"A newspaper? The thing you want to have appraised is a newspaper?"
"Yes."
The man's mouth twitched as he was about to say, "Are you kidding me?" but he heard Lin Xiao say, "It's the Guangming Daily first edition, out of print."
The man let out a soft "Hmm" and looked at the newspaper in his hand. "Wait a moment, let me make a phone call."
While dialing, he explained, "Every expert has their field. I know a lot about antiques, but I really don't understand much about modern things like this. However, I have a friend who loves collecting these old items."
The phone rang, and it was picked up.
"Hello, Lao Feng, I have a Guangming Daily first edition here, out of print. Do you know anything about it? Oh… alright, hurry up, the customer is waiting."
After hanging up the phone, the man said, "Please wait a moment, my friend will be here soon. He lives nearby, so it won't take long."
Lin Xiao nodded and sat down.
The man poured him a cup of tea.
"Thank you," Lin Xiao said, taking the cup.
As soon as the tea cup was in his hand, relevant information appeared.
When Lin Xiao saw that the market price of this tea cup was 40,000 Yuan, his hand trembled, and he spilled some of the tea.
He remained calm and, as if by accident, switched to holding the cup with the other hand. He took a sip and then pretended to scrutinize the tea cup in his hand.
After looking at it for a moment, he smiled and said, "Boss, you have quite the taste. Even the tea cups you use are antiques."
The man was surprised. "You can tell?"
Lin Xiao nodded, "This is from the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty. If I'm not mistaken, it should be porcelain from the Pingxiang Kiln, one of the three major kilns of the Qing government at the time. Just this one cup, its market price is at least 30,000 to 40,000 Yuan."
The man was genuinely surprised.
Few people could tell that something was an antique just by looking at it, but it's not impossible. With a bit of learning and close inspection, most can figure it out.
Moreover, the quality of the cup made it easier to identify.
But for Lin Xiao to immediately name the specific era and the kiln that produced the cup—that was something not everyone could do.
The man became serious. "I am Xu Rushan. May I know your name, sir?"
"Lin Xiao."
"To be able to tell the condition of my cup with just a few glances—many experts in the field of antiques couldn't do that. Mr. Lin, you must have done deep research into porcelain."
"Indeed, I have studied it."
Lin Xiao wasn't modest.
He was here to sell something, especially antiques.
Though the newspaper was a more modern item, it could still be considered a type of antique.
When selling such items, the fear is always that someone will try to bargain too much.
So, showing a bit of expertise was essential.
Once again, the viewers were stunned.
"Damn... This host really seems to know his stuff!"
"And his expertise is solid!"
"But wait, isn't the main point that this cup is so expensive? A cup like this, 30,000 to 40,000 Yuan? That's highway robbery!"
"Antiques are expensive to begin with, and besides, not everyone can afford to collect such things."
"The host really seems to know the antique business!"
"I thought the host was just a flashy show-off, but now it looks like he's the real deal?"
"So, does that mean the 300 Yuan newspaper is actually worth something?"
"No, it's 301 Yuan!"
"Forget the 301, the real value is in the vase! The newspaper was just a bonus!"
"Bonus? You believe that? The host clearly bought the vase to get the newspaper. If he'd bought just the newspaper, the vendor would have realized something was off."
"The host knows how to play the game!"
"Now I really want to know how much that newspaper is actually worth!"
Around twenty minutes later, a bald man in his forties walked in.
As soon as he entered, he shouted, "Lao Xu, where's the newspaper?"
"It's right here."
After greeting, Xu Rushan introduced, "This is Lao Feng, and this is Mr. Lin Xiao."
Lao Feng shook Lin Xiao's hand, his eyes immediately landing on the newspaper on the table.
Without wasting words, he asked, "Is this the newspaper?"
Lin Xiao nodded, and Lao Feng said, "Let me take a look."
Lin Xiao handed him the newspaper. He unfolded it and laid it flat on the table.
Lao Feng examined it carefully, scrutinizing every detail. After several minutes, he said, "It really is the Guangming Daily first edition, and it's in good condition. It's not even damaged, which is a miracle."
It truly was a miracle.
After all, it's just a newspaper—if you use it as a cushion a few times, it's ruined.
Lin Xiao guessed that the vendor had only just taken it out to use as padding.
It was just a lucky break for him.
Lao Feng asked, "Are you selling this newspaper?"
"Yes."
"60,000 Yuan!" Lao Feng immediately quoted, while Xu Rushan, who had been about to speak, suddenly started coughing.
Lao Feng looked at him, puzzled. "Is your throat bothering you? Did you take your medicine?"
"It's nothing, nothing," Xu Rushan replied, not wanting to say anything more, especially with the price already set.
Lin Xiao shook his head. "80,000 Yuan."
He quoted the market price given by the system.
The market price didn't mean it was fixed; it could be cheaper, or it could be more expensive.
Rare items are valuable.
Newspapers from the last century, especially the first edition, that have survived to this day—there are very few left.
Given its rarity, if someone who appreciates it finds it, don't be surprised if they're willing to pay not just 80,000, but even 800,000 Yuan.