upon the carving, even at first glance, his expression changed dramatically.

His hand trembled, fearing he might drop the ivory carving, and he pressed himself against the table, barely daring to breathe as he continued his careful inspection. The more he looked, the more his face changed—envy and jealousy mingled with countless emotions.

Ma Dong, Chen Xingguo, and Mr. Wang’s experts each took turns inspecting it, and their expressions grew increasingly grave. Sun Tianzhi sensed something was amiss and stopped eating his barbecue, staring fixedly at the ivory carving. He wondered if the item was valuable—if so, it represented a direct loss for him.

When Mr. Wang’s expert was examining the item, Lao Su quietly slipped over to Zhu Senlin, opened his mouth, but didn’t know where to begin.

“Lao Su, tell me—is that thing valuable?” Zhu Senlin whispered anxiously, less composed than Zhang Can, who’d already said the item counted as half his. If it was valuable, Zhu would get half the profit, without having spent a cent. But Lao Su hesitated, which made Zhu even more anxious.

Lao Su swallowed hard and finally said, “Lao Zhu… this is an ivory micro-carving, of very high craftsmanship. Among publicly known works today, it ranks among the best. But… but as for its exact value, that’s hard to say, I… I…”

Zhu Senlin pushed him aside and strode to the table, asking Mr. Wang’s expert, “Master, this item—does it have value?”

“Value?” The expert glanced at Zhu, then at Zhang Can, who appeared calm and unmoved. The expert was unsure whether to be candid.

Mr. Wang noticed the expert’s expression and realized something was wrong. He was seasoned, so he turned to Zhang Can, “Young man, sell me your item. Name your price!”

Zhang Can smiled faintly. He didn’t know the exact value of the micro-carving, but it was certainly valuable. Mr. Wang was shrewd, letting Zhang Can name the price first—playing on his reluctance to ask for too high a sum. Mr. Wang had two strategies.

First, he was gambling that Zhang Can, inexperienced in the world of antiques, wouldn’t dare name a high price. If you don’t know the bottom line, even if you’re bold, you won’t risk asking for the sky.

Second, if Zhang Can did name an exorbitant price, Mr. Wang could simply refuse. He hadn’t promised to buy at whatever price Zhang Can named.

Zhang Can wasn’t foolish. This item, after his vision, was clearly the only bargain he could snag today. Everyone understood the real value of the other objects; among experts, nothing could be hidden. Their worth and profit were as clear as one plus one. Only this item could be bought cheaply; he’d acquired it for a mere thousand yuan in cash. Now that Mr. Wang wanted to buy it, Zhang Can would never name his price first—the advantage lay in responding.

“Mr. Wang, this is a fine ivory micro-carving. I’m sure you’re familiar with its value. If you genuinely want it, name your price. If it’s reasonable, I could consider selling.”

Mr. Wang’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t paid much attention to Zhang Can at first, thinking him too young—young people in this field typically lack skill and experience. But Zhang Can had unexpectedly stood out. None of the appraisers present, all seasoned experts, had noticed the secret hidden in the brush holder; it was Zhang Can, almost a mere youth, who uncovered it. Wasn’t that strange?

Moreover, Zhang Can showed no sign of excitement at this windfall—unless he was unaware of its value. Although the expert hadn’t spoken plainly, Mr. Wang knew the micro-carving was worth at least one or two million. He wanted Zhang Can to name a price, but Zhang Can, sharp as an old fox, refused, forcing Mr. Wang to make the first move.

At this point, Zhu Senlin was no longer anxious. He realized Zhang Can acted with confidence and purpose, not blindly. Regardless of the micro-carving’s value, Zhu now acknowledged Zhang Can’s ability—luck alone wouldn’t explain his repeated successes. Fate doesn’t favor the same person over and over unless they have genuine skill. There are no windfalls from the sky.

If the carving was valuable, all the better; Zhang Can had agreed to split it. Zhu reasoned that if it wasn’t worth much—less than a hundred thousand—he wouldn’t ask for half, hoping to leave a good impression and cooperate with Zhang Can in future.

If the micro-carving was worth more than five hundred thousand, then splitting the proceeds would be fair. For Zhang Can, to receive two or three hundred thousand unexpectedly would be a tremendous boon, and Zhu saw no reason to object.

Zhu Senlin kept silent outwardly, but his thoughts churned. He decided to let Zhang Can take the lead, seeing that he was more composed and possibly more capable.

Mr. Wang had no intention of consulting Zhu Senlin—the brush holder was purchased solely by Zhang Can, who insisted on giving Zhu half the ownership out of his own accord. But the right to decide whether to sell rested with Zhang Can, so Mr. Wang didn’t need Zhu’s opinion.

Sun Tianzhi and Ma Dong were awestruck and envious. They didn’t know the carving’s exact value, but judging by the experts’ expressions, it was clearly no ordinary trinket. Sun Tianzhi, especially, felt restless as a cat.

Mr. Wang pondered. Money was no issue for him, but he wouldn’t waste it needlessly—it had to be spent wisely. He decided to quietly consult with Master Zhao, his personal appraiser, to learn the micro-carving’s true value before making an offer.

Master Zhao had already put down the ivory carving, furrowing his brow and glancing repeatedly at Mr. Wang. He wanted to quietly signal Mr. Wang: this micro-carving was extraordinary—don’t let it slip away!

Mr. Wang was deep in thought when Master Zhao suddenly spoke. “You’re Zhang, right? Well… my surname is Zhao, I’m Mr. Wang’s personal appraiser. Let me make a fair offer on his behalf—how about it?”

Mr. Wang relaxed and nodded in agreement. He understood Master Zhao’s intent—afraid Mr. Wang might not grasp the carving’s real value, so if Master Zhao named a price, it would be about one-tenth of its true worth, giving Mr. Wang a benchmark for any further negotiation.

Zhang Can smiled, “Master Zhao, please go ahead.”

Master Zhao glanced at Mr. Wang, his hands folded at his waist, raising one finger slightly—a signal they’d agreed upon beforehand. Whenever Master Zhao spoke first, he would only state about one-tenth of the real price.

Master Zhao put on a friendly smile and said, “Zhang, this ivory micro-carving, two million in cash. What do you think?”