Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1465: Chapter 1449: The Peculiar Inkstone

This is an old-fashioned black ancient inkstone, seemingly one of the four famous inkstones of Huaxia. However, there are two noticeable chips on each side of the inkstone’s surface, and the chips are quite large.

Huo Sining felt it was a pity, after all, this inkstone was still pretty good in appearance; if it didn’t have these chips, it would certainly be quite a valuable item.

However, just as Huo Sining was about to leave with Qibao, she accidentally touched the counter where the clerk stood, and suddenly, the Heavenly Eye Skill quietly activated, revealing the entire Shufangzhai before her eyes.

At that moment, Huo Sining unexpectedly noticed something peculiar about the inkstone on the counter.

On the surface of the inkstone, there were two seemingly carved bulging parts that were actually glued on. These two glued parts precisely covered a pattern on the inkstone, which appeared to be a dragon and a tiger.

Huo Sining found it puzzling. The inkstone didn’t seem broken, so why cover the dragon and tiger patterns?

Even more curious to Huo Sining was that after carefully examining the parts glued onto the dragon and tiger patterns, she made an astonishing discovery.

Those two later-added glued parts matched the size and shape of the missing chunks on the inkstone’s sides perfectly.

The glued parts were actually cut from the sides of the inkstone!

The surprise in Huo Sining’s eyes was fleeting, but she quickly regained her composure.

Huo Sining had seen aged Huaxia antiques before, and she’d also seen objects obscured using the Hidden Mist technique. For her, as long as an antique was obscured, it usually meant something was amiss; it could be good or bad.

But using the inkstone’s own missing parts as a means of disguise was something Huo Sining encountered for the first time.

She truly didn’t understand why the original owner of this inkstone would resort to such a crude method. After all, if two corners of an inkstone were cut off, it would be considered damaged, and its value would greatly decrease.

Huo Sining was filled with confusion, but under the Heavenly Eye, the spiritual energy of this inkstone was indeed abundant, suggesting it was a genuine ancient inkstone from the Ming Dynasty.

Unable to figure out what’s up with this inkstone, Huo Sining decided not to dwell on it. She glanced at the clerk a few times and suddenly asked, ”Since this place is called Shufangzhai, you should have quite a few of the Four Treasures of the Study. Do you have anything good?”

The clerk finally looked up, glanced at Huo Sining, then looked at an old man in the inner hall before shaking his head and saying, ”Most of the items are on the shelves. Are you looking to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, or inkstones, ma’am?”

Huo Sining nodded and smiled, ”I’m looking to buy something as a gift. Can you bring me those inkstones for a look?”

The clerk was quite enthusiastic and, after Huo Sining requested to look at the inkstones, promptly brought all the inkstones from the shelves. Huo Sining casually picked one and asked the young clerk:

”Little brother, how much for this inkstone?”

The young clerk replied, ”The inkstones in front of you are all three hundred. I assume you’re here for tourism, right? These inkstones are from the late Qing Dynasty and have some collectible value. If you take them home, you won’t suffer a loss.”

Three hundred dollars, which is about two thousand yuan, isn’t expensive. In the country, these kinds of inkstones would generally go for this price too.

Huo Sining didn’t say she wanted it; instead, her eyes suddenly fell on the counter. As if she accidentally saw the damaged ancient inkstone, she lightly exclaimed, reached out, picked it up, and curiously asked, ”Little brother, is this inkstone also three hundred?”

The young clerk turned around to look at the ancient inkstone in Huo Sining’s hand, his expression momentarily freezing before he hesitated and nodded, ”This one is a bit more expensive, it’s five hundred.”

Huo Sining looked confused, ”Why? Isn’t this inkstone damaged? Why is it more expensive than these Qing Dynasty inkstones?”

The clerk laughed, ”Even though it’s damaged, this inkstone is from the Ming Dynasty. If it didn’t have the two chipped corners, it would sell for at least thirty thousand.”

With just a few casual words, Huo Sining already understood everything she wanted to know.

It seemed the clerk and the elderly man in the store only knew the inkstone was from the Ming Dynasty but hadn’t realized that the two glued parts were indeed the inkstone’s missing corners.

The person who made the modification was to blame for cutting those corners so naturally. The missing corners of the inkstone seemed genuinely broken, with no obvious signs of tampering. After the parts were glued onto the dragon and tiger patterns, they perfectly matched, leaving no gap, and appeared harmonious and natural. Under normal circumstances, with the naked eye, no one would notice anything out of the ordinary.

Five hundred dollars, less than three thousand five hundred yuan. Huo Sining’s lips curled up. Whatever tricks this inkstone concealed, once she bought it home, all she needed to do was remove those glued parts and have Qibao reattach them. After a bit of restoration, it would become a complete inkstone. A five hundred dollar inkstone sold for thirty thousand — she would undoubtedly profit.

With this thought in mind, Huo Sining decided to buy the item first and address any questions after she took it home for further study.

”Okay, I’ll take this inkstone.”

The clerk, hearing Huo Sining’s words, hastily grabbed a box to pack it for her. Seeing that the inkstone chosen wasn’t the Qing Dynasty ones but a damaged ancient inkstone instead, his face took on a peculiar expression.

Huo Sining didn’t care what the clerk thought and immediately pulled out five hundred dollars from her pocket to hand to him.

Just as the transaction between Huo Sining and the clerk was taking place, suddenly, a shout came from outside the store, and someone burst in like a whirlwind.

”Uncle Liao, hurry up, hurry up! Mr. Bai’s place just got new stock!”

The elderly man in the seemingly silent inner hall trembled upon hearing this, and within a few steps, he rushed out, flinging the curtain aside.

”When did this happen? Damn old Bai, not notifying me! See if I don’t yank out his beard!”

The old man grumbled, his eyes gleaming as he grabbed the messenger and rushed out the door. Barely making it to the doorstep, he remembered to turn back and instruct the young clerk:

”Si’er, Grandpa’s heading over first. Hurry, close up and bring the stuff along!”

The clerk wasn’t slow on the uptake, and seeing the old man already leaving, he pulled out a box from under the counter and was about to lock the glass door. Only then did he realize Huo Sining and company were still standing in the store.