Qin Shou finally breathed a sigh of relief hearing what Gu Shengsheng said. Just a moment ago, he had been ready to buy it for a high price, but now, he suddenly felt it wasn't worth it. How much could you really make from a meteorite?
'Aren't meteor showers a common sight?'
What Gu Shengsheng didn't say was that this was a rare pallasite meteorite. Its true value would only be realized if it were sold to a scientific research institution or a university research institute, where it might even fetch around 500 US Dollars per gram.
In any case, a meteorite of this size and type was likely very rare in this era. So it would definitely be profitable.
The old farmer looked at Qin Shou and said, "Young man, how about I sell this to you? You just said you'd give me five thousand."
Qin Shou waved his hand dismissively. "No, no. I'm in the antique appraisal business. A meteorite? It's just a worthless rock!"
"No one collects these things!" 'The collectors Grandpa knows probably wouldn't buy it either.'
Gu Shengsheng saw the old farmer was about to ask her, so she said directly, "If you get the chance, you should take it directly to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing City to sell."
"That's where you'll find people who know its real value. Their professors can use it for research and to write papers. It will definitely sell for a good price."
Hearing Gu Shengsheng say this, Qin Shou became even more contemptuous.
"Those academics are so stingy. They'd probably buy a lab specimen like this for less than a thousand."
Gu Shengsheng didn't say anything. 'He doesn't know the material or the specific differences in the rock's composition, so it's normal for him to say that. He is, after all, an idiot.'
'But she was under no obligation to enlighten him.'
She just smiled and turned her attention elsewhere.
The old farmer still seemed hesitant, so he picked up his item and left.
Gu Shengsheng said, "Take that meteorite to the Chinese Academy of Sciences for appraisal and you'll know what's what. Or do you think you need it verified before you'll believe it?"
Qin Shou said, "Of course it's a meteorite. You think I didn't know that?"
"I'll give you this round. Let's see the next one."
Then, Qin Shou ran outside like a madman.
The surrounding vendors watched the commotion. "Looks like he's going to get his grandfather's stuff."
Gu Shengsheng: "..."
'These people don't find it strange at all. It seems this isn't the first time Qin Shou has had a fit like this.'
Barely ten minutes passed before not only Qin Shou returned, but Qin Guocheng came with him.
Gu Shengsheng: "..."
"I heard my grandson found some items for you to appraise, right? I came to join in on the fun. I even brought a few old-timers with me to see what these things are."
Qin Guocheng had collected many things without knowing what they were; he just bought them because they looked nice. Over the years, he'd amassed a pile of miscellaneous junk.
He had picked one out and brought it with him.
Gu Shengsheng looked at the large object wrapped in black cloth. She felt a little nervous herself.
Her System could indeed only appraise jade and jadeite. It was clueless about other items. Right now, the System was as good as dead.
Gu Shengsheng could only rely on her own knowledge. She knew that if she relied on herself, she definitely wouldn't know everything.
And it was perfectly normal to encounter something she didn't recognize. 'Though she felt unsure inside, her expression was calm and completely unflappable.'
After seeing her identify the meteorite, the viewers in the livestream chat were now absolutely radiating with confidence.
"Our streamer is so awesome! She's gonna make you all look like fools. What do you guys even know?"
"A meteorite! I bet no one in the Antique Appraisal World has ever identified one before. Everyone else is clueless. Our streamer is a young genius who's come out of nowhere, and she's totally slaying it."
"Qin Shou, you're going down!"
"..."
Gu Shengsheng read these comments and just felt helpless.
'She was nervous herself.'
'Appraising things casually on her own was one thing, but this... every item was a surprise.'
'The viewers are something else. They have no expectations when they should, but now, when I don't need them to be so cocky, they're all acting like they've conquered the world!'
"I'll do my best," she said.
Over on the other side, Qin Shou pulled off the black cloth, revealing a white porcelain doll.
It was lying there, its cute little belly exposed. The craftsmanship looked exquisite.
Gu Shengsheng took it and examined it carefully.
To be honest, she really didn't know what this thing was. It was Porcelain, but its purpose didn't seem to be for display.
Besides, it was a little doll lying down. Who would make and display something like that?
As her hand rested on the middle section of the small porcelain doll, she thought she could feel a slight curve.
'An idea began to form in her mind.'
Qin Guocheng knew this young lady was skilled.
He spoke directly, "Miss Gu, ever since I bought this thing, I've never seen anything like it. I've scoured ancient texts, but there's no record of this type of object. So, the guess is that it's a modern forgery."
"But I just couldn't accept that, so I've kept it all this time."
Qin Guocheng's words confirmed that everyone had unanimously agreed it was a fake. So what if the craftsmanship was exquisite?
There are so many forgeries these days, and some are even made with better techniques than the originals. When there's no record of an item, you can only say that modern artisans are too skilled.
And it's not like there aren't examples of this happening.
Gu Shengsheng nodded. "I remember a few years ago at Pan Garden in Beijing City, they acquired a very famous Wei Jin court lady figurine. Many experts authenticated it as real, but then a whole batch of identical Wei Jin clay figurines appeared."
Thinking about it now still made her want to chuckle.
It's just like Putian—when it comes to counterfeiting, they're the professionals!
Qin Guocheng also laughed. "So, what do you think this object is, Miss Gu?"
"In my opinion, it's not an item with no record. Of course, my knowledge is limited, so I'll just share my humble insights."
She reached out and touched it. "This is quite obvious. Based on the craftsmanship, the patterns, and the shape, it's from the Jiajing Period of the Ming Dynasty. As for what this porcelain doll is... I believe it's a pillow."
After she said this, not only did the people around her burst out laughing, but even the viewers in Gu Shengsheng's livestream said the streamer had gotten it wrong.
"That's just a small porcelain doll statue. How could it be a pillow?"
"Streamer, we know that ancient jade, porcelain, and buckwheat pillows were at least squarish."
"Who would be weird enough to sleep on a little doll?"
Gu Shengsheng said, "That's the key point."
"You've all probably seen plenty of palace intrigue dramas, right? In them, the Imperial Concubines and others use having a son as a way to curry favor."
"To have a son, sleeping on a pillow like this was considered essential. They believed it would bring them good luck."
"As for why I believe it's a pillow, you can see the curve of the child's body. There's a horizontal depression in the middle, about two centimeters deep. This is characteristic of ancient pillows from the Jiajing Period. Moreover, the craftsmanship is exquisite, which is what you'd expect from imperial court products of that time. The piece I remember most clearly is a Pixiu ornament, and the style is remarkably similar to this."
"It should be in the Rui City Museum right now. You can take this there to have it authenticated."
After Gu Shengsheng said this, the group of old-timers began to discuss it amongst themselves.